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Vastu Yoga Center
now
located in Athens, Georgia, and
Lauderhill, Florida.
Vastu is a
Donation Based Yoga Center!
All of our teachers are
volunteers who are Karma Yogis, generously giving their time to
others.
We believe in service to our communities and provide yoga free
of charge to residents in nursing homes and hospitals teaching breath work, movement, and meditation
in Athens, Georgia and Lauderhill, Florida. We offer Yoga Teacher Training at a discounted price in order to
grow our yoga community in the hopes that our teachers will give
back through service to others. We have a flexible
schedule which rotates monthly. If you have a specialty,
or would like to deepen your own practice or teaching skills,
perhaps you would like to teach a class as Vastu Yoga!
Shivakami (lorrie conglose) studied with and received the title
of Yoga Siromani by Bharata, a senior disciple of
Swami Vishnu Devananda. She has studied yoga at the Sivananda Ashrams in India, the Bahamas and New York.
After a severe back injury which had left her with extensive
nerve and muscle damage lorrie used her yoga practice to heal
both physically and emotionally. Lorrie is also a
licensed massage therapist, certified in Reiki, Thia yoga, and
experienced in aromatherapy, relaxation imagery and pain
managment through breath work. She has worked as a
Holistic Therapist for hospice, and has taught yoga extensively to
children, adults, seniors and individuals with disabilities.
She founded and co-directs the Vastu School of
Yoga with her partner Lal, with whom, she has trained students
from many diverse backgrounds. lorrie approaches her
teaching with reverence both for her lineage and her students.
She believes that in order to be a good teacher you must first
be a dedicated student. She teaches her students to first control
the breath, then the mind and body. Her
passion and deep commitment to her practice, both on and off the
mat , is inspiring and encouraging to others.
Lal
Maharajh-Yoga was a part of Lal’s life from a very early age receiving
initiation and mantras from his guru Pujya Sat Gurudev Pundit
Lutchmee Persad. In 1964 he received Janeau (sacred thread).
When Lal Maharajh's daughter, Isis, passed at the age of 22 from
cancer, he used meditation and Yoga to try to quiet his mind and
emotions. Lal completed a formal Yoga Teacher Training Intensive
to immerse himself in the yogic lifestyle. He was trained and
received the title of Yoga Siromani from Bharata, a
senior disciple of Swami Vishnu Devananda. His
commitment to the healing properties of Yoga prompted him to
open Vastu School of Yoga. Together with his partner,
Lorrie, they have trained many members of the community
including doctors, police officers, hospice patients, business
professionals, pundits, lawyers, etc. Lal believes that we never
finish learning and that each student in turn is also a teacher.
Michelle Benson (“Laxshmi”)
is a certified Yamuna Body Rolling
practitioner, a powerful practice that blends therapy and
fitness to create space, length, flexibility, and balance in the
body. Yamuna uses small balls as tools for muscle release and
restoration of proper alignment. Michelle is also a licensed Nia
instructor, a unique fitness practice that creatively combines
the movement forms of Martial Arts, Jazz, Modern Dance, and
Yoga. She recently received her Yoga teaching certification from
the Vastu School of Yoga. Michelle is currently enrolled in the
Institute for Integrative Nutrition with the intention of
becoming a Holistic Health Counselor by the summer of 2010.
Michelle is motivated by a passion to facilitate and inspire
Self-healing in others, encouraging and empowering her clients
to participate more consciously in their own personal growth,
fitness, balance and healing. She brings to her work an
extensive background in ballet and modern dance, over 10 years
experience in massage therapy and Reiki, and a deep
understanding of the pleasure and healing power of expressive
movement.
Vajra
Yogini (Jenna Hencinski) has
practiced yoga for 10 years. She came to the practice of
yogasana through the traditional Mysore style Ashtanga vinyasa
system. She progressed through primary and second series,
undergoing intense purification (tapas) for several years.
Her desire to go deeper into other forms of yoga led her to a
teacher training in Asheville, NC led by Stephanie Keach. She
has since studied with Tias Little, Tim Miller, David
Williams, Heather Tiddens, David Life, and Sharon Gannon.
Vajra has taught many forms of yoga at various studios in
Athens, Ga, and she also practices Thai Yoga Therapy which she
learned from Saul David Raye. “Imagine being massaged in yoga
positions!” Vajra’s career as a musician (jazz vocalist),
merged with the path of yoga when she began the practice of
Kirtan (call and response singing), and this fusion of yoga
and music felt like coming home. Vajra’s practice of Bhakti
yoga (the path of devotion), as expressed through chanting and
singing has led her on multiple trips to India for pilgrimage
and music study. Vajra continues to teach asana classes in
Athens, and leads the Athens Kirtan Collective. She is also a
founding member of the modern electric kirtan project Rahasya
Music Deep Mystery (RMDM). Vajra sings... “Dance with the
Divine, Live and Love with all your heart, embrace Joy, and
don’t be afraid to improvise! Keep a hold of the thread of
your breath--it will lead you home. GOVINDA BOLO HARI, GOPALA
BOLO”
“I have come into this world
to hear this: every song the earth has sung since it was
conceived in the Divine's womb and began spinning from His
wish... every song the heart should cry with magnificent
dignity to know itself as God: for all other knowledge will
leave us again in want and aching - only imbibing the glorious
Sun
will complete us.” -Hafiz
Surdas
(Eric Cosby) has
practiced yoga for 10 years. Beginning in the traditional
Mysore stye Ashtanga vinyasa system he devoted himself to the
practice for many years, and eventually his instructor Todd
Roderick requested that he begin teaching. An apprenticeship
was established and he learned how to teach students verbally
and also with physical assistance. He deepened his
understanding of foundation and alignment principles through
continued study with Tias Little. His practice has been
influenced by other systems such as Yin, Kundalini, Iyengar,
and Jivamukti. Asana practice led Surdas ever deeper into
the ancient yoga traditions, and his intense desire for
self-realization brought him to his western guru Bhagavan
Das. He was given initiation into Nada yoga (the science of
sound) and Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion). His career as
a drummer intersected with the path of yoga when he began the
practice of Kirtan (call and response singing). After
traveling to India to study drumming and kirtan, he founded
the Athens Kirtan Collective, and he now leads traditional
kirtan twice weekly. He is also a founding member of the
modern electric kirtan project Rahasya Music Deep Mystery (RMDM).
Surdas sings... "Turn Inward, and find the sun that shines
brighter than all stars in the sky. Hold on to it and do not
let go, while completely surrendering your identity. Lose
yourself in love. Time will dissolve and you will realize true
freedom."
"There is nothing that Love
cannot achieve, and there is nothing that Love cannot
sacrifice. Love sets on fire the one who finds it." - Meher
Baba
Yoga can be practiced by
any willing person, regardless of age, or any physical or mental
challenges. We practice an integral style of yoga which concentrates on creating space within the body. Pranayama, meditation and a series of yoga asanas are practiced in order to balance the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the body.
All Vastu instructors are registered with Yoga Alliance, which maintains The National Yoga Teachers' Registry to recognize and promote teachers with training that meet the highest quality of standards.
Drop by their center located at 160 Tracy Street, Athens, Georgia or
4842 University Drive, Lauderhill, Florida. Contact Lal Maharajh or Lorrie Conglose at (561)
723-6172 |
