Haṃsa Free School of Hatha Yoga

This 3-week morning challenge will give you a strong theoretical and experiential base to apply the yogic art of breathing (pranayama) to different aspects of your life and deepen both your physical and spiritual practice. It includes 3 weeks of sattvic detox diet and fasting (optional and depending on experience).

Prana means ‘vital energy’ or ‘life force’. It’s the vital principle, the force that makes up the entire cosmos, that vitalizes and holds together the body and the mind. In the yogic understanding of life and manifestation, prana is the key principle of existence. Without prana there is no life. 

Our principal sources of prana are food, sun and breath. It’s clear that a long winter, indoor life, bad eating habits and poor breathing leave us tired and exposed to diseases.

Pranayama teaches the expansion (ayama) of vital energy (prana). As the breath is considered the external manifestation of prana, by expanding, controlling and directing the breath we can gain mastery over prana, thus learning how to enliven and rejuvenate the body, harmonise the energies moving in it (the pranic body), prepare the body-mind for the awakening of the chakras (psychic centres), and open the doors to other states of consciousness.

A full commitment to the whole 3-week period is necessary to guarantee fast group development and deep learning. 

Please register here.

Week 1
Theory
– Yogic diet and sattvic food: guidelines for a safe diet and fasting
Practice
– Yogic cleansing practices
– Asanas for pranayama
– Breath awareness and basic pranayamas: abdominal, thoracic and clavicular breathing, full yogic breath
– Pranayamas to expand the capacity of the lungs
– Exercises to relax and strengthen the diaphragm
– Dynamic pranayamas
– Root lock (mula bandha) and throat lock (jalandhara bandha)

Week 2
Theory
– Anatomy of breathing
Practice
– Classical pranayamas: introduction
– Diaphragm lock (uddyiana bandha)
– Breath retention (kumbhaka): introduction

Week 3
Theory
– Yogic understanding of prana and breathing: nadis, chakras, prana vayus
Practice
– Classical pranayamas with kumbhaka and bandhas
– Pranayama in the asana practice
– Pranayama for meditation

The program can be slightly adjusted to fit the group.

Sattvic Detox Diet
There is the option to join Amanda and other group members on a 3-week detox diet, which emphasizes the cleansing effects of the breathing practice. Sattva is in Samkhya philosophy one of the three qualities or tendencies of manifestation, translated as “pure”. A sattvic diet can be described as food and eating habits that are pure, essential, natural, vital, energy-containing (full of prana), clean, conscious, true, honest, wise and respect the principle of Mitahara that recommends leaving a fourth of the stomach empty, filling the rest with 2 parts of food and 1 part of fresh water.

Sattvic food is food that is life-giving, purifies one’s existence, gives strength, health, happiness, and empowers virtues such as ahimsa (non-violence) and daya (compassion). That means local and seasonal vegan food, a diet based on ripe fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts and seeds in reasonable quantities. No sugar, sweets or chocolate, salt, pepper, alcohol or fizzy drinks (only water or fresh-made juices), no black and green tea, coffee, strong spices, garlic, onion, and of course no processed food of any kind.

A sattvic diet has a strong detoxifying effect but it means more than that. It challenges your consuming and eating patterns, develops mindful eating, compassion for other beings and the planet, and stimulates your creativity! To enjoy the diet/fasting experience begins by eliminating stimulants (sugar, coffee, tea, spices) and meat gradually several days before starting. Taking your time to transition into and out of the cleansing time eases your body and mind into the new routine and out of it. Advice on diet and fasting will be given on the first day.