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We shared an excellent workshop

11/15/2025

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Thank you Vanessa for leading us in a wonderful workshop, and thank you to everyone who took part and shared the experience.  The hip-opening sequence took us out of the comfort zone of our usual practice; it was good to activate the body in new ways and consider how poses may progress.  Exploring inversions with a couple key concepts helped us to focus our journey and inspired us to aim for new variations.  Then moving into Yoga philosophy and discussing the Bhagavad Gita, considering the concepts of Dharma and Karma shed light on how we take action in the world, and how we might practice yoga beyond the mat whether we’re facing conflict or we’re staying too comfortable.
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Workshop: Hip-Opening, Inversions, & Yoga Philosophy

10/16/2025

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WITH VANESSA DA SILVA
​SATURDAY
​NOVEMBER 15th
​9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
​In the first half of this workshop 9:00 - 10:30, Vanessa will lead Asana practice guiding us through hip-opening and arm-balancing sequences building up to inversions as peak poses.  She will emphasize where to bring our awareness as we advance, illuminating the subtleties of inversions.  Our hips help us to feel our center of gravity when our bodies are in the air, which is essential to find balance.  While opening the hips happens with consistent practice over time, we should feel grateful for wherever we are in the process and continue to practice with dedication free from attachment to an outcome.  Working with arm-balances builds our strength and develops our focus creating the steadiness required to find bliss in inversions. Vanessa will offer cues to engage our entire body strength rather than trying to carry these balances with only the shoulders and wrists.  She offers a safe and accessible approach for practitioners of all levels and will teach modifications to accommodate any injuries or body cycles.  

After a time for break, we will reconvene from 11:00 to 12:30 to explore Yoga Philosophy starting with the Yamas and Niyamas.  Traditionally students began to practice Yoga with the Yamas and Niyamas, the ethical guidelines for daily practice, and were required to develop a good foundation applying these principles before they would receive instruction with Asana.  This has changed in modern times with the commercialization of Yoga, the emphasis shifting to physical practice and only students with dedication later finding their way to philosophy.  This discussion will explain the significance of these ten precepts and offer insights on how we may apply them in our daily lives.  We’ll talk as well about Karma Yoga with the Bavaghad Gita, a beautiful book from the Mahabharata, a sacred Sanskrit scripture which elucidates the tenants of Yogic philosophy.  Set on the battlefield between the Pandava and Kauranva, two groups from the same family lineage, the story centers a dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna, who feels doubt and confusion overwhelmed by his duty to flight in the war, and Lord Krishna, who guides Arjuna to realize his duty, or Dharma, and stop suffering.
Hip Opening, Inversions, and Yoga Philosophy Workshop with Vanessa da Silva
ALL LEVELS WELCOME
$30/EARLY BIRD $25

CONTACT VANESSA TO REGISTER
+506 8311 6165
@VANESSA_ASHTANGA_COSTA_RICA


Remember to bring:
  • A water bottle;
  • A yoga mat & towel;
  • Comfortable clothing for dynamic movement;
  • A light snack for between sessions;
  • A pen and notebook.
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GUIDED MEDITATION & SOUL SISTERS CIRCLE WITH ANGEL

11/11/2019

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THIS DECEMBER ANGEL WILL LEAD WEEKLY GUIDED MEDITATION CLASSES, AND WILL HOST AN EVENING SOUL SISTERS CIRCLE.
Angel Twedt has meditated daily for over a decade, having first trained in Transcendental Meditation in the 80’s, and throughout the years exploring mindful meditation, breath meditation, and chakra meditation. Angel has certified as a Life Coach and Conscious Parent Trainer; she is an Energy Healer and Shadow-Work and Reiki Practitioner. Hailing from Vancouver, BC, Canada, Angel now calls Coco home, and we are so glad to have her presence and guidance in the community.
Angel Twedt, Coco Yoga & Wellness

GUIDED MEDITATION, FRIDAYS 8:15 - 9:15 AM, December 2019

Meditation benefits our health in many ways, especially helping to lower blood pressure and relieve stress or anxiety from our ever-changing world. Angel hopes to share the peace and self-connection that come with practicing meditation and finding inner stillness. Rather than trying to stop our busy minds and silence the noise of constant mental activity, Angel teaches how to disengage from the flow of thoughts, stepping back to become a witness or observer.  Angel offers these guided meditations on a donation-basis.  
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SOUL SISTERS CIRCLE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11TH, 7:15 - 9:00 PM

If you feel called to tap into your intuitive side in a safe space, come sit in circle like our sisters before us. Angel will guide this meditation and intuitive development circle to ignite our inner goddess!  Circle will be held in the Coco Yoga & Wellness studio space in Plaza Nino on Coco's main street Wednesday December 11th, 7:15 to 9:00 PM, and is offered on a donation basis.

Keep connected with Angel and her Soul Sisters Group on Facebook.  

Soul Sisters Circle with Angel, Coco Yoga and Wellness
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Essence of Mysore Workshop With Vanessa

4/8/2019

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Vanessa da Silva will lead a two-part workshop Saturday May 4th, 2019.  During the early morning session 7:00 - 9:30 am, Vanessa will guide students in Mysore-Style primary series Yoga practice.  In the late morning session 10:00 - 11:30 am, Vanessa will speak on Yoga Philosophy and lead Satsang, a spiritual discourse in community. 
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Essence of Mysore WOrkshop, Saturday May 4, 2019

Vanessa began exploring Yoga eight years ago, mainly for medical reasons, but she quickly developed a dedicated relationship with the practice, and Yoga became her way of life.  Vanessa loves to help others to see their true self through Yoga practice, as Yoga diminishes worries, encouraging peace, strength, and comfort in the mind and body.  She loves to see how Yoga uplifts her students, creating a positive outlook that helps them to feel more content and to transform their lives in beautiful ways. Fascinated by each individual's healing process, over the years Vanessa has explored and studied many complementary systems including Reiki, Body Therapy, Ayurveda Therapy, and Meditation, and she incorporates her knowledge of these modalities to support her students' transformation processes.  
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Vanessa da Silva, Coco Yoga and Wellness
Vanessa began her formal Yoga training in 2013 with Indira Kalmbach, director of Pavones Yoga Center in Costa Rica, fulfilling RYT 200 hours Multidimensional Yoga Teacher Training, and completing RYT 500 hours with supplementary courses in Art of Flow and Integrative Healing Yoga Therapy. The following year Vanessa traveled to Mysore, India, birthplace of the Ashtanga Yoga System.  She studied with Sri B.N.S. Iyengar, disciple of Sri Krishnamacharya, who is considered to be the father of modern Yoga, and Vanessa fulfilled a Yoga Teacher Training in the Ashtanga Vinyasa Tradition.  Ever since then, she has returned to India to study with Ajay Kumar, direct disciple of B.N.S. Iyengar, to deepen and strengthen her personal practice, and to continue study in the Ashtanga Method, concluding a two-month Teacher Training course in Mysore-Style Ashtanga Vinyasa in 2017.  Vanessa has developed a great interest and respect for the Mysore-Style method and has dedicated herself to share this beautiful Ashtanga Yoga tradition.  In 2018 she began full-time Yoga Philosophy study with Mr. Sudheera, Sanskrit scholar from Mysore, and has completed third-level Patanjali Yoga Sutras and Baghavad Gita classical studies and chanting. 
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PART 1: Primary
7:00 - 7:10 Welcome
7:10 - 7:30 
Sound Meditation 
7:30 - 9:30 Primary Mysore-Style Yoga 
9:30 - 10:00 Break  

PART 2: Philosophy 
10:00 - 11 : 00 Yoga Philosophy 
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11:00 to 11:30 Satsang
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Vanessa da Silva, Essence of Mysore Workshop, Coco Yoga and Wellness
This workshop is open to all students and is split in two sections: Primary and Philosophy. Students may choose to attend either section on its own ($20 each) or join Vanessa for the full workshop ($35).  

Part 1: Primary 
The morning begins with twenty minutes of Sound Meditation: Omkaara, chanting the sound of Om. which is the first mantra in a traditional meditation practice, and 
Bija Mantras to activate the energy of each chakra to purify the mind and body. This uplifting sound meditation will calm and center students to prepare to flow through Mysore-Style primary series. In Mysore-Style students practice at their own pace the portion of the sequence appropriate to their personal practice. The practice is done peacefully in silence as Vanessa guides the students individually by physical adjustments or verbal instruction. Cards outlining the series are available for reference for those who do not have the sequence fully memorized. This amazing method following a fixed sequence  encourages focus on the subtle energy of each posture allowing the prana to flow at ease, as less emphasis goes toward the physical performance of the asana.

There will be an official break 9:30 - 10:00 am; however, not every student will need the full two hours to complete their Mysore-Style practice and may finish Part One earlier than 9:30. Please nourish yourself; you may bring snacks to the studio.  

Part 2: Philosophy
Vanessa will dedicate the second portion of the morning to Yoga Philosophy. She will delve into subjects including the meaning of the Om symbol and mantra, 
study of the first three Yoga Sutras, the purpose and meaning of Ashtanga Yoga, and the fundamentals of Ashtanga Yoga practice: Breath, Bandha, Drishti, and Vinyasa. The morning will conclude with Satsang as Vanessa answers questions and addresses students' doubts or confusions.  ​
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Coco Yoga & Wellness
​La Chorrera, Playas del Coco
Carrillo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
​50503


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Copyright © 2019 Teagan Patell. 
​All rights reserved.
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