The Impact of a Daily Practice

September 22 - November 6, 2022

REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL 9/25 Have you ever wondered if there is a trick to changing a habit? We can have the desire to live healthier and more fulfilling lives, only to find ourselves in the same groove or rut. Ancient traditions and modern neuroscience point to 40-days being the essential timeframe for enacting lasting positive change in one's life. The world is going through massive transformation at an increasing rate. We each need to learn how to enact change consciously, orienting to the kind of devotion that brings benefit to ourselves and supports the greater good. Throughout this 40 day challenge of devoted yoga practices, you will take an honest look at your habits and patterns, take stock of where you are currently in life, tune into where you would like to aim, and lay down the foundation for a life changing and transformational experience.

Instructors

Facilitator

Erika van Gemeren

Born to a Bolivian cardiologist and a 3rd order Franciscan nun, Erika is no stranger to matters of the heart and spirit. She grew up in California, and has mindfully crafted a reverent teaching and healing practice that is an embodiment of years of yoga practice (ashtanga, vinyasa, bhakti), shamanic and Priestess training, Ayurveda, and accreditation with the Modern Mystery School. She continues to work with her root teacher, Janet Stone, as a mentor and facilitator. Erika lives in Northern California just over the Golden Gate, and teaches internationally. www.erikavangemeren.com

Facilitator

Cristina Star

Cristina has been practicing meditation (Buddhist & Shaiva) and yoga (Anusara, Shadow, Iyengar) since 1997, teaching since 2010. She ran in-depth Shaiva Yoga based programs fulltime from 2011-2018, online since 2013, and founded TRU Education. Her teaching is pragmatic, direct, and heartful. She coaches teachers and institutions on how to optimize participant engagement and experience through transformative online programming. Being a trained physicist, she advises the SETI Institute & IONS and writes on issues of the Space Industry, menstrual activism, mindfulness, and ritualizing life. www.starwanderings.com

Guest Teacher

Scott Blossom

Scott Blossom is practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, and a renowned thought leader and educator known for his depth and mastery of traditional Hatha Yoga. Both a clinician and a teacher, Scott’s passion for helping and healing people centers around empowering students and clients to listen deeply to their own inner guidance system. He has been practicing yoga since 1990 and teaching since 1997 with his primary teachers Zhander Remete, the founder of Shadow Yoga, & Dr. Robert Svoboda, the great Ayurvedic physician and scholar. www.doctorblossom.com

Your 40 days of practice will include:

Daily Meditation & Asana Practice - with practice videos of asana with mantra, plus guided concentration and energybody practices posted throughout the program, you will dive into the potency of a well rounded daily practice with veteran teachers.

Yogic Lifestyle- thoughtfully incorporate supportive habits from Ayurveda and modern wellness into your daily routine, replacing less supportive habits. Explore how syncing your practice and lifestyle to natural cycles promotes health and wellbeing. We also include a guided seasonal 10 day dietary reset.

Practice with Deities - we open this period with Navaratri (The 9 Nights of the Goddess), then turn to Shiva and Ganesha to ground. Learn devotional practices, approach, and why Deity practice and sacred art is a part of the Yoga Tradition.

Community- explore in the palpable "bump" you get from practicing in synchrony with a cohort through a well crafted arc of practice and positive change. Plus, optional (but highly encouraged) forum prompts will help you connect, express, and share.

Virtual Classroom- this streamlined virtual experience will have you logging in most days, to move through a crafted daily lesson plan in-sync with the rest of the group. We will have 5 Zoom calls to connect live to the teachers for special content and discussion.

Not your typical Online Program- we start together, we complete together. This program provides support, guidance, and positive accountability structures the entire way through, to help you for your greatest and highest, and the benefit of all.


Plus options to deepen your experience:

In person Community Gatherings  for Bay Area locals that will include satsang, kirtan, and an ayurvedic-inspired potluck (no additional charge)

Mentorship Option

One-on-one sessions with Erika or Cristina (online or North Bay in-person) for a personalized attunement of the practices or teachings (See FAQ for deets)


Energy and/or Body Work with Erika 

Erika is a skilled healer and can provide supportive hands-on support to ease the tensions brought to the surface by deeper practice periods.


Totaling:

  • 40 days of devoted practice
  • within 8 weeks of structured programming
  • amounting to a 100 hour Immersion

Dates

September 22- November 6

Virtual Classroom Opens on the Equinox (9/22) 

With all introductory orienting material to help you feel fully prepared to dive into a daily practice beginning on the New Moon 9/25. You will be visiting the virtual classroom daily for lessons and guided practices until 11/6.


Live Zoom Calls every other weekend + opening & closing @ 12:30pm Pacific Time

  • 9/24 Opening Call    90 min Saturday  
  • 10/2, 10/16, & 10/30    60 min Sundays 
  • 11/5 Closing Call   90 min Saturday  


*All virtual meetings will be recorded and available to review for the duration of the course.

Virtual Classroom  closes November 14th

Check your Time Zone here


4 (Optional) In Person Gatherings:

@Cloudbreak Yoga, Sausalito  

 Sundays: 1-4pm

  • September 25
  • October 9 & 23
  • November 6 )

Testimonials

Janet Stone

Erika holds the potency of the ancient yoga teachings wrapped in the modern form of a music loving, dance friendly, joy-filled asana practice. Under her guidance students both go deep into the center of their hearts and also find new strengths and openings in their body. She offers each teaching with the wholeness of her being and brings the entire community along with her.

Lucid Dawn

Learning from Cristina Star and just being in her presence I more deeply receive grace. I can now listen with a deeper, quieter listening, and allow my body and spirit to speak to me with a voice beyond words that gives me direct knowing. She leads with welcoming care and clarity and her nature is gloriously infectious.

Shelly

on TRU's 40 Day Program

I’ve done all kinds of online courses and this is by far the best put together program I’ve ever seen. It was a scary proposal for me to dedicate shifting my attention to truth, but now that I am in it, it feels like home.

Donna

on TRU's 40 Day Program

This entire course has far exceeded any expectations since the moment of signing up to be in this class.

Featuring Sacred Art

Deity Art & Iconography are an important part of exploring the Yoga Tradition

Featured Deity Artist

Ekabhumi Ellik

Ekabhumi is an award-winning poet, author, illustrator, yoga instructor and arts educator with 20 years of international teaching experience. His current artwork is based on experiences arising from daily ritual and meditation. Traditional sacred art helps people deepen their spiritual practice, recognize the divinity of common experiences, and find meaning in the beauty of our world. Ekabhumi’s poetry, prose, and illustrations have been published widely. He is core faculty at Living Sanskrit and co-founder of Mystic Art Retreats. www.oneearthsacredarts.com

One of the Patron Deities

Goddess Lakṣmī

Lakṣmī is the abundance of material reality and exemplar of fecundity, generosity, pleasure, fortune, and beauty. Hindu, Jain, and even early Buddhist temples include images of her. She is always portrayed as a charming, golden-complexioned maiden covered in red silks and dripping with jewels. She is said to be surrounded by the scent of flowers, the sound of tinkling bells, and the humming of bees

One of the Patron Deities

Goddess Saraswatī

Sarasvatī is the embodiment of that exultant state of creative flow when you lose all sense of time, ruler of creativity, art, literature, divine knowledge, and all that flows. Her character reflects a certain dignified reserve and austerity; She is not a domestic goddess, oriented more toward knowledge than toward material gain.

Investing in your Practice

Pricing, Scholarships & Dana

This program is 40 days supported practice, teachings, dietary reset, worksheets, guided meditations, guest teachers, and more within 8 weeks of virtual classroom access. 100 hours of curriculum.

  • Program Tuition     $777
  • Mentorship Tier     $925
  • Course + Healing with Erika    $1025


Payment plans are available at any level broken into 3 months.

Financial Need Scholarships always available. Apply HERE.

Dana (Giving/Donating) is an essential Niyama. We pledge to support value-aligned organizations by donating 10% of total proceeds to Guria India, to support sex-trafficking victims. 

QUESTIONS? email [email protected]



Develop Your Devotion

Invest in your best self this Autumn

  • $777.00

    Online Program: 40 Days of guided practice within 8 weeks of support

    Enroll
  • $108.00 / 2 weeks

    Fortnight Scholarship Plan

    Enroll
  • $1,025.00

    Course + Healing w Erika

    Enroll
  • $925.00

    Course + Mentorship w Erika

    Enroll
  • $925.00

    Course + Mentorship w Cristina

    Enroll
  • 3 x $345.00

    Course + Healing w Erika

    Enroll
  • 3 x $315.00

    Course + Mentorship w Erika

    Enroll
  • 3 x $315.00

    Course + Mentorship w Cristina

    Enroll
  • 3 x $265.00

    Payment plan for Course

    Enroll

FAQ

  • Are the live calls recorded?

    Yes! If you cannot attend the time of the call, the recordings will be posted shortly thereafter for review at anytime up to the closing of the virtual classroom on 11/12. Also, you can write in ahead with a question if you would like us to address something in particular. All the rest of the content is available for you to fit into your daily routine as best serves you, and we offer suggestions and tips for how to do that best, because that is part of the program!

  • How much time do I need to devote each day to this program?

    You will be committing to no less than a 25 minute seated meditation practice and a 60 minute asana practice each day. Additionally there will be 10-30 minutes of content on the course site to engage with: videos, reading, worksheets, or posts. Days with live calls will add another 90 minutes. When we get deeper into the program, the dietary shifts will take some upfront strategy time and some cooking time. These things can be intimidating if you approach them as though they are more tasks on your list. However, when we engage with the practices and gain the focus and clarity they provide, and cut out wasteful habits in support of positive change, they make time for themselves, and then some. Ultimately, the time you put into these practices compounds to create more spaciousness in everything you do, once you get into a groove. This we can promise. Also, you are the architect of your own practice and get to choose what you do everyday, always.

  • Is this structured with daily lessons or is it on demand choose your own adventure?

    This program is highly structured and intentionally crafted to guide you through this seasonal deepening of your practice. That means we provide explicit guidence every step of the way, including ways for you to hone in on your own specific needs at this time. The curriculum is broken into six phases, devoted to orienting to the practice, Navaratri, Fall Dietary Reset "cleanse", Shiva Practice, Ganesha Practice, and Integration. There will be provided a clear path for you to engage with the material, changing daily. Be prepared to login everyday and practice with videos, guided recordings, inquiry worksheets, engage with the forum, or all of these!

  • What does the Mentorship include exactly?

    You will have two options to choose from here, depending on if you are local. PRIVATE IN PERSON: You can have a full private practice in person with Erika or Cristina. The teacher will provide specific honing of techniques and adjustments to attune your practice. VIRTUAL: You may also choose to have 3x30 minute virtual calls throughout the program to discuss your practice and your goals, and how you can align the two with specifics to your circumstances, as they change.

  • Are the local in person gatherings also teachings, and will they be recorded?

    These in person events will be mostly kirtan, satya and potluck! We will have a group meditation practice and possibly a satsang, if inspiration strikes. There will be no recordings of these.

  • If I get way behind can I take this program on my own later?

    Nope. This is a limited time program where we all are in it together with a hard stop at 11/12. That being said, before 11/12, all the materials are available for review, or catching up. Some guided practices and worksheets you will be able to download. This time constraint creates a potent container that motivates everyone to show up and keep pace, like in person programs (remember those?). Within this program, you get to engage with the material at your level of comfort, to meet your practice and life where you are. You can toggle it depending on how much time/space you have. But we do NOT offer lifetime access or expect you to entirely self-motivate. We are in this together.

  • Is this Yoga Alliance Certified 100 Hours?

    Not at this time. TRU Education is not a Yoga Alliance registered Yoga School, however we will provide a certificate of completion upon satisfactory completion and participation in all elements of the program. Registered yoga teachers have used certificates from TRU programming in the past to apply for CEU's with Yoga Alliance. We totally respect all yoga teachers (we are they!) and also like to create programs where the primary motive for participating is deepening the practice, not adding hours.

  • I am pretty experienced practitioner, is this mainly for beginners?

    The only thing you need to get the most out of this program is beginners mind. At the beginning of the program you will determine the outline of your own practice period on a spectrum based on your experience and current circumstances, and this can be adjusted to almost any level. Unless you already have a 2 hour a day disciplined asana and sitting practice, a practice community, include deity work and seasonal ayurvedic cleansing diets, this will provide you with something new and nurturing. You know how dedicated practice time supports you, and how you work to support others. Let us support you with that.

  • I don't have much experience with yoga or meditation but want to, is this course for me?

    It is so great you are ready to dive into daily meditation and yoga! But there are other programs out there more suited for introducing you to these practices. This program is for "intermediate" and experienced practitioners. Diving in the deep end can be destabilizing. For recommendations: Headspace is a great app to start a daily meditation practice. Start going to classes at your local Hatha Yoga studio, and stick to teachers that feel really authentic. We will see you next year once you have a solid foundation! Go get em!