Tias Little brings to his teaching a wonderful play of
metaphor and imagination . He is trained in Iyengar and Ashtanga vinyasa yoga
and his perspective clearly reflects the Buddha's teachings. Tias has been a
student of Dzogchen practice of Tibetan Buddhism since 2003 studying with
Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and he has practiced Zen meditation since 1992. Tias’ teaching
specializes in yoga and anatomy, blending both Western and Eastern perspectives.
He is a licensed massage therapist, has studied extensively in cranial-sacral
therapy and Somatics. Tias earned a Masters degree in Eastern Philosophy from
St. John’s College. He currently directs Prajna Yoga in Santa Fe New Mexico with
his wife Surya and leads yoga intensives both nationally and
internationally.
TITLE: PRAJNA YOGA, UNWINDING AND THE
MIDDLE WAY
FRI AFTERNOON
Freeing
the Foundation: Feet, Ankles and Knees
A yoga
practice begins with the feet, for the feet are the foundation to the temple of
the body. This class guides students to activate their feet, initially by lying
on the back and then in standing poses. We explore the architecture of the foot
and review common strain patterns that reside in the feet and
ankles. An invaluable class for yoga teachers to learn to help
students activate their arches and stabilize their
knees.
FRI PM The Middle
Way
The Middle Way is a place free from extremes, extremes that
polarize and isolate and cause imbalance. The Middle Way path is accessible
mystically and physiologically as our central axis through the body. One of the
names for the mid line is the Madhya Nadi or middle channel. This class works
deep with the spine—the vertebrae, the discs and surrounding musculature-- to
harmonize and illuminate the central channel.
SAT
AM
Unwinding the Low Back
Lower back compression is so common in
our culture-- 85% of our society suffers from low back pain at some point in
their lives. Typically this pain is due to asymmetrical strain patterns, i.e
excess tightness one one side of the body. The class aims to release
constriction in the lumbar and sacral area through gliding and rocking and
stretching movements. In particular, our aim is to unglue the tightness in the
muscles, tendons and ligaments by irrigating blood into the lower spine and
sacrum.
SAT PM
SUN AM
Unwinding the Neck and
Shoulders
I always joke with my students that chiropractors make their
living adjusting imbalances in the neck given that neck pain is so common! This
class is aimed to release foreshortening in the neck muscles and compression
around the nerves and discs of the neck region. Neck pain frequently results in
headaches, insomnia, jaw strain and fatigue. Given that the neck is so tied into
the shoulders, this class will address the ways that neck tension is coupled
with shoulder restriction. We will use non-force techniques to unwind tension in
the neck, particularly with spiral movements for the neck and
shoulders. |
