AYSR Student Development Track

WHAT, WHO, WHy

Join Lorie Bird for this 4-month immersion into the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga practice. We’ll study in depth: Primary series asana, pranayama, vinyasa count, yoga sutras, and more. These foundational concepts carry through to advanced series asana, making this course appropriate for any level of student, from beginner to advanced, including those practicing beyond Primary series. Teachers will find the material helpful to round out their Ashtanga knowledge and enhance their classes.

As students of Ashtanga yoga, we all need a little help staying engaged with practice at times. This course offers in-depth material to work with in your daily practice and beyond, as well as a community to keep you inspired, help you past that plateau and lighten the monotony of daily practice. We’ll meet regularly for a weekend workshop, where we can check in on progress, answer questions and support each other’s journey. By the end of the course, you’ll have a better understanding of the practice as a whole, and how it can be a transformational daily devotion.

Fill Out an Application

What’s Included:

4 weekends of workshops focusing on all the key aspects of Ashtanga practice in the context of the Primary Series. Topics include:
- Breakdown of postures in the Primary Series
- Pranayama
- Sanskrit and Vinyasa Counting
- Transitions in Primary Series
- Backbends
- Led Practices
- Theory Discussion & Sutra Study
Unlimited class pass for the duration of the Program (students expected to practice Ashtanga at least 3x/week throughout the program)
Reading and Journal assignment suggestions
(see Workshop Schedule below)

TUITION:

$1200; Early Bird: $1000 if paid in full before Jaunuary 1st, 2025; Installments: 4 Auto-draft payments of $300.
If cost is an issue, please reach out to me directly to discuss options.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:

(Descriptions & Details are updated on Workshop | Events page)

January 11-12nd Weekend Workshop: Ashtanga Foundations

Saturday January 11th: 8:30-10:00am Led Primary; 10:30am-12pm Intro to Ashtanga/History (5 elements of Ashtanga); 1-3pm Breaking Down Sun Salutations
Sunday January 12th: 8:30-10:30am Mysore; 11am-12pm Sutra Talk; 1-3pm Breaking Down Standing Postures

February 22-23rd Weekend Workshop: Primary Series Part I - Strength & Flexibility

Saturday February 23rd: 8:30-10:00am Led Primary; 10:30am-12pm Sanskrit & Vinyasa Counting; 1-3pm 1st Half Seated Postures
Sunday Sunday February 24th-10:30am Mysore; 11am-12pm Sutra Talk; 1-3pm The Train Wreck

March 8-9th Weekend Workshop: Primary Series Part 2 - Testing Limits

Saturday April 12th: 8:30-10:00am Led Practice & Talk; 10:30am-12pm Pranayama; 1-3pm 2nd Half Seated Postures
Sunday April 21st: 8:30-10:30am Mysore ; 11am-12pm Sutra Talk; 1-3pm Transitions

April 12-13th Workshops: Beyond Primary - Closing Out and Moving on

Saturday June 1st: 8:30-10am Led Practice & Talk; 10:30am-12pm Alternate Sequences; 1-3pm Inversions & Closing Sequence
Sunday June 2nd: 8:30-10:30am Mysore; 11am-12pm Sutra Talk; 1-3pm Backbends

READING LIST Suggestions:

One Simple Thing (Eddie Stern)
Secrets of Yogic Breathing: Vayu Siddhi (David Garrigues)
The Yoga Sutras; any translation you like. I recommend: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Chip Hartranft); Yoga: Discipline of Freedom (Barbara Stoller Miller); The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Sri Swami Satchidananda); Yoga Sutras for Ashtanga Students Online Course (David Garrigues)
Ashtanga Yoga Vinyasa (David Garrigues)

AYSR Teacher Training Track

WHAT, WHO, WHY

Teaching Ashtanga yoga is a special experience. It is traditionally taught in a “mysore style” format, allowing each individual student to receive personalized instruction at their own pace in the same space as others that may be at different points in their journey. The teacher’s responsibility is to support and guide each person, meeting them where they are. This requires a strong knowledge of the Ashtanga vinyasa yoga system, but also a strong understanding of how it can be adapted to the individual. A lot of that knowledge and understanding comes from being a student first, which is a large part of the AYSR Teacher Training program.

This Teacher Training course is for those who are interested in an even deeper understanding of the Ashtanga yoga system, and those interested in teaching Ashtanga yoga in the mysore or led class format. This will be a fast paced course so a commitment to regular practice and full participation in the workshops is required, as well as completion of assignments as given. This course includes 200 hours of instruction, and participants will receive a certificate of completion upon meeting the requirements. Yoga Alliance accreditation is pending.

Fill Out An Application

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

- Student Development Course (See Above)
- Unlimited class pass for the duration of the program (4 months)
- 3 additional weekend workshops dedicated to the art of teaching Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Topics include: vinyasa count, anatomy, adjustments, the mysore method of teaching, and more
- 30 hour online anatomy course with David Keil
- Reading assignments
- Workbook assignments
- Opportunity to lead part of a Led Primary Series class
- Opportunity to observe/assist in a Mysore style class

TUITION:

$2100; Early Bird: $2000 if paid in full before Jaunuary 1st, 2024; Installments: 4 Auto-draft payments of $525.
If cost is an issue, contact me directly to discuss options.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: (In addition to the SDC Workshops Above)

March 22-23rd Teacher Training Weekend Workshops

Saturday March 22nd: 8:30am-12:30pm Teacher Discussion & Practice
Sunday March 23rd: 8:30-10:30am Mysore; 10:30am-12:30pm Sutras Chapter 2; 1-4:30pm Anatomy Discussion

May 3-4th Teacher Training Weekend Workshops

Saturday May 3rd: 8am-12pm Teacher Discussion & Practice

Sunday May 4th: 8:30-10:30am Mysore; 10:30am-12:30pm Sutras Chapter 2; 1-4:30pm Anatomy Discussion

June 7-8 Teacher Training Weekend Workshops

Saturday June 7th: 8:30am-12:30pm Teacher Discussion & Practice

Sunday June 8th: 8:30-10:30am Mysore; 10:30am-12:30pm Sutras Chapter 2; 1-4:30pm Anatomy Discussion
Graduation!

Books Required to Purchase:

One Simple Thing (Eddie Stern)
Ashtanga Svadhyaya (Ross Stambaugh)
Functional Anatomy of Yoga (David Keil)
Ashtanga Yoga Vinyasa (David Garrigues)
The Yoga Sutras; any translation you like.
Recommendations: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Chip Hartranft); Yoga: Discipline of Freedom (Barbara Stoller Miller); The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Sri Swami Satchidananda); Yoga Sutras for Ashtanga Students Online Course (David Garrigues)
Teaching Yoga with Verbal Cues (David Garrigues)
(Optional) Secrets of Yogic Breathing: Vayu Siddhi (David Garrigues)
Taylor Hunts February 7-9 Weekend Workshop is required.

Teacher Bio

Lorie Bird - ERYT500/YACEP

Former owner and founder of New Bern Yoga, in New Bern, NC, Lorie has always been athletic, predominately running for a good portion of her adult life. Yoga was initially as part of her marathon training, but as her life shifted, so did her journey with yoga. Several years ago health issues turned her life upside down, but yoga was a constant that helped to keep her mind and body going. She continued her practice, but also began pranayama and meditation practices as well as reading The Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita. As her passion continued to grow, she pursued studying Ashtanga Yoga in Thailand under Vari Morales, where she learned the history and philosophy associated with traditional Ashtanga as well as the physical practice of asana.

After completing her YTT, she has continued her practice & studies. joining the AYSR community in 2020. She completed her apprenticeship under the guidance of her mentor & teacher Stacy Ingham. She has continued practicing, studying & teaching under Stacy’s guidance.

She has co-taught both the Student Development Course and YTT with her teacher Stacy..