Allison DennisAllison DennisAllison DennisAllison Dennis

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Classes, Workshops, and Personal Mentorship

I coach and mentor yoga teachers, yoga students, musicians, wanderers, and curious seekers with interest in the peace of mind that Indian wisdom, music, and conscious awareness practices can offer.


I'm also keen to enhance communal knowledge and teacher training programs by offering a range of topics beyond physical asana.  As a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider, my offerings meet the YA standards as CEU's for yoga teachers. 


In 2010 I opened Heart of Yoga School in Carrboro, North Carolina and formed Veda Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Trainings.  I led nineteen teacher trainings within an 800 hour program from 2010 - 2018.


In order to expand and connect with more people, I've let go of the school and travel throughout the US and abroad, growing within the wider community, and sharing the steady ancient flame I find myself in possession of, and a messenger for.  


Below is an outline of some potential offerings. Additionally I can introduce you to superior teachers should your knowledge in these areas surpass my own.

Private Sessions

Available in person or on Zoom or WhatsApp.  Rates vary from $60 to $100 depending on location and means.

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  • Sanskrit:
    • Alphabet
    • Pronunciation
    • Reading transliteration 
    • Unpacking the meaning of words 


  • Elements of a Complete Life of Practice:
    • Practical wisdom for cultivating equanimity
    • Weaving together asana, philosophy, mythology, creativity, concentration, meditation, and relaxation
    • Developing daily routines that enhance health and wellbeing


  • Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems:
    • Forms of Yoga: Hatha, Karma, Jnana, Raja, Bhakti, Nada, etc. 
    • General Sanskrit Philosophy Vocabulary: prana, guna, indriya, samskara, karma, etc. 
    • History and Development of the texts of the Indian Spiritual Traditions


  • Raja Yoga:
    • Introduction to Samkhya Philosophy, the foundation of Patanjali’s Yoga
    • Patanjali’s vocabulary for the psychology of the mind
    • Patanjali’s methods of concentration and meditation
    • Patanali’s offerings on ethics and conduct that support a calm mind


  • Bhakti Yoga: 
    • Devotion, faith, humility, and service 
    • Mythological Stories of India and the Deities
    • The anthropomorphication of nature, consciousness, and the elements
    • Mantra: Sound and Vibration as a means to direct thought and transform emotion
    • What are the traditional practices and how can we create our own devotional practice at home?
    • What are the traditional bhavs or moods for devotion? 
    • Cultural differences in how Bhakti shows up in shaivism, vaishnavism, and shaktism. 


  • Harmonium:
    • Introduction to the instrument: stops, drones, bellows, coupler, keys, etc.
    • Proper care and maintenance 
    • How to pump and allow the instrument to breathe fluidly
    • How to play chants and traditional indian scales
    • Exercises for dexterity and enhanced improvisation skills


  • Taala: Rhythm
    • Understand the importance of rhythm as a support for melody
    • How to identify the rhythm of a song
    • How to count and sing in rhythms other than eight
    • Learn some traditional taalas and the spoken rhythmic language called bols


  • Pranayama and Sound:
    • Breathing exercises to expand breath capacity and allow for greater ease in physical movement and  clearer sounding vocalizations


  • Indian Music Appreciation:
    • Different styles
    • Aspects to raga
    • Rhythm and Melody are Shiva and Shakti
    • How to listen and what to listen for 
    • The different instruments 
    • Saptasvara - sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa
    • The chromatic scale, the octave, the pentatonic scale, and srutis


  • Hatha Yoga:
    • Principles of Krishnamacharya’s Methodology
    • Asana Workshops: Chakra Restoration, Yoga and Live Music, The Art of Handstands, Yoga Nidra and Sound
    • Pranayama, Bandhas, Kriyas
    • Hatha Yoga Pradipika: the psychotechnologies of India


  • Jnana Yoga:
    • What are the Vedas and where do they come from?
      • Vedangas, Sanskrit, Jyotish (Astrology), and the Vedic Deities
      • Upavedas, sciences such as Ayurveda
      • Upanishads, meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge


  • Jyotish: Vedic Astrology
    • Fundamentals: planets, constellations, and houses
    • Understanding your own chart: purpose, time phase, current transits
    • Nakshatras: specificities within the constellations signified by certain stars