The famous yoga conference in Estes Park

By Ravi Dykema

        Starting with our May/June issue, we have explored yoga by asking, "Is yoga exercise or meditation?" In that issue's feature interview I spoke with three experts who commented on yoga's current popularity and who addressed a controversy in yoga circles: Is exercise-oriented yoga an authentic version of the ancient tradition from which it arose, or is it a distortion of yoga? Last issue, in my first column (July/August), I further explored the question, "What is yoga?" by presenting yoga's historical goal, a state of consciousness that enables you to see who you really are.

       In this issue I wish to alert you to the country's most famous yoga conference, right here in our back yard in Estes Park, the Yoga Journal Conference (September 27 to October 3).

       The conference attracts over 1,200 participants to the YMCA of the Rockies to attend classes with 23 teachers. This faculty includes many of the "big names" in American yoga such as Rodney Yee, Patricia Walden, Judith Hansen Lasater, John Friend and Boulder 's own Richard Freeman.

       Yoga Journal and other organizations conduct yoga conferences elsewhere throughout the year, but the Estes Park conference is the most famous, in my opinion, because it is in its ninth year and it is backed by the marketing muscle of Yoga Journal magazine, based in Berkeley, California, the largest circulation yoga magazine in the country at 310 thousand copies, average, per issue.

       This makes the YJ conference in Colorado influential within the yoga world. For instance, meetings about teacher training standards at the 1995, 1997 and 1998 conferences were important steps in the creation of the Yoga Alliance, the dominant accrediting organization for yoga teachers in the USA .

       The conference is also a great opportunity for local yoga enthusiasts and teachers to learn more about the practice of yoga poses, which is the aspect of yoga emphasized at the conference. Class titles include, "Awakening Sensory Intelligence Within Yoga" and "Opening Your Shoulders to the Light," as well as, "Restorative Yoga, the Art of Letting Go" and "Freeing the Heart in Standing Poses."

       I say that the conference emphasizes yoga poses because 107 of the conference's 129 classes (82 percent) are primarily asana-focused (asana is the Sanskrit word for yoga pose). The non-asana-focused classes (called the "contemplative track") include nine which explore meditation, four which explore yoga philosophy, two which deal with breath and two which focus on relaxation. Some class titles in this track include, "Dancing with the Heart Energy," and "Inner Process in Meditation: A Practice for Clearing Obstructions." Conference director Elana Maggal says that by their inclusion of the contemplative practices, organizers "wish to stress that not all of yoga is asanas-yoga offers opportunities other than just a workout."

       The conference's emphasis on poses resulted, Maggal said, from past attendees feedback. She also noted that most people come to yoga as a form of exercise, and so most are interested in asana classes.

       The YJ conference is really four conferences over seven days, starting with continuing education for teachers on Monday to Wednesday (September 27 to 29), all day intensives on Thursday, a three-day main conference on Friday to Sunday (October 1 to 3), and a two-day beginners conference that overlaps with the main conference on Saturday and Sunday (new this year). Prices range from the day-long intensive for $175, to the main conference for $450. All seven days cost $920. Lodging and meals are a separate charge.

       The three-day continuing education for teachers conference includes an emphasis on teaching yoga poses safely, and lists a number of classes on rehabilitating an injury using poses.

       The Thursday all day intensives ( 9:30am to 4:30pm ) give you the opportunity to study in more depth with one teacher. You can choose between Baron Baptiste, Beryl Bender Birch, Sean Corn, Richard Freeman, John Friend, Gurmukh Khalsa, Judith Hanson Lasater, Cindi Lee, or Shiva Rea.

       The main conference, with 23 teachers and 80 classes, gives the attendee a chance to take a number of classes in one system or to sample a variety of yoga styles. The styles of yoga being offered are (these are all derived from hatha yoga): Iyengar yoga, ashtanga yoga (of Pattabhi Jois), kundalini yoga, Anusara Yoga©, Forrest Yoga©, Viniyoga, vinyasa flow yoga, and Barron Baptiste Power Yoga©. You will also find classes with teachers who have studied Siddha yoga, ayurveda and Pilates.

       Why attend a yoga conference? I think there are three main reasons.

1. You may need a vacation, and a yoga conference is just that, a vacation from your normal worries and responsibilities. Instead, you'll be invited to spend hours feeling the pleasure of moving your body, discovering muscles you didn't know you had, and then sinking into deep rest. Yoga practice is renowned for turning off your mental chatter.

2. You will feel the camaraderie of a thousand others who practice yoga too. Most are women (85 percent), and about half are professional yoga teachers.

3. You could be inspired by great teachers. They could ignite your practice for months to come, giving you new insights about how to release your neck tension, or how to bring that yoga-feeling into your work life.

       More information about the conference is available by visiting yjevents.com or calling 800-561-9398.

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