This three month immersion is a rare and unique invitation designed as a sustained period of engagement to take avid Yoga students, including but not limited to, aspiring teachers and instructors far beyond the domain of public classes or individual workshops and still deeper and more personalized than a Teacher-Training.

Grace & Guts is similar to embarking on a yogic pilgrimage under Maritza’s keen guidance, it is an exciting journey of transformation that will take you into a profound new depth of practice, which will send ripples into all corners of your life, to reveal a new strength and a more authentic you. Together-with old and new friends, you will be coached to actively engage in a joyful yogic process of personal growth and redefinition.

The physical practice of yoga will be greatly refined and masterly woven to gradually penetrate the often-hidden energetic patterns that restrict our vitality and potential. Regardless of which Yoga style you are currently practicing, this Immersion will transform your practice like an initiation to a new level of empowerment and intimacy with the techniques. Over the last decade this course has repeatedly served as a powerful vehicle for change and deep learning for many yoga students, seasoned or not.

The class work will be implemented with practice assignments, required reading and journal writing. Study hand-outs will be distributed periodically.

Now in it’s second decade and continuously evolving, this unique training is frequently repeated by previous participants. Space is limited to 26 students. Registration and acceptance is done through application available from the Yogaworks website or Yogaworks front desk. This Training qualifies for 100 hours toward Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification and CEU for Continuing Education. A Certificate will be issued upon completion.

Combining in-depth Asana practice with systematic study/exploration on the mat and intervals for discussion, these high-caliber classes are a rigorous and proficient synthesis of Maritza’s yoga roots and expertise in action. Students are guided breath-by-breath into deeply focused asana sequences and isolation exercises to build internal skills and study the physical, spiritual and energetic alignment principles that form the foundation of a strong and safe yoga practice.

Week-by-week participants will practice to cultivate an intimate understanding of technique and rediscover the full spectrum of yoga postures from the inside-out; thereby revealing power points as well as blind spots in order to break through individual restrictions, heal old injuries and unlock the body’s own intelligence. These powerful and rewarding classes will shift the inner energetics of each student's practice and result in visible transformation for all.

The topics include:

• Biomechanical Alignment Principles detailed in all foundational postures

• Traditional and innovative warm-up sequences

• Asana breakdown with modifications and creative use of props

• Observing and understanding other bodies to better know yours

• Partner work with supervised assist

• Cultivating simple anatomical intelligence

• Preventing and healing common injuries

• Whole Body Tune-up

• Tailoring a home-practice

Complementing the Solar Asana work, with Lunar internal work, this vital section of the training balances concentrated effort, with deep release and relaxation to activate the dormant forces within the spine. This profound work will take you into uncharted territory to explore your subtle energy-body and to unveil knots lodged deep in your core, beneath surface musculature and conscious awareness. Informed by consummate studies from various traditions, along with years of meditative introspection, this has grown into one of Maritza's signature gifts.

Throughout the Intensive she will methodically and perceptively guide students into the journey of awakening, unwinding and strengthening their sacred center to wake up latent energy (Shakti), re-calibrate the breath (Prana), restore Agni (inner-fire), and reclaim the body’s core wisdom and vitality by skillfully interweaving the following practices:

• Deep abdomino-pelvic and cultivation

• Reclining and sitting Pranayama

• Detailed, progressive teaching of the three Bandhas, Agni Sara and Nauli Kriya

• Explorations of Koshas, Nadis, Chakras

• Somatic relaxation/Yoga Nidra

• Deep tension, trauma and stress

At the heart of this course indeed is the process of transforming our conditioned ways of moving, breathing and thinking as they are revealed through the focused lens of refined practice. As the body opens, deeper layers of awareness will reveal the-often-well-protected mental patterns that obstruct our essential nature, and we will learn practical tools, to consciously loosen their grip in order to reconnect with the innate wisdom and freedom that lies just underneath. In this context, excerpts from Classical Yoga texts along with Western luminous writings will be intermittently read and reflected upon, to spark and illuminate both heart and mind awakenings.

The mid-term Retreat under Maritza’s guidance is a profound experience. It acts as a magnetic focal point in the Immersion to take everyone’s practice and perspective several notches deeper in a short time and it does create a powerful internal shift for most. Away from the routine and obligations of daily life, the 4-day structure and serene environment provide a robust and magical container to experience the tremendous power of focused practice and inquiry. Always a highlight, this is the glue which allows for a deeper sinking-in and integration of the Course material and intent.

Located in the Santa Cruz mountains, the peaceful Retreat Center provides a great container for introspection while also enriching our group as community. Facilities include a nice yoga room, comfortable accommodations with private bath, sauna, pool, meditation Gompa, beautiful hiking trails and three fresh vegetarian meals per day.