Viniyoga refers to an approach to Yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition and needs of the individual. Students will gain insight into this therapeutic, breath-centered style of yoga that emphasizes function over form and adapts poses to achieve specific results. Participants will experience a Viniyoga asana class and learn about the philosophy and principles of this unique practice.

Brian Dorfman has been practicing Yoga, healing patients, and teaching for over 25 years. Influenced by TVK Desikachar, Brian's instruction focuses on helping the student develop a personalized, balanced practice. He incorporates asana, pranayama, sound, and meditation to create an environment for the student's innate wisdom to develop. Brian has extensive knowledge and instructional ability in the art and philosophy of Yoga, as well as in the areas of kinesiology, anatomy, physiology, and the biomechanics of movement. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from UCLA and is certified in Yoga therapy, Chinese herbal medicine, massage therapy, and cranio-sacral therapy, as well as other forms of holistic medicine. Since 1985, Brian has maintained his own injury rehabilitation clinic and is an internationally recognized healer.

While many believe that the ancient practices of Yoga pre-date the advent of Hinduism, Hindu teachers can certainly be credited the perpetuation and dissemination of the yogic teachings. This workshop honors an age old Hindu method of teaching - the beloved art of story telling. Sit back with an aromatic cup of chai as Trisha Kelly shares the ancient fables of some of the the most cherished Hindu dieties. Students will discover the captivating power of folklore to enchant, empower and guide.

Trisha Kelly has been living the yogic lifestyle for almost 30 years. She has spent many happy years meditating, learning, and serving at the international headquarters of Paramahansa Yogananda's spiritual organization, Self-Realization Fellowship. After relocating to Encinitas, Trisha began a more intensive practice of Hatha Yoga, the third of the eight Patanjali steps.

In addition to co-founding the Soul Center with Tom Kelly, Trisha has studied with many notable teachers, including Erich Shiffmann, Gurumukh Kaur Khalsa, and Judith Lasater. Trisha's continued love and study of metaphysics, sound, vibration, light, and healing has led to her certification in many modalities, including Soul Memory Discovery, Reiki, and Spiritual Healing of Indigo Children, so that she now combinesher learning with intuitive knowing for private counseling and healing sessions.

Kundalini Yoga is one of the last forms of yoga to be taught openly to the public, starting in 1969 when Yogi Bhajan brought it to the West. Kundalini practice focuses on transformation of consciousness and behavior through a wide variety of techniques. We will explore some central ideas including the concepts of kriya, what it means to be a teacher, the Aquarian Age, and G.O.D. Experiences will include sampling of kriyas, pranayam, sound and mantra, mind and meditation, and lifestyle practices. One of the primary Kundalini mantras for this time on the planet is "Ik Ong Kar" – all the creation is one. We'll use this workshop to reach for a direct personal experience of this truth.

Guru Meher Khalsa began studying under Yogi Bhajan in 1980, and has been teaching Kundalini Yoga ever since. He created and for 15 years lead the Teacher Training program at Yoga West, Yogi Bhajan's original studio in Los Angeles. He now travels to train teachers in Level 1 and 2 programs internationally, teaches workshops and leads yogic adventures in India, and works with the Aquarian Academy to train the next generation of teacher trainers. As a professional Life Coach, he helps people identify and transform personal blocks to enjoy more happiness and fulfillment with "Emotional Liberation", a yoga-based method to find the power and peace our thoughts and feelings can bring. GuruMeher, which means "compassionate teacher", brings passion for the teachings into inspiring learning experiences.

Referred to as "Patanjali Yoga" by Pattahbi Jois, this course will explore the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga as presented by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, with special emphasis on how the practice of asana helps to cultivate the other limbs of Yoga. We will analyze and explore the unique approach of the Ashtanga lineage to the practice of asana, including the basic tenets of the system, the particular sequences of asanas, and the progressive development of the individual through the practice of these sequences.

Tim Miller has been studying and teaching Ashtanga Yoga for over thirty years and was the first American certified to teach by Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. Tim has a thorough knowledge of this ancient system, which he imparts in a dynamic, yet compassionate and playful manner. "My goal as a teacher is to inspire a passion for practice. The practice itself, done consistently and accurately, is the real teacher." Tim teaches workshops and retreats throughout the United States and abroad.

The Yoga Sutras, considered to be one of the most revered texts of yoga, is thought to be more than 2,500 years old, These "threads" on yoga or union, are extremely terse, stating concisely and often precisely, essential points or techniques to achieving self-realization. Originally these teachings were passed on in the ancient oral traditions, intimately shared from teacher to student. Even today almost every translation of the sutras includes pages and pages of master commentary deemed useful to impart the correct teachings, methods and sacred wisdom necessary to achieve Yoga. In this workshop Nischala Joy Devi will impart her heart-centered intuitive interpretation of the Yoga Sutras from her book - The Secret Power of Yoga. Nischala Joy Devi's is a divinely feminine perspective of the Yoga Sutras which offers students an opportunity to partake in the unfathomable sense of peace, emotional and spiritual enlightenment that is our birthright.

NISCHALA JOY DEVI is a master teacher and healer. For over 30 years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing. She was a monastic student of the world renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

With her knowledge of yoga and her experience in assisting those with life-threatening diseases, she created The Healing Path of Yoga, and the "Abundant Well-Being Series" CD's. Yoga of the Heart, a training and certification program for Yoga teachers and health professionals designed to adapt Yoga practices to the special needs of that population.

Nischala Devi is now directing her energies to bringing the feminine heart perspective back into spirituality and the scriptures in her new book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman's guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras and The Secret Power of Yoga audio book (Nautilus Book Award Winner).

The succinct wisdom of the Yoga Sutras are delivered in four precise chapters. In these revered writings the exemplary capabilities of the human mind are clearly described, as are the ways that these potentials can be realized and harnessed. In this course, Brian Dorfman will specifically delve into the fourth chapter which focuses on Soul liberation with a goal of understanding how as Yoga Teachers we have the power, responsibility and opportunity to effect great and important change.

Brian Dorfman has been practicing Yoga, healing patients, and teaching for over 25 years. Influenced by TVK Desikachar, Brian's instruction focuses on helping the student develop a personalized, balanced practice. He incorporates asana, pranayama, sound, and meditation to create an environment for the student's innate wisdom to develop. Brian has extensive knowledge and instructional ability in the art and philosophy of Yoga, as well as in the areas of kinesiology, anatomy, physiology, and the biomechanics of movement. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from UCLA and is certified in Yoga therapy, Chinese herbal medicine, massage therapy, and cranio-sacral therapy, as well as other forms of holistic medicine. Since 1985, Brian has maintained his own injury rehabilitation clinic and is an internationally recognized healer.

American Vedas: India's gurus and yoga masters have been transforming American lives for two centuries. In this workshop, Philip Goldberg, author of the celebrated book American Veda, will bring these powerful teachers to life with multimedia presentations, lively discussion, and deep experiential practices.
Through the magic of multimedia, we will bask in the inspiring presence of revered teachers like Yogananda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Satchidananda, Muktananda, and others who have so profoundly impacted our culture, along with gifted Westerners—Ram Dass, Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles, and others—who transmitted India's wisdom teachings in unique and masterful ways. We will take away an expanded vision of our sublime yoga legacy and a repertoire of new practices to accelerate our progress to higher realization.

About Phil Goldberg

Phil Golberg has studied India's spiritual traditions for more than 40 years as both a practitioner and teacher. He is the author or coauthor of 19 books, including Roadsigns: On the Spiritual Path and the acclaimed American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. A skilled public speaker and workshop leader, he has taught throughout the country and appeared in national media. An Interfaith Minister and spiritual counselor, Phil recently founded Spiritual Wellness and Healing Associates in Los Angeles. He blogs on the Huffington Post and Elephant Journal.

The Bhagavad Gita is the most beloved scripture of India, a scripture of scriptures. It is the Hindu's Holy Testament, or Bible, the one book that all masters depend upon as a supreme source of scriptural authority. It is through his intuitive understanding of this Scripture that Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Eightfold Path of Raja Yoga were gleaned. Bhagavad Gita means "Song of the Spirit," the divine communion of truth-realization between man and his Creator, which should be sung unceasingly. In this introductory workshop to fathomless truth, we will peer briefly into a timeless window that shows the path of our souls returning Home into Oneness with Spirit.

Tom Kelly, at the age of 24, entered the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) Monastic Order in California. Founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF has roots that trace back to the ancient lineage of Swamis from India. After taking vows of simplicity, chastity, obedience, and loyalty, he spent the next 25 years as a monk deeply involved in meditation and humanitarian service.

As an inspirational speaker, workshop, and retreat leader, Tom has traveled around the world to teach the sacred art of Raja Yoga. In the fall of 1999, Tom left the monastic life in order to expand his life learning, as well as share the fruits of his self-transformation and direct experience of Yoga with all. Whether Tom is teaching a Yoga class, giving an inspirational talk, or leading a seminar or retreat, his passion for communicating the joy of spiritual living is highly contagious.

Created by B. K. S. Iyengar, Iyengar Yoga is characterized by great attention to detail and precise focus on body alignment. Iyengar pioneered the use of "props" such as cushions, benches, blocks, straps, and even sandbags, which function as aids to allow beginners to experience asanas more easily and fully than might otherwise be possible without several years of practice. Props also allow tired or ill students to enjoy the benefits of many asanas via fully "supported" methods requiring less muscular effort. Iyengar extensively developed ways of applying his practice to various ailments, diseases, and disorders. Specifics of Iyengar alignment, beneficial use of props, and their therapeutic application will all be discussed in this workshop.

Roger Cole, Ph.D. is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institutes in San Francisco and Pune, India. He has practiced yoga since 1975 and taught since 1980. He has been featured in five of Yoga Journal's asana calendars, co-organized two Iyengar yoga conventions, authored articles on yoga biology and therapeutics, and taught yoga as a healing art to physicians, physical therapists, medical students and patients. He currently teaches at Yoga Del Mar (www.yogadelmar.com) near San Diego and conducts workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad. His specialties include teacher training and the anatomy and physiology of yoga and relaxation.

Paramahansa Yogananda is a Premavatar, or Avatar of Love. His life, his teachings, and his legacy is a constant reminder of how-to draw closer to the Infinite Reality of Pure Love and our oneness with It. In this workshop, Trisha and Tom will share stories, insights, and remembrances from their years of discipleship with Yogananda's teachings and their service to his world mission. One of Yogananda's aims and ideals that will be discussed is establishing a temple of God in your own heart and in your own home.

Trisha Kelly has been living the yogic lifestyle for almost 30 years. She has spent many happy years meditating, learning, and serving at the international headquarters of Paramahansa Yogananda's spiritual organization, Self-Realization Fellowship. After relocating to Encinitas, Trisha began a more intensive practice of Hatha Yoga, the third of the eight Patanjali steps. In addition to co-founding the Soul Center with Tom Kelly, Trisha has studied with many notable teachers, including Erich Shiffmann, Gurumukh Kaur Khalsa, and Judith Lasater. Trisha's continued love and study of metaphysics, sound, vibration, light, and healing has led to her certification in many modalities, including Soul Memory Discovery, Reiki, and Spiritual Healing of Indigo Children, so that she now combinesher learning with intuitive knowing for private counseling and healing sessions.

Tom Kelly, at the age of 24, entered the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) Monastic Order in California. Founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, SRF has roots that trace back to the ancient lineage of Swamis from India. After taking vows of simplicity, chastity, obedience, and loyalty, he spent the next 25 years as a monk deeply involved in meditation and humanitarian service. As an inspirational speaker, workshop, and retreat leader, Tom has traveled around the world to teach the sacred art of Raja Yoga. In the fall of 1999, Tom left the monastic life in order to expand his life learning, as well as share the fruits of his self-transformation and direct experience of Yoga with all. Whether Tom is teaching a Yoga class, giving an inspirational talk, or leading a seminar or retreat, his passion for communicating the joy of spiritual living is highly contagious.

While we may sleep, we rarely take time to rest. Restorative yoga poses help us learn to relax and rest deeply and completely. During deep relaxation, all the organ systems of the body are benefited, and a few of the measurable results of deep relaxation are the reduction of blood pressure, serum triglycerides and blood sugar levels in the blood, the increase of the "good cholesterol" levels, as well as improvement in digestion, fertility, elimination, the reduction of muscle tension, insomnia and generalized fatigue. In this workshop you'll learn the elements of various restorative sequences and how they affect different systems and conditions in the body.

Always considering herself as a student of life, Flossie has studied with numerous teachers throughout her lifetime. Flossie has dedicated her life to empowering herself and others through yoga, meditations, workshops, retreats, Crystal Bowl sound therapy and numerous other modalities. She has been actively involved in the wellness field for over 25 years developing programs that reach out to all walks of life.

For the past ten years Flossie owned a yoga studio on the east coast where she developed and directed a successful School of Yoga. Through her Yoga Teacher Training programs and certifications, she has lovingly guided hundreds of students to step into living their passions. At long last Flossie is delighted to join forces with her sister Trisha Kelly to create a Yoga Teacher Training that is enriched with experience, wisdom and love.