Brentwood Yoga Center presents:

Couples Workshop

with Debbie Cabusas and Jennifer Kline

Wednesday, May 30 7:00-9:00 pm

$40 per couple preregistration, $50 at the door

Join us for a fun evening learning partner poses.  Learn breathing, stretching, strengthening and relaxation techniques you can share together at home.

Debbie is a graduate of the Advanced Yoga Studies Program at Brentwood Yoga Center, with 200+ hours of training. She is certified with the Yoga Alliance.  She began her yoga studies during her first pregnancy and found it a wonderful way to connect with her baby. She credits yoga with bringing balance and calmness to her life, allowing her to truly enjoy the good times and weather the not so good ones.  Debbie's classes reflect both her broad experience and her love of learning and teaching. 

Jennifer discovered a love for yoga in 2006, while struggling to find an exercise method that would be adaptable to limitations from injuries sustained in an auto accident. While initially just looking for a way to gain strength and flexibility, she learned to appreciate the many benefits, both mental and physical, that can be achieved from a regular practice. It is her desire to share the gift of yoga and help others discover the benefits for themselves. Jennifer is a graduate of the Advanced Yoga Studies Program at Brentwood Yoga Center, with 200+ hours of training and is certified with the Yoga Alliance.

Debbie and Jennifer own Delta Lotus Yoga, whose services focus on wedding and prenatal classes and series.

Teaching Yoga Series, Part A

with Sandy Carmellini, creator/founder of Brentwood Yoga Center

Sequencing, Adjustments and Assisting for Yoga Teachers

Eight Friday nights, June 1-July 20, 2012

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

June 1-July 20, 2012 (8 weeks) $160 (note: this price also includes an additional weekly class with Sandy during the series only (an additional $120 value)

Come join us for an 8-week series and learn the foundations and principles behind sequencing classes, adjusting students, and assisting.

This series is for yoga teachers that wish to refine and learn more about guiding students into proper alignment and sequencing a well-balanced class.  We will explore the use of various props and different techniques that help to stabilize and improve poses making the practice accessible for everyone!

Sandy, RYT500 a graduate from the Advanced Studies Teacher Program at the Yoga Room in Berkeley and Cora Wen’s Yoga Bloom. She has been teaching yoga since 1998.  She has held many yoga retreats and workshops and classes domestically and internationally.   Her 18 years of experience as a corporate facilitator adds to her passion for training and understanding the process for educating others. .  Her instruction is accepting and fun and very educational. 

This workshop qualifies for 16 hours towards BYC’s ASP Programs



• Undoing the Body Clearing the Mind 

• The Foundation (that which is in contact with the earth) 

• Proper Posture (how we relate to gravity) 

• Finding Center (the point of balance) 

• Proper Breathing (finding the kidney space) 

• Proper Intent (following the path) 

• Creating Space 

Please have a minimum of three months of Yoga experience or have permission by the instructor.

Practice Teaching Series, Part A

Sandy Carmellini, creator/founder of Brentwood Yoga Center

The Practice of Teaching Standing Poses, Forward Bends, and Inversions

Wednesday nights

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

June 6-July 18, 2012 (6 weeks (no class July 4)) $120 (note: this price also includes an additional weekly class with Sandy during the series only (an additional $100 value)

Come join us for a 6-week series of Teaching Practice.

This series is for yoga teachers that wish to refine and learn more about the art of teaching. This will be a practical workshop in which students will teach and receive feedback from peers.

Sandy, RYT500 a graduate from the Advanced Studies Teacher Program at the Yoga Room in Berkeley and Cora Wen’s Yoga Bloom. She has been teaching yoga since 1998.  She has held many yoga retreats and workshops and classes domestically and internationally.   Her 18 years of experience as a corporate facilitator adds to her passion for training and understanding the process for educating others. .  Her instruction is accepting and fun and very educational. 

This workshop qualifies for 12 hours towards BYC’s ASP Programs



Saturday, June 16, 2012

1-5:30pm

$85 Pre-registration $99 at the door

Many people come to yoga for relief of back pain whether it be as minor as neck or lower back tension or as serious as severe scoliosis. Often the pain can be chronic rather than from a specific injury or condition.  Done with the correct emphasis, yoga asana can be extremely successful in alleviating the pain for mild or serious conditions. This workshop will address how to use yoga to increase strength and flexibility in the back focusing on the relationship between the spinal column, the pelvis and the shoulder blades.  Elise will teach both classical and modified asanas, which are particularly beneficial for back conditions such as lower back pain, disc disease, sciatica, upper back and neck tightness and scoliosis. Anatomy will be discussed as pertinent to the poses taught.; teachers wishing to enhance their skills with an emphasis on back care are welcome.

Elise Browning Miller, M.A. in Therapeutic Recreation from UNC-CH, is a Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher who has been teaching yoga throughout the US and internationally for over 30 years. A founding director of California Yoga Center in Palo Alto and Mountain View, CA, Elise has successfully used yoga to minimize the effects of her own scoliosis. She has published numerous articles on scoliosis and other yoga related subjects in Yoga Journal and other national magazines. Elise has studied on numerous occasions with the Iyengars in India and specializes in Scoliosis, lower/upper back problems and sports related injuries. She has also recently produced her own DVD and booklets, "Yoga for Scoliosis", the "Yoga for Back care" booklet, and a new addition of her book, "Yoga: Anytime, Anywhere" (can be found at www.ebmyoga.com). Her joyous personality and ease of communication endear her to students with a teaching style that is down-to-earth, precise and nurturing.

Elise began her study of Yoga in her twenties, an option she chose over having a rod placed in her spine. At the time, her spinal curve was 41 degrees and she was often in considerable pain. Practicing Yoga regularly since that time, she now finds herself pain free. Elise is much stronger and no longer depressed. “Yoga has given me a sense of being able to live the life I have always wanted to live” says Elise who now devotes her time to helping others do the same.

*Note – this workshop qualifies for 4-hours of technique practice towards the 200 or 300-hour Advanced Studies Teacher Training from Brentwood Yoga Center.



Sunday, June 17, 2012

1-5:30pm

$85 pre-registration / $99 Drop-In

Scoliosis:

This workshop is designed to meet the challenges of scoliosis through the practice of Iyengar yoga, whether it be a major structural scoliosis or minor imbalance. Participants will learn optimal yoga postures for scoliosis and how to adapt specific yoga postures to their scoliosis. Students will learn to combine the yoga postures with breathing awareness to develop more structural alignment of the body. Students of all levels may attend. This workshop is also appropriate for yoga teachers wishing to increase their knowledge of yoga for scoliosis.

Elise Browning Miller, M.A. in Therapeutic Recreation from UNC-CH, is a Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher who has been teaching yoga throughout the US and internationally for over 30 years. A founding director of California Yoga Center in Palo Alto and Mountain View, CA, Elise has successfully used yoga to minimize the effects of her own scoliosis. She has published numerous articles on scoliosis and other yoga related subjects in Yoga Journal and other national magazines. Elise has studied on numerous occasions with the Iyengars in India and specializes in Scoliosis, lower/upper back problems and sports related injuries. She has also recently produced her own DVD and booklets, "Yoga for Scoliosis", the "Yoga for Back care" booklet, and a new addition of her book, "Yoga: Anytime, Anywhere" (can be found at www.ebmyoga.com). Her joyous personality and ease of communication endear her to students with a teaching style that is down-to-earth, precise and nurturing.

Elise began her study of Yoga in her twenties, an option she chose over having a rod placed in her spine. At the time, her spinal curve was 41 degrees and she was often in considerable pain. Practicing Yoga regularly since that time, she now finds herself pain free. Elise is much stronger and no longer depressed. “Yoga has given me a sense of being able to live the life I have always wanted to live” says Elise who now devotes her time to helping others do the same.

*Note – this workshop qualifies for 4-hours of technique practice towards the 200 or 300-hour Advanced Studies Teacher Training from Brentwood Yoga Center.

'Learning the Ropes II' Workshop

with Tricia Moore

Saturday, June 30th  1:30-4:30 PM 

$35 Pre-registration/$45 at the door

BKS Iyengar originated the creative use of yoga props to assist and open the therapeutic aspects of yoga. He wanted to make yoga safe and accessible for everyone. Wall ropes and pelvic slings decorate the studios in his Pune, India Institute. Brentwood Yoga Studio also offers the versatility and challenge of ropes.

In this second ropes workshop with Tricia Moore, we will add new challenging variations of backbends, inversions and forward bends, as well as review and practice some favorite rope asanas from the February workshop. The material covered will be oriented to teachers and regular practitioners of yoga. Space is imited to 13 students.

Tricia Moore, MSW, was Certified as an Iyengar Yoga teacher in 1993 and has studied in Pune with the Iyengars several times. She developed her teaching practice in San Francisco for many years and now teaches in Livermore and Pleasanton. More info at YogaDelValle.com.

This workshop qualifies for 3 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs



The Art & Science of Sequencing Yoga Poses

with Sandy Carmellini

Sunday, July 15, 2012

1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

$60 Pre-registration / $70 at the door       

The topic of sequencing can be overwhelming to teachers as well as those with a home practice. It is not only important to understand the technical elements of individual poses, but ways to string them together intelligently. You have probably taken classes over the years with instructors that sequence their classes in very different ways--some use the pose/counter-pose technique, others stay on one-side of the body for 15 minutes or more, while others build intensity in one category of posture (like forward bending or twisting) before moving to the next. There are many different ways to sequence a yoga practice, but the primary objective should be to create a healthy, safe kinesthetic routine every time. It really isn’t that difficult when you have the right ‘tools.’

In this workshop we will learn the art and science of sequencing poses in a simple, pragmatic way in order to maximize the benefits in all types of practices – whether it be an energizing or restorative practice.

We will learn proper combinations of poses. When should a twist come after an inversion?  When should you balance an asymmetrical pose with a symmetrical one? What poses compliment each other? And what poses are grouped in “families?” This workshop is for students as well as teachers who wish to develop a solid home and/or teaching repertoire.

Price includes handouts that list a variety of sequences.

Sandy Carmellini RYT 200,  founder and creator of Brentwood Yoga Center is a graduate from the Yoga Room Berkeley’s Advanced Teacher Training program.  She has been teaching successfully since 1998 and has led many yoga retreats throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Her teaching style is Iyengar based, but her background in dance and education adds to her accepting approach in helping students realize their full potential.  She strongly believes in bringing the community together through yoga and self-realization. 

Note: This workshop qualifies for 4 hours towards Brentwood Yoga Center’s Advanced Studies / Teacher Training Programs

A Rope Wall Workshop with Michael Lucey

Saturday, July 21^st, 2012 

2-4:30pm  $35 Pre-registration/$45 at the door

In this asana workshop, we'll explore how ropes can enhance the practice of a number of categories of poses:  standing poses, forward bends, twisting poses, inversions, and backward bends in particular. We'll use ropes in every pose, sometimes combining them with other props, exploring how they can make certain difficult poses more available, how they can take us deeper into poses where we feel a little stuck, how they can bring new intelligence to various parts of our bodies, and thereby enhance our possibilities for movement and freedom in our practice. Students should have been practicing yoga for at least a year and be familiar with Salamba Sirsasana and Salamba Sarvangasana.

Michael Lucey began studying Iyengar yoga in 1982 while living in England, and from his very first class has been fascinated by the many ways yoga can transform your relation to your body, mind, and breath. A certified Iyengar teacher (Junior Intermediate II), Michael has had the good fortune over the years to study with a number of senior Iyengar teachers from both the US and abroad. Joan White has been an important mentor for him, as have Donald Moyer and Mary Lou Weprin of The Yoga Room in Berkeley. Michael completed the Advanced Studies Program at The Yoga Room in 1993, and began teaching yoga classes there in 1992. These days he studies regularly with Manouso Manos. He recently (June 2011) made his sixth trip to Pune to study with the Iyengar family at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute. His teaching is clear and informative, with the goal of encouraging students to develop their own ability to explore what yoga has to offer. Along with studying and teaching yoga, Michael is also a professor of comparative literature and French at UC Berkeley.

This workshop qualifies for 2.5 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs



Saturday – August 11, 2012

1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

$50 pre-registration /$60 at the door.

Inverted poses are so much fun! They require the yoga practitioner to be patient, diligent, and aware of his or her center of being.  Inversions build confidence, strength and a sense of “lightness” as you appear to defy gravity.

Yoga is distinguished from many other body-mind disciplines by its emphasis on upside-down poses. The benefits of inverted poses are so phenomenal that BKS Iyengar writes several pages about the rewards of Headstand and Shoulderstand in Light on Yoga. These poses and their variations improve circulation, concentration, glandular functioning, organic functioning, immunity, sleep and much, much more.

Sandy Carmellini RYT:  founder and creator of Brentwood Yoga Center is a graduate from the Yoga Room Berkeley’s Advanced Teacher Training program.  She has been teaching successfully since 1998 and has led many yoga retreats throughout the U.S. and internationally.  Her teaching style is Iyengar based, but her background in dance and education adds to her accepting approach in helping students realize their full potential.  She strongly believes in bringing the community together through yoga and self-realization. 

This workshop qualifies for 4 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

Focusing on Arm Balances

With Jim Coughlin

Sunday – August 12, 2012

1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m

Cost -$60 pre-registration / $70 at the door.

Arm balancing poses require the yoga practitioner to be patient, diligent, and aware of his or her center of being.  Additionally, arm balancing poses build confidence, strength and a sense of “lightness” as you appear to defy gravity. Please come join us for this challenging, yet meditative workshop! This is Jim’s third year teaching this workshop for us! We learn something new every time!

Jim Coughlin-RYT: Jim was introduced to yoga in 1967 at the age of 10. He began practicing yoga in earnest in 1993. Jim has traveled to India extensively to expand his knowledge of yoga with his teacher Arun H.S.. Jim teaches yoga with a sense of humor and grounded in the fundamentals of the Yoga Sutra's of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, and the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar.

This workshop qualifies for 4 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

August 15-September 26, 2012 (7 weeks)

Practice Teaching Series, Part B

Sandy Carmellini, creator/founder of Brentwood Yoga Center

The Practice of Teaching of Backbends, Twists and Restoratives

Wednesday nights

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

August 15-September 26, 2012 (7 weeks) $140 (note: this price also includes an additional weekly class with Sandy during the series only (an additional $100 value)

Come join us for a 7-week series of Teaching Practice.

This series is for yoga teachers that wish to refine and learn more about the art of teaching. This will be a practical workshop in which students will teach and receive feedback from peers.

Sandy, RYT500 a graduate from the Advanced Studies Teacher Program at the Yoga Room in Berkeley and Cora Wen’s Yoga Bloom. She has been teaching yoga since 1998.  She has held many yoga retreats and workshops and classes domestically and internationally.   Her 18 years of experience as a corporate facilitator adds to her passion for training and understanding the process for educating others. .  Her instruction is accepting and fun and very educational. 

This workshop qualifies for 14 hours towards BYC’s ASP Programs

A seven-week  course 

Friday nights, 7-9 pm

August 17-September 28, 2012

with Sandy Carmellini

$140 also includes a weekly public class with Sandy during the series

Take this course to learn about the history and roots of yoga from selected texts (Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, and Eight Limbs of Yoga). This seven-week course will explore refine the ethical practices of yoga and also offer a seated meditation practice each session.

This workshop qualifies for 14 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

Brentwood Yoga Center 8650-H Brentwood Blvd.

www.BrentwoodYogaCenter.com

(925) 240-6864



Saturday, August 18, 2012

2-5pm

$45 pre-registration/$55 at the door

Delight in the art of Yoga Movement, an innovative blend of dance and yoga, a dynamic and invigorating practice, and a chance to enjoy group yoga movement. These seminars are for experienced yoga practitioners only please, and/or teachers. This method offer creative ways to move and experience the artistic, creative side of yoga.

Gay White, Gay White teaches yoga and an innovative blend of dance and yoga called Yoga Movement. She is currently Director of the Yoga Room and is on the faculty of the Yoga Room Advanced Studies Program. Gay has practiced dance composition and improvisation, tai chi, and yoga and has studied yoga at the Iyengar Institute in Pune, India. She has been making dances since 1975, and in 1992 founded the Yoga Garden Dancers, a group who perform original choreography using asanas.

This workshop qualifies for 3 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

 8 classes with a recognized Yoga-Master / Senior Iyengar Teacher from India

August 20-23. 2012

Monday-Thursday

10:15-11:45am Pranayama Class

2-5pm Intermediate/Advanced Asana Class

About Yoga Praveena Arun H.S. :

Born in Sringeri, South India in 1954, Sri Arun started teaching Yoga in 1976 at the Rashtrothana Shareerika Siksha Kendra.  In 1978 he taught class while his teacher B.K.S. Iyengar looked on.

The idea of teaching and applying Iyengar Yoga to meet and suit each individual's unique needs appealed to Arun immensely. He knew then that Yoga had become his true vocation in his life.  For more on Arun see: www.yogashraya.org

 "As I started teaching Yoga, I saw different kinds of human bodies and thousands of complex minds; despite the apparent similarities between people I saw that each individual has very distinct needs".

 - Yoga Praveena Arun H.S.

Brentwood Yoga Center is honored to have Arun back for a third year of his classic teachings! This year we would like to offer Intermediate and Advanced students an intensive format of 4.5 hours a day for four days.  Priority will go to those attending the entire intensive (4 days).

 All 4 Days (8 Classes): $270

       1 Day (2 Classes) $80

1 Class:

$60 for afternoon session

$30 morning pranayama session                             

Contact Sandy at yogasandy@rocketmail.com to reserve a spot – or sign up at the studio.

This workshop qualifies for 18 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

Introduction to Yoga and Yoga Props

with Sandy Carmellini, creator/founder of Brentwood Yoga Center

Saturday, September 8,15,22,29 (4 weeks)

11am-12pm

$50

Come join us for a 4-week series and learn the foundations and principles behind yoga poses and the use of props. Each week will focus on a different prop, i.e.: blocks, straps, blankets, bolsters and the rope wall.

This series is perfect for beginners as well as continuing students that wish to refine and learn more about proper alignment, ease and stability of practicing yoga poses.  We will explore the use of various props and different techniques that help to stabilize and improve yoga poses making the practice accessible for everyone!

Sandy is a graduate from the Advanced Studies Teacher Program at the Yoga Room in Berkeley (a three-year training program with over 1000 hours of training) and a RYT (registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.  She has been teaching yoga since 1998.  She has held many yoga retreats and workshops in California, Hawaii, Sedona, Mexico and Italy!  Her 18 years of experience as a corporate facilitator adds to her passion for training and educating others.  Sandy’s background in dance enhances her teaching style where she sequences movement and breath while focusing on detail.  Her instruction is accepting and fun and very educational.  Classes are taught primarily in the Iyengar method which focuses on creating healthy movement and balance in the body by using props (if necessary) to allow comfort and stability in poses. 

This workshop qualifies for 8 hours towards BYC’s ASP Programs

Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 1:00- 5:30 p.m.

$60 Pre-registration/ $70 at the door

Improved balance can be a benefit of yoga practice on a number of levels.  We can practice to increase our sense of equilibrium in our lives, to balance our natural temperament, to create more balance in our bodies between our strengths and weaknesses, and even to just improve our technical skill with physical balance.

Although we often associate an impaired sense of balance with aging, for most people it is a completely preventable phenomenon; we lose our sense of balance not because we are getting older, but simply because we are not using it.  Physical coordination is one of the four key elements of musculoskeletal health (along with flexibility, strength and endurance), and balance is a practical coordination skill that is maintained and improved with practice.

A good sense of balance also offers multiple benefits:

A stronger core, a more symmetrical musculoskeletal system (reducing the aches and pains that result from imbalances), reduced risk of injury, greater physical ease and confidence, and improved ability to focus on what is essential in the moment.

In this class, we will work with key elements of balance through a variety of different types of postures, from simple standing poses to inversions (or preparations for inversions appropriate to the individual practitioner) to the more complicated forms of balance found in basic arm balances.

Sandy Blaine, is the director of the Alameda Yoga Station. Sandy has a playful devotion to her daily yoga practice, and seeks to bring these qualities to her classes, which combine her experience and training in the Iyengar, Ashtanga Vinyasa and Kripalu methods.  Her writing has been published in Yoga Journal, Yoga International and Ascent magazines, and she is the author of two books, Yoga for Healthy Knees and Yoga for Computer Users.  Sandy is the long time resident yoga instructor for Pixar Animation Studios and as a wellness consultant, she has spoken at Kaiser and Google.  Previously, she taught yoga at UC Berkeley for many years and she is a faculty member of the Berkeley Yoga Room's Advanced Studies Program, from which she graduated herself in 1995.  Sandy is currently at work on a new book about establishing a personal yoga practice.

This workshop qualifies for 4 hours towards BYC’s Advanced Studies Programs

Unwinding the Web: Yoga and Self-Myofascial Release

with Ada Lusardi
Saturday, October 13, 1-5 PM
$50, pre-registration, $60 at the door

Fascia is the seamless web of connective tissue that covers and connects the muscles, organs, and skeletal structures in our bodies, it envelopes us from head to toe. In this workshop we will target key areas of fascial congestion and practice Myofascial release techniques and yoga asana to improve joint range of motion, correct muscle imbalances, reduce soreness, and relieve joint stress as well as enhance overall well-being. You will need a foam roller for this workshop. Please bring your own if you have one, or contact Ada directly to reserve one for the workshop.  Balls will be provided.

Continuing education credits of 5 contact hours available through Yoga Alliance upon workshop completion.

Ada Lusardi's classes and workshops marry the heart and science of yoga by offering nuanced and precise teaching with warmth and humor. Based on nearly two decades of meditation and yoga training, as well as her experience as a professional dancer, Pilates teacher, Iyengar yoga instructor, and yoga teacher trainer, Ada has a deeply embodied and intellectual understanding of the body. Through the use of compassionate and clear direction, intelligent sequencing and skillful hands-on adjustments, Ada’s teachings enlighten, challenge and refine one’s yoga practice, regardless of age or ability level. A self-professed "anatomy geek", she leads classes and retreats throughout California’s Bay area and around the country. You can find her in the May and October 2011 issues of Yoga Journal and at

www.adayoga.com.



Awakening the Inner Body

with Donald Moyer

Saturday, October 20, 2012, 1:00-4:00pm

$55 Pre-registration

$65 at the door

This is a rare opportunity that you won’t want to miss! Donald’s workshops usually sell out, so register early! Donald’s classes are not accessible to the general public as all his classes have been full for many years and you must be put on a waiting list and ‘wait’ (usually quite a while) to get in. Donald has been Sandy Carmellini’s (Brentwood Yoga Center) primary teacher since 2003. She was his apprentice for nearly 2 years, and continues to study with him regularly and assist him whenever she can. Donald has an amazing ability to see and understand the human body. It is a GREAT honor to have him come to the studio!

In this workshop, we will develop our awareness of the inner body by engaging the deeper muscles of the body, aligning the internal organs, and creating space in the joints in a wide variety of poses. Practicing in this way allows more movement with less effort, and brings a deeper, self-empowering experience of the poses.

Not for beginners--Please, at least six months’ experience of yoga is recommended.

Donald Moyer, founding director of The Yoga Room in Berkeley, California, has been practicing Iyengar yoga since 1971 and teaching since 1974. He studied extensively with B.K.S. Iyengar in India from 1976–1988 and continues to be inspired by his work. Donald wrote the Asana column for Yoga Journal in 1987, 1989, and 1992, and is the author of Yoga: Awakening the Inner Body (Rodmell Press: 2006).