Fall is both the dusk and the dawn of the seasons, a magical time, a time ripe for harvesting the fruits of our labor both physical and spiritual. The regular cycle of the seasons produce a regular cycle of movement and as fall approaches most beings prepare themselves for the slower movement and solitude that winter will bring. It is marked by thankfulness and gratitude for what we have and a request for strength for the hardships to come. Asana practice keeps the body warm, limber and receptive to subtly while the more introspective practices of pranayama, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana can prepare the practitioner to delve into inner space.

“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour."

Victoria Erickson

We’re delighted to welcome back Jules Febre, together with Martyna Eder, for a full four- days Jivamukti Yoga Retreat. This will be an in depth exploration of our physical and spiritual practices and the Jivamukti Yoga method.

The Jivamukti Method is grounded in the original meaning of the Sanskrit word asana as “seat, connection” – relationship to the Earth. Earth implies all of life. Citing Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, which states that asana should be sthira and sukham, Jivamukti Yoga maintains that one’s relationship to others (asana) should be mutually beneficial and come from a consistent (sthira) place of joy and happiness (sukham). This is a radical idea that, when put into practice, can dismantle our present culture, which is based on the notion that the Earth and all other animals exist for our benefit and to be exploited for our own selfish purposes. So the practice of asana becomes more than mere physical exercise to keep one’s body fit or to increase strength or flexibility; it becomes a way to improve one’s relationship to all others and thus lead to enlightenment – the dissolution of the sense of separateness, the realization of the oneness of being, the discovery of lasting happiness.

A Jivamukti Yoga class is spiritual, uplifting and physically challenging. It emphasizes the physical yogapractice (asana), practiced in a continuous flow with a playful approach. While also including elements of chanting, music, meditaiton and yoga philosophy. The method originated in the 1980s in New York City, founded by Sharon Gannon and David Life, students of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Swami Nirmalananda and Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati.

JULES FEBRE

Jules Febre was born and raised in a section of New York City known as the Lower East Side. At the age of 13, Jules spent three months in India; two of which were spent in Mysore studying Ashtanga Yoga with Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. During that time he was invited to share satsang with Swami Nirmalananda and Shyam Das, two radical yogis that have each contributed greatly to the progression of yoga in the West. At the age of 16 Jules began working at the Jivamukti Yoga School helping to clean, and is now considered one of the leading teachers of the Jivamukti Yoga method, teaching the method world wide as well as facilitating at the very highly regarded teacher training programs.

Jules travels and teaches for a major part of each year, including to Europe, Australia, Asia, and more. His classes offer a wide range and depth of understanding of Yoga Asana as well as Meditation, Chanting, and Yoga Philosophy.

Teaching yoga is Jules’ passion. He is grateful to his teachers, Sharonji (Gannon), Davidji (Life) who he has had the privilege of studying with for over 15 years, for igniting his devotion to the Jivamukti Yoga practice and for inspiring countless students around the world.

MARTYNA EDER

Martyna Eder is an advanced certified Jivamukti Teacher, and an actress. Coming from an artistic and musical background, along with being a passionate animal rights activist, Jivamukti Yoga felt like home to her right away. After graduating teacher training, she let go of acting and dedicated her life fully to practicing, and teaching Yoga. She teaches regular classes at Jivamukti Berlin, as well as workshops and retreats all over the world. Martyna serves as a mentor in the Jivamukti 800- Hour Apprenticeship Program, and is part of the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training faculty. Her biggest inspiration is the tireless animal rights and environmental activism of her teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, which she makes her priority to pass on to her students by conveying a loving and compassionate behavior towards all living beings, and by practicing non-violence in thoughts, words and actions as the first and foremost important step of all Yoga practices.