Workshop Schedule
Friday, March 19 — 8am EDT |
Lindsey Crawford |
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Friday, March 19 — 5pm EDT |
Dr. Leonard Arvisu Cruz |
Christine Abernathy, Kenneth Strickland |
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Saturday, March 20 — 10am EDT |
Sierra Winters |
Mariana M. Cruz |
Rayneen Thebeau |
Saturday, March 20 — 11am EDT |
Susanna Barkataki |
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Saturday, March 20 — 1pm EDT |
Krishna Kaur Khalsa |
Tom Spector |
Leana Marie Marshall |
Sunday, March 21 — 10am EDT |
Dr. Atul Pednekar |
Cara Hagan |
Maria Coffee |
Sunday, March 21 — 2pm EDT |
Lindsey Noonan |
Kara Nicole Bitar |
Renee Harrington |
Friday, March 19 — 8am EDT Workshop
Lindsey Crawford - Simple Pranayama & Meditation Practices for Everyday (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- This workshop will give those who are new to pranayama and meditation an introduction to these practices, their benefits and ways to incorporate them into their daily life. There will be an opportunity to explore some simple breathing and meditation techniques so the student can determine which practice feels most supportive to them. Tools will be provided to guide students in how to incorporate these practices into their day. After each practice, there will be an opportunity for feedback and sharing of experiences, and of course questions. The intention of this workshop is to empower students to explore yoga beyond just the physical postures, to make these practices more accessible and approachable for people of all levels of experience, and to bring the powerful benefits of pranayama and meditation to students.
Presenter Bio:
- Lindsey believes in the importance of making yoga accessible to all. Her teaching style is inviting to beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. As a teacher and practitioner, she focuses on awareness of the breath, gives reminders to stay in the present moment, and encourages students to challenge themselves from a place of curiosity and compassion. She believes that nurturing the mind-body connection is one of yoga’s greatest gifts and is enthusiastic about sharing the many tools that yoga has to offer. Her intention for her students as they practice and learn is to stay centered in their wholeness and happiness, and to emanate that out, everywhere they go, making the world a better place.
- Lindsey began practicing yoga in 2005. After playing basketball and competing through sports growing up, she was excited to find something that challenged her not only physically and mentally, but also spiritually and emotionally. Over the years she explored and practiced many different styles of yoga and studied Buddhism and Vipassana Meditation. Almost 10 years later, she felt the calling to go deeper with her practice and enter into a teacher training.
- In March of 2016 she completed Yoga District’s 200 Hour Teacher Training Program in Washington, DC. In September of 2019 she completed 500 Hour Life of a Yogi Teacher Training with Sri Dharma Mittra in New York. Lindsey is co-owner of Global Breath Studio in Durham, NC and loves teaching her Tuesday/Thursday morning Open Up Classes where she incorporates mindful movement, pranayama and meditation. She continues to learn and grow through the powerful practices of yoga, and strives to apply their principles in all areas of her life.
Friday, March 19 — 5pm EDT Workshops
Dr. Leonard Arvisu Cruz - Evolving Yoga: A Contemporary Embodied Animist Approach (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- The aim of this interactive yoga workshop is to provide participants with an animist framework for an embodied practice that will enable transformative experiences. We will start the practice from lying postures, to sitting, then to all fours, up to standing, going back to all fours, down to sitting and ending with lying postures. Inspired by the evolution of the Homo-Sapien and the Animist Philosophy; “Evolving Yoga,” is designed to acknowledge our ancestors and all sentient beings, deepen our awareness, and insight while fostering other ways of knowing and experiencing ourselves, others, and the universe in our yoga practice.
Presenter Bio:
- Dr. Leonard Cruz (PhD in Urban Education with a focus on the Performing and Creative Arts) was born in Pampanga, the Philippines and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degree in Dance from U.C.L.A., and later obtained his Master of Fine Arts in Performance/Choreography in 2009. In 2013, Cruz successfully defended his PhD dissertation on, “Laban Movement Analysis as a Methodology for Promoting Creativity and the Arts Across the Curriculum,” from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Cruz has been practicing Yoga since his college years and received his 200 E-RYT at Evolve Yoga in 2013. He presently is the Founder of the Creative, Arts, and Resilience Project (C.A.R.P.) and resides in Essen, Germany. Leonard received his 500 E-RYT under Ann Hunt from Evolve Yoga & Wellness.
Christine Abernathy, Kenneth Strickland - Break Every Chain: honoring lineage with our movement and breath (75 min)
Workshop Description:
- Get ready to move and be moved! Yoga is a tool for creating social change. This interactive session provides a framework to harness our movement, breath, spirituality, and creativity to shape a more equitable world. We will create art, poetry, and dance and bring life to the social movements around us. Lastly we have developed distinctive mindfulness techniques oriented towards revolutionary change that you can use everyday as we liberate ourselves.
Presenter Bios:
- Christine Siu Abernathy: Hi- I’m Christine. I’m a creative, a community organizer, and a yoga teacher. I use yoga as a tool for building justice and resilience in communities. I teach with Yoga for Youth and co-founded Radical Origins Yoga. We teach yoga to youth and adults in order to create a more equitable world.
- Kenneth Strickland: Kenneth Strickland is a board member for Yoga 4 Youth NC. Kenneth has been educating youth in the power of Kundalini Yoga, the breath, and love since 2013. He believes in the inherent wisdom of children and works to create spaces where children can become aware of this wisdom. Kenneth is currently living in Durham, NC working with ReboundNC to offer SEL alternatives to suspension in Durham Public Schools. Kenneth is also attending Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where he studies Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling.
Saturday, March 20 — 10am EDT Workshops
Sierra Winters - Ayurveda is Not a Fad: Learning from the Voices Whose Culture We Have Appropriated (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- So many important voices could not join our conference this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still learn from them. This workshop, based on research for my senior thesis, seeks to center Indian thinkers like Romila Thapar, Chandrina Chakraborty, Rupi Kaur, and more as we unpack the commercialization of Ayurveda in the West. Topics covered include: the tendency to view Ayurveda as a “diet,” the rise of Instagram influencers espousing Ayurveda, kitchari cleansing as a statement/reflection of economic and culinary capital, and the human rights concerns of the Indian Farmers Protest. Participants will leave with a list of resources and thinkers that they can further research after this workshop concludes.
Presenter Bio:
- I received my 500-hour YTTC in India in 2019 from a group of spiritual leaders who remain very close to my heart. I have returned to India several times since then, paying particular attention to yoga psychology and Ayurveda on each trip, and I have used my observations as a basis for writing my senior thesis on the commercialization of Ayurveda. Although I grew up in North Carolina, I will be moving to Mumbai in December to live with my fiancé, and so these topics of cultural appropriation and decolonization are a top priority for me. I am particularly passionate about food justice advocacy, and I plan to start a vegan food service business in Mumbai that centers yogic philosophy. I currently teach yoga for Duke Rec and have been a member of the Mindfulness in Human Development and Embodied Learning Summit for two years. I also find yoga to be a useful lens in discussing themes of body positivity. I will graduate in December, 2021, with a double major in Cultural Anthropology at Duke and Food Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well a Certificate in Documentary Studies at Duke.
Mariana M. Cruz - Inclusive Approaches in School and Community-Based Youth Yoga (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- This workshop focuses on the importance of centering inclusive approaches, language and sensibilities in school and community-based youth yoga. We will look at why diversity and inclusion matters, strategies for intentional application, and the embodied experience. As part of the embodied experience, I will provide a case study scenario and invite volunteers to participate in a short role play followed by a closing group reflection. I will also have visuals (text slides & images) on the screen. I am happy to send the resources I draw from for this workshop via email.
Presenter Bio:
- Mariana is a diversity, inclusion and wellness professional with 15+ years of experience in the educational and non-profit sectors. She is the founder of Heketi Consulting LLC and Inclusive MindBody and currently works as a mindfulness education consultant for the Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland. Mariana is Puerto Rican and divides her time between China, the US and Puerto Rico.
Rayneen Thebeau - More Than Asana (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Yoga. It’s so much more than what we as westerners see from the outside. It’s not just a physical practice, a workout, a de-stressor. It’s not just for those who can afford it and look cute in the overpriced athletic wear. It’s not for any one gender, age or race. It’s not for any one set of beliefs, religion, or political party.
- Yoga is for EVERYONE. Anyone who wishes, who seeks. The word literally means “to yoke,” to unite.” Not only body, mind and soul. Everything. Us as humans, regardless of our differences. All living creatures and the beautiful earth we share it with. It’s a way of life. A way to see, feel, learn, heal and grow. A way to connect with the deepest parts of yourself and the world around you.
- These are just a few of the reasons why I love, why I live this practice. Why I’m so grateful I found it, it’s teachings and my teachers. Through my workshop— More than Asana— I wish to honor and share some of these most sacred things through discussion, reflective exercises, group sharing and space holding.
Presenter Bio:
- Rayneen Thebeau is a devout student and nationally certified yoga teacher (E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP,) health coach, personal trainer and herbalist in training who longs to guide others towards a more fulfilling life through the practices of yoga, self care and earth based healing.
Helpful Resources from Rayneen:
- The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T. K. V. Desikachar
- https://yogainternational.com/article/view/why-we-practice-a-short-history-of-yoga-in-the-west
- https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/yoga-s-greater-truth/
Saturday, March 20 — 11am EDT Keynote Presentation
Susanna Barkataki (60 min)
An Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, Susanna Barkataki supports practitioners to lead with equity, diversity and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence. She is founder of Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute and runs 200/500 Yoga Teacher Training programs. She is an E-RYT 500, Certified Yoga Therapist with International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT).
Author of #1 New Release and International Bestseller in Yoga in Nov 2020 Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. With an Honors degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Education from Cambridge College, Barkataki is a diversity, accessibility, inclusivity, and equity (DAIE) yoga unity educator who created the ground-breaking Honor {Don’t Appropriate} Yoga Summit with over 10,000 participants. Learn more and take her complimentary masterclass to embrace yoga’s roots without appropriation: www.namastemasterclass.com
Author of #1 New Release and International Bestseller in Yoga in Nov 2020 Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. With an Honors degree in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Education from Cambridge College, Barkataki is a diversity, accessibility, inclusivity, and equity (DAIE) yoga unity educator who created the ground-breaking Honor {Don’t Appropriate} Yoga Summit with over 10,000 participants. Learn more and take her complimentary masterclass to embrace yoga’s roots without appropriation: www.namastemasterclass.com
Saturday, March 20 — 1pm EDT Workshops
Krishna Kaur Khalsa - Y.O.G.A. for Youth - 20+ Years of Empowering Underserved Youth (75 min)
Workshop Description:
- Krishna Kaur, master Kundalini Yoga teacher and teacher trainer, will share aspects of her yoga journey as a Black woman that led her to create the non-profit organization Your Own Greatness Affirmed, aka Y.O.G.A. for Youth. Y.O.G.A. for Youth, based in Los Angeles, has served primarily Black and Brown youth in schools, community centers, and detention facilities for over twenty years. Krishna Kaur will overview the work of Y.O.G.A. for Youth and its strengths-based, practical approach, and lead participants in an experience of the curriculum.
Presenter Bio:
- Krishna Kaur, a dynamic, heart centered Kundalini Yoga teacher, began studying with Yogi Bhajan in 1970 and has passionately taught the art and science of Kundalini Yoga and Self Awareness for over 45 years. She is certified by the Kundalini Research Institute as a Lead Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainer of both Level I and II. She is the regional coordinator for 3HO Africa, and trains frequently in Mexico, China, throughout Europe, and North America. Krishna also founded Y.O.G.A. for Youth, a non-profit dedicated to training yoga teachers to work with underserved youth and creating yoga programs for schools and juvenile facilities.
- As spiritual activist and master teacher trainer, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her teachings around the world to everything she does. She laughs proudly when asked about her humble beginnings as a yoga teacher introducing yoga to Black and brown folks in South Central LA. Krishna opened the first yoga center in South Central Los Angeles, and still resides in the L.A. area today. She lives her teachings, rising daily at 4:00am for her personal practice, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. People love Krishna's workshops because they are fun, invigorating and very uplifting.
Tom Spector - Meditation and Healing (75 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Tom’s interactive experiential presentation is for everyone, even people who believe they could never meditate. During Tom’s 40 plus years of teaching, he developed a refreshingly effective approach to overcome the obstacles and take the struggle out of meditation. It ensures everyone will be successfully meditating and will also have a solid foundation to continue meditating on their own.
- For the healing segment, Tom will present a practical approach to become ‘worry free’. His teachings are crystal clear and easy to follow. They combine profound meaning with light humor.
Presenter Bio:
- Tom began meditating while in graduate school at Yale University in 1968 and passionately studied meditation and healing with Ram Dass in the 1970s.
- Tom has been teaching at many different venues, including yoga retreats, universities, hospitals, corporate firms, and other organizations. Tom also sees individual clients and regularly visits cancer patients at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has a special gift for helping people discover the root of their suffering and their path to healing and inner peace.
- Tom lives in North Carolina with his wife, JoAnna, who teaches yoga at their studio, Hatha House: www.hathahouse.com. His teachings are available in his CD, Meditation and Healing CD and his book, Our Two Gardens: How to Cultivate Healing.
Leana Marie Marshall - Crushing Quiet Bias in the Yoga Community (75 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- In this workshop, I will empower attendees with insight and tools to recognize and take action toward eradicating demoralizing attitudes in the yoga space. The gal for you is to learn how to take action against nice prejudices and quiet bias.
Presenter Bio:
- Leana Marie Marshall (MHA, RHIA, E-RYT, RYT 500, YACEP) was born and raised in small-town Mississippi. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Informatics and Information Management from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and her Master of Science Degree in Health Administration from Belhaven University.
- She planned to have a stable career in the medical field, but life drew her toward a fulfilling career in physical fitness.
- From her experiences of growing up in the South and from her having to endure pushback for wanting to push for equality in the workplace, Leana has emerged as a social justice activist striving to dismantle systemic bias and micro-aggression. She is open to partnering with companies who truly want to ensure that their work environments are a place where everyone feels valued.
Sunday, March 21 — 10am EDT Workshops
Dr. Atul Pednekar - Yoga Psychology - A Forgotten Treasure (90 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Is yoga a form of acrobatics; training you to assume difficult postures, labelled as asanas, or is it something quite more than that?
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which discuss the principles of Yoga in 196 aphorisms have just 8 aphorisms that discuss about Asanas (physical postures) and Pranayams (breath control).
- The question then is;
- Which is that important topic that takes space in the remaining 188 aphorisms?
- What is that treasure that has been ignored over the ages that holds the true spirit and potentials of Yoga?
Presenter Bio:
- He is a Counsellor, Motivator and a Personal Empowerment Facilitator. Coming from a Medical background his interest is especially in Holistic Healing. His belief in Lifestyle Management as a part of healing brought him in contact with the field of Yoga and Philosophy. He is a trained Yoga teacher and a Counsellor.
- He is the Founder Director of Yog Psychology Foundation; which is working towards spreading the importance of Yoga as a healing modality.
- His modules of programs based on the principles of Yoga Psychology have been included as a part of the curriculum at The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India; which is the oldest organised institute in the world, for householders.
- He has also been associated with various research projects, including;
- The Caring Heart Project and
- The Role of Yoga in Alleviating Anxiety
- He was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow for a research program that studied the role of Yoga on mothers of students appearing for Board exams.
- He is attached as a faculty at The Yoga Institute, where he regularly conducts lectures for the teacher trainees on topics related to medicine and counselling for more than 12 years.
- He has authored two books “IT’S ALL IN THE MIND” (on principles of Psychology and Counseling for healers and common people) and "INTEGRAL CHAKRA PSYCHOLOGY" (which is an international publication and elaborates on behaviour patterns and the emotional problems related with the same)
- He has been the President of Santacruz Medical Social Association, which is a premium medical association conducting academic and social functions for its member doctors.
Cara Hagan - Practicing Yoga as Resistance: Voices of Color in Search of Freedom (Panel) [75 min]
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- This is a proposed panel discussion of the forthcoming anthology titled, "Practicing Yoga as Resistance: Voices of Color in Search of Freedom.
- Bringing together a diverse chorus of voices and experiences in the pursuit of collective bodily, emotional, and spiritual liberation, Practicing Yoga as Resistance: Voices of Color in Search of Freedom examines yoga as it is experienced across the Western cultural landscape through an intersectional, feminist lens. Naming the systems of oppression that permeate our lived experiences, this collection and its contributors shine a light on the ways yoga practice is intertwined with these systems while offering insight into how people challenge and creatively subvert, mitigate, and reframe them through their efforts. From the disciplines of yoga studies, embodiment studies, women’s and gender studies, performance studies, educational studies, social sciences, and social justice, the self-identified women, queer, BIPOC and White allies represented in this book present an interdisciplinary tapestry of scholarship that serves to add depth to a growing assemblage of yoga literature for the 21st century.
Presenter Bio:
- Volume Editor Cara Hagan is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersections of movement, digital space, words, contemplative practice, and community. Practicing yoga since the age of nineteen, Hagan has been teaching yoga since 2009. Hagan serves on faculty in the dance studies program at Appalachian State University, in addition to facilitating the Boone, North Carolina-based organization, Small and Mighty Acts (SAMA). SAMA’s mission is to help people reach their civic potential.
Maria Coffee - How to Keep Painful Memories in the Past? (75 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Everyone has memories they would rather forget, and they may know the triggers that bring them bouncing back. Bad memories can underlie a number of problems, from post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias to physical discomfort when body memories manifest as energy stored in our joints, organs, bones or muscles.
- Painful events from our past are stored in our minds as memories, but memories are not facts!
- Join me on this inner journey reinventing your response to painful memories. No one thinks you should forget your most emotional times, instead leave the disrupting emotions back in the past where they belong and move on with your life.
Presenter Bio:
- I was born in Germany and live in the US since 2006. My spiritual name is Teg Saraswati.
My intention is to help people grow, live a meaningful, focused and purpose-driven life. No matter where they are at in life, how discouraged you may feel. From my experience, even from the worst conditions, nothing is impossible. - I was able to free myself out of severe childhood trauma, a violent marriage and later on an unfulfilled and empty life. The foundation to make this possible was Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, one of the best decisions in my life.
- Through several certification training’s and the experiences of my own liberation, (including improving my health,) I am now in the position to support people in similar situations to grow out of their limitations and start living towards happiness and purpose in their life.
- I am teaching currently at kundaliniyogafromhome.com. I am certified as a Kundalini Yoga Teacher inclusive; Authentic Relationships, Mind and Meditation, Yoga for Youth, Incarcerated and at Risk. Additionally I am a certified Emotion Code Practitioner working with the Body Code and 3-Dimensional Therapy.
Sunday, March 21 — 2pm EDT Workshops
Lindsey Noonan - Journaling for Mindfulness and Self Growth (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Have you ever been interested in journaling but didn't know where to start? Or think journaling means writing down every detail of your day before bed? If so, then this workshop is a great place to change some of these ideas. I plan to help every individual learn how to make journaling work for them and use it as a tool to help with self-awareness, mindfulness, and even anxiety. Participants should bring a notebook or piece of paper and writing utensil to this workshop for some practice with journaling prompts at the end!
Presenter Bio:
- Hi! My name is Lindsey Noonan, and I am a senior at Duke University majoring in Biology. I am also a pre-med student and want to practice integrative preventative medicine in the future. I have been a part of the team that puts on the Embodied Learning Summit since my sophomore year of college! I became interested in yoga when I was only in high school after regularly attending a studio in my hometown (Charlotte). Throughout my time at Duke, I have grown in my understanding of yoga as a lifestyle and had the opportunity to become a certified Y.O.G.A. for Youth teacher through funding from Duke University Bass Connections. I am very passionate about journaling and how it has helped me personally and want to share this with others.
Kara Nicole Bitar - You Belong in Yoga – Yoga bringing together every body, every age, every fitness level, and every walk of life for transformation (45 min)
Workshop Description:
- This workshop delves into the breadth and depth of yoga and the transformative powers of it for everyone. We are complex, dynamic beings. Our fulfillment, joy, success and health depend upon our physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual strength and balance. Yoga is vast in its reach and can help and transform all levels our beingness – not simply our physical bodies. As such, everyone, no matter their fitness level, body type, age, or walk of life has a place in yoga. We meet in yoga as equals – each coming with our own challenges – some physical, some mental, some emotional. Yoga meets us where we are and can benefit us or, if we let it – transform us. In this workshop participants will also learn Kundalini Yoga practices that take only 3-5 minutes that can: help reset the glandular system, rebuild body tissue, energize and rejuvenate the system, build collagen production in the face, stimulate the flow of spinal fluid, attune oneself to the universe, bring balance, promote healing and reduce addictive impulses, among other benefits.
Presenter Bio:
- Kara Nicole Bitar holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and practiced high-stakes corporate litigation at one of the largest law firms in the Southeast. She is a KRI Certified, RYT-200, Teacher of Kundalini Yoga, Reiki Master and Certified ThetaHealing® Practitioner. She currently teaches Kundalini Yoga and offers Optimization Coaching to individuals, athletes and corporations.
Renee Harrington - Living Your Yoga Beyond the Four Corners of Your Mat (45 min)
Workshop Description:
Presenter Bio:
- Often described as ‘ethical practices’, ‘moral codes’, or ‘ways of right living’, the Yamas and Niyamas are the foundation for our yoga practice. They are the first two of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, and through these precepts of social discipline (Yamas) and individual discipline (Niyamas), they serve as guides on our path to transformation. Through discussion and activity we will look at how we can apply these practices to our daily lives so we can further explore bringing these classical guidelines into our everyday life. Through this interactive workshop discussion, we will take a deep dive into each one individually, finding a deeper meaning and ways to enrich your life while also learning tangible actions to help embody them into your day-to-day. This workshop is perfect for any student (even new!) practicing yoga, who is curious about evolving their practice off the mat and looking for a down-to-earth approach to the philosophical aspects of yoga. You will leave with a worksheet of journal questions as well as a better understanding of how to "live your yoga" off the mat.
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, and Senior Master Trainer for YogaFit. With over a decade of experience as an instructor/presenter, Renee blends her knowledge in exercise physiology, nutrition, and biomechanical principles with personal experience to provide valuable information and practical tips for athletic performance, stress management, and metabolic aspects of physical activity.