Wow! what a ride. Today is March 3, 2015 and the final day of our Rocket intensive. It has been an honor to have such amazing yogis come for this training. This morning we practiced the Rocket 3 together, this is part of our motto that we love strong endings. It looked like a small army this morning, as we laid down our mats, placing mala's my our side, we came to Samasthiti and began our practice with our breath as our harmony. It was beautiful.

For the final essay we ask the Rocket trainers, whats is your Rocket? this is also a Yoga tradition from when we had our first Rocket training in 2011.

So, What is your Rocket?

For me the Rocket has always been about sharing the love of the practice with each other. The Rocket introduced me to the yoga lifestyle, it created a place for me to explore myself while meeting new people. The Rocket humbles me and makes me look at myself off the mat. I can hear Larry say, "what are you focusing on?" I am reminded to stay focused in my practice and also as I create a vision for myself and my life. The Rocket teaches me that anything is possible and that's what I want to share with others.

~Fast, fast getting into poses this means a lot because I have only begin practicing for one year. 

~Disapline with creativity and ease, courage, encouragement, peace within change and choice, yin and yang,

~accesable, dedication, a little goes a long way

~Guidence for myself and my teaching, we all have a starting point and we all grow

Today we begin our five day Rocket yoga training course. This will make Day 1 of getting to know each other and sharing our stories. We will hand out materials and begin to look deeper into the history of the Rocket. As these sequences are very well known to me, they also hold a sense of mystery for those that have never been introduced to them. The Rocket itself is a series of poses that will work your whole body during the course of a six days a week practice. The Rocket was taught directly to me by Larry Schultz, that is the very old school tradition of yoga. Ancient yoga was taught from teacher to student and student to teacher, it was mostly an oral tradition. 

Part of Larry's beauty is that he never wrote the Rocket book, what he did do is offer stick figures of the routines for his students. The more you practice the Rocket the more you will become familiar with these beautiful sequences. They will challenge your body and your mind, They will show you your strengths and weaknesses.

The Rocket itself is a philosophy of practice and it provides a method for the Ashtanga practice that will give you a well balanced body and mind.

My goal for this training is for everyone to leave with a deep understanding of The Bottle Rocket, because it is the most basic Rocket and contains the structure for all other Rocket practices. I would also like the trainers to have an understanding of the differences and similarities between Rocket 1 and Rocket 2 seated poses and have a basic understanding of some of the main Rocket transitions. Also, another big goal of the training is that the trainers understand the philosophy behind the Rocket, how less is more and how to nurture your Rocket practice instead of pushing through the poses. So here we go lets BLAST OFF!!

Amber Gean

ROCKET TRAINING 100 hours 

The next training begins Feb 27th and runs until March 2nd,2015 

We offer 50 - 100 hour advanced training methods in the Rocket Vinyasa System. These trainings are specialized for learning Rocket sequences, theory and practice. They can also earn you continuing education hours for Yoga Alliance. The purpose of Rocket advanced training is to share the Rocket philosophy, sequencing and transitions. This training will give you the tools to deepen your practice and refine your teaching. We are part of a network of studios that feature the Rocket System as taught by Larry Schultz.

Our mission is to give you a strong foundation for your practice to blossom on and off the mat. By practicing living "our yoga and our truth" you will be empowered to create a vision and follow your dreams. Some of our graduates go on to open their own studios as well as travel the world facilitating yoga classes and workshops.

Yoga ah is a special studio because we offer different routines for each day of the week. These routines are based in Rocket yoga sequencing. By offering different routines, as a practitioner you are able to work on different poses and different body parts each day. To get a better understanding of this, if you were a body builder you would train different body parts on different days and keep to a schedule to ensure even growth of your muscles. This is what we offer at Yoga ah with in our classes. Monday Rocket focuses on the the legs, and forward bends, Wednesdays we focus more on our arms and back and Fridays we focus on training our full body with a mixed practice that includes strengthening legs, arms, opening hips and back and strengthening your core. Saturdays mornings you can experience a Modified Rocket One, based on strengthening your legs and core. The Rocket offeres many variations of classical Ashtanga poses such as interlacing fingers to create an effect for the shoulders and wrists or using the dolphin to build up your strength for arm balances. The beauty of the Rocket is we embrace growing and changing so if you are practicing all modifications its OK!! That s how we can grow and change as practitioners. Also by practicing different sequences we can watch ourselves grow from week to week. One of our mottos is "our strengthens become our weaknesses and our weaknesses our strengths." By practicing the Rocket daily you can gain a better understanding of what this means. We offer these classes because we believe in them and have seen the transformational power of regular Rocket practice and ultimately the great healing that takes place. Namaste