School of Yoga Overview

So this letter is going up soon on my website under "Welcome". A bunch of people have been asking about School of Yoga so this is a bit of an overview. Thought I would share it here as well since  so many folks do not visit my web page regularly.

Welcome to Christina Sell Yoga!

2012 has been off to a wild start, it seems. On January 3, we celebrated the birth of School of Yoga and we just recently welcomed Noah Maze to the faculty as a founding member. I couldn't be more excited about creating a school for yoga studies with two of my best friends and primary teaching partners. With so many current changes afoot in the yoga community right now many folks are asking me about School of Yoga and how to get involved. I think the most important thing to know is that we are creating a school with a teaching faculty, not a system of yoga that will certify teachers in a style or a defined  brand of yoga. Over time we plan to coordinate and collaborate with other teachers and programs, particularly with those teachers with whom we already have established relationships and with whom we feel a particular resonance.

Our initial emphasis as a hatha yoga school is in exploring the alchemy of form, flow, focus and function. Hatha Yoga in the  School of Yoga is an integrated philosophy that addresses the body, emotions, intellect and spirit through precise asana, traditional mantras,  pranayama practice, meditation techniques and contemplation. Our programs teach practical ways to access these different aspects of the self and to bring them to a dynamic, balanced expression through ongoing daily practice.

Darren, Noah and I will each continue to offer programs individually and we will offer workshops and trainings with the three of us on a limited basis. We have been talking a lot about how to maximize the benefits of community without creating a structure that is elitist, exclusive, limiting or binding. We are examining issues of sustainability, scalability, and the very timely conversation of managing power, authority and finances responsibly and accountably. We continue to be committed to offering high quality programs and to functioning as a resource for teachers who want to deepen their practice, teach from their authentic experience and who want a viable connection to a larger  community that does not minimize the importance of the community that is found in the intimacy of day-to-day experiences through the personal, immediate encounters we have with one another on and off the mat.

I will be teaching more from my school in San Marcos (www.schoolofyogasanmarcos.com) and Noah has plans to ground more of his teaching work in Southern California. Darren will continue to focus his attention on making Yoga Oasis a hub of excellent teaching and practice in Tucson, Arizona. We will continue to travel where we are invited to share the teachings and the practices of yoga with people who feel an affinity with our direction. To be clear, graduates from our programs will be encouraged to create unique program offerings of their own rather than teach “School of Yoga” programs.  In this way we hope to encourage authenticity, independence, resilience and  autonomy in our graduates. Over time, our plan is to create continuing education programs, alumni programs and advanced trainings so that the School of Yoga serves as resource for both new and experienced teachers.

For more information about our work with School of Yoga please visit our web page www.schoolofyoga.com . For more information about Noah Maze, please visit www.noahmazeyoga.com and for information about Darren and his work, please visit www.yogaoasis.com.