May 25, 2017

Workshops

Upcoming Workshops

Discover vibrant vision and inner clarity to not only see better, but to see life more fully.

In today’s fast-paced, screen-saturated, and stress-filled world, our eyes are under greater strain than ever before. From digital fatigue and dry eye to conditions such as myopia, presbyopia, macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, visual health is challenged not only by aging but also by nutrient-poor diets, blue light exposure, toxins, and chronic stress.

Join Dr. Rani Banik, MD, an integrative neuro-ophthalmologist, Dr. Marc Grossman, OD, LAc, a pioneer in holistic and behavioral optometry, and Daniel Orlansky, MA, a yoga and qigong teacher and creator of Meridian Yoga, for a transformative program that unites the best of Eastern and Western wisdom to promote lifelong clarity of sight and balance of body, mind, and spirit.

Through a combination of discussion, guided practice, and experiential learning, you’ll explore how lifestyle, movement, and mindset directly affect your eyes and overall well-being. Topics include:
• The impact of modern lifestyle stressors—including digital overexposure, blue light, environmental toxins, and adrenal fatigue—on visual function and ocular surface health.
• An overview of key ocular conditions such as myopia, presbyopia, dry eye, AMD, cataracts, and glaucoma, and how they can be addressed holistically through nutrition, movement, and energetic balance.
• The essential role of ocular nutrition—macular carotenoids, antioxidants, omega-3s, and bioflavonoids—in protecting against oxidative stress and inflammation.
• Insights from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture points, meridian theory, and the liver-eye connection that supports healthy vision.
• The power of breathwork, visualization, and stress modulation to shift the nervous system from overdrive to deep restoration, essential for ocular circulation and cellular repair.

You’ll also experience the best of Eastern and Western methods for improving eye health through gentle yoga stretches, qigong-inspired movements, and eye exercises designed to release tension, enhance circulation, and support visual clarity. Learn the 4 B’s of eye health—simple daily practices to rest, rejuvenate, and strengthen your eyes—and discover acupressure and self-massage techniques you can use anytime.

Combining science and spirituality, movement and mindfulness, this immersive workshop offers a holistic roadmap to vibrant vision and inner clarity, helping you not only see better, but to see life more fully.
 
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The increased hours spent staring at our computers screens and smartphones are taking a toll on our eyes. Join yoga and qigong teacher Daniel Orlansky and behavioral optometrist Dr. Marc Grossman for a program that combines the best practices from Eastern and Western methods for improving eye health. Through breath work, yoga, and gentle movement designed to allow for more circulation to your brain and eyes, and more, you will gain skills to enhance your perception of the world and improve your vision—whether you have myopia, presbyopia, cataracts, macular degeneration, or other eye conditions.
You will learn:
• How to rejuvenate your eyes with the five “B’s” of eye healthcare
• Ways to bathe the eyes with oxygen
• Stretches and simple qigong movements to relax your neck and shoulders
• Chinese eye massage using powerful acupressure points
• Techniques to develop convergence—the ability of both eyes to look at the same point
• Exercises to develop accommodation—the ability to change focus from one point to another.
 
Registration

Partner Assisted Stretching reduces muscle tension, enhances circulation, helps alleviate lower back pain, improves balance and coordination, and increases flexibility in a safe and effective way.

Come prepared to move, relax, practice, and receive, and walk out feeling lighter and more expansive.

Assisted stretching is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to help the body unwind. When we stretch another person with mindful presence, we offer more than mobility; we create ease, trust, and a sense of expansion throughout the body.

In this workshop, you’ll learn a clear, intuitive system of partner-assisted stretching that lengthens fascia, relaxes the nervous system, and opens pathways of movement and breath. The techniques draw from yoga, Thai massage, shiatsu, and myofascial release, blending structural intelligence with a gentle, human touch.

Whether you’re a yoga teacher, bodyworker, or simply someone who loves helping others feel good, you’ll gain practical skills you can use with friends, clients, students, or anyone who could use a little more ease in their life. No partner or prior experience needed; just curiosity and comfort with hands-on practice.

In this retreat, you will:
• Learn a complete, repeatable sequence to stretch someone safely from head to toe.
• Understand how to use your body weight and optimal mechanics, rather than effort, to create deep, easeful stretches.
• Develop the ability to “listen with your hands” for clear, compassionate, and confident touch.
• Cultivate trust, communication, and energetic connection in hands-on work.
• Leave with practical tools you can apply immediately in private sessions, classes, or with people you love.
 
Registration

Dance New England Summer Camp is a full-immersion family experience set on 417 acres in western Massachusetts — with hiking trails, meditation spots, and a private beach. Days revolve around shared meals, lake swims, and classes that awaken mind and body; evenings come alive with nightly freestyle and barefoot boogies, conversations under the stars, and the warmth of old friends and new.

I'll be offering workshops there this summer.

 

Information

When the body flows like running water, it is always renewed, always fresh. This is true freedom.

Presented by the Yoga Teachers Association of the Hudson Valley, this workshop is open to the general public and will take place at Club Fit, 584 N State Rd, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510.

Join this unique workshop that blends the strength and flexibility of yoga with the flowing grace of Qigong. Through breathwork, movement, and meditation, you’ll learn to balance yin and yang, heaven and earth, sun and moon, creating a unified practice rooted in awareness and vitality.

Rooted in ancient wisdom, Yoga and Qigong are sacred paths up the same mountain, leading to the radiant summit of higher consciousness. When practiced together, they create a powerful alchemy that balances yin and yang, heaven and earth, sun and moon, strength and surrender.

Through breathwork, flowing movement, and meditation, you'll explore the Taoist principle of wu Wei, "effortless action”, infusing all movement with fluidity and ease, on the mat and in daily life, while cultivating deep energetic awareness.

You will learn:
• Breathing techniques to enhance and direct life force (prana/qi)
• Golden Lotus, Swimming Dragon, and other Qigong forms to open the meridians
• Meditative Vinyasa sequences grounded in mindful awareness
• Meridian tapping to awaken the 14 channels, six energy gates, and three energy centers
• Concentration practices to support mental clarity and inner stillness

Enjoy graceful, gentle movements in both forms and embrace the powerful effects of qigong and yoga as you detoxify your body and increase your strength, flexibility, and peace of mind.

Registration Coming Soon ...