Origins of Alignment
A Yoga Intensive with Donna Farhi
Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA, 18-22 July, 2025
“Although in the West we’ve come to use the word ‘pose’ as a synonym for ‘asana’, a Yoga asana is not simply a pose. A pose is a static copy of something else, but an asana is a movement that arises within us. While an asana may seem static to a casual observer, it is not a fixed position at all. Rather, the form of each asana acts as a container for subtle yet dynamic inner movement . . . For a yogi, these impulses move along internal lines of force, reverberating within and constantly renewing the container of the asana. When we witness a practitioner skilled in this dynamic internal dance, we sense a body in continuous, subtle motion. Too often, students interpret and practice asana as a rigid stance, perhaps because our images of asanas come from photographs, or because some instructors teach asanas as static sculptures. But if we rely on such guides, we may strive to obtain the external appearance of an asana without ever gaining the true internal experience of it.”
-Donna Farhi, Yoga Journal, May/June 1999
This intensive is a rare opportunity to dive deep into the evolution of movement to rediscover the organic foundation of Yoga asanas. We will explore some of the key early human developmental movement patterns that set the stage for the building of our kinesthetic and interoceptive awareness, restoring our instinctual ability to find our alignment from within. Working with the support of these biological templates, you can restore the natural fluidity, grace and pleasure of moving and being in your body.
Each day of this intensive will be divided into two sessions. Sessions will include lecture discussion, guided movement inquiry, and learning to apply each pattern within a varied asana practice. We’ll explore how the functional integration of the parts of the body to the whole can minimize stress on the joints, balance and strengthen the spinal column, and serve to make previously challenging movements accessible. In the afternoon we will look at the specific applications of each pattern with some dyad work, Restorative Yoga and deep relaxation.
Students with at least one years consistent Yoga practice up to teacher level are welcome to attend. Curiosity and the willingness to explore are far more important here than your ability to do difficult yoga asanas! If you are new to Donna’s teaching, you will find this an ideal introduction to some of the foundation principles of her approach.
Teachers will find this intensive an insightful introduction to seeing and understanding the body. Through greater integration of developmental patterns, we can help our students find their own internal navigation system. This gradually builds the capacity to adapt practices to the unique structure and needs of the individual.
Leading yoga teacher Donna Farhi has been practicing for almost 50 years and teaching since 1982. As a post-lineage pioneer, Donna has been at the forefront of generating a new model for teaching that fosters self-inquiry through the cultivation of a deepening trust in one’s own perceptions.
Through creating a warm atmosphere free of judgment and competition she invites her students to investigate their experience and to adapt and evolve their practice according to their individual needs. Incorporating the rigorous backing of anatomical principles for safe and sustainable practice, Donna offers progressive levels of engagement that allow people of all levels of experience and from all traditions to build their own authentic yoga practice. Considered the “teacher of teachers” people return to Donna’s intensives year after year to be a part of the inspiring evolution of her own practice and teaching.
Donna’s livestream and online courses make her expertise accessible to teachers and students worldwide and, in 2021, Donna became the first yoga teacher to present the practice of yoga to a global audience through MasterClass USA. This e-learning platform provides classes taught by some of the world’s foremost minds and experts in their fields.
Donna is the author of four contemporary classics:
The Breathing Book; Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness; Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living; Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship, which is a curricular text for teacher training worldwide. Her fifth and most recent book, co-authored with Leila Stuart, Pathways to a Centered Body: Gentle Yoga Therapy for Core Stability, Healing Back Pain and Moving with Ease is becoming the go-to text for Yoga teachers, therapists and somatic practitioners.
Details
Friday, 18 July 2025: 6:00pm-8:00 pm
Saturday, 19 July-Tuesday 22 July
10:00 am -1:00pm and 2:30pm-4:30pm
Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA
No partial enrollment is available for this intensive.
Class numbers are limited. Donna may have an experienced teaching assistant on hand to help participants integrate the material.
Register
Cost for the intensive is $750. You will pay an initial deposit of $380 at the time of registration. A second payment of $370 is due by 1 June, 2025.
Cancellation policy: refunds will be made until 28 May 2025 minus a $50 administration fee. After 28 May 2025, no refunds will be made but we will facilitate transferring enrollments to people on our waiting list for a $50 exchange fee.
Have questions? Visit the Donna Farhi Denver 2025 FAQ page for more information.