YOGA SCHOOL
Melissa Abbott will walk you through an illustrated history of yoga from the Roots of Tantra and Classical Hatha Yoga to Present Day Yoga in North America.
Have you ever wondered how Hatha Yoga began and why? How old is it?
We’ll explore the how, when, where, and why of Hatha Yoga and its early roots. Next, we’ill see how Hatha Yoga came to the West over the last 120 years. The various types of yoga and yoga traditions will surprise you with their many fluid and deep connections.
You will leave this workshop with a sense of History and connection as well as some fun stories about the poses you do every day.
About Melissa
Melissa started her journey with a Hatha Yoga class in 1970 at age 17. After a stint in Art School and extensive travel, Melissa became a resident at Shree Muktananda Ashram in upstate NY studying Siddha Yoga meditation practices and is a disciple of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda and the Siddha Lineage Of Swami Muktananda and Bhagwan Nityananda. There she became acquainted with Shaiva Tantra Meditation from Kashmir, while studying with Dr. Paul Mueller Ortega, Dr. Douglas Brooks, Sally Kempton a.k.a. Swami Durgananda and many other teachers residing there at that time. Melissa also studied Tibetan Buddhist Practices of the Sakya Lineage with Luding Khenchen Rimpoche. Melissa has had a 40+ year meditation practice receiving many initiations and transmissions from many great contemporary teachers.
Since 2017, Melissa has been studying with Christopher Wallis, a Sanskrit Scholar Phd covering The Recognition Sutras, Vijnana Bhairava, Spanda Karikas, and Tantraloka. Melissa has studied the scholarly works of Christopher Wallis PhD, Alexis Sanderson Phd Oxford University, Christopher Tompkins PhD Candidate University Of UC Berkley, Seth Powell PhD Harvard, Daniella Belaviqua SOAS University of London, James Mallinson from SOAS in London. Recently completed a study of the traditions Ascetic Yogis with Yogic Studies and Tantra 101 with Sally Kempton.
Saturday, February 22nd
12:30 - 2:30 pm
$20 in advance, $25 day of
On the Hatha Yoga front, Melissa has studied Iyengar and Anusara Hatha Yoga in the 1990’s and later took her first hot yoga class 10 years ago with Suzanne Elliott in Merritt Island, FL, becoming a Raja Hot Core Hatha Yoga 500 hour Teacher in 2016 with Craig Villani. In 2018 and 2019 Melissa studied with Jimmy Barkan Level 2 Hot Vinyasa Training in Ft Lauderdale and 2019 Adi Westerman’s Teaching 26/2 Plus Training. A member of the Original Hot Yoga Asso OHYA and a Hot Yoga Teacher teaching 26/2 and Hot Vinyasa at Steam House Hot Yoga & Pilates in Epping NH and Blue Yoga Group in Swampscott, MA. Melissa has a Visionary Tantric Meditation & Yoga Nidra podcast “Melissa Abbott Yoga & Meditation” on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and Podbean.