The Yoga of Emotions – Fall Immersion: Oct 6-9, Ely, MN

Posted by AB on May 2, 2019 in Retreats, Travel | Comments Off on The Yoga of Emotions – Fall Immersion: Oct 6-9, Ely, MN

The Yoga of Emotions – Nava Rasa Sadhana

October 6-9, Ely, MN

Our annual Fall Immersion is intended for yogis looking for deeper study and practice of yoga in a retreat setting.  We will explore the in-depth teachings and practices of through dharma, meditation, asana, pranayama, mantra, kriya, chanting, yoga nidra and self-inquiry.  This year we will be delving into: The Yoga of Emotions and Nava Rasa Sadhana.

Yoga sees humans as multidimensional beings, composed of physical body, prana, mind, emotions, intelligence (all subject to change) and the Eternal Self.  How we experience life is based largely on the fluctuations of our bodies, minds, energies and emotions.  These are interwoven and powerful – yet emotions (“that which moves outward”) hold a unique role in shaping our experience of well-being and suffering, of ourselves and life.  Our culture teaches us little about how to navigate and channel the emotions of life.  This immersion will be based on traditional yogic and tantric teachings about Nava Rasa Sadhana: The Spiritual Practice of Nine Emotions.  They are: Courage, Fear, Love, Anger, Joy, Sadness, Wonder, Disgust and Peace.  From a dualistic view, each of these emotions come in pairs of complimentary opposites, each with pleasant and unpleasant aspects.  From a non-dual perspective, each of them is sacred and may be channeled skillfully for the fulfillment of our dharma. As a defining aspect of human life, how we feel, witness, process, understand and channel our emotions profoundly shapes us.  We will explore teachings and practices for relating to and using our emotional energies to awaken, including:

• Understanding the Nine Emotions/ Nava Rasas experientially and conceptually
• How and why do emotions arise?  What is their purpose?
• Yogic Science of Emotion, mind and their karmic roots
• Western Science of Emotion, Brain and Nervous system
• Cultivating Witness Consciousness, emotional equanimity and peace
• Learning to feel and process emotion skillfully 
• Yogic Practices for Emotional Healing and Transformation: Asana, pranayama, ayurveda, mantra, meditation, kriya, chanting, yoga nidra, self-reflection, relationship and more

Daily Session Schedule:                                                                                                       The immersion will begin Sunday Oct. 6 and conclude Weds. Oct 9

Sunday Oct 6:  6-9 pm                                                                                                       Monday Oct 7:  8:30-11:30 am, 2:30-5:30 pm                                                               Tuesday Oct 10:  8:30-11:30 am, 2:30-5 pm,  7-9 pm                                                   Wednesday Oct 11:  7:30-10am

Optional Chanting and Silent Meditation M-W from 6-7 am

Your Investment: 

• $535 – Twin bed in a communal Loft Space
• $575 – Shared bedroom space (2 people/room, twin beds or queen bed for couples)
• $675 – Private bedroom space (queen bed)

Early Registration Discount- Receive $25 off the above rates when you register and pay in full by August 6.  Yoga Studies grads receive additional $20 off.

Rates are inclusive of

• Room
• Immersion Tuition
• Use of Camp du Nord facilities (sauna, hiking trails, canoes + kayaks, etc.)

Massage will be available during breaks.  Please note meals are not provided. Each cabin has a fully equipped kitchen for all your cooking needs. We will plan to eat dinners communally, with groups taking turns preparing food if the group size accommodates eating/cooking together.  For more information on the accommodations, visit the fall retreat page.

All payments are due in full September 15, with a fee of $45 for late payments, payment plans & registrations received thereafter.

To reserve your space, please send your Fall Immersion Registration + Waiver copy  and $150 deposit per-person (non-refundable) Payable via Venmo (@Ben-Vincent-9), Cash or Check.  Checks are payable to:

Ben Vincent (not Vincent Yoga)

5354 40th Ave S.

Minneapolis, MN, 55417

Please contact us with any questions or inquiries

Spring Renewal – Day Long Retreat: April 20, Minneapolis

Posted by AB on Mar 15, 2019 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Spring Renewal – Day Long Retreat: April 20, Minneapolis

Spring Renewal Retreat 

April 20, Minneapolis

Spring is a time of cleansing, renewal and rebirth.  As the days get longer and warmer, the dregs of winter melt away, the Earth thaws, and the flowers and animal life begin to stir!  Human life is no different.  Many observe the transition to spring through time-tested rituals: Spring cleaning, Lent, tending and planting the garden and tuning-up bicycles.   Yet how many of make a conscious effort to cleanse and rejuvenate our bodies, minds and energy? The changing of the seasons is an auspicious time for reflection, honoring the cycles of life and transformation.  This day long retreat is an opportunity to do just that – a guided process integrating tools, teachings and practices for cleansing, revitalization, and bringing new life forth.  The retreat will include:

• Practices appropriate for Spring (Asana, Pranayama, Meditation)
• Dharma Talk, Q + A
• Receive Guidelines + Resources for Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse
• Journaling and Self-Reflection
• Yoga Nidra
• Recordings of the practices and teachings to support your Home Practice

Location + Schedule:  9:00-5:00 with a 75 minute lunch break.  The Retreat will be held at River’s Way Meditation Center in the Ivy building for the Arts- 2637 27th Ave S, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN

Your Investment:                                                                                                                   Full Rate – $135, Early Reg- $108 (registered and paid by 4/1).                                      Yoga Studies Grads – $10 off the above rates

To Register: Pay online via PayPal (bvrocksteady@gmail.com), Venmo (@Ben-Vincent-9) or bring cash or check to ben in person.  The retreat will be limited to 20 people in the order in which registration + payment is received.

Email ben@vincentyoga.com if you have any questions.

Vinyasa Krama

Posted by AB on Mar 15, 2019 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Vinyasa Krama

Vinyasa Krama: The Art and Science of Sequencing

  Yoga is a science of Self-Realization- aspiring to bring balance, healing and awakening to body, energy, mind and heart – that we may realize the eternal within us.   To fulfill this greater vision of yoga and the greater potential of our lives requires intelligent and comprehensive practice.   Yoga utilizes diverse practices to touch every aspect of human beings, these include: asana (posture), pranayama (energetic breathwork), shatkarmas (cleansing practices), meditation, guided relaxation, bhavana (intention + cultivated feeling), mantra, kriya, mudra, bandha, self-reflection, conscious living, etc.  The weaving of these diverse modalities into an integrated and effective practice is known as Vinyasa Karma.

Vinyasa Karma (literally a wise progression) is the art and science of skillful sequencing, which unlocks the transformative power of yoga.  Through attuning to our current state (or those of our students), understanding our needs and the particular effects of practices, we can create and guide practices that empower us to overcome challenges, achieve goals, live meaningful lives and find peace.  This special immersion will explore the essential principles of Vinyasa Karma, including:

• The true aims of yoga practice
• How to create and structure holistic practices: integrating postures, guided relaxation, breathwork, mediation and subtle practices
• The physics of sequencing: six types of yoga postures, the dynamics of asana, the essentials of selecting and sequencing postures, sequencing for the spine, nervous system, organs, and building toward “peak” postures
• The metaphysics of sequencing for the energetic body, mind and heart
• The energetics of sequencing: using prana to influence the doshas, prana vayus and gunas
• Pranayama- breath work as the sacred link of posture and meditation
• Tools for adapting practice for time of day, season and life circumstances
• Practicing in the light of Ayurveda
• Accessing intuition – the wisdom of the teacher is within you
• Angabanga and Sarvangabanga Sadhana- Practicing to escape vs. practicing to awake

Immersion Schedule

Dates: August 9th-12th , 8-4:30 pm (Break for lunch from 11:30-1)                                     August 9 – Vinyasa Krama: The Essentials of Sequencing                                             August 10 – The physics of sequencing                                                                    August 11 – The metaphysics of sequencing                                                           August 12 – Weaving together the threads of practice

Minneapolis Yoga Conference: March 22-24

Posted by AB on Mar 8, 2019 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Minneapolis Yoga Conference: March 22-24

Join Ben and many great presenters at the sixth annual Minneapolis Yoga Conference presented by Tula Software, for a wide range of topics, workshops and immersions.  MYC is a wonderful opportunity for in-depth study with locally and nationally renowned teachers. Ben will be teaching “Yoga for Equanimity: finding Steadiness and Ease in Turbulent Times” Sat March 23, from 1:30-3:30″ and “Yogic Meditation for Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Well-Being” Sun March 24, from 8-10 am.  .

Yoga for Equanimity: Steadiness and Ease in Turbulent Times ~ Sat 3/23, 1:30-3:30    Change is the nature of the world we live in, yet it is the nature of humans to seek that which last. All too often, we allow our inner state to be determined by change in the world around us- the season, politics, other people, etc. To find lasting peace, yogis know that cultivating a calm steady mind. Through lecture and practice, this workshop will explore experientially the yogic understanding of the mind, and how to practice and live in a way that brings peace

Yogic Meditation for Mental, Emotional + Spiritual Well-Being ~ Sun 3/24, 8-10 am     For thousands of years, meditation (dhyana) has been at the heart of Yoga. Even as Hatha Yoga (postures, breathwork, relaxation) has become very popular, yogic meditation has largely been forsaken. Amidst the rigors of modern life, Its timeless teachings and practices are as relevant as ever. Dhyana offers us a time-tested path for finding peace, resolving stress and suffering, and realizing the greater potentials of human life. Yogic meditation utilizes the body, energy, mind and heart to: Calm, clarify and illumine the mind. Support emotional equanimity and healing. Balance the nervous system and prana Empower will (icca), knowledge (jnana) and action (kriya) shakti. Awaken the heart as love, compassion and wisdom. This will shop will include seated meditation, moderate movement and breathwork, lecture and Q + A. You will: Learn traditional postures and breathing practices to prepare for meditation. Learn the process of yogic meditation, and its place in the yoga tradition. Experience essential techniques of yogic meditation: 1) Witness Consciousness 2) Mantra (sacred sound) 3) Kriya: (Active meditation using breathwork, mantra and visualization) Learn tools for starting, deepening and/or overcoming obstacles to mediation practice. Receive recordings of the meditations to support your home practice

For more info or to register, Check out the Tula Software’s Minneapolis Yoga Conference website

Yoga Nidra: Resting To Awaken ~ Saturday, Dec. 1, 1-4 pm

Posted by AB on Nov 27, 2018 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Yoga Nidra: Resting To Awaken ~ Saturday, Dec. 1, 1-4 pm

YOGA NIDRA: RESTING TO AWAKEN

Saturday, Dec. 01,  1– 4pm at One Yoga

Often translated as “Yogic Sleep”, Yoga Nidra is a tool, a practice, a process, and a state of transcendent awareness. The journey of Yoga Nidra integrates practices for balancing the physical and energetic bodies, deep relaxation, sankalpa (sacred intention), and guided imagery and kriya to work with the subtle body and subconscious mind. In working with with the deeper layers of our being, it is unparalleled in its capacity for relaxation, healing, transformation and empowerment. On its deepest level, yoga nidra is dissolution of all limited consciousness into the infinite.  Whether your goal is stress relief, rejuvenation, physical / emotional healing, removing karmic patterns, unlocking creativity or empowering yourself to manifest a dharmic desire, yoga nidra has something profound to offer you.

Full-Day New Year’s Retreat ~ Sunday, January 6, 2019 in Minneapolis

Posted by AB on Nov 27, 2018 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Full-Day New Year’s Retreat ~ Sunday, January 6, 2019 in Minneapolis

New Years Retreat

A Day of Reflection, Illumination and Resolution

Sunday January 6, 9:30-5:30 ~ Minneapolis

The holidays of the winter season fall around the winter solstice, the time when “the sun stands still.’  Amidst this time of outer darkness, the holidays are intended to kindle the light within.  We gather with loved ones, reflect upon life, remember its challenges and gifts, and celebrate and re-commit to what is most important.  Unfortunately, all too often, the busyness, obligations, stress and excessive consumption of the way we celebrate eclipses the essence of the season.  The New Year is an auspicious time for self-reflection.  Embrace it and we can transform our lives through conscious living.  Forsake it we and we lose part of our humanity, and the inner light feels dim and distant.  This day long retreat in the city is a gift to yourself: an opportunity to slow down, reflect and reconnect, to remember what you’ve learned, what’s truly important, what needs to change and re-commit to your best life.

This full-day retreat will be a guided process integrating tools, teachings and practices for awakening, transformation and empowerment – including:

• Dharma Talk, Q+A
• Practice (Asana, Pranayama, Chanting and Meditation)
• Journaling and Self-Reflection
• Sankalpa (revealing or refining your sacred intention/resolution)
• Yoga Nidra
• Practices for breaking unhelpful (karmic) patterns

Location:  The Retreat will be held at River’s Way Meditation Center in the Ivy building for the Arts- 2637 27th Ave S, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN

Your Investment:                                                                                                                   Full Rate – $135, Early Reg- $108 (registered and paid by 12/22).                                  Yoga Studies Grads – $10 off the above rates

To Register: Pay online via PayPal (bvrocksteady@gmail.com), Venmo (@Ben-Vincent-9) or bring cash or check to ben in person.  The retreat will be limited to 20 people in the order in which registration + payment is received.

Email ben@vincentyoga.com if you have any questions.

~Namaste~

Finding balance in Fall – tools and meditation for returning to center

Posted by AB on Sep 6, 2018 in Retreats | Comments Off on Finding balance in Fall – tools and meditation for returning to center

In the traditions of Yoga + Ayurveda, fall is known as the season of vata dosha- the time when the elemental energies of air and space predominate.  As the warmth (fire) and humidity (water) of summer dissipate, the inner and outer environments become increasingly cool and dry.   in this season of harvest, daylight decreases (there’s no saving it!), summer’s abundance wains and all animate things draw energy back toward their core.   For many, this time of transition can be challenging – the body may become stiff or achy, stress and anxiety can elevate, we struggle to re-create schedules, and mourn the passing of summer and what is to come.  Balance- the ability to remain centered amidst change- is the foundation of well-being.

Essential  to re-establishing balance in the fall, is to return to healthy life rhythms.  Here are a few tips and a free guided meditation to support you well-being this fall.

Healthy Rest + Sleep:  Return to regular patterns of sleep and rest.  For most people 10pm – 5 or 6 am is ideal.  Prepare for sleep by unplugging (1 hour before bed) and releasing stress.  Soaking your feet and oiling them with warm sesame oil is extremely helpful, as is herbal tea.  Make time for physical and mental rest everyday.   Yoga nidra is a perfect practice.

Regularity in Diet:  Make the most of harvest season.  Do a cleanse of whole cooked foods (nuts, grains, seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables and healthy fats). Eat food that is mostly warm and wet, hree regular meals per day, with lunch most important.  Have a lighter dinner by 6 to allow for full digestion before bed.

Recommit to Self-Care:  You are responsible for maintaining the well-being of your body, mind, energies and heart.  No one can do it for you.  the more you care for yourself, the more fully you will show up for what is most important in life!  Yoga offers a holistic means for self-care.

Yoga Practice:  Emphasize steadiness and ease in practice.  Forward bending postures, twists, extensions and postures which work the core muscles are excellent.  Same Vrtti (1:! breathing) Nadi Shodhana, Ujjayi Pranayama  are all recommended.  Agni Sara kriya is helpful for physical and mental balance, centeredness and digestion.  Golden Egg meditation kriya will help you to gather scattered energies and mind.  When you do this meditation, begin at your navel in the mornings and early afternoon, at your heart in the late afternoon or evening.

Non-Attachment:  What is unnecessary or unhelpful in your life that can be let go of?  This can be an activity, a responsibility, a thought or any way you use energy.  Lessen screen time.  Moderate consumption of food and beverages, especially those which dull or overstimulate you.   Even as you recognize what can be let go of , focus primarily on returning to what is essential in your life.  Focus on the relationships that are most important: with yourself, your loved ones and the greater whole of life. re-commit to wats of being that allow you to thrive. Non-attachment is the natural result of returning to your center.  Superfluous things will fall away at the right time, like autumnal leaves.

Feel free to email ebn@vincentyoga.com with questions or comments.  Wishing you all the best in this season of the harvest!