A VISION FOR A HOLISTIC YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM

Founded in 2018 by Hilary Buckwalter Kesti, Svälja’s House of the Gathering Yoga School is Duluth’s only trauma conscious yoga school and offers a comprehensive 250 hour yoga teacher training program that integrates classical yoga, trauma conscious yoga, depth psychology, and sustainable practices. Together, these studies embody a practice that take a holistic, expansive look at the human experience-mind, body, psyche, spirit, and soul.

Through classical yoga, we explore the Self, mind/body connection, develop flexibility and strength (mental and physical), and develop self-awareness through postures, meditation, and the study of ancient yogic philosophy. Our YTT curriculum is based on Patanjali’s ‘Eight Limbs’ of yoga which include ethics, self-discipline, yoga asana, breath work, meditation and more.Through trauma conscious yoga we explore the root of trauma, as well as the way that trauma is stored and shows up in our bodies, patterning, relationships, culture, and lives. By informing our practice of yoga and meditation through a trauma conscious lens, we are better able to assist ourselves in healing, as well as to be able to see what might be unfolding for a student in a classroom setting.

Through depth psychology, we learn about the psyche, both the conscious and unconscious aspects, and how to navigate the rich language of our unconscious self through dream tending, active imagination, and shadow work. Depth psychology gives a rich toolbox through which to experience the psychological, mythical, poetic, and soulful sides of life.Through sustainable practices we learn how to bring yoga off of the mat and out into our homes, communities, and cities. We live in uncertain times in which the threats posed by unstable weather patterns are very real. By visiting farms and urban homesteads that are already engaged on the front lines of sustainable agriculture and herbalism, we can learn what we can do to live our values while making an impact on the whole.

Join us at classes, on retreat, for a workshop, a private session, our Yoga Teacher Training Program, or hire us to share the gifts of yoga at your business or organization!

Origins of Yoga

At Svälja’s House of the Gathering Yoga School (HGYS), our practice on the mat and cushion is connected to the way we live and move in the world. In this sense, having a clear understanding of history and context are key. Half of our faculty have practiced and studied yoga in India, and all have studied with lineages that have roots in India. This aids in the understanding the culture from which yoga emerged and the context of how we can bring it into practice within our western culture. 

Our curriculum is based on The Eight Limbs of Yoga in the Yoga Sutra. Understanding the history of Yoga, and the context of Yoga as it shows up in the West today, are core values at House of the Gathering Yoga School. We are deeply curious about how Yoga can further our insights into the human condition in modern day, where we find ourselves dealing with tangled social and global issues.

“We use the practices of Yoga to become more skillful in how we respond to the complexity of living this human life, on an interdependent planet. ”

The mental and physical practices of Yoga originated roughly 5,000 years ago in India. India’s spiritual heritage is rich and vast, and steeped in traditions that can move us beyond our individual human lives and the confines of our limited awareness. While there are a multitude of branches and schools of Yoga, they all share the primary concern with consciousness. 

For our puposes, Yoga stands for the classical system of Yoga codified by Patanjali that includes the practice and study of ethics, postures, meditation, and breath work. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali shared a pathway of knowledge, wisdom, and disciplined practice to achieve what many yoga practitioners refer to as enlightenment or samadhi. The Yoga Sutra can be thought of as an instruction manual for healthy and whole living, complete with practices, traditions, and training that lead the student on the path of Yoga. In this systematized practice there are eight limbs, often called Ashtanga Yoga, that lead the student through a balanced exploration of the internal and external worlds.  These limbs are: Yama (ethics), Niyama (observances), Asana (physical posture practice), Pranayama (breath work), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation and contemplation), and Samadhi (freedom and fulfillment). This path of Yoga is often called The Eight Limbs of Yoga.

At HGYS we use the practices of Yoga to become more skillful in how we respond to the complexity of living this human life, on an interdependent planet. The Yoga Sutra then, offers a road map, a way in which to get know ourselves better, a process through which we can approach all aspects of our lives through the point of contact between our inner and outer worlds. As our bodies become more strong and flexible, as our minds become more settled, as we become more consistent in thought and action, our path becomes clearer, and our way of being in the world becomes more connected. What no longer serves us begins to fall away, opening the doorway for something new to emerge, infiltrating all aspects of our lives.

Origins of Depth Psychology

Consider for a moment, that every day we make choices and assumptions that drive our lives, all which come from an unconscious place within. This can show up as habits or patterns, such as taking the same route to work everyday, or putting on the right sock before the left sock. These unconscious drives can also look like strong emotions spilling over onto the wrong person, choosing the same kind of romantic relationships, or even personality difficulties and disorders. Where do these actions and behaviors originate? Where do these emotions come from? Why do we do the things we do? In the face of our daily struggles, why do we often feel powerless to change course or direction?

“...to make conscious the unconscious, to reveal what is concealed, to move what is marginalized to the center, to liberate and transform, to integrate and assimilate, and to know ourselves and our world.” — DR. JENNIFER SELIG OF PACIFICA GRADUATE INSTITUTE

Depth Psychology seeks to address some of these questions. In Depth Psychology we deal with the inner life; the subtle, unconscious, and transpersonal aspects of the human experience. There is much about being human that remains hidden or unknown to us. Depth Psychology seeks to delve into the invisible, the secret, and the unseen, to gain understanding and insight into our motivations, drives, instincts, and our unconscious ways of being in the world. A Depth Psychological approach uses dream tending, mythology, archetypes, shadow work, poetry, art, and the study of the unconscious as pathways for integration, and for understanding the psyche.

Our approach at House of the Gathering Yoga School is based on the theories psychoanalyst, C. G. Jung. We focus on the psyche, human development, and individuation, coupled with the practices of yoga and meditation. Individuation being a term coined by Jung to denote the process of integrating our unconscious into our conscious lived experience as a path to wholeness.

At HGYS we explore the intersection of Jung’s work with Yoga. These two disciplines can inform and complement each other, offering practices that can endeavor to reach the whole person, on a multitude of levels, rather than just the head or just the body. The intersection of Depth Psychology and Yoga speaks to the need for a modality that addresses what it means to be a human being, in a human body, with a vast uncharted inner world in the 21st Century.

We cannot escape being human, but we can become more knowledgeable and skillful in regards to navigating our minds, our inner worlds, and our physical bodies in a synergistic way. The integration of Depth Psychological practices and the ancient practice of Yoga is just beginning, and the potentials are endless. Join us at HGYS as we endeavor to build a bridge between body, spirit, psyche and soul.