Description

The yogis of millennia ago were confronted by the problem of how to get across subtle philosophical ideas in an easy comprehensible manner, a problem still faced to this day by spiritual teachers. 

They turned to their environment for ideas and images to share complex ideas, something along the lines of our 21st century emojis – minimum words, maximum image impact.   

Your CPD day will explore images and metaphors, through asana-based animals, to come closer to the messages of the Upanisads. We will use animal metaphors as a way of understanding deep philosophical themes.  

The asana practice will be related to some Upanisad creatures as you explore the transition from the animals’ four legs to your two. You will come closer to answering the question: why this animal? What philosophical message is this animal bringing to us? Our animal explorations will refer, as well, to the Bhagavad Gita and to the four-legged creatures embodied in each of the chakras.  

The day will cover asana, pranayama and sound to take us closer to the animal and, ultimately, to the profound timeless concepts behind it. Along the way we will have some fun, share space and time together and edge closer to a deeper, more profound, understanding of what yoga is.  

Lesley Isaacson

Lesley has been a BWY teacher and trainer for over 30 years, gaining experience in teaching yoga in corporate environments, muddy yurts at arts festivals, private classes and 1-2-1. She is the past Chair of the BWY education committee and has gained nationally recognised qualifications in both assessment and verification. She is currently running her 8th teacher training course. She has studied for many years with an Iyengar teacher, who has instilled in her a detailed approach to asana. Studies with teachers in the Krishnamacharya tradition, and visits to the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, have engendered in her a love of working with sound and the application of the asana practice to philosophy. Her approach is eclectic, and sessions are filled with her joie de vivre and consistent linking of “on the mat” yoga to “off the mat” daily life. In her spare time, she is a health practitioner and homeopath, keen cyclist and tennis player.

Additional Information

What to Bring

Your usual equipment for asana and sitting. 

Lesley has asked me to ask you to have the following available for the session:

Yoga kit, mat, block, belt etc
Your edition of the Upanishads, having ideally read the following verses:
- Katha Part I [3] v 3-9 about horses
- Chandogya Upanishad V1.8.2 (birds)
- Brihadaranyaka Ch IV [4] v 7 snakes
If you could come a little prepared (by reading the above), you will more likely get more out of the day.