Workshop Leaders
Renee Harrington – Yoga: An Alternative Treatment for Depression and Anxiety
Workshop description: Anxiety and depression has become an invisible epidemic, afflicting approximately 121 million people worldwide. The presentation will focus on the Eastern Medicine view of anxiety and depression where physiology has an inherent self-repair mechanism and treatment approaches vary greatly depending on the individual. Participants will learn the three archetypes of depression and specific yoga postures, breath techniques, meditation and mindfulness suitable for each. The workshop will consist of a visual presentation that will include a number of opportunities to experience different yoga techniques. The workshop is designed to be very interactive where participants will be guided through and experience each of the techniques.
Presenter bio: Renee Harrington, M.S. Exercise Science, is a Lecturer in NC State University’s Department of Health and Exercise Studies, an E-RYT 500-level yoga instructor, Senior Master Trainer for YogaFit and competitive athlete on Team USA. With over a decade of experience as an instructor/presenter, Renee blends her knowledge in exercise physiology, nutrition, and biomechanical principals with personal experience to provide valuable information and practical tips for athletic performance, stress management, and metabolic aspects of physical activity.
NeSonya Parker – Yoga and Self-Compassion: You are Worthy
Workshop Description: The heart of this workshop is about becoming more self-compassionate, self-accepting, and self-worthy, on and off the mat, in practicing and in teaching. It’s about relating to oneself in a positive way by conveying feelings of love, care and tenderness. It is kindness and nourishment of the SELF during moments of doubt and judgment, which both lead to a sense of unworthiness. We will engage in self-exploration to discover how we can become more compassionate and embrace “what is” in each moment. We will utilize pranayama, asana, reflective activities, and community sharing to reveal how to shift from self-compassion to self-worth through yoga practice; ultimately promoting physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness. We will allow insights to emerge from the inner truth of every participant.
Presenter Bio: As someone with curves and a “non-traditional” yoga body, NeSonya Parker, 200 hr. certified yoga teacher, has learned to embrace her body exactly as it is in every moment. Her journey began over 7 years ago while attending Yoga for Youth teacher training in 2013, moving on to Yoga Fit Level 1 in 2016, and then completion of Curvy Yoga teacher training in 2017. She has lead and co-lead yoga classes for youth and adults. Currently, she teaches at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA and offers private sessions. Her specialty as an accessible yoga teacher is offering yoga asana in a compassionate, body affirming, and restorative way.
Stephanie Ng- “Vision for My Mission” – Using Advocacy to Fuel Recovery
Workshop Description: In a culture that values thinness and applauds weight loss, it’s easy to get lost in efforts to control our bodies at the expense of achieving our most ambitious goals. In the workshop “Vision for My Mission: Using Advocacy to Fuel Recovery”, participants will engage in breakout group discussions to discuss their boldest hopes and dreams/how they hope to impact the world around them, to reflect on how body image-related concerns may have inhibited them realizing these goals, and how they can choose to use these experiences as sources of motivation and fuel, instead of regret and shame. They will then each create a “Vision for My Mission” poster, where they will illustrate their vision for the change, and concrete steps that they can take towards achieving this vision.
Presenter Bio: Steph graduated from Duke University in 2019 with a BA degree with distinction in Psychology. Having grown up in Hong Kong, she is particularly interested in exploring cross-cultural differences in eating disorder symptoms, development and treatment. For her senior honors thesis, she explored the topic of how conflicting expectations regarding eating behaviors and body shape in Chinese culture may contribute to disordered eating in Chinese adolescent women. Steph is currently pursuing a Masters in Psychology within the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology of Teachers College at Columbia University, and hopes to eventually serve as a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders in Hong Kong. Outside of school, she manages bodybanter.com, an initiative that empowers high school and college students to collaboratively advocate for more inclusive and open conversations about body image.
Cara Hagan- Yoga and Gender: Exploring the Masculine, Feminine, and Gender-Fluid Space
Workshop Description: This workshop will explore concepts of gender as they relate to yoga. As many who study yoga know, several systems of yoga make distinctions with regard to masculine and feminine energies in asana, pranayama, and meditation. This workshop will excavate the origins, histories, and current practice of these ideologies while presenting openings for more fluid interpretations of gendered energies through illuminating differences in philosophy between various systems and identifying instances of ambiguity which lend themselves to deeper exploration and play. This workshop will consist of a lecture/discussion portion for the purpose of presenting and cultivating an understanding of how gender works in various systems of yoga, followed by a short asana and meditation practice where participants will be invited to feel into their own experience of the energies presented and take away a deeper understanding of how one might approach the topic of gender in their personal practice, in their teaching, and in other areas of their lives for a more inclusive existence.
Presenter Bio: Cara Hagan (MFA, RYT-500) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is informed by movement, words, digital space, contemplative practice, and community. She is editor for the forthcoming volume, "Practicing Yoga as Resistance: Voices of Color in Search of Freedom." Hagan teaches on faculty at Appalachian State University in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Courtney Liu- Object to Agent: Shifting from Body Dissatisfaction to Self Love
Workshop Description: In this 1/2 movement-based, 1/2 discussion-based workshop, yogis and yoga instructors will explore exercises and ideas to encourage body appreciation and discourage body dissatisfaction for themselves and their students. Following the movement portion, I will share ideas from the writers (Gregory Bateson, Elizabeth Grosz, and Carolyn Merchant) who inspired the exercise alongside practice applications for teaching and practicing yoga. The workshop will conclude with a discussion where participants will be invited to share their own strategies for encouraging students to shift the focus away from the appearance of the body and towards the functional and embodied experience of yoga.
Presenter Bio: Courtney Liu is a dancer, dance educator, yoga instructor, and candidate for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance at Duke; her research explores connections between ballet education and body image. Courtney has taught dance and yoga-inspired workshops nationally and internationally for the past 13 years. In addition to working in studio and university settings, Courtney has worked with a variety of nonprofits that support at-risk children, refugees, and children exposed to domestic violence. Favorite performing credits include Broadway's the Phantom of the Opera (Assistant Dance Captain, Meg u/s, Ensemble), the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (Spanish and French Princesses), Peridance Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and corps de ballet roles with the Cincinnati Ballet. Courtney also provides individualized choreography/coaching for soon-to-be-wed couples through her consulting practice, Save the First Dance.
Autumn Belk - Non-visual Yoga: A Practice of Feeling Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Workshop Description: In this workshop, participants will be led through a physical yoga practice that focuses solely on how movement, breath, and stillness feel in the body. Participants will be arranged facing away from each other (a large circle with the "front" being out of the center of the circle) and will be encouraged to practice with their eyes closed (if comfortable doing so). Through targeted meditation, pranayama, and asana practices, attendees will explore how they feel in the moment rather than noticing how their bodies may look during practice. There will be no visual cueing or instruction; alignment will be based on feeling appropriate muscular engagement and relaxation. Can we explore the community of group yoga without the inevitable comparison of physical forms?
Presenter bio: Autumn Mist Belk (MFA, University of Maryland; BA, University of Alabama) is an Associate Professor at NC State University (teaching dance, yoga, and gymnastics), the artistic director of Code f.a.d. Company, curator of FAD (Film-Art-Dance) Festival, and a yoga teacher at Bliss Body and Blue Lotus Yoga (specializing in Vinyasa and Yin classes). In 2015, Autumn was inducted into NCSU’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers, and most recently, she was chosen to participate in artist residencies (making dance films and teaching dance and yoga) in Iceland, Austria, and Italy. A former gymnast, current dancer, and dedicated yogini, all of Autumn’s movement expertise influences her teaching. Students in her courses study anatomy and learn appropriate muscle integration before attempting to fly, fall, invert, and balance in most any way you could imagine.
Nicole Castro - Celebrating our Limits: From Yoga Practice to Community Participation
Workshop Description: You are not your productivity. Imagine a world where, when you said "No, I need to rest," you met with not only support but celebration? Imagine that we saw our limits as vital information that didn’t inspire self-judgement (“I should really do more”). Imagine we see limits as a meeting place, an organic means of increasing intimacy and connection. This workshop is a place of exploration. Yoga gives us a powerful starting point for accepting limits, as we pick up blocks, bolsters, and straps. Together, we will ask ourselves: Why are we reluctant to admit we’ve reached a personal limit off the mat? How can my yoga and community practices support me in embracing my limits? How can my peers support me in accepting my body exactly as it is? Through reflection and practice, we’ll develop new interpersonal and community skill sets that (1) help us to honor our body’s limits and boundaries and (2) support community members who do the same. Join us for planting seeds of long-term growth and self-love through a reframing of what it means to say “no” to others and “yes” to ourselves.
Presenter bio: Nicole T. Castro, MA, (they/them) is. In research and life, they bring a lens of embodiment and mindfulness to study violence. They ask who gets to define violence and is curious how certain co-created spaces can invite and encourage people to practice new, non-violent forms of communicating. Adjacent interests include: intra-personal communication and embodied knowledges; how queer, nondyadic relationships disrupt problematic heteronormativities; and the lack of language around consent, intimacy, coercion, and sexual violence. Nicole is in a process of expanding their work to possibly include mindful queer sex ed and relationship inventories that align intention & impact. For now, they enjoy podcasts, play Dungeons & Dragons, and can happily eat oven pizza multiple days a week.
Roxy Ghadimi - Breathwork, Yoga, and Creative Writing as Tools for Feeling at Home in Your Body
Workshop description: We experience the world through not just our minds but also our bodies. Idealized body images and media often prevent us from appreciating our body as our home and for more than just its physical appearance. Stress can also cloud our minds and accumulate in our bodies, interfering with our sense of groundedness and connection with ourselves. This workshop will provide tools for cultivating a sense of home in our bodies and deepening our relationship with our bodies beyond just physical appearance. We will breathe, move, and write together. We will practice using meditation to connect with ourselves, yoga to release tension and emotions that often get trapped in our bodies, and writing to reflect on and reframe toxic narratives surrounding body image.
Presenter Bio: Roxy is a senior at Duke studying neuroscience. As a member of the Mindfulness in Human Development Bass Connections team for the past three years, she has enjoyed researching yoga and mindfulness in an academic setting. Aside from her focus on mind-body practices, Roxy has spent time at Duke reading and writing poetry and working on mental health initiatives. She is looking forward to integrating all of these topics into her workshop.
Workshop description: Anxiety and depression has become an invisible epidemic, afflicting approximately 121 million people worldwide. The presentation will focus on the Eastern Medicine view of anxiety and depression where physiology has an inherent self-repair mechanism and treatment approaches vary greatly depending on the individual. Participants will learn the three archetypes of depression and specific yoga postures, breath techniques, meditation and mindfulness suitable for each. The workshop will consist of a visual presentation that will include a number of opportunities to experience different yoga techniques. The workshop is designed to be very interactive where participants will be guided through and experience each of the techniques.
Presenter bio: Renee Harrington, M.S. Exercise Science, is a Lecturer in NC State University’s Department of Health and Exercise Studies, an E-RYT 500-level yoga instructor, Senior Master Trainer for YogaFit and competitive athlete on Team USA. With over a decade of experience as an instructor/presenter, Renee blends her knowledge in exercise physiology, nutrition, and biomechanical principals with personal experience to provide valuable information and practical tips for athletic performance, stress management, and metabolic aspects of physical activity.
NeSonya Parker – Yoga and Self-Compassion: You are Worthy
Workshop Description: The heart of this workshop is about becoming more self-compassionate, self-accepting, and self-worthy, on and off the mat, in practicing and in teaching. It’s about relating to oneself in a positive way by conveying feelings of love, care and tenderness. It is kindness and nourishment of the SELF during moments of doubt and judgment, which both lead to a sense of unworthiness. We will engage in self-exploration to discover how we can become more compassionate and embrace “what is” in each moment. We will utilize pranayama, asana, reflective activities, and community sharing to reveal how to shift from self-compassion to self-worth through yoga practice; ultimately promoting physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness. We will allow insights to emerge from the inner truth of every participant.
Presenter Bio: As someone with curves and a “non-traditional” yoga body, NeSonya Parker, 200 hr. certified yoga teacher, has learned to embrace her body exactly as it is in every moment. Her journey began over 7 years ago while attending Yoga for Youth teacher training in 2013, moving on to Yoga Fit Level 1 in 2016, and then completion of Curvy Yoga teacher training in 2017. She has lead and co-lead yoga classes for youth and adults. Currently, she teaches at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA and offers private sessions. Her specialty as an accessible yoga teacher is offering yoga asana in a compassionate, body affirming, and restorative way.
Stephanie Ng- “Vision for My Mission” – Using Advocacy to Fuel Recovery
Workshop Description: In a culture that values thinness and applauds weight loss, it’s easy to get lost in efforts to control our bodies at the expense of achieving our most ambitious goals. In the workshop “Vision for My Mission: Using Advocacy to Fuel Recovery”, participants will engage in breakout group discussions to discuss their boldest hopes and dreams/how they hope to impact the world around them, to reflect on how body image-related concerns may have inhibited them realizing these goals, and how they can choose to use these experiences as sources of motivation and fuel, instead of regret and shame. They will then each create a “Vision for My Mission” poster, where they will illustrate their vision for the change, and concrete steps that they can take towards achieving this vision.
Presenter Bio: Steph graduated from Duke University in 2019 with a BA degree with distinction in Psychology. Having grown up in Hong Kong, she is particularly interested in exploring cross-cultural differences in eating disorder symptoms, development and treatment. For her senior honors thesis, she explored the topic of how conflicting expectations regarding eating behaviors and body shape in Chinese culture may contribute to disordered eating in Chinese adolescent women. Steph is currently pursuing a Masters in Psychology within the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology of Teachers College at Columbia University, and hopes to eventually serve as a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders in Hong Kong. Outside of school, she manages bodybanter.com, an initiative that empowers high school and college students to collaboratively advocate for more inclusive and open conversations about body image.
Cara Hagan- Yoga and Gender: Exploring the Masculine, Feminine, and Gender-Fluid Space
Workshop Description: This workshop will explore concepts of gender as they relate to yoga. As many who study yoga know, several systems of yoga make distinctions with regard to masculine and feminine energies in asana, pranayama, and meditation. This workshop will excavate the origins, histories, and current practice of these ideologies while presenting openings for more fluid interpretations of gendered energies through illuminating differences in philosophy between various systems and identifying instances of ambiguity which lend themselves to deeper exploration and play. This workshop will consist of a lecture/discussion portion for the purpose of presenting and cultivating an understanding of how gender works in various systems of yoga, followed by a short asana and meditation practice where participants will be invited to feel into their own experience of the energies presented and take away a deeper understanding of how one might approach the topic of gender in their personal practice, in their teaching, and in other areas of their lives for a more inclusive existence.
Presenter Bio: Cara Hagan (MFA, RYT-500) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice is informed by movement, words, digital space, contemplative practice, and community. She is editor for the forthcoming volume, "Practicing Yoga as Resistance: Voices of Color in Search of Freedom." Hagan teaches on faculty at Appalachian State University in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Courtney Liu- Object to Agent: Shifting from Body Dissatisfaction to Self Love
Workshop Description: In this 1/2 movement-based, 1/2 discussion-based workshop, yogis and yoga instructors will explore exercises and ideas to encourage body appreciation and discourage body dissatisfaction for themselves and their students. Following the movement portion, I will share ideas from the writers (Gregory Bateson, Elizabeth Grosz, and Carolyn Merchant) who inspired the exercise alongside practice applications for teaching and practicing yoga. The workshop will conclude with a discussion where participants will be invited to share their own strategies for encouraging students to shift the focus away from the appearance of the body and towards the functional and embodied experience of yoga.
Presenter Bio: Courtney Liu is a dancer, dance educator, yoga instructor, and candidate for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance at Duke; her research explores connections between ballet education and body image. Courtney has taught dance and yoga-inspired workshops nationally and internationally for the past 13 years. In addition to working in studio and university settings, Courtney has worked with a variety of nonprofits that support at-risk children, refugees, and children exposed to domestic violence. Favorite performing credits include Broadway's the Phantom of the Opera (Assistant Dance Captain, Meg u/s, Ensemble), the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (Spanish and French Princesses), Peridance Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and corps de ballet roles with the Cincinnati Ballet. Courtney also provides individualized choreography/coaching for soon-to-be-wed couples through her consulting practice, Save the First Dance.
Autumn Belk - Non-visual Yoga: A Practice of Feeling Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Workshop Description: In this workshop, participants will be led through a physical yoga practice that focuses solely on how movement, breath, and stillness feel in the body. Participants will be arranged facing away from each other (a large circle with the "front" being out of the center of the circle) and will be encouraged to practice with their eyes closed (if comfortable doing so). Through targeted meditation, pranayama, and asana practices, attendees will explore how they feel in the moment rather than noticing how their bodies may look during practice. There will be no visual cueing or instruction; alignment will be based on feeling appropriate muscular engagement and relaxation. Can we explore the community of group yoga without the inevitable comparison of physical forms?
Presenter bio: Autumn Mist Belk (MFA, University of Maryland; BA, University of Alabama) is an Associate Professor at NC State University (teaching dance, yoga, and gymnastics), the artistic director of Code f.a.d. Company, curator of FAD (Film-Art-Dance) Festival, and a yoga teacher at Bliss Body and Blue Lotus Yoga (specializing in Vinyasa and Yin classes). In 2015, Autumn was inducted into NCSU’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers, and most recently, she was chosen to participate in artist residencies (making dance films and teaching dance and yoga) in Iceland, Austria, and Italy. A former gymnast, current dancer, and dedicated yogini, all of Autumn’s movement expertise influences her teaching. Students in her courses study anatomy and learn appropriate muscle integration before attempting to fly, fall, invert, and balance in most any way you could imagine.
Nicole Castro - Celebrating our Limits: From Yoga Practice to Community Participation
Workshop Description: You are not your productivity. Imagine a world where, when you said "No, I need to rest," you met with not only support but celebration? Imagine that we saw our limits as vital information that didn’t inspire self-judgement (“I should really do more”). Imagine we see limits as a meeting place, an organic means of increasing intimacy and connection. This workshop is a place of exploration. Yoga gives us a powerful starting point for accepting limits, as we pick up blocks, bolsters, and straps. Together, we will ask ourselves: Why are we reluctant to admit we’ve reached a personal limit off the mat? How can my yoga and community practices support me in embracing my limits? How can my peers support me in accepting my body exactly as it is? Through reflection and practice, we’ll develop new interpersonal and community skill sets that (1) help us to honor our body’s limits and boundaries and (2) support community members who do the same. Join us for planting seeds of long-term growth and self-love through a reframing of what it means to say “no” to others and “yes” to ourselves.
Presenter bio: Nicole T. Castro, MA, (they/them) is. In research and life, they bring a lens of embodiment and mindfulness to study violence. They ask who gets to define violence and is curious how certain co-created spaces can invite and encourage people to practice new, non-violent forms of communicating. Adjacent interests include: intra-personal communication and embodied knowledges; how queer, nondyadic relationships disrupt problematic heteronormativities; and the lack of language around consent, intimacy, coercion, and sexual violence. Nicole is in a process of expanding their work to possibly include mindful queer sex ed and relationship inventories that align intention & impact. For now, they enjoy podcasts, play Dungeons & Dragons, and can happily eat oven pizza multiple days a week.
Roxy Ghadimi - Breathwork, Yoga, and Creative Writing as Tools for Feeling at Home in Your Body
Workshop description: We experience the world through not just our minds but also our bodies. Idealized body images and media often prevent us from appreciating our body as our home and for more than just its physical appearance. Stress can also cloud our minds and accumulate in our bodies, interfering with our sense of groundedness and connection with ourselves. This workshop will provide tools for cultivating a sense of home in our bodies and deepening our relationship with our bodies beyond just physical appearance. We will breathe, move, and write together. We will practice using meditation to connect with ourselves, yoga to release tension and emotions that often get trapped in our bodies, and writing to reflect on and reframe toxic narratives surrounding body image.
Presenter Bio: Roxy is a senior at Duke studying neuroscience. As a member of the Mindfulness in Human Development Bass Connections team for the past three years, she has enjoyed researching yoga and mindfulness in an academic setting. Aside from her focus on mind-body practices, Roxy has spent time at Duke reading and writing poetry and working on mental health initiatives. She is looking forward to integrating all of these topics into her workshop.
|
Dianne's Resources
Dianne has a variety of resources available for both yoga instructors and for yoga practitioners. In addition to these, check out her offerings below that come in many different formats. Workshops: Dianne offers Yoga for All Workshops and Diversity Trainings to encourage the development of inclusive leadership in studios and yoga instructors. You can learn more here. Book: Dianne is the author of Yoga for Everyone: 50 Poses for Every Type of Body, an excellent resource for universally-accessible yoga poses and sequences that experienced and beginner yogis alike will enjoy. Other Speaking Events: Catch Dianne at one of her other speaking events listed here. She has a busy schedule taking her all over the world! Online Classes: Practice yoga with Dianne on Yoga International! Not sure if you want to become a paying member? Try the two week trial before committing to a membership. Podcast: Who doesn't love a good podcast? Start out your morning right by listening to Dianne speak with leaders in the yoga community. Stay connected: You are invited to visit Dianne's website and/or social media pages to stay in the loop with her current projects and advocacy work. Website: https://diannebondyyoga.com/ Instagram: Instagram.com/DianneBondyYoga Facebook: Facebook.com/DianneBondyYoga Twitter: Twitter.com/DianneBondyYoga YouTube: Youtube |
|
