6-Week Short Courses

Join Rebecca for a lighthearted, rejuvenating class for adults plus not-quite-crawling babies: in addition to yoga postures, breathwork, and meditation for parents, we'll also integrate poses to do with your baby in class and at home. Students also have the opportunity to connect with other parents, building community while doing yoga with the babies. Open to moms, dads, and caregivers with all levels of yoga experience and their pre-crawling babies. Parents are invited to meet baby's needs first, then to participate in class - breastfeeding is welcome! Offered twice this Winter: 6 Mondays, 1/9-2/13 and again 2/20-3/26.

Rebecca Gitter, RYT, is delighted to share the wonders of yoga with the littlest yogis and their caregivers. After training with Itsy Bitsy Yoga founder Helen Garabedian, Rebecca became a certified instructor for Babies, Tots and Tykes. She completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2006, and recently received additional certifications in pre- and post natal yoga. She continues her study of yoga with many teachers in the area. Her classes create an environment where kids can safely discover yoga through age appropriate poses, songs and play. As the mother of 2 school aged children, her first yoga students, Rebecca understands the challenges of parenting and knows yoga can bring balance and support in raising healthy and joyful kids.

Take your practice to the next level by finding more freedom in your upper back and shoulders and more flexibility in your hips. In this intermediate/advanced practice, we'll move mindfully and therapeutically so you're able to develop ways to make challenging poses work for your body. We will deepen your backbends in mermaid and wheel and open your hips enough for poses like lotus and yogidandasana. For students Level II and up. Six Mondays, 1/9-2/13.

Carrie Ganz loves to share her delight in Anusara yoga with her students. She is a recent graduate of the Willow Street Yoga Teacher Training Program and continues to study and learn with her teachers. Her classes emphasize empowerment and joy and are imbued with a sense of creativity, play and freedom.

Return order to your body by empowering the abdominal muscles essential to our stability, low back health, digestion and even our ability to breathe. We'll devote 6 weeks to targeting our abdominals through familiar poses, as well as learn brand new core-friendly moves to increase our awareness and build strength in the mid-section of our bodies. Strengthening our core muscles helps with balance and boosts our confidence to take on life's challenges. Prerequisite: a session of Yoga I or higher. Offered twice this Winter: 6 Tuesdays, 1/10-2/13 and 6 Mondays, 2/20-3/26.

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller is a Certified Anusara Yoga teacher. She began her practice of yoga to take the edge off of living in New York City, upon moving there in 1999. It was yoga that chose her path, taking her from NYC back to Washington, D.C., her hometown, to study how to teach yoga to others. She continues her yoga study with John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, Amy Ippoliti and Ross Rayburn, focusing specifically on the Therapeutic benefits of yoga, as well using yoga to help an already healthy body become even more fit. Naomi infuses her classes with lightness, spirit and a great sense of play, encouraging her students to invite a healthy dose of laughter into their practice. Every class invites her students to play their personal edge and empower themselves to do things they never thought possible. She is inspired by the courage and humor her students bring to their mats and considers teaching yoga the best gig ever.

Make 2012 the Year of the Handstand! In these six weeks, we will drop the limited concepts that keep us from saying YES to going upside down by using a step-by-step, systematic approach to Full Arm Balance. Each student will get specific and personal instruction for what will enable them to master one of the most fun and exciting poses in yoga. For students Level I/II and up. 6 Tuesdays, 1/10-2/14.

Suzie Hurley is the Founder of Willow Street Yoga Center in Takoma Park, MD, which serves nearly 2000 students and is now owned and directed by her son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Natalie Miller. Suzie is a Senior Certified Anusara Teacher and gives Anusara workshops and trainings nationally. She is one of only twelve individuals serving on the Anusara Yoga Curriculum Committee. Along with her extensive Anusara training she is an Advanced 500-hour Kripalu teacher. Her 34 years of yoga practice include 16 years of Iyengar study, principally with John Schumacher. She is a certified Phoenix Rising practitioner.

Join Roberta and Jessica for this exploration of the world of Pilates props: the Magic Circle, the Roll Up Bar and the Triad Ball. We will use these smaller pieces of Pilates equipment to spice up our Pilates mat work: they'll encourage us to work more deeply, and also provide modifications, allowing us to perform exercises that may have previously been out of reach. Most of all, they're fun! For Pilates students level I/II and up. 6 Wednesdays, 1/11-2/15.

Jessica's many years of training, performing and teaching ballet and modern dance led her to Pilates and Willow Street. She is certified in Classical Pilates technique and continues to study the method with teachers trained in Authentic Pilates. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for Pilates with her students and seeing their joy in what the method brings.

Roberta Stiehm is a dancer, singer, teacher, and student of Yoga living in Takoma Park. She has danced and taught modern, ballet, and movement for Actors professionally, for over 25 yrs. She has had an extensive performance career in the US and abroad including Broadway. She is certified in True Pilates since 2000, with Romana Kryzanowska, and as well as teaching group mat classes, teaches privately in her own studio, fully equipped with all Pilates apparatus.

Join Joe to learn myriad ways that yoga can help you to shift your energy into a sweeter and quieter vibration. Class includes yoga sequences designed to gently release tension in hips, neck and shoulders, breathing exercises, restorative yoga postures, and simple meditation techniques. All are welcome. 6 Wednesdays, 1/11-2/15.

Joe Miller draws upon his 20 years of yogic exploration and study of anatomy to recognize and celebrate our endless potential to align with the rhythms of nature and truth flowing within and around us. Joe uses his deep understanding of Anusara Yoga, Tantric Philosophy, and Ayurveda to support every student in connecting to their innate wisdom and discovering their own greatness. Joe has been teaching for over 10 years, is an integral part of the WSYC Teacher Training program, and continues to deepen his own practice by studying with his principal teachers, John Friend, and his amazing family.

What do you want to be or create in this world? What is most important to you? How can you appreciate the fullness of your current life while growing into that which you want to have become? In this course, we'll use iRest yoga nidra, group practice, creative process, journaling, and home practice to give ongoing attention to cultivating our dreams. All are welcome. 6 Thursdays, 1/12-2/16.

iRest, a transformative guided meditation practice, creates an inner sanctuary of well being and equanimity, calms the nervous system, and releases negative emotions and reactive patterns leading to ever increasing moments of well-being.

For Mary, iRest Guided Meditation was love at first breath. What other way to calm the critical voice, to love a body considered unreliable since childhood, to hear what is actually being said, to attend to what is most important? As an iRest Certified Instructor and student of Richard A. Miller, she enjoys being with the uniqueness and oneness of us all and seeks to bring this sense of stillness to her students.

Join dancer/choreographer Laurel Gray to learn the basics of Bollywood dance, from its roots in classical Indian dance and folk forms, to the belly dance and jazz elements that have recently entered the mix. Each week, you'll learn a new choreography sure to get your heart pumping and spirit soaring with Bollywood's joyous communal spirit. Everybody welcome - no experience necessary. 6 Saturdays, 1/14-2/18.

An award-winning choreographer, performer and costume designer, Laurel Victoria Gray specializes in women's dance of the Islamic World and of Silk Road cultures. In 2007, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan for her work in promoting and preserving Central Asian dance. She is the recipient of the 2006 Metro DC Dance Award for Excellence in Costume Design; the 2005 Distinguished Service Award from the Embassy of Uzbekistan; the 2003 Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project Award; and the International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance (IAMED) Awards for Best Choreographer (2003) and Best Ethnic Dancer (1999). Gray is the Artistic Director of Silk Road Dance Company, which she founded in 1995. She has taught and performed throughout Europe, Central Asia, Australia, the United States and Canada.

Join Ajit to move into your full potential as a meditator by exploring the foundational principles of a good meditation practice: breath-centered meditative asana (yoga postures), components of a healthy lifestyle, pranayama (breathing), relaxation and yoga nidra, clarity of our intentions and desires, and concentration through the use of mantra. Appropriate both for those beginning a meditation practice as well as for those who'd like a more regular, rewarding practice. 6 Saturdays, 1/14-2/18.

Ajit Joshi (RYT-500) is a ParaYoga Certified teacher whose eight years of dedicated study and practice in the Himalayan and ParaYoga traditions have given him a framework for life. He brings this joy and gratitude for these life changing, rich aspects of yoga to his teaching. He continues to study with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, who initiated him into the Himalayan lineage, and Panditji's senior teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker, who founded ParaYoga. Learn more about Ajit here.

Discover how yoga helps you to build strength and flexibility in your mind, body and spirit in this six-week introductory course. Intended both for raw beginners and those new to the Anusara style of yoga, Yoga Basics for Beginners introduces students to alignment principles, key yoga postures, and fundamentals of yogic breathing. Offered twice this Winter: 6 Sundays, 1/15-2/19 and 2/26-4/1.

Katie Myer, RYT-200, is an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher committed to helping you create the life you love. Katie approaches yoga from both an intellectual and creative perspective, infusing her classes with mindfulness, a playful spirit, and a connection to the heart. Anusara yoga has helped Katie uncover her most joyful, most authentic version of herself; her classes inspire others to consciously reveal their most authentic selves, while having a blast on the mat. Katie's teaching is informed by her recovery from a back injury using the Anusara Universal Principles of Alignment, and she delights in empowering students to free themselves from pain. Katie's thirst for knowledge drives her to advance her understanding of yoga through regular studies with senior Anusara teachers. She is thankful for their unbounded generosity in sharing the gift of yoga. Learn more about Katie at www.yogakatie.com

Join Rebecca for a lighthearted, rejuvenating class for adults plus not-quite-crawling babies: in addition to yoga postures, breathwork, and meditation for parents, we'll also integrate poses to do with your baby in class and at home. Students also have the opportunity to connect with other parents, building community while doing yoga with the babies. Open to moms, dads, and caregivers with all levels of yoga experience and their pre-crawling babies. Parents are invited to meet baby's needs first, then to participate in class - breastfeeding is welcome! Offered twice this Winter: 6 Mondays, 1/9-2/13 and again 2/20-3/26.

Rebecca Gitter, RYT, is delighted to share the wonders of yoga with the littlest yogis and their caregivers. After training with Itsy Bitsy Yoga founder Helen Garabedian, Rebecca became a certified instructor for Babies, Tots and Tykes. She completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2006, and recently received additional certifications in pre- and post natal yoga. She continues her study of yoga with many teachers in the area. Her classes create an environment where kids can safely discover yoga through age appropriate poses, songs and play. As the mother of 2 school aged children, her first yoga students, Rebecca understands the challenges of parenting and knows yoga can bring balance and support in raising healthy and joyful kids.

Return order to your body by empowering the abdominal muscles essential to our stability, low back health, digestion and even our ability to breathe. We'll devote 6 weeks to targeting our abdominals through familiar poses, as well as learn brand new core-friendly moves to increase our awareness and build strength in the mid-section of our bodies. Strengthening our core muscles helps with balance and boosts our confidence to take on life's challenges. Prerequisite: a session of Yoga I or higher. Offered twice this Winter: 6 Tuesdays, 1/10-2/13 and 6 Mondays, 2/20-3/26.

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller is a Certified Anusara Yoga teacher. She began her practice of yoga to take the edge off of living in New York City, upon moving there in 1999. It was yoga that chose her path, taking her from NYC back to Washington, D.C., her hometown, to study how to teach yoga to others. She continues her yoga study with John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, Amy Ippoliti and Ross Rayburn, focusing specifically on the Therapeutic benefits of yoga, as well using yoga to help an already healthy body become even more fit. Naomi infuses her classes with lightness, spirit and a great sense of play, encouraging her students to invite a healthy dose of laughter into their practice. Every class invites her students to play their personal edge and empower themselves to do things they never thought possible. She is inspired by the courage and humor her students bring to their mats and considers teaching yoga the best gig ever.

Each class of this six-week course includes discussion of different meditation practices, 20 to 30 minutes of practice itself, and exploration of advanced techniques to take your meditation deeper. For students that wish to expand their fairly consistent meditation practice or have "fallen of the wagon" and want to get back on. 6 Tuesdays, 2/21-3/27.

Suzie Hurley is the Founder of Willow Street Yoga Center in Takoma Park, MD, which serves nearly 2000 students and is now owned and directed by her son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Natalie Miller. Suzie is a Senior Certified Anusara Teacher and gives Anusara workshops and trainings nationally. She is one of only twelve individuals serving on the Anusara Yoga Curriculum Committee. Along with her extensive Anusara training she is an Advanced 500-hour Kripalu teacher. Her 34 years of yoga practice include 16 years of Iyengar study, principally with John Schumacher. She is a certified Phoenix Rising practitioner.

Yoga offers us the possibility to connect to and transform the core of our bodies, making scoliosis not an obstacle, but an opportunity. Join Joe for an in-depth exploration of the anatomy of scoliosis and the ways in which it's affecting your body and your yoga practice. We will create a balancing practice for every body! Yoga experience helpful but not necessary. 6 Wednesdays, 2/22-3/28.

Joe Miller draws upon his 20 years of yogic exploration and study of anatomy to recognize and celebrate our endless potential to align with the rhythms of nature and truth flowing within and around us. Joe uses his deep understanding of Anusara Yoga, Tantric Philosophy, and Ayurveda to support every student in connecting to their innate wisdom and discovering their own greatness. Joe has been teaching for over 10 years, is an integral part of the WSYC Teacher Training program, and continues to deepen his own practice by studying with his principal teachers, John Friend, and his amazing family.

Discover how yoga helps you to build strength and flexibility in your mind, body and spirit in this six-week introductory course. Intended both for raw beginners and those new to the Anusara style of yoga, Yoga Basics for Beginners introduces students to alignment principles, key yoga postures, and fundamentals of yogic breathing. Offered twice this Winter: 6 Sundays, 1/15-2/19 and 2/26-4/1.

Katie Myer, RYT-200, is an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher committed to helping you create the life you love. Katie approaches yoga from both an intellectual and creative perspective, infusing her classes with mindfulness, a playful spirit, and a connection to the heart. Anusara yoga has helped Katie uncover her most joyful, most authentic version of herself; her classes inspire others to consciously reveal their most authentic selves, while having a blast on the mat. Katie's teaching is informed by her recovery from a back injury using the Anusara Universal Principles of Alignment, and she delights in empowering students to free themselves from pain. Katie's thirst for knowledge drives her to advance her understanding of yoga through regular studies with senior Anusara teachers. She is thankful for their unbounded generosity in sharing the gift of yoga. Learn more about Katie at www.yogakatie.com