Up North Yoga Conference

Up North Yoga Conference
Breathe. Stretch. Connect. Grow.
Saturday, October, 25, 2014
8 am – 7 pm

Breathe.Stretch.Connect.Grow. – at the first Up North Yoga Conference bringing the Champlain Valley and Adirondack Mountain Yoga Communities together for the first time on the New York side, on beautiful Lake Champlain in Essex, NY. Join us for this one day event collaboration between Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness and The Yoga Tree bringing the best to Yoga students, teachers and studios. Offering you inspirational, dedicated Yogis from different backgrounds in Yoga weaving practice with the practical all in one place. Ignite your Yoga practice whatever level you are and come grow with us. We hope to see you Saturday, October 25!

“In the past 15 years the practice of Yoga has slowly grown and now is firmly planted in the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley communities. Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness and The Yoga Tree are thrilled to bring these Yoga communities together for the first Yoga Conference – Up North Yoga Conference – expanding and growing our connections with a day of Yoga, Yoga Workshops and celebration – all in Essex, NY.” ~Michelle Maron

The conference events will take place at The College For Every Student (CFES) Conference Center (across from LCY&W) & at Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness in Essex, NY.

The event is produced and organized by Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness, Michelle Maron & The Yoga Tree, Robin Shaver. It is sponsored by PrAna & College For Every Student & The Essex Inn.

Up North Yoga Conference – Schedule

At The College For Every Student Conference Center
8-9 am – Registration/Reception – Tea, Coffee, Muffins
9-10:15 am – The Art of Balance – Justin Wolfer
10:30-11:45 am – The Eight Limbs of Yoga – Debbie Philp
At Essex Inn
12-1 – Organic Lunch/Veggie/Vegan option available
At The College For Every Student Conference Center
1:15-2:45 pm – Exploring Ayurveda through the Four Seasons – Carmen Maron Walker
3-4:15 pm – Elevate the Sprit – Kundalini Yoga with Deep Gong Relaxation – Lynda Garrand
At Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness LCY&W
4:45-7 pm – Drumming/Dancing – Patrick Siler

There are 60 registration spaces for this conference. It is $100 if you register by September 15. Registration is $135 after that date.

To register:

Send a check to LCY&W at PO Box 102, Essex, NY 12936.
Register online through www.eventbrite.com here.
Or pay by Credit Card on the LCY&W’s website at the bottom of the page here.

Questions? Contact upnorthyogaconference@gmail.com or 518.962.8414.

Full Event Schedule Details

9-10:15 am
The Art of Balance – Justin Wolfer, 500 – ECYT

What is the connection between how I act on my yoga mat and how I act in the world? Let’s take a closer look at the art and science of balance. How does the body organize to create beautiful physical forms and what can we learn from this process? What can we discover in our pursuit to balance prana and apana with a well rounded pranayama practice? Move through a challenging series of postures designed to increase your understanding of how the structures in the body organize to create steadiness and ease within a posture. Fun, challenging and suitable for all levels of experience. “Falling is your initiation into greatness; it is the story that every human being you admire has told…You’ll never know what you truly want until you fail at it. Fall from ignorance and rise like the sun”

Justin is a dedicated student and practitioner of all paths that bring one to yoga. Initially, his practices served as a means to rehabilitate physical injuries sustained during his career in college athletics. Over time, yoga became for him a transformative path towards greater understanding, physical balance, internal strength, mental clarity and self-awareness. He is the director of The Skillful Action Yoga Training and leads dynamic workshops across the country.

10:30-11:45 am
The Eight Limbs of Yoga – Debbie Philp, 500 – E-YRT

Does your yoga practice stop after your asana practice? Discover the other seven limbs of yoga to deepen your practice, enhance your health, and acknowledge the spiritual aspects of your nature. You’ll discuss how embracing the eight limbs of yoga, as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, can help you to live with meaning in today’s complex world. You will learn about the Yamas, or standards for behavior, the Niyamas, or self-discipline, and Asana and Pranayama, postures and breath exercises. From there you will branch into Pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses, Dharana, focus, Dhyana, meditation and Samadhi, the ultimate state of ecstasy. Explore how each of the practices builds upon and supports the others to create a blissful and purposeful life.

Debbie’s passion is supporting adventurers on the trail to well-being through the exploration of yoga, nutrition and lifestyle changes, Reiki energy healing, and a deep spiritual connection to the natural world. Debbie is a Yoga Alliance Registered Experienced Yoga Teacher and has taught more than 3,000 classes. She is also an ACE-certified Personal Trainer, with a Mind-Body Specialization, and a Reiki Master. Debbie founded True North Yoga in Schroon Lake, New York, in 2009. She also founded and is the lead teacher of the True North Advanced Yoga Studies and 200-hour Teacher Training program, a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School, to satisfy the needs of students interested in a deep immersion into the study of yoga as well as those who would like to teach yoga to others in and around the Adirondacks. Debbie is an Institute for Integrative Nutrition-trained holistic health coach and offers a unique coaching program that incorporates all elements of wellness.

12-1 pm Local Organic Lunch at the Essex Inn

1:15-2:45 pm
Exploring Ayurveda Through the Four Seasons – Carmen Maron Walker, MA, NCC, CYT

Fall is a perfect time to begin applying the basics of Ayurveda. Considered the ‘sister science’ to yoga, this medical system places great emphasis on the preventative fabrics of maintaining balance. In this workshop, we will explore how each season impacts us, as well as identifying seasonal dietary and lifestyle recommendations. The aim is to understand yourself better through lens of Ayurveda.

Along with being a psychotherapist, Carmen is an Ayurvedic consultant. Ayurveda is an alternative medical system that originates from India, which treats using food as medicine, daily routine, and herbal formulas. She has been successful working with clients in addressing a variety of physical and mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, weight management, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and autoimmune disorders. She is a graduate of The Ayurvedic Institute, where she had the opportunity to study for two years with Dr. Vasant Lad, a world-renowned Ayurvedic physician. In 2003, she completed an Ayurvedic apprenticeship, which provided specialized clinical training in Ayurvedic cooking, herbal remedies, and lifestyle management. In her practice, she offers the additional option of integrating mental health counseling and Ayurveda. In this way, she enjoys providing alternative mental health counseling, which compliments traditional talk therapy by working with the whole person: the body, mind, and spirit. Her continued curiosity and passion for combining mental health counseling with Ayurveda revolves around the ways these two paradigms compliment each other by providing tangible tools for maintaining a greater sense of balance.

3-4:15 pm
Elevate the Spirit: Kundalini Yoga with Deep Gong Relaxation – Lynda Garrand, 500 – RYT

Strengthen the body, balance the glands and soothe the nervous system through Kundalini Yoga. Includes a meditative practice to cultivate inner awareness, calm and tranquility ending with deep relaxation to the magical and healing vibrations of the gong. The sound waves of the gong will magnifies your yoga asana practice while every cell and fiber of your body is penetrated. Feel yourself ride the sound into the infinite itself.

Lynda (Gobind Shakti Kaur) is an experienced Kundalini Yoga instructor and owner/operator of Trinity Yoga in Plattsburgh, NY. Her dynamic approach accommodates all levels of students, beginners to advanced, young and old alike. She inspires each individual to be the best they can be, both on and off the mat. Her unique talent is to relate the advanced and ancient teachings of Kundalini Yoga in a down to earth way, making them accessible and relatable to all, while still maintaining the integrity of this unique style of yoga as it was originally taught by Yogi Bhajan.

4:45-7 pm
Drumming/Dancing – Patrick Siler

Drumming channels powerful energy and connects the players to a tradition as old as human history. All skill levels welcome; no experience necessary. Bring your drum if you have one!

Patrick Siler is an actor, director, producer, and attorney from Adirondack, NY who has been playing the drums for the last 25 years. Patrick founded and serves as the Executive Director of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing fully professional, world-class theater to the Adirondacks.