The cousin team of Nick and Javier Montoya present Sedona Yoga Festival Pre-Festival Training: Ageless Yoga for Everyone
Who is this cousin team of Nick Montoya and Javier Montoya who have made it their mission to help people get healthy – no matter age or physical ability? Together, they teach, inspire and motivate thousands through their Ageless Program workshops, classes, DVDs and retreats.
After experiencing serious health issues at the age of 50, Nick regained his health through the practice of yoga and meditation. Nick was no stranger to the stresses of life that was the culprit for his poor health. He was a senior manager for a Fortune 50 company, raising three daughters pretty much on his own, as his wife suffered from both bipolar and borderline personality disorders. He had severe leg and back pain – some days he could not walk. His blood pressure was extremely high. He was 50 pounds overweight. Migraines or stress-induced headaches were constant. The prescribed medications in his medicine cabinet would increase with every doctor visit. The medications treated the symptoms, not the source and he continued to feel worse and worse. Nick’s body began to shut down and he felt that at any moment he would die. Until his eldest daughter made him go to a yoga class…
Javier is a musician, composer, vocalist and all around artist. His lifestyle choices in his early twenties brought his dreams to a screeching halt. His daily routine consisted of several hours of practicing guitar followed by hours of creating music on keyboard, followed by practicing golf and then going to work as a bartender and topping the late night off with binge drinking. One morning while practicing guitar, his left wrist cramped up and remained stuck. He watched as his numb hand slowly reopened and he sat fearful as he could not play another chord. The cramping did not subside and doctors were liberal with the medication. Emotional stress added insult to the injury and Javier developed gastroesophegeal reflux. Now he was no longer able to sing. Like his cousin, yoga and Ayurvedic health was the answer and Javier dedicated his life to eating holistically and practicing Yoga and Qigong. Javier came back stronger than ever and rededicated his life to sharing his learnings and talents with the world.
Nick has the natural gift of teacher. He easily formulates processes and steps into programs to make learning simple, fun and lasting. Nick captured his most successful project planning process into a book published in 2006 called “The Magic Megaphone”. It was not a surprise that when he left the corporate world to become a yoga teacher, he was able to formulate programs to teach people how to be their healthiest best. These programs include “The Ageless Program”, “Ageless Yoga with Nick Montoya”, and “Ageless Movement & Breath From Your Chair”.
Nick creates a comfortable and welcoming environment for his students to have a quality experience. This includes music and not just any music; music that is created and composed for the teaching at hand. There was no better person to do this for him than his younger cousin Javier. He called upon Javier to compose music for his early DVDs and to assist him with retreats. Javier not only brought his music to the table, he is also a yoga teacher and specializes in chakra balancing and Nick readily added Javier to the teaching mix. It became the MontoYoga teaching team.
Sedona Yoga Festival is proud to have Nick and Javier conduct their Ageless Beginner Yoga Workshop as an all-day pre- festival experience on Thursday, February 6. It will be a transformative journey for everyone, no matter if this is your first introduction to yoga or if you have been practicing for years.
The day will consist of the four themes of transformation from The Ageless Program:
LETTING GO of one thing that holds you back from being your healthiest best
Being at PEACE with what you let go of
REJUVENATE– to make young or youthful again, and
CREATE the next chapter of your healthy life
The beautiful L’Auberge de Sedona is the host venue and the perfect setting for this special day. Nick and Javier are bringing an extraordinary team of Ageless teachers from around the country to assist for the day in order to ensure that every attendee gets special attention and care. An amazing lunch is provided and you can expect to be showered with Ageless gifts from Nick and Javier. You will be treated to the soulful music of Javier throughout the day. New lifelong friends will be made and the Ageless teachers will be on hand throughout the rest of the Festival to assist you on your Festival journey.
You will smile a lot. Laugh a lot. Feel good positive things that are buried within. The most common testimonial from those that have attended Ageless Workshops and Retreats is, “It changed my life for the better!”
Nick and Javier and the rest of the SYF team look forward to welcoming you to this special event.
For any questions, do not hesitate to contact Nick or Javier directly. You will find them approachable, caring and taking good care of you is their priority.
Let’s face it, the holidays come during the darkest time of year when we instinctually feel a calling to slow down, turn inward and hibernate. This dichotomy we live in from Winter Solstice through New Year’s can wreak havoc on our nervous system. Taking a few moments throughout our day to release the stress of the season can be what shifts us from feeling run down and resentful to calm and joyful this holiday season. Enjoy these two quick and easy transformative practices you can do anytime anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes a day to reboot your nervous system.
Practice #1: Embody your Breath:
When we slow down our breathing, our thoughts slow down and when our thoughts slow down, our heart rate slows down allowing our nervous system to recharge and relax.
Slow motion cuts through commotion.
When we fully embody and slow down our breathing, we cut through the commotion of the moment simply by slowing down and being curious about the sensations our body is communicating. This simple shift triggers a parasympathetic nervous system response allowing our nervous system to release from the “limbic loop” and reboot. It’s important to remember there is nothing to attain here or anything to achieve or gain. You are simply slowing down your breath, thoughts and even actions in present moment time becoming very aware of what is already naturally there in the pulsation of your Body Current® [link: https:// energizeshanti.com/bodycurrent/] , the wave-like sensation of your unique mind/body intelligence. Try this transformative practice anytime anywhere!
Steps:
1) As you slow down your breathing, give yourself permission to be curious about what you sense in the moment through your body intelligence as if it were a barometer attuning to your inner environment. What does your breath feel like as it enters your body? How does it sound?
2) As you continue to rest your awareness on the communication of sensation in your body like a wave rising and falling, begin to expand your breath without force. Perhaps beginning with a 4 count inhale and 4 count exhale slowly expanding to a 6, 8 or 10 count of balanced breathing. What do you notice about your inner environment as you expand your breath?
3) After a few rounds of balanced embodied breathing, begin to modify your breathing practice to respond to your specific nervous system needs of that moment. If you are feeling anxious or uptight, expand your exhale twice as long as your inhale perhaps beginning with a 4 count inhale and an 8 count exhale. If you are feeling tired or lethargic, expand your inhale twice as long as your exhale to recharge the nervous system. Notice the shifts you created with this practice.
Practice #2: Grow a Grounding Cord:
Neuroscience in the past 20 years has proven, thanks to extensive research on the brain, what the ancients have been sharing for thousands of years, “Where our attention goes, energy flows”.
When we focus our attention on the need to survive and control the holiday season, we engage our limbic system feedback loop full steam ahead. If we focus our attention on the novelty, sensation and curiosity of the holiday season using our imagination and awareness, we bring online our present moment experience through our prefrontal cortex (PFC) opening up to creating new neural pathways by shifting our neurobiology.
Simply by bringing our awareness, attention and novelty to what we are experiencing in the present moment rather than mapping to a past experience, we can “sculpt” a new brain and reprogram our nervous system in that very moment. This tool is called Neurosculpting® and is “the process by which one targets specific content to be discharged and begins rewriting the nervous system’s hold on that pattern.”, explains Lisa Wimberger, Founder of The Neurosculpting Institute and author of author of New Beliefs, New Brain: Free Yourself from Stress and Fear . One of my favorite tools in Neurosculpting® is growing a grounding chord to discharge stress and tension and begin to restore the nervous system. This practice can be done for as little as 60 seconds and be highly effective.
Steps:
1) Envision a grounding cord growing from a place in your body down into the center of the earth. This can attach to any place on your body that resonates with you like the base of your spine, your cranium, your feet, and it can be made out of any material you wish like metal, fire, water, wood, etc. As you see the grounding cord growing down into the center of the earth, you can chose a color, texture, or vibration to deepen your imagery of your grounding cord.
2) Once your grounding cord feels complete and attached, press the “on” button and begin to discharge any content and sensations creating stress and tension in your mind, body and spirit. Remember to stay in the present moment experience of your sensations and thoughts without filtering or judging yourself or your thoughts. Feel free to use your imagination.
3) You may notice how your grounding cord and the discharging of stress and tension helps you to feel a deeper sense of safety and connection to the moment. Continue to release down your grounding chord anything that does not feel expansive and clear.
4) Begin to imagine a bubble above you filled with the color, vibration and texture of “stress- free empowerment”. Imagine the bubble popping and “stress-free empowerment” pouring slowly down on you honey-like filling every cell of your being until all of the stress is discharged and replaced with your sense of “stress-free empowerment”. Notice the shifts you created with this practice.
Shanti will be bringing Neurosculpting® through the Body Current® to the 2014 Sedona Yoga Festival where she will share these transformational practices through an all levels asana practice.
Shanti Medina, RYT CPT CNSF is the founder of Energize training systems and Body Current® therapeutics supporting elite athletes and everyday warriors to resolve trauma, pain and misalignments in their body, mind and spirit through neuroplasticity and neuromuscular conditioning. She is passionate about empowering her clients and students in discovering and experiencing integration of their innate body intelligence through radical present moment awareness. Her unique style of teaching is a fusion of sensory perception, Neurosculpting® and yoga therapy techniques. She is the Marketing Director for Give Back Yoga Foundation and is on the teaching faculty and serves as the Yoga Program Director at the Neurosculpting® Institute in Boulder, CO as well as on the teaching faculty for the 500HR TT at Samadhi Center for Yoga in Denver, CO. Shanti enjoys facilitating women’s spiritual authentic leadership retreats as well as co- creating devotional music community events with her husband in the Front Range area and around the globe. She offers private Body Current® consultations in person at her home studio, Prajna, in the foothills of Boulder, CO or via Skype or phone. You can find out more about Shanti at http:www.EnergizeShanti.com . To find out more about Neurosculpting®, the highly effective cutting edge technique utilized by thousands of First Responders around the country created by Lisa Wimberger, visit the Neurosculpting Institute in Boulder, CO or take classes online. [https:// neurosculptinginstitute.com] .
On this Veterans Day, we express gratitude to our Veterans and active duty service members serving our country. Many lives have been radically changed by the experience of war. Yoga is one of several healing modalities that has been shown to alleviate the effects of anxiety, depression, PTS, and TBI as a consequence of war.
At SYF2014, in partnership with the Give Back Yoga Foundation , we are offering SYF Gives Back 2014 – Mindful Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Veterans, a 2-Day Pre-Conference training for yoga teachers. We choose to partner with the Give Back Yoga Foundation because of their dedication to making yoga available to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformational benefits of this powerful practice.
This training will provide participants with specific tools and practices developed through clinical experience working with Veterans coping with post-traumatic stress and other psycho-emotional stress. While benefiting trauma patients safely and comfortably, the training can be helpful for yoga teachers working with anyone dealing with stress and other psychological difficulties.
Together we have assembled a faculty of leading experts for this training, all who have been working continuously for years with Veterans in their recovery process. Participants are offered complimentary access to the Sedona Yoga Festival through Saturday and Sunday in gratitude for their willingness to expand yoga outreach to Veterans and active duty service members. CEUs are available through our Education Partner theSouthwest Institute of Healing Arts.
Please click through to our blog post and video interview with Executive Director Rob Schware of GBYF, and definitely click the donate button, even if you can only afford to share and help us get the word out!
Deep gratitude today, and all days, to those who have and do respond to the call for service. Namaste…
Marc & Heather Titus
Festival Director and Producer
Marc Titus, Sedona Yoga Festival Founder and Director speaks with Rob Schware of the Give Back Yoga Foundation on Veterans Day, 2013 about the Sedona Yoga Festival fundraiser for 10,000 Yoga Toolkits for Veterans and more…
Please consider donating today to help us raise the money for 10,000 Yoga Toolkits for Veterans. Every dollar counts. Take this opportunity to Give Back this Veterans Day. It’s easy, just click on the image below…
SYF Partners with Give Back Yoga Foundation
We at Sedona Yoga Festival actively researched to select an organization to support through our 2nd AnnualSedona Yoga Festival, a consciousness evolution conference. We are deeply committed to supporting a program that benefits veterans through the practice of yoga. We were inspired to see what the Give Back Yoga Foundation is doing in supporting and funding certified yoga teachers in all traditions to offer the teachings of yoga in service to community. We approached them with our intention to channel 1 of every 10 incoming festival dollars to a service-oriented yoga organization contained in a large scale seva project at each conference…
It has been an Aumazing time here at Sedona Yoga Festival! Where have the months gone? While the SYF2014 Luxury Weekend Giveaway Contest was active and partnerships and programs were being developed, Festival Founder and Director, Marc Titus married Heather Driscoll, Aug 4, 2013 in Sedona. Planning the festival, and their wedding, meant they took some much deserved time off. The whole month of August, we didn’t hear much from Marc and Heather, but they still kept tending the beautiful garden that has become the Sedona Yoga Festival. (and yes, those are some of Sedona’s finest creators, healers and shaman standing with us… Melanie Nunnink, Amalia Camateros and Chris Spheeris)
Upon returning, they dove right into the selection process for the 2014 festival and are pleased to now announce the SYF2014 Presenter/Artist lineup is up at the website!
The Big News right now though, is the drawing for the SYF2014 Luxury Weekend Giveaway has occurred AND while announcing awhile back, the SYF2013 Instagram Contest Winner kinda got lost in the shuffle… Big Shoutout to Lauren Rudick, and her wonderful Instagram work of art! She certainly captured the vibe of SYF2013! We welcome Lauren and a friend with 2 complimentary All-Access Passes and Luxury Accommodations at one of the festivals wonderful partner Host Properties… Lauren, we will surprise you when you arrive, and know you won’t be disappointed! Congratulations and thank you for blessing SYF with such a beautiful shot!
And now for the Big News! Drum roll please…..
Laura Torraco – Grand Prize winner. Will receive 2 All-Access Passes and luxury accomodations at the Amara Resort & Spa for the 2014 Sedona Yoga Festival. ALSO, Laura has won a transformative Life Coaching Certification Program from SYF Educational Partner, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, along with an iPad mini to studio or take the course online with. Congratulations Laura!
Bristen Getz – 1st Runner Up will receive 4 All-Access Passes
Brittany Barger – 2nd Runner Up will receive 2 All-Access Passes
Congratulations Winners! We will see you at #SYF2014!
Well, there are more announcements over the next few days and weeks, so stay tuned… For now, Be Present.
2-Day pre-conference Training for Yoga Teachers – 17 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
February 6-7, 2014 Sedona, Arizona
[blockquote3]Give Back Yoga’s goal is to place 10,000 Yoga For Veterans Toolkits (developed by expert teachers with years of experience in working with Veterans) this year into the hands of our brothers and sisters affected by post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and other stress-related illnesses. We thought we might be able to help out… This will jumpstart GBYF in 2014 and expand exponentially the services to Veterans in years to come. Marc Titus, Founder & Director, Sedona Yoga Festival[/blockquote3]
We at Sedona Yoga Festival actively researched to select an organization to support through our 2nd Annual Sedona Yoga Festival, a consciousness evolution conference. We are deeply committed to supporting a project that benefits veterans through the practice and offering of yoga at SYF2014. We were so inspired to see what the Give Back Yoga Foundation is doing in supporting and funding certified yoga teachers in all traditions to offer the teachings of yoga in service to community. We approached them a few weeks ago with our intention to channel 1 of every 10 incoming festival dollars to a service oriented yoga organization contained in a large scale seva project at each conference…
Expand and Evolve human consciousness through the practice of yoga.
Sedona Yoga Festival, a consciousness evolution conference, exists to provide a container for the opportunity to directly experience energy, consciousness, healing, and transformation through Yoga… see more about SYF, Corp.
We believe that the methodology of classical yoga (including asana, breathing, and meditation) is a tangible tool for transforming human consciousness. The experience of yoga is to go beyond separateness, alienation, and diversity and fully recognize the fundamental unity of the universe and the underlying connectedness among all beings, communities, nations, and religions… see more about GBYF
…and, as you may see, it was a good fit. We are very happy to announce the Give Back Yoga Foundation as our Partner in Service.
At SYF2014, in partnership with the Give Back Yoga Foundation, we are offering SYF Gives Back 2014 – Mindful Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Veterans, a 2-Day pre-conference training for yoga teachers. We chose to partner with Give Back Yoga Foundation because of their total dedication to making yoga available to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformational benefits of this powerful practice. This training will provide participants with specific tools and practices developed through clinical experience working with veterans coping with post-traumatic stress and other psycho-emotional stress. While benefiting trauma patients safely and comfortably, the training can be helpful for yoga teachers working with anyone dealing with stress and other psychological difficulties.
The Give Back Yoga Foundation has assembled a faculty of leading experts for this training, including Beryl Bender Birch of The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute, James Fox of Prison Yoga Project, Suzanne Manafort of Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans, Gina Garcia of Yoga Across America, and Ann Richardson of Studio Bamboo Institute of Yoga, all who have been working continuously for years with veterans in their recovery process from post-traumatic stress. Expanding beyond the core curriculum, students will also have the opportunity to elect to receive teachings from SYF2014 vanguard teachers Rama Jyoti Vernon, Mark Whitwell, Sarah McLean, and Jeff Masters. Participants are offered complimentary access to the Sedona Yoga Festival through Saturday and Sunday, as well as post-conference offerings to help build networks and strategies for bringing back out into the world that which was realized at this inspiring and transformative event.
“Sedona Yoga Festival, Corp in partnership with Give Back Yoga Foundation is committed to supporting yoga teachers in offering service to their community. We are working together to provide the tools and trainings that teachers need to do this effectively and safely as a consistent part of their practice and dharma.” ~Heather Shereé Titus, Festival Producer
SYF Gives Back is for yoga teachers that are called to share with others the abundance of transformation that has occurred as a direct result of a yoga practice. It is for certified teachers that are ready to reach out and expand their capacity to give back to their community. Interacting with facilitators of the training, and then expanding and sharing in the greater conference weekend, supports the process of embodying the teachings. Participants will have multiple opportunities to interact with leading practitioners providing education and support for the mindful use of therapeutic yoga practices for veterans, their families and their communities.
Complementing this large scale seva project is Sedona Yoga Festival’s Partner in Education and Presenting Sponsor South West Institute of Healing Arts. SWIHA is on the forefront of providing Holistic Education, both at their beautiful Tempe campus and online.This partnership is born of a strong affinity in wanting to support people in finding their dharma and bringing Yoga life into action.
Details:
February 6-7, 2014 Sedona, Arizona
Tuition: $495 plus room
Deeply discounted room rates at training location
Bonus: Complimentary Sedona Yoga Festival All-Access pass
Give Back Yoga’s goal in 2013 is to distribute 10,000 free yoga and meditation toolkits to veterans. The Sedona Yoga Festival is committed to raising the funds for this, as well as to train 210 yoga teachers at SYF Gives Back to go back to their communities and work with veterans. Please check out our fundraiser on CrowdRise to see how you can help!
Fundraising at crowdrise.com will be open through the Festival in February.
The Goal… 10,000 Yoga Toolkits for Veterans
SYF is committed to raising $50,000 for Give Back Yoga Foundation, to assist in providing 10,000 Yoga Toolkits free to Veterans. If each teacher at the SYF2014 Mindful Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Veterans pre-conference training for yoga teachers returns to their community and reaches 50 veterans then that is 10,000 Veterans being offered yoga as a healing modality, and we would like them to have these amazing toolkits!
GBYF’s Yoga Toolkit for Veterans consists of:
The Mindful Yoga Therapy Practice Guide by Dr. Daniel Libby and Suzanne Manafort produced specifically for veterans coping with trauma.
Meditation CDs by Karen Soltes’ iRest Yoga Nidra: Easing into Stillness (who teaches at the Washington, DC, VA hospital as part of the War Related Illnesses and Injuries Study Center)
Suzanne Manafort’s “Breathe In, Breathe Out: Quick and Easy Breathing Practices to Help Balance the Nervous System,” designed for the Mindful Yoga Therapy for Veterans Coping with Trauma Program, a component of the PTSD Rehabilitation Residential Program (PRRP) in Newington, CT.;
Deep Relaxation: Yoga Nidra with Patty Townsend, a master teacher with a background of over 40 years in yoga and meditation.
Finding Peace, Building Resilence: A Yoga Therapy Guide for Combat Veterans and Military Service Men and Women by Beryl Bender Birch.
Beyond Disability: A Yoga Practice DVD based on Matthew Sanford’s unique experience with yoga and paralysis.
VetsYoga, the first instructional yoga DVD created for veterans, produced by Yatra Yoga International and Craig Coffman Productions.
To setup a STUDIO TEAM PAGE, create your crowdrise.com account with a studio email(ie. info@yourstudio.com, studio@yourstudio.com) because next you will want to create a personal account and join your studio team… Just put your studio name in the First and Last Name Fields when asked… It’s actually really simple, and only takes a few minutes! Crowdrise.com has made it really fun, too!
Click SETUP YOUR FUNDRAISER button underneath the orange DONATE button…
Next window popup, click START YOUR OWN FUNDRAISER
Name your Fundraiser, aka your Studio Team Page, pick a URL if you like, set a goal and a enter a few words about your studio supporting SYF Gives Back 2014, Mindful Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Veterans Teacher Training Intensive at the 2nd Annual Sedona Yoga Festival, a consciousness evolution conference. February 6-7, 2014.
click NEXT STEP
Upload a studio image or logo…
That’s it! You now have a STUDIO TEAM FUNDRAISING PAGE… you can play around with the settings, descriptions, add photos, etc… Sweet! (and isn’t it cool that that is step number 8! the infinite… 🙂 )
Now, Logout of your team page and Studio account.
Navigate to your studio page in crowdrise… Search for your fundraiser in the search feature at top of website if need be…when found, scroll down and JOIN TEAM… should be in red letters somewhere on the right.
Now you can create your personal account by logging in with Facebook or a personal email address… and build up your PERSONAL PERSONAL FUNDRAISER page with photos, videos, inspirations etc…Your all set!! Now we just get the word out there and allow people to donate to support Give Back Yoga Foundation and Sedona Yoga Festival Corp’s Yoga For Veterans at SYF2014!
Please encourage your students and friends to fundraise and participate, offering benefit classes, and information on Give Back Yoga Foundation and the Sedona Yoga Festival as often as possible! When we all Give Back, we can make a huge difference.
How to participate as an individual
Find a local studio, or set up your own account at Crowdrise joining SYF Gives Back. You are part of a Global Community of dedicated yogis and we thank you!
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After experiencing serious health issues at the age of 50, Nick regained his health through the practice of yoga and meditation. Nick was no stranger to the stresses of life that was the culprit for his poor health. He was a senior manager for a Fortune 50 company, raising three daughters pretty much on his own, as his wife suffered from both bipolar and borderline personality disorders. He had severe leg and back pain – some days he could not walk. His blood pressure was extremely high. He was 50 pounds overweight. Migraines or stress-induced headaches were constant. The prescribed medications in his medicine cabinet would increase with every doctor visit. The medications treated the symptoms, not the source and he continued to feel worse and worse. Nick’s body began to shut down and he felt that at any moment he would die. Until his eldest daughter made him go to a yoga class…
Sedona Yoga Festival is proud to have Nick and Javier conduct their Ageless Beginner Yoga Workshop as an all-day pre- festival experience on Thursday, February 6. It will be a transformative journey for everyone, no matter if this is your first introduction to yoga or if you have been practicing for years.
At SYF2014, in partnership with the Give Back Yoga Foundation, we are offering SYF Gives Back 2014 – Mindful Therapeutic Yoga Practices for Veterans, a 2-Day pre-conference training for yoga teachers. We chose to partner with Give Back Yoga Foundation because of their total dedication to making yoga available to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformational benefits of this powerful practice. This training will provide participants with specific tools and practices developed through clinical experience working with veterans coping with post-traumatic stress and other psycho-emotional stress. While benefiting trauma patients safely and comfortably, the training can be helpful for yoga teachers working with anyone dealing with stress and other psychological difficulties.
