Mindfulness. Healing. Community.

Swaha Yoga at LHA is a collective of teachers sharing their knowledge of contemplative practices and healing arts. We offer weekly classes and workshops in Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Tibetan Buddhist practices, meditation, children’s yoga, and more.

We work in support of Louisiana Himalaya Association, offering classes in their beautiful Community Center at 623 North Rendon Street in New Orleans. A portion of our proceeds supports the work of LHA at home and abroad. For more information on this organization, visit www.lhainfo.org

View Schedule

Weekly Class Schedule | Fall 2017

Our classes are offered on a sliding scale/pay-what-you-can basis. Please support yourself, our teachers, and other students by paying the amount that is appropriate for you.

Suggested $5 – $15 per class.

Monday

5:00 – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Kate

7:00 – 8:00 AM
Tibetan: Chod :DudjomTroma: White Feast of Dawn
with Tom
*free

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Buddha Babies Toddler Program
with Courtney
Registration required

5:30 – 6:45 PM
Kundalini Yoga
with Steph

7:00 – 8:00 PM
“Burn it Down/Be the Light”
Radical Dance Aerobics
with Kate

Tuesday

5:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Sheila

8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
Qigong; Morning Healing Practice
with Mark

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Hatha Flow Yoga
with Samantha

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
Mindful Movement and Meditation
with Amalie

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Kaiut Method Yoga
with Alessandra and Bruno

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Tibetan: Chod :DudjomTroma: Red Feast of Twilight
with Tom
*free

Wednesday

5:00 – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Kate

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Buddha Babies Toddler Program
with Courtney
Registration required

5:30 – 6:45 PM
Gentle Yoga
with Hope

7:00 – 8:15 PM
Restorative Yoga
with Hope
Begins Oct 4

Thursday

5:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Sheila

8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
Qigong; Morning Healing Practice
with Mark

4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Community Qi Yoga, Flow I – II
with Katya
begins 10/12

5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Kundalini Yoga
with Cara/Process

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Kauit Method Yoga
with Alessandra and Bruno

Friday

5:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Kate

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Midday Yoga
with Cara/Process

See Special Events for upcoming workshops

Saturday

5:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Justin

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Contact Improvisation – Jam or Workshop^
with Ryuta
^Contact Jams (with live music) will be offered the 1st, 3rd, and 5th (when applicable) Saturdays of the month. Workshops will be offered on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays.

See Special Events for upcoming workshops

Sunday

5:00 AM – 6:30 AM
Kundalini Sadhana
with Steph

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Tonglen/Bodhichitta Meditation*
with Wink
*free

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tai Chi
with Mark

See Special Events for upcoming workshops

Special Classes and Events

Space is limited, please pre-register
SwahaYogaNOLA@gmail.com

Voice Body Breath
Saturday, October 15, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
with Jack Fontana and Kate Becker

Conscious Connected Breathing, Movement Meditation, and Vocal Toning. Three modalities woven together in support of transformation. Facilitated by Jack Fontana and Kate Becker, this workshop is designed to relieve stress, fear, and anxiety naturally as we use the breath and voice to tune and harmonize with the body in a slow dance of being, not doing.

Investment: $108
Includes a light snack
Space is limited. To register, please call 907-957-0852, or email katebecker211@gmail.com

Mindful Massage
Partner Massage Workshop
Sunday, October 15, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
with Emily Tobin, LMT

Instructor Emily Tobin, LMT leads you and a partner in how to give and receive therapeutic bodywork and massage. You will learn how to listen to the needs of your partner’s body and give instinctive, appropriate massage.

This class begins with simple exercises in self-massage and tips for keeping your hands and wrists safe and free from fatigue. Then, each partner will have an opportunity to give and receive massage. This class is intended to create a safe space between two people and for each body to balance, realign, and find health.

Please come with a partner, dress in comfortable clothing, and bring a blanket and/or pillow, or use ours.

Sliding Scale $15 – $20
Registration is strongly recommended due to limited space. Email swahayoganola@gmail.com

Thai Yoga Massage Immersion Workshop
Sunday, November 12, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
with Abigail Brown, LMT, TYA, E-RYT 200

This workshop introduces the basic fundamentals of Thai yoga massage and gives students a taste of the sacred healing art. You will learn the history, theory and benefits of TYM along with guidelines for giving a proper Thai yoga massage. In this workshop, students will complete a 45 minute series in the supine and seated positions. You will have the opportunity to observe, give and receive the bodywork. This will provide a solid foundation for those of you who wish to pursue further studies in Thai yoga massage. This workshop is suited for people of all ages and abilities.

What is Thai Yoga Therapy?

Thai Yoga Therapy, AKA “lazy man’s yoga,” is a unique form of massage bodywork and yoga therapy that combines rhythmic massage, acupressure, yoga asana, energy meridian work and meditation. This ancient and sacred system of healing has roots in yoga, Ayurvedic medicine and Buddhist spiritual practice. It is a gentle approach to maintaining and restoring whole body balance. It focuses on the entire body, not just specific areas, and is centered around the flow of energy through the body’s energy (Sen) lines. Physically, it increases mobility and flexibility, prevents illness and fights dis-ease in the body, improves breathing, strengthens joints, slows the aging process and increases energy. Psychologically, it creates a clear and conscious mind, relieves stress and anxiety, creates confidence and reconnects the mind body and spirit. This ancient Buddhist health system reflects Thailand’s wide range of cultural influence from Thailand, India and China. This practice has been passed down through masters for centuries. It is still widely practiced throughout Thailand as well as gaining ground in the Western world.

Abigail will be leading a Thai Yoga Massage retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand on January 14-20, 2018. If you’re looking to further your studies and practice in Thai Massage then contact her for more information and visit her website

www.alotusconnection.com

256-749-7500

Buddha Babies

A class for toddlers to learn and explore yoga, meditation, free-play, and more in a peaceful setting. Positive, respectful care encourages children to play creatively, learn problem solving, and feel their feelings. Snack provided.

Monday and Wednesday Mornings

Enrollment required. *NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2017!

facebook.com/BuddhaBabiesNOLA

Our Instructors

Courtney McGuiness

Swaha Yoga Director and Instructor

One summer, Courtney quit her job and ran away to summer camp. Working as the resident yoga and dance teacher, she realized she never really wanted to do anything else. Courtney completed Yoga Teacher Training in June of 2008 at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in her home state of Massachusetts, and moved to New Orleans the following year. After years of personal and professional practice, continuing education, and plenty of dreaming, Courtney launched Swaha Yoga in the late spring of 2016.

As a teacher, Courtney believes in promoting physical health and safety, along with mindful awareness in each moment. Her Gentle/Therapeutic Yoga class is intended to offer students of all ages and abilities a space in which to let go of tensions in both mind and body, creating balance.

Courtney is also the Founder and Lead Teacher of Buddha Babies, a R.I.E.-inspired classroom for toddlers to learn yoga, compassion, emotional awareness, and play.

Steph Smith

Kundalini Yoga Instructor

Steph is both a Certified Kundalini Yoga and Swan River Yoga Teacher. She taught SRY for 2 years and has now been teaching exclusively Kundalini Yoga for about 6 years. She deeply understands the transformational aspects of Yoga and brings this awareness into her classes. Her background is diverse and covers a range of experiences, but her interests, besides yoga reside in filmmaking with an emphasis on educational projects, indigenous midwives, and herbal medicine. She is currently working on a documentary titled Give Light: Stories from Indigenous Midwives (givelight.info). In her Yoga classes, she often blends metaphysical themes with the physical experience to encourage perspective shifts. All her classes adhere to the teaching of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. She often organizes these teachings to focus on various themes over an extended period such as clearing the subconscious, physical health, Chakra/energy system, and the nervous system. An individual class is complete within itself.

Heart

Yoga Instructor

Bio Coming Soon…

Mark Venczel

Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor

Mark Venczel has been studying and practicing the healing arts of Tai Chi and Qigong for over 15 years, and believes that contemplative practice is an important part of maintaining wellness as well as recovery from disease or injury.

Mark leads Tai Chi on Sundays at 11:00 AM, as well as Morning Healing – a simple practice based on Qigong exercises, acupuncture theory, and self-healing meditations – on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00.

Chloe Raub

Yoga Instructor

Chloe took her first yoga classes at a community college to get out of a high school p.e. requirement, but didn’t get into a regular practice until she spent her first summer in New Orleans doing hot yoga, inside and outside of the studio. After many transitions and a move to Washington, DC, she recommitted to her practice, eventually branching into other styles of yoga like Prana Flow and Dharma, plus a trip to India to study Akhanda yoga at Anand Prakash Ashram in Rishikesh. She moved back to New Orleans in September 2014 and completed her 200hr teacher training in May 2016 at Balance Yoga in Mid City, under the guidance of their incredible teachers with backgrounds in Ashtanga and Anusara yoga. She’s currently enrolled in the 300hr Evolutionary Global Prana Vinyasa® Teacher Studies Program with Shiva Rea. Chloe’s yoga asana practice and teaching style are heavily inspired by her love of Prana Flow and continued studies with New Orleans teachers, as well as her daily Ayurveda, pranayama (yogic breathing) and Vipassana meditation practices. In addition to yoga, Chloe also loves being an archivist (sort of like a librarian), gardening, baking bread, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the entire cat population.

Chloe’s Hatha Vinyasa Flow classes are inclusive and appropriate for those new to yoga and folks with a regular practice. Classes will focus on alignment, flowing with the breath, and working with your personal edge.

Kate Becker

Breathwork and Movement Instructor

Kate’s background is in Ecstatic Dance, Butoh, Kundalini Yoga and Therapeutic Breathwork. The class Radical Dance Aerobics is a safe and energized space for the group get their bodies moving, their heart rate up, and their brain chatter down. It’s a lead and follow style class with some free form movement woven in. The routines are simple and can be made as hard or easy as needed. The philosophy of the class is this: We burn away what no longer serves us, in order to reveal the innate light and vitality from within.