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Dates
Friday 05/02/2025 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Saturday 05/03/2025 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Saturday 05/03/2025 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sunday 05/04/2025 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sunday 05/04/2025 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Pricing
$200.00 Asana Lab Intensive with Mary Richards (full weekend)
$30.00 Restorative Yoga + iRest (Friday pm)
$50.00 Asana Lab: Neck/Shoulder/Wrist (Sat. am)
$50.00 Asana Lab: Knees/Ankles (Sat. pm)
$50.00 Asana Lab: Hips (Sun. am)
$50.00 Asana Lab: Deep in the Belly (Sun. pm)

Have you ever watched a student struggling on the mat and wanted more information about instructing them to greater ease and stability? Has a student shared with you that they have an injury or pain? Perhaps you would enjoy learning options and techniques to address situations like "Chaturanga shoulder," sciatica or plantar fasciitis. Or maybe you’d like more options to guide folks into Trikonasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or Salamba Sarvangasana.

If you answered yes to any of the above, please join Mary Richards for an exploratory lab intensive series at Beloved. Whether focusing on specific asana or physical concerns, we will seek clarity and understanding together via discussion and applied practice. We will examine related nuts-and-bolts anatomy and kinesiology as they relate specifically to practice technicalities. We will experiment with teaching techniques, including props, assists and therapeutic modifications. Bring your mat, questions, concerns and willingness to role play.

Restorative Yoga & iRest (Fri. @ 6 pm)

Many of us toss and turn, wrestle with the covers to adjust our body temperature, and experience all kinds of sleep interruptions. Since we are sleep-deprived, we become more agitated and more vulnerable to stress. We can get caught in a feedback loop in which the stress feeds the sleeplessness and the sleeplessness feeds the stress. 

To break the loop, we need to practice the skills of resting. Join Mary for an evening of restorative yoga and iREST, a form of yoga nidra developed by Richard Miller, Ph.D. The practice is intended to alleviate stress, improve sleep, and promote healing and inner peace. Informed by yogic philosophy, Western psychology and stress resilience science, restorative yoga and iREST, especially when practiced together, offers each of us an opportunity to connect deeply to our bodily sensations as well as the turning of our mind and yearning of our heart.

Mary is a certified Level 1 iREST teacher as well as a Relax and Renew ® teacher trainer. Props such as blankets and bolsters will be available at the studio to support your comfort during the practice. Please bring an eye cover and your favorite fuzzy socks.

Asana Lab: Neck, Shoulders & Wrists (Sat. @ 10 am)

Do you want to relieve tension and discomfort in the upper back? To improve wrist and hand sensation? You may want to develop the robust shoulder function necessary in poses from Plank to Headstand. Practice strength and mobility exercises with Mary as she covers these key concepts: scapular control and mobility, shoulder joint centration, orthopedic stacks from wrist to shoulder, and protecting the carpal tunnel.

Spend a few hours working toward specific poses that present common hurdles for the neck and shoulders along the way. From working out stiffness to “You’re crazy! I’m not doing that,” we will explore the preparatory training necessary to practice popular shoulder- and neck-centric asana.

Asana Lab: Knees & Ankles (Sat. @ 2 pm)

Perhaps you’ve noticed that you — or your student — practice diligently yet appear “stalled” in the same standing poses thanks to cranky knees or ankles. The lower extremity is all about locomotion and weight bearing. Set up your practice space and work alongside Reuben, Mary’s non-yoga husband, as they go over key points to protect and enhance movement in the legs and feet.

Asana Lab: Hips (Sun. @ 10 am)

The hips are everything! If they don’t work well, their imbalances adversely affect so much more. Stretching is frequently misapplied — and the glutes are underworked. Let’s experiment with a resistance-based approach to pain relief, mobility and range of motion.

Asana Lab: Deep in the Belly (Sun. @ 2 pm)

Many of us experience disruptions in our bellies, from bloating and constipation to feeling disconnected from our inner wisdom. Asana and pranayama allow us to practice the principles of restraint and simplicity. Intended to restore balance, these practices enliven our senses and encourage clarity, removing lethargy in body, mind and spirit. 

Practice with Mary as she teaches specific asana to build resilience in the belly, from a stronger core to improved gut comfort. Additionally, this asana series invites introspection since many of the poses are sustained by the deep trunk muscles, requiring concentration and breath control.

Mary Richards

MARY RICHARDS, MS, C-IAYT, ERYT, YACEP, has been practicing yoga for almost thirty years and travels around the country teaching anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. A hard-core movement nerd and former NCAA athlete, Mary has a master’s degree in yoga therapy. Mary lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where she teaches syllabus-based yoga classes, sees clients privately, and trains bodyworkers, fitness professionals, and yoga instructors in movement literacy and therapeutic asana techniques.