Yoga Workshop with Rachel Zinman: A full immersion weekend of yoga and Ganesh
October 5 – 7

Pure Ganesha
Everyone loves Ganesh, his round belly, his curious elephant head and his abundant arms full of gifts. Ganesh is known as the remover of obstacles and it's said that whatever we ask of Ganesh is instantly given, in Bhakti yoga the worship of Ganesh is essentially much more than asking Ganesh to take away our obstacles. It's being Ganesh, the one who is free of obstacles. And what is our biggest obstacle?  Ignorance of ourselves. It's said that Ganesh purposefully places obstacles in our path so that we can learn to remove them Yoga practice is the perfect obstacle buster. Employing Asana, pranayama, mantra, mudra and yantra as tools we are reminded of our essential nature, freeing ourselves to live both creatively and abundantly just for the sake of it!

This workshop includes:
Tales of Ganesh, his meaning and symbolism
A daily creative vinyasa practice exploring both freedom and limitation with a playful attitude
Daily practice of mantras, mudras and Yantra meditations dedicated to Ganesh

Rachel’s Bio
Rachel has been practicing yoga for 27 years and has taught for 20. Prior to her initial yoga education Rachel trained as a professional dancer and choreographer in the USA and in Australia. Discovering yoga she originally trained in the Iyengar and Ashtanga methods and first began teaching in her role as Head of Dance at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium where she introduced yoga to the curriculum.

Her teaching style continues to reflect her deep engagement with the arts – dynamic and precise with an emphasis on mindfulness. While again living in New York from 2000–2004 Rachel began studying with ISHTA yoga founder Alan Finger which led to teaching in his studios for four years. There she co-created and coordinated the Be Yoga Teacher Training Program, becoming a senior facilitator and mentor.

Rachel returned to Australia to teach in the Yoga Arts Teacher Training, and since 2005 has created and facilitated her own teacher trainings and workshops in the ISHTA System in Australia, India, Bali, Japan, New York and in many major cities in Europe.

In 2006 she began practicing Bhakti Yoga and has incorporated Yantra, Mantra, Mudra and Tantric rituals into her workshops and trainings. Rachel¹s deep personal experience and investigation of meditation allows her to be both intuitive and creative in her work and she feels grateful to be able to share her passion with others.

Rachel also co-created and produced a popular Australian Yoga Video series and a Kid's Yoga Video. She is an award-winning musician for her album of chanting and devotional song, Sita Ram, and is a published poet.

Visit http://www.rachelzinmanyoga.com to find out more about Rachel’s yoga
And http://www.subwaybhaktis.com to find out more about Rachel’s Kirtan CD’s

Kirtan evening with Rachel Zinman and friends
Join Rachel and friends for an evening of Devotional Chanting.
Kirtan- call and response chanting and Bhajan -singing in unison are two of the main ways in Bhakti yoga to express devotion and love.  Repeating the names of deities like Ram or Shiva serves as a reminder that the lover and the beloved are one.
For Rachel, mantras and a devotional practice means surrendering and accepting everything as it is and that singing in community supports everyone to feel uplifted and connected to their own beauty and strength.
Rachel has produced three CD’s as part of her band The Subway Bhaktis. You can listen to samples at http://www.subwaybhaktis.com. To find out more about Rachel and her Bhakti yoga practice visit http://www.rachelzinmanyoga.com