Centered Yoga is a bridge between East and West, between tradition and innovation, it is the wellbeing of the body and the mind and the re-awakening of the energetic body. Suitable for all ages and for whoever wishes to improve their technique, their health and sport performances and relieve physical or mental tensions, rebalance energies and dissolve stress. 

The method was born from Dona Holleman exposure to the teachings of her great, first and only mentor, B.K.S. Iyengar, of whom she had been a pupil during the 1960’s and 1970’s in Pune, India. Dona has given a female body to the Iyengar approach, setting at the center of the system, care and respect for the body and the laws governing it.

The method falls within the sphere of traditional hatha yoga, and its focus on the execution of the postures of the asana is essential in order to find alignment and balance, just as awareness of breathing will render the asana more harmonious and the practice more fluid. 

During the 3 days’ workshop all students will be introduced to the Eight Vital Principles of Centered Yoga Practice by Dona Holleman. Starting from the Meditative State of Mind or ‘no-doing’ of the mind and through the Intent we’ll discover the Energy Body or ‘no-doing’ of the Physical Body. We will take your yoga practice to a different level, where the effort leaves place to quiet, deep and revitalizing movements to help you find the Inner Vital Energy. 

We will practice yoga using bandhas and to activate them we will learn to use the breathing through the three diaphragms in order to awaken the energy body and to practice the asanas. Starting from the Standing Poses where we will experience the force of gravity, we will continue our journey through the asana to enter into the first inversions and backbends, where the balance plays a crucial role between ‘porteur and agil’ in the movement. Balance is the state of a quiet body.

Mulabandha breathing will be the basis of our practice, with the support of our energetic body to carry out the asanas naturally respecting our own body, as Dona says "it is yoga that must learn the body, not the body that must learn yoga"

We will observe the breath with total attention and with a quiet mind and a relaxed body to learn to follow the natural internal movement of the diaphragm, which <like the equator, is the dividing line of two large halves of being: the conscious and the 'unconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary, the skeletal and the visceral> (Mabel Todd, The thinking body).

All levels are welcome; students and yoga teachers, open to all practitioners of yoga.