Hatha Yoga • Meditation • Personal, Professional, & Spiritual Development

Lead Teacher and Owner Dharmi Cunningham has studied meditation and yoga for 25 years, has traveled to India to study, and attends frequent retreats to deepen her practice and continue learning. She is an IHT Certified Instructor (Institute of the Himalayan Tradition), has trained with Michael Morrison in “Moving Anatomy,” and holds Yoga Alliance Certification.

HATHA YOGA
HA=SUN THA=MOON
Meditative postures lead to a stable, restful mind and body, supporting focus, will and higher states of consciousness. Postures for physical well-being, make the body supple, strong and free from disease. Both types of postures work with the muscles & tissues, as well as body systems including nervous, digestive, circulatory & glandular.

Mixed Level Hatha
Designed for people with a range of experience with Hatha Yoga - from just a little to years.  We'll begin each season with a review of basics, then progress quickly to work with a variety of postures, breath, and awareness, allowing you to enter into each pose at your own pace and depth. 

Wake-Up Hatha

A great way to wake up and begin your day - leave energized and focused.  We will begin with breathing and centering, and warm-ups including several sun salutations.  We will do a range of other poses, stringing some together for new challenges and satisfying flow.  We will close with guided relaxation.  Some experience with Hatha required. 

Personalized Yoga
One-on-one sessions to fit your needs. Get guidance on therapeutics, specific postures, correct (and safe!) form, coaching on any of the 8 limbs of Astanga Yoga, or to help integrate yoga and its benefits into your life! (By appointment-call for fees.) 

Other Hatha Classes not currently offered.  Please inquire.

Basic/Gentle Hatha

Similar to Beginning Hatha, but designed for people who have some experience with yoga and want to gently build a practice.

Beginning Hatha Yoga
An introductory class.  Introduction to basic asanas (postures), basic breathing practices, stretching, and centering. Sessions include floor work, standing, balance, twists and very basic, inversions. Props (blocks, straps and cushions) are used to support safe, correct movement. Exploring mind/body connection. Appropriate for most people. (NOTE: coming again next fall. We will do many of the same poses as the Mixed Level classes but at a gentler pace.  Great Foundation.)

Continuing Hatha Yoga
A more advanced class building on basics, developing strength and duration of postures. Pre-requisite: 3 series of Beginning Hatha or permission.

MEDITATION

Meditation Group

For those with an on-going meditation practice, come join with like-minded others to: meditate, discuss "roadblocks,"

and learn or refresh skills, philosophy, and supporting practices.  Pre-requisite: Intro to Meditation or permission.

Meditation Basics Series
Designed to begin or ground students in a practice of meditation. Each session will be experiential and include some sitting meditation. Topics include: Why Meditate? (benefits; sitting postures; Pranayama (4 different breathing practices); Dharana (Concentration and distilling the mind); partnering with the mind- dealing with “chatter.”  Coming again soon!  Or call about scheduling this at your work place!

YAMUNA® BODY ROLLING

A Unique approach to health and fitness that helps people feel better, move more freely, gain strength, and eliminate pain.  Specially designed balls will increase muscle length, create joint mobility, promote healing of injuries, tone muscles, energize nerve roots and vital organs, dislodge tension and discomfort, enhance blood flow, and stimulate bone.  An ideal practice for everyone, at all fitness levels, for dramatic and immediate results.  Each class will focus on different areas of the body. 

Taught here by Guest Teacher Melora Gregory: a certified Level II Yamuna® Body Rolling Practitioner and a 17 year veteran yoga teacher at Portland Yoga Studio. 

AYURVEDA & HEALTH

Introduction to Ayurveda

Ancient, timeless, holistic Indian path to health, vitality, and harmony – physically, mentally, socially, spiritually.

What you will learn:

• What is Ayurveda?
• What is Health?
• What are constitution, dhattu, and dosha?
• How to recognize vatta, pitta, kapha qualities, imbalances, and actions to move back toward balance.
• Lifestyle and Diet suggestions to create balance, harmony, and happiness.
• Recipes and food suggestions to balance the different doshas.
• Each week we will complete 1-2 practices that you can begin to immediately incorporate into your lifestyle. 

Note this is NOT a class to diagnose and treat specific conditions.

Shankhaprakshalana  “Deep Cleaning of the Inner Conch” (ie intestines)

• An intestinal system that is chronically overloaded and blocked brings about adverse, disagreeable, and dampening consequences on one’s life.

• Constipation is the leading root cause of many chronic health issues.

What you will learn:

• What is constipation?
• What are the consequences of chronic constipation, IBS, excessive gas, bloating, etc.
• A beautiful, easy cleansing practice to improve this condition and its effects. (we will practice this together on empty stomachs!)  We will perform the shortened version designed to encourage normal functioning, and which anyone can do at home daily, or as needed. 

Note this is NOT a class to diagnose and treat specific conditions.  Practice not appropriate for those suffering from peptic or duodenal ulcers (although the content of the course may be helpful.) 

Constipation is often defined as having fewer than 1 bowel movement per day, difficulty passing stool, or feeling “un-empty” after passing.  It is possible to have fewer movements (eg 2-4 per week) as “normal” as long as there are no other symptoms, such as excess gas, bloated feelings, “furry” tongue, etc. 

PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, & SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Satsang: Keeping the Company of Like-minded Souls  (Free)

           "A Spiritual Community can help dissolve the sense of separateness that

causes so much of our suffering." 

A monthly gathering to join with other "explorers" seeking meaning and peace, happiness, and bliss. 

Format will be brief lecture drawing on the wisdom of yoga, but also other mystical and spiritual traditions, and include discussion time and group meditation.  Tea will be served. 

TOPICS:  

India and the Kumbha Mela: The largest spiritual gathering on the planet takes place in Haridwar this year - and Dharmi will be there for 5 weeks.  Mataji tells me it will be life-changing (those are big words!!).  But being with Her, walking in Her footsteps IS life-changing, so I will see this, experience this through Her, and bring what I can to you!  For date: stay turned. 

Others TBD

Constellating the Soul: Untangling Our Lives
Much of the suffering and dysfunction in our family and organizational lives arises because of unresolved problems and issues. Conventional therapeutic and consultancy interventions tend to focus attention on the individual who is manifesting the greatest distress and disturbance. But such approaches tend to ignore the subtle, often hidden, dynamics that occur within the system as a whole. Without addressing these dynamics, such problems cannot be solved.

The nature of these entanglements is often out of our awareness, and may even go back several generations in the case of family issues and to our predecessors in organizational life. Constellations, originally developed by Bert Hellinger in Germany, provides an innovative way of seeing systems, offering a larger frame of reference that can open life-enhancing solutions.

This work is being applied to family, organizational and wider social systems addressing issues such as:

• troubling thematic life issues or traumatic events
  
• difficult family or personal relationships
  
• difficult issues and relationships at work and in community
  
• dilemmas about leadership, business strategy, structure or "right"
  
• placement in a system

For more descriptive information about this work applied to families, or applied to larger social systems go to the Constellations section of this web site.

Movie Night  (Free)

Come see great movies either with a direct yoga theme or whose story has great yoga teaching points!  We'll watch the movie together, then Dharmi will lead a discussion about how we are impacted and what we can take away.  Tea served. 

Holy Men and Fools  The story of two Sadhus, Uma and Vasisht Giri, one a Swedish woman I have met and traveled with, the other a 29 year old Indian.  Together they go on a pilgrimage of self-discovery into the high Himalayas to the source of the River Ganges, searching out saints and mystics of Yoga.  Filmed by British documentarian Michael Yorke, whose learning is also reflected in the film.  71 min run time.  (Narration in English, with Hindi and subtitles)

The Satsangs or Discourses of Vashisht Giri  Vasisht Giri, 29 year old Indian Sadhu, speaks on "In Search of Self"  "Relying on the Divine Will" and "The Land of Penance"  each runs from 12 to 23 minutes.  Some in English, some Hindi with subtitles.  Timeless wisdom in simple terms.  (also by Michael Yorke)

Naked in Ashes  A documentary giving a glimpse of the estimated 13 million Yogis in India.  Several Sadhus, or Babas are interviewed and followed through initiations, pilgrimage in the high Himalayas, spiritual gathering at a Kumbha Mela.  We hear about their tradition and their reflections on this chaotic world.  An interview with Mataji of Santosh Puri Ashram is included. 103 min run time.  

Darshan: the Embrace.  Powerful moving look at Amma (aka "the hugging saint" & winner of Gandhi King Prize in 2002.)  See Amma (& India) from a disciple's perspective- learn about her work, her spirit and a few of her lessons of yoga.  Get a taste of a wholey different culture.  Let yourself breathe in some of Amma's love as you watch and listen!

Ram Dass: Fierce Grace  Ram Dass is best know for his icon of a book Be Here Now.  In 1997 he suffered a stroke and this movie tells of the consequent remaking of his life "a poignant meditation on spirituality, consciousness, healing, and the grace of aging. 

Other courses we have offered and may do so again: Please inquire.

Myths We Live By: A Mystic's Perspective. 

Who am I?  Why am I here?  Where am I going?  What is the purpose of life?  How do I attain it?  These are known in yoga as "the perennial questions" as we all ask them at least once if not many times in our lives.  Come explore how these questions have been answered for you perhaps (myths we live), how you may have lived the answers given you without even realizing, and finally, explore how you might answer them today, and live into those new answers.  (Experiential Learning Design)

The Gestalt of Hatha Yoga (Part 1)
For people new to or experienced in Gestalt or Hatha Yoga (or any combination!). We will look at the Gestalt Cycle of Experience, a powerful model for taking in and making meaning of our experience, using Hatha Yoga as we initiate, sustain, complete and integrate an asana or series of asanas. For Gestaltists, a chance to get the cycle at a cellular level in your body. For Hatha Yogis, a chance to deepen your experience and “contact” with your body and Hatha practice. Fall.

The Gestalt of Hatha: Using Resistance (Part 2)
Come explore the Gestalt concept of resistance which helps us understand how we resist change, or said another way, how our bodies and our psyches maintain our integrity and continuity of form. We will continue to use Hatha to explore various types of resistance. For people with either Part 1 (above) or some Gestalt experience.

Polarity Mapping for Gold
Based on the Polarity Mapping Technology of Barry Johnson, we will explore how many of the choices that we make in life are not either/or problems to solve, but rather dilemmas to manage. For example: Do I decide with my head or my heart? Or the classic dilemma of inhale/exhale. Clearly we need to do both, so how do we find a life-enhancing balance? Coming again soon.

Ten Jewels of Spiritual Development– An Introduction
The first 2 rungs of Astanga yoga - Yamas and Niyamas - restraints and commitments.  Come explore these guides for right action and contented living.  Ideally this is a 9-12 month study program. 

Introduction to Mysticism

What is mysticism?  What does it mean to be a mystic living and working in this day and age?  A glimpse into this exciting realm!