available for single workshops, full day or full weekend...
TRANSCRIPT
After completing the Yoga Works teacher training with Maty Ezraty in Los Angeles in the 90s, Hilaire moved back to Michigan with her family. In 2003, Hilaire was diagnosed with metastatic resistant thyroid cancer, followed by six radical neck dissections and lumpectomies. Shortly after her diagnosis, Hilaire opened Hilltop Yoga in 2004, where she has offered her traditional, holistic and alignment-based classes, workshops and teacher training programs for over 12 years. Having found her cancer through meditation, Hilaire knows personally the importance of the root of the yoga practice: sitting still. Regardless of her physical capability following each of her surgeries,
there was always an aspect of this eight-limbed practice that was accessible beyond asana. This personal experience allows her to teach yoga holistically, traditionally and as a healing modality. Hilaire credits her practice as the reason she is still here and believes we learn through this practice to come through absolute adversity with grace and gratitude. Celebrating more than 26 years of practicing yoga and meditation, Hilaire's teachings empower and inspire students to dive deeper into their practice and discover the wisdom, beauty and strength that lies within.
Available for single workshops, full day or full weekend workshops as well as teacher training intensives and full
200-, 300- or 500-hour teacher training programs.
To inquire about booking, contact: Katy Joe DeSantis
Power Vinyasa Flow Often misunderstood, the power in power yoga refers to the inner power that we all hold – that deep inner strength that not only keeps us focused, but allows us to be honest with ourselves and our limits. We carry so much love and compassion as well as depth and a desire for challenge. It is quite amazing when we tap into the life force we hold as individuals and consequently begin to see how we can impact the world in small or very large ways. While we do experience a “workout” by practicing power yoga, you will also experience the yoke and the union that is true yoga – a body, mind, and spirit connection that allows us to achieve a deep “working in”. All levels welcome! Length: 1.5-2 hours Back to the Basics: Yoga 101 for Everyone Whether you're brand new to yoga and want to learn how to get started or if you have practiced before and need a refresher, this workshop is for you! Hilaire will cover the nuts and bolts of a holistic, safe and mindful yoga practice including ujjayi breathing; alignment for the most basic poses that will translate to all poses; and how to modify poses to suit your practice and level. Use this as your springboard to get started or as a great refresher that we don't always get in the class setting. All are welcome! Length: 3 hours The Building Blocks of Being Upside Down: Inversions from the Ground Up Inversions in the yoga practice include any pose where the head is below the heart - from a standing forward bend to a handstand - and everything in between. Inversions are the postures of youth, as they rejuvenate, recharge and replenish the brain and upper organs with fresh oxygenated blood. In this alignment-oriented workshop, Hilaire will teach the building blocks of what needs to be happening internally for us to explore inverted poses externally. By taking the alignment required in a simple pose like downward dog (also an inversion), we'll begin to translate that knowledge to safely make sense of headstands, forearm stands and handstands as we build them from the ground up. Suited for all levels - beginner to advanced! Come with an open mind and an eagerness to explore your potential. Length: 2-3 hours Open Heart, Open Mind: Blissful Backbends On any given day, backbends can run the gamut of feeling downright impossible to absolutely blissful. It's usually on those days that they don't feel good that we need them the most. Primarily fourth chakra heart-opening postures, backbends also open all seven of our chakras creating a clean line of energy from root to crown. In the yoga philosophy, the heart is the seed to the mind - a welcoming heart creates a loving, accepting and less judgmental mind. In this workshop we will properly align the legs and arms as a starting point for welcoming backbends. We'll explore how to open the spine in a way that protects our weaknesses and challenges our obstacles for an optimal and balanced backbending practice, moving the focal point of our backbends to the middle and upper back to achieve freedom in the lower back. This is a great opportunity to rebuild your backbends from the ground up to feel physically, mentally and emotionally balanced. Length: 2-3 hours
Bandhas and Bravery: The Art of Arm Balancing The ability to arm balance goes far beyond strong arms and a strong core. While they can be mystifying and scary, when approached correctly, they are exhilarating, empowering and fun! It takes courage, bravery and confidence coupled with the proper internal elements to begin to soar on our hands. In this workshop, we'll create proper awareness and engagement of our bandhas (the internal energy locks that are the foundation of our core strength) as well as building basic shoulder and arm alignment that will be carried forth to full arm balances. Hilaire will guide students through a sequence that will prepare the foundation necessary to do these poses with ease and freedom. This class is for those challenged by arm balances and for those who love them! In working towards our potential in these poses, we empower ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally by cultivating inner confidence and trust. Length: 2-3 hours Ashtanga Primary Series: The Foundation of Vinyasa Yoga Do you practice any type of vinyasa (meaning flow) style yoga? Then this workshop is a must-attend! All of the foundational aspects of a flow-style class have their roots in Ashtanga Primary Series: forward bends, backbends, twists, chaturangas, arm balances and float throughs, just to name a few. The popularization of vinyasa and power yoga (and mainly the physical aspect solely) in the West has covered up the importance of its roots: ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga is an ancient system that was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927. Simply translated, ashtanga means 8 limbs (ashta means eight in sanskrit). Those 8 limbs include Yama (moral codes), Niyama (self-purification and study), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sense control), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (total peace). The primary (first) series of Ashtanga Yoga is a set sequence of asanas (postures) practiced in the same order each time that begins with sun salutations followed by a well-rounded sequence of standing postures, seated postures and finishings. In this workshop, Hilaire will break down all aspects of this multi-faceted primary series to fine tune your practice as a whole from the inside out, covering all of the limbs beyond just asana. Every practice becomes more meaningful when we understand its intention and its roots. All levels welcome! Length: 2-5 hours (5-hour workshop must be split into two 2.5-hour sessions) Guided Meditation Workshop All too often forgotten is the root of the yoga tradition -- the practice of meditation. We exist in a demanding world where multi-tasking and constant movement are sometimes the only way to get through the day. The pace of life leaves us not only physically exhausted but with a busy, cluttered state of mind. Through the practice of meditation, we can begin to detach from emotional holdings related to past events and anxiety of what we project the future to be, so that we can see the present moment for what it truly is. Practicing internal peace allows us to more readily access this state of being regardless of what is going on around us. As the holidays and winter season approach, most of us feel the effects of the weather as it changes and when coupled with family, chaos and seasonal spending guilt, our emotions are deeply affected. Hilaire will help us focus on techniques to flip this dark, lethargic energy to lightness and laughter. We will spend two hours deepening into the "why" we find ourselves being so heavy and how to effectively pull ourselves out of the rabbit hole by tapping into the power that we hold to effectively change the weather of our spirit. All are welcome! No prior meditation experience necessary. Length: 2-3 hours Powerful Purpose: A Journey through the Chakras Each chakra corresponds to an area of the physical body that represents an aspect of consciousness essential in our lives. Gaining understanding of each of the chakras and how they relate to the intangible and tangible pieces of who we are is a profound tool for personal growth. In this workshop, Hilaire will break down the chakra system from the inside out and from the ground up to help us better understand ourselves and our practice. Workshop will include lecture/discussion, guided meditation and breathwork . We will finish with a well-rounded vinyasa class that will cover all 7 chakras leaving you feeling grounded, balanced, empowered and refreshed! All levels welcome! Length: 2 hours up to 2 days (can be one day split into two 2.5-hour sessions or 2 days with four 2.5-hour sessions)
The Foundation of Yoga: A Sutra Intensive
Sometimes knowing "why" we do something helps put meaning or intention behind our action. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali do just that. This one or two-day intensive for students and instructors alike will be solely focused on the foundation of the yoga practice, its roots and its meaning - all that lies within the 3,000-year-old Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Over the two-day period we will cover as much of the book as possible, relating the foundation of yoga to our life off the mat. When we can more deeply understand the purpose behind the practice, our time on our mat has more meaning. All are welcome - no yoga or sutra experience required. Length: 1-2 days (each day two 2.5-hour sessions) Strength & Grace Through Struggle: A Healing Workshop The fluidity of life paints a canvas full of many different joys and challenges that create the broader picture that is uniquely and magnificently ours. In the moments when life hands us our deepest struggles, our reaction and perspective is ours to choose. Join cancer survivor and 25-year yogini Hilaire Lockwood for this life-changing workshop that will travel the physical, mental and emotional journey of balancing the strength and surrender it takes to accept and overcome struggle. Regardless of any current physical yoga practice you possess, this workshop is for individuals personally dealing with any form of abuse, eating disorders and/or illness as well as those who are in a support role for a loved one who may be dealing with these types of struggle. Through embracing the present moment, yoga offers us the opportunity to accept without exception. This class will begin with a discussion/lecture and conclude with meditation, breathwork and a vinyasa-style yoga class suited for all in attendance. Length: 2-3 hours 200, 300 and 500-Hour Teacher Training Programs Registered Yoga School (RYS) with Yoga Alliance at the 200-, 300- and 500-hour levels. The 500-Hour Program is Michigan’s only Yoga Alliance-approved RYS 500. The 200-hour training can be taken alone to achieve 200 hours total. The 300-hour training is for those who already have 200 hours through a Yoga Alliance-approved RYS 200 and wish to achieve 500 hours total. The 500-hour program is the combination of the 200- and 300-hour programs and can be taken together to achieve a total of 500 hours. The traditional, holistic and all-encompassing 200-hour teacher training is a Yoga Alliance-approved curriculum that focuses on all 8 limbs of the practice including adjustments, alignment, anatomy, philosophy and Sanksrit vocabulary to teach an all-level Power Yoga/Vinyasa Flow Class. While most students complete the training with a desire to teach, regardless of the outcome, the training is an empowering experience of self-discovery physically, emotionally and spiritually. Also a Yoga Alliance-approved curriculum, the 300-hour training covers adjustments, alignment, anatomy and Sanskrit vocabulary for more advanced postures and sequencing. This training focuses much more deeply on the energetic and spiritual aspects of yoga and its philosophy with more in-depth reading, discussions and essays.
To inquire about booking, contact: Katy Joe DeSantis