Presenting Festival Classes and Teachers

Let's Dance!

Bollywood dancing, a commercial name for modern Indian dancing. It's a combination of classical Indian dance, folk dancing and sometimes has a Latino and Arabic influence. It's fun and very expressive and there's a lot of deep meaning behind the music. You can express what the music means, through the graceful movements of the body

Anwaar Beg Moghal a passionate Bollywood dance instructor and performer, he has been performing for 10 years, and has done a variety of TV commercials and TV series for Bollywood. So come over and enjoy an energetic Bollywood dance class with him!

Yoga Spirit Festival Malaysia, 26th & 27th October 2013

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Presenting Festival Classes and Teachers

The Journey into Backbends with Michaela

Physically backbends open the hips, strengthen and stretch the legs as well as the lower back muscles. Other benefits include increasing the flow of blood, massaging the vital organs and glands as well as loosening the joints. 

Backbends boost energy levels, relieve tensions stored in the muscles and release natural pain-killers

After reading a great article on backbends from the yogaway.com, its great to hear that backbending is not just about bending back.  It is an equal practice of lengthening the front of the body and moving sideways. There are also several inversions that come along with backbends so the practice includes turning upside-down. Iyengar said that backbends massage and exercise the heart in much the same way that running does. The upper thigh muscles are used to push the pelvis forward while the feet and hamstrings muscles support the lift of the hips, legs and lower back. By moving the spine both forward and backward, the heart is stretched in many directions increasing the flow of blood. Unlike running where the knees receive a full impact from each step taken, backbends realigns and reinforce the ligaments of the knees and ankles. 

Aside from the tremendous physical benefits there is a large psychological aspect to backbending. Our minds are challenged through our bodies and our fears are brought to the surface. Backbends have the power to teach us to become more patient with ourselves and to persevere with the task. The mind moves faster than the body which needs time to catch up. Backbends offer important life skills like will, discipline and care. For a good life and a happier one, life needs these. And being true to life, backbending is no exception in that there are set-backs and pitfalls. As baffling that may sound the goal was never about getting your feet to reach your buttocks but in making the path your goal. 

This class is suitable for students, who are not entirely new to practicing yoga. Alternative options of how to take the poses will be given to those who are not experienced.

Michaela is originally from Germany and has lived in Malaysia since 1999. Having been a yoga practitioner for many years she enriched her knowledge and practice further when she arrived in Asia. 

Michaela studied under several well-known Senior Iyengar Yoga Gurus from Australia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the USA. She became a qualified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and started teaching in 2004. Besides running her own yoga studio in Country Heights, Kajang, she is also conducting classes at Yogashala in Taman Desa.

Yoga Spirit Festival Malaysia, 26th & 27th October 2013
https://www.facebook.com/events/524411940959250/

Presenting Festival Classes and Teachers

Unfolding the Hip 

with Parveen

This class will delve deeply into opening the hip area. Many of our negative emotions like to live in places in out bodies where they can hide out: places that get the least amount of stretching and release. While a hip opening posture may feel intense in the moment, you will always feel so much better afterwards!

Practice starts opening with sun salutation sequence, then moves into a series of hip openers where you will spend time breaking down and exploring the poses deeper.

The Diagonal and Horizontal Flow of Prana with Parveen

This class you will learn to understand the very basics of Pranayama in the Iyengar style. In this class Parveen will be explaining the different dimensions of the breath within the asanas, and how it effects the mind and our emotions.

Parveen Nair is an accomplished classical India dancer and a certified Iyengar yoga teacher. He began his yogic journey when he was awarded an International scholarship to further his studies in classical dance in India. Parveen’s spiritual life blossoms when he first met his Gurudev, Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja in Vrndavan, India. He then was initiated into the Gaudiya Vaishanava system in 1996, and thereafter; he continues to study the Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavad under the guidance his spiritual master. 

Parveen returned to Malaysia in 2004 and started teaching yoga in Kuala Lumpur. Parveen’s passion for Iyengar yoga developed after he came across Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar’s most acclaimed yoga book , “The Light of Yoga”. He was drawn into the emphasis on precision and alignment as well as the teachings of the Yoga Sutras. His years of practice and teaching reflect his commitment towards Iyengar Yoga. He regularly attends workshops and intensive classes with senior Iyengar yoga teacher to deepen his knowledge towards his practice and teaching. He often travels to Ramamani Iyengar Institute Pune, India to further his studies with Guruji B.K.S Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar, Prashanth Iyengar and many other senior Iyengar teachers. Parveen is also the founder of Swarupa Iyengar Yoga Studio which is the pioneer Iyengar Yoga studio in Malaysia.

Parveen also conducts free classes on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for the public on every Tuesday night at Swarupa Iyengar Yoga to share his knowledge of the Sutras. His profound use of language and words has brought many yoga practitioners to study with him. The classes are conducted in a discussion-manner which Parveen often relates Sutras to our daily life, and he also often encourages yoga practitioners to ask and discuss the Sutras. As Parveen believes "Asanas are only to stretch and discipline the body, but to stretch and see for the true self, one should study the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali." 

"Samatvam yoga ucyate / Evenness of mind is called yoga"

- Bhagvad Gita 11-48

Yoga Spirit Festival Malaysia, 26th & 27th October 2013
https://www.facebook.com/events/524411940959250/

Presenting Festival Classes and Teachers

Ener-Chi Core Yoga with Maizan

A flow of meditation in motion, using the core principles of Pilates to move you through a fusion of Tai Chi and Yoga poses. This session will challenge all aspects of your body while inviting your inner being to engage fully. Be prepared to transcend your expectations of what a fusion of movement forms can do for your body, mind and soul!

Ener-Core Power Flow with Maizan

Be prepared to sweat it out! A strong flow workout designed to awaken those deep muscles that support your center and allows you to take your asana practice to new levels. Enjoy the feeling of strength in the flow which comes from your ability to move with a focus on centering, fluidity and breath.

Maizan Mansor Ahern (BSc, BA Ohio University, USA) has been practising Pilates and yoga for over 10 years. She Principal / Owner and Senior Instructor at Prescriptive Fitness in Perth, Australia. She offers integrated health and fitness services to her clients which includes Chi Gong Meditation, Pilates, Yoga and General Nutrition. She is passionate about health and fitness of mind and body. In her journey beginning with a back injury in 2001, she discovered pilates for rehabilitation and obtained a Pilates Instructor Certification from The Meridien Pilates Studio, Vancouver, Canada. She proceeded to practise Chi Gong and Ashtanga yoga as a natural evolution to have a well rounded practice in conjunction with Pilates.

Yoga Spirit Festival Malaysia, 26th & 27th October 2013
https://www.facebook.com/events/524411940959250/

Presenting Festival Classes and Teachers

Strength of Body and Peace of Mind with Deep

A blend of  powerful yoga postures which will give you a boost in your personal yoga practice . Deep will share the secret of powerful inversion and arm balancing but with a peaceful way . He will share the advance postures with the modifications and how you can approach advance poses with simplicity and right alignments . Yoga means a union of body and mind and how your asana practice will help you enjoy that stage.  Be ready for the experience.

Anti Aging Yoga Breathing and Postures with Deep

How do we stay young on body, mind and heart level? Yoga has something to offer you to stay vital, cheerful and young all the time. Yoga gives you the ability to claim your youthfulness at any age.

Deep will share anti-aging breathing techniques and yoga posture sequence which can help you to enjoy the pleasure of life with joy of heart.

Deepak Kumar is more commonly known as Deep, hails from India.

He began his journey into yoga in 1994, and followed the manner of traditional yogis the art and science of yoga by learning at Tapovan Dhyan Dham Vidhyapeeth, a classical yoga ashram located at the foothills of the Himalayas . Thereafter, he pursued the advanced yoga teacher training course at the world renowned Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute. He is trained on various styles Iyengar, Ashtanga ,Hatha ,Yogic Therapy,Meditation healing and other aspects of yoga for the purpose of health, healing and rejuvenation.

Deep is a ERYT-500 affiliated teacher with Yoga Alliance (America) and he is part of the International Yoga Federation (Europe) and a registered teacher of Kavailyadham (India)

Apart from conducting yoga teacher training programes in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, Deep is also a Corporate Yoga Trainer, and has conducted over 100 workshops. He specializes in mind-body medicine and has had the opportunity to observe how psycho-social stress and anxiety, depression, anger, pain or relationship problems can affect cardie-pulmonary, gastroenterological, immunity, and practically every biological function.

He believes we can utilize mind-body techniques such as yoga postures, breathing exercises and laughter and  meditation for mental-physical relaxation and stress management, to lead a better quality of life through health.

Yoga Spirit Festival Malaysia, 26th & 27th October 2013

https://www.facebook.com/events/524411940959250/