An 8 Week Yoga Program to increase your flexibility, develop your strength, improve your balance and give you a renewed sense of joy and a feeling of peace.
This program is for you if:
You’ve got the life you love, but sometimes you feel like there’s more to life than just go…go…go. Stirring within you is the urge to go deeper and explore your creative and spiritual nature. You’ve either done yoga before (and enjoyed it), or you’re curious to find out what the fuss is all about. I found yoga at a young age and it’s been truly healing for me. I believe you’ve found this part of my website for a reason. It’s because you’re ready to tap into your true nature. The power of yoga is that it can help you connect the body, mind and spirit relationship, so you’ll be enriched beyond your wildest dreams. I’ve studied with many teachers and it’s my passion to help others explore who they are at a deep level. Yoga is all about transformation. It’s about discovering the one-ness between ourselves and others. The yoga I teach will give you increased flexibility, a feeling of peace, a renewed sense of joy, improved balanced and increased strength. I incorporate yoga philosophy, mantra, breathing exercises and yoga poses to help you get the full experience of yoga.
Click here to get started on your yoga journey!
Yoga is the process of replacing old patterns, with new and more appropriate patterns. – Sri. T. Krishnamacharya
Meghan Mackintosh is “the creative teacher.” Her approach is all about freedom of expression. She encourages students of all levels to explore their bodies without judgement, as she believes everyone can incorporate yoga into their lives to add joy and peace.
Meghan grew up dancing ballet and jazz every night after school and she believes that her creative power is unleashed when dancing or practicing yoga. Meghan co-founded YIA (Yoga in Advertising), while living in New York City for corporate advertising executives. She also spent time teaching at a Brooklyn community centre, where future basketball stars played.
Meghan has been practising yoga ever since her mom introduced her to Lilias Folan as a kid, and she’s been trained as a yoga teacher since 2006. She’s a Yoga Alliance certified teacher and she’s trained to teach Vinyasa Krama Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and the Vanda Scaravelli method.
MY INSPIRATION
In the spring of 2008, I was browsing through the yoga section of a book store when I came across the book: “Yoga Beneath the Surface” by Srivatsa Ramaswami and David Hurwitz. As the first ever complete question-and-answer guide to yoga between an American student and his Indian teacher, I was in awe of the amount of knowledge, humor and love that Srivatsa Ramaswami had for the topic of yoga. He was like an encyclopedia on the subject.
For the next few days, I googled non-stop trying to track down Srivatsa Ramaswami to see if he would be visiting North America, as the book said he lived in Chennai, India. I found out that he was living part of the year in New Jersey and that he would be teaching in Los Angeles in September of that same year. I knew that to study with him would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I quit my job of 5 years and I embarked on a 6 week intensive yoga teacher training program at Loyola Marymount University with Srivatsa Ramaswami as my yoga teacher. Along with Kundalini Yoga, I now teach the Vinyasa Krama style of yoga, taught by Srivatsa Ramaswami following the tradition set forth by Sri. T. Krishnamacharya.
No one is wise by birth, for wisdom results from one own’s efforts. – Sri. T. Krishnamacharya
WHAT IS VINYASA KRAMA YOGA?
As quoted from Srivatsa Ramaswami: “Vinyasa Krama Yoga is an ancient practice of physical and spiritual development. It is a systematic method to study, practice, teach and adapt yoga. This Vinyasa Krama (movement and sequence methodology) approach to yogasana (yoga posture) practice is unique in all of yoga. By integrating the functions of mind, body and breath in the same time frame, a practitioner will experience the real joy of yoga practice. Each of the important postures (asanas) is practiced with many elaborate vinyasas (variations and movements). Each variation is linked to the next one by a succession of specific transitional movements, synchronized with the breath. The mind closely follows the slow, smooth, deliberate ujjayi yogic breathing; and the yoking of mind and body takes place with the breath acting as the harness.”
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VINYASA KRAMA YOGA?
- A feeling of peace
- A renewed sense of joy
- Increased flexibility
- Improved balance
- Increased strength
Yoga arose from the physical, mental and spiritual practices of ancient India. The sages wanted to increase their health so they could pursue the goal of spiritual enlightenment and a state of permanent peace. Yoga postures are useful for restoring and maintaining one’s well-being and improving the body’s flexibility and vitality.
Yoga is typically defined in two ways: in one definition it is defined as union (yukti), and in another, mental peace or samadhana (samadhi).
Vinyasa Krama integrates the body and mind so it is the yoga of union, and because the mind follows the breath and achieves an elevated mental peace, an undercurrent of peace and joy is established.
Vinyasa means art. Vinyasa also means variation. Vinyasa Krama uses numerous variations of each posture to fully explore the possibilities of the body to attain the classical goals of yoga; steadiness and comfort.
Krama means order or method. In Vinyasa Krama, postures are organised in a logical sequence. Each variation is linked to the next with transitional movements, the whole practice synchronised with deep ujjayi breathing. Each posture can be gradually accessed through the easier vinyasas and then slowly mastered by moving through all the variations. In this way the body is taken to health and freedom in a gentle process, without force or strain.
ABOUT SRIVATSA RAMASWAMI (my teacher)
There are sixty-four arts. Yoga is one of them. – Srivatsa Ramaswami
Srivatsa Ramaswami is the longest standing student of the legendary Sri. T. Krishnamacharya, outside of the teacher’s immediate family.
He studied with Krishnamacharya for over thirty years and has taught yoga for more than twenty five years in India, the U.S. and the UK.
He has written a number of books on yoga and has made many recordings of Sanskrit chants for audio cassettes and CDs. He’s also been on the radio in India for his chanting.
He is a registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 (500 hour) level. This is the highest level of certification the Yoga Alliance offers.
ABOUT SRI. T. KRISHNAMACHARYA (otherwise known as “The Father of Modern Yoga”)
Inhale and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation and surrender to God. – Sri. T. Krishnamacharya
Sri. Tirumalai Krishnamacharya was born in Muchukundapuram, Karnataka State, India in November 1888.
Krishnamacharya spent the first part of his life studying Indian philosophy, Ayurveda and Yoga. His thirst for knowledge led him to study at the great centres of learning and to seek out teachers who could transmit the vast wisdom of the ancient sages. Hearing of a great yoga teacher in Nepal, Krishnamacharya went in search of him. Walking all the way to Mount Kailash he found the sage in his cave dwelling. Sri. Ramomohan Brahmachari accepted Krishnamacharya as a student and he remained in the mountains studying yoga for more than seven years. Sri. Ramomohan requested that Krishnamacharya marry, have children and teach yoga.
In addition to being a yogi, Krishnamacharya was also a well known healer, linguist, musician, researcher, author and expert scholar in the six Indian Schools of Vedic Philosophy. He was a true pioneer in his ability to translate ancient teachings and make them relevant in a modern context.
After some time, Krishnamacharya became the yoga teacher of the Maharaja of Mysore and a place was also made available for Krishnamacharya to run a yoga school. During this period Krishnamacharya taught B.K.S. Iyengar and Patabhi Jois who went on to become world famous yoga teachers.
The yoga school was closed in 1947 and Krishnamacharya and his family moved to Chennai.
Krishnamacharya continued to teach and work as a healer. During this time he taught T.K.V Desikachar (Krishnamacharya’s son), Srivatsa Ramaswami (my yoga teacher), A.G. Mohan and Indra Devi who became well known yoga teachers and authors in their own right.
Krishnamacharya passed away in 1989 after an extraordinary life of one hundred years of devoted study and service.
Krishnamacharya believed that Yoga was India’s greatest gift to the world and it is in no small measure due to his perseverence and inspiration that yoga has become popular worldwide.
TESTIMONIALS
“Meghan is a very supportive and encouraging yoga teacher. I was a beginner we did one-on-one sessions, and I appreciated how she explained the postures very simply. I felt the benefits of a yoga practice right away. Meghan inspired me to continue practicing after I moved to Denver. Now, I do yoga 2-3 times per week and also teach at a local gym!”
~ Erika Levy, Executive Vice President at The Republic Collective, Denver, Colorado
“I came to this yoga class and I feel light. Not by weight, but by spirit. It was a wonderful meditation and internal workout for me. I recommend anybody who’s working in a stressful environment to experience this type of yoga and exercise. You never imagine you could go there, but you can. It’s amazing!”
~ Jenny Karakaya, Freelance Producer, New York City, New York
THE 8 WEEK VINYASA KRAMA YOGA PROGRAM
WEEK # 1 – EXERCISE YOUR ENTIRE BODY (THE FOUNDATION)
WEEK # 2 – INCREASE YOUR FLEXIBILITY
WEEK # 3 – BRILLIANT BALANCING
WEEK # 4 – GET A HEALTHY SPINE
WEEK # 5 – LOOK LEAN & IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE
WEEK # 6 – FOCUS ON YOUR CORE
WEEK # 7 – TURN BACK TIME
WEEK # 8 – PERFECT YOUR PRACTICE (PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER)
YOUR INVESTMENT
Start a new yoga practice or fine tune your current practice.
Receive tailored instructions to suit your body, needs, questions and concerns. An investment in yourself for better health, well-being, and a rocking body!
Contact me here for more information.
I can’t wait to meet you!
Meghan Mackintosh
Creative Sales Coach + Video Marketing Expert + Dancing Yogini