Gig Description
A Diwali Yoga Nidra Experience w/ Live Music
Sheela Bringi & Brent Kuecker
Wednesday, November 11th, 6:30 – 8:15pm
Bhakti Yoga Shala, Santa Monica
Suggested Donation $20
Diwali is the festival of lights in India, and a highly auspicious time to invite Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of prosperity and abundance, into our homes and hearts.
Join us for a 45-minute guided somatic meditation in Savāsana (Yoga Nidra) centered in the heart chakra, the seat of Goddess Lakshmi, accompanied by live harp, bamboo flute, and sacred Indian singing. Bring an intention (sankalpa) to offer into the inner light of the subconscious mind during the practice.
The class opens with a 45-minute Yoga asana practice led by Brent Kuecker to prepare the body and focus the mind for deep relaxation.
BRING a yoga mat for the asana practice, and anything to be comfortable lying down for 45 minutes (blanket, eye pillow, bolster, etc). The studio has a few of these items as well.
YOGA NIDRA is a systematic method of inducing physical, mental and emotional relaxation. The term ‘yoga nidra’ is derived from two Sanskrit words, ‘yoga’, meaning union of body-mind-consciousness, and ‘nidra’, which means sleep. In yoga nidra, or psychic sleep, the consciousness functions at a deeper level of inner awareness. This state has been shown to be a powerful tool to develop higher states of concentration, relaxation, memory, creativity, and to promote self-healing and spiritual growth.
Yoga Nidra was developed by the Bihar School of Yoga in India. Sheela Bringi has been a long-term practitioner of Yoga Nidra, initiated into it by her mother, Sreedevi K. Bringi, a Yoga Nidra teacher trainer and professor at Naropa University in Boulder, CO.
SHEELA BRINGI has been teaching singing, harmonium and mantra practice to kirtan leaders, yoga teachers, and others for the past ten years. As a performer and composer, she sings and plays a 36-string harp, the harmonium and classical Indian *bansuri* (Indian bamboo flute). She has performed worldwide in a wide range of venues, including concert halls and universities presenting traditional material, yoga studios leading kirtans and in dance clubs overtop throbbing, bass-heavy beats (she’s toured with Karsh Kale, DJ Drez, Dave Stringer, and many others). Sheela holds a master’s degree in World Music Performance (North Indian Music) from the
California Institute of the Arts. Learn more about Sheela at
sheelabringi.com.
BRENT KUECKER is a Yoga teacher, bass player and devotional singer who shares with openness and sincerity the value and practicality of the Yoga tradition. He has practiced Yoga in its many aspects for 14 years, and has taught students of all ages and abilities for the last 12 years. His training is in Anusara Yoga and his teachers include Christina Sell, Darren Rhodes, Noah Maze, Sianna Sherman and John Friend. Knowledgeable in anatomy and physiology, Brent’s alignment-based classes create both flexibility and strength. He teaches public classes, workshops, teacher trainings, and mentors Yoga teachers of many styles. Brent faithfully teaches with a humanistic and life-affirming vision that honors both the timeless wisdom of the Yoga tradition and the ever-growing needs of today’s modern living. As a musician Brent teaches and performs mantra music in Bellingham, WA, and has toured internationally with Kirtan artists Shantala and Dave Stringer.
www.NoTopEnd.com.