Brinson Leigh Kresge
events and offerings: series.
Breath by Breath: Exploring Ashtanga
Spring Series - 2 weekends; 4 sessions; 2.5 hours per session (10 hours) – CE hours available
@ BeUnlimited Yoga
Wilmington, NC
Friday, May 29, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Saturday, May 30, 4:30 - 7 pm
Friday, June 5, 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Sunday, June 7, 4:30 - 7 pm
Breath by Breath: Exploring Ashtanga
A ten-hour progressive series spanning two weekends, designed for practitioners ready to delve into the Ashtanga Primary Series with depth and intention. Whether you are coming to Ashtanga for the first time or returning with fresh questions, this series offers a structured entry into the sequence and the principles that animate its transformative power.
Over four sessions, we will build the primary sequence, honoring tradition while making space for experimentation, creative play, and thoughtful adaptation to increase accessibility. While offering a physical challenge, Ashtanga, at its core, is about moving with the breath and using breath as a means of awareness in the present moment. Ashtanga is a moving meditation that asks us to face ourselves: to see our patterns, examine the stories we hold, and do the work of being safely uncomfortable. It is in that process that we transcend perceived limitations and move toward more authentic versions of ourselves—rewards of which extend far beyond the mat.
Each session includes a lecture, physical practice, and a space to workshop postures and concepts. This is a progressive series; drop-in is not available and attendance at all four sessions is strongly encouraged. Continuing education hours are available. Sign up early; space is limited!
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Schedule:
Session 1 – Living Lineage: Tradition, Chants, and Theme & Variation
Friday, May 29, 5:30–8:30 pm
We begin by briefly examining the evolution of the Ashtanga lineage, including its opening and closing chants. Then, examine Sun Salutations as a complete teaching in miniature—discovering theme and variation within the foundations of the practice. Physical practice: Full standing, first seated, final three closing postures.
Session 2 – Energetic Enlivenment: Ujjayi, Bandha, and Oppositional Extension
Saturday, May 30, 4:30–7:00 pm
We explore Ujjayi breath and Uddiyana/Mula Bandha as the connective tissue of the practice, and investigate how binds and oppositional extension create energetic circuits through the sequence. Physical practice: Half primary, final three closing postures.
Session 3 – Inward Looking: Drishti, Transitions, and the Closing Sequence
Friday, June 5, 5:30–8:30 pm
We examine the power of drishti, gazing points, to shift alignment and internal experience, then turn our attention to the transitions and closing sequence. Physical practice: Half primary and closing sequence.
Session 4 – Moving Meditation: Full Primary and Inversions
Sunday, June 7, 4:30–7:00 pm
We bring it all together—breath, bandha, and drishti—into a continuous, breath-by-breath Ashtanga Full Primary practice, with a focused workshop on inversions as time allows.
Pricing:
$150 early-bird (by May 1);
$190 regular (after May 1)
BeU teachers (20% off; $120; $152)
There are a limited number of needs-based scholarships (first-come, contact me)
Classes at The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNCW - Spring 2026
TRAVEL COLLAGE
March 2 through April 13
Mondays 9:30 - 11:30 am
Celebrate past travels, plan future adventures, or dream up trips yet to come through the creative process of collage. Using personal memorabilia, magazines, and found materials, we’ll explore image, language, and memory—shaping them into meaningful works that capture experience, intention, and possibility through layered, hands-on composition.
CRAFTING THE COMPRESSED: FLASH FICTION
March 24 through April 28
Tuesdays10 - 11:30 am
Explore the art of flash fiction—stories under 1,500 words that use brevity to powerful effect. This class draws on craft excerpts, key techniques, and discussion of published stories to examine flash both as its own genre and as a tool for understanding longer fiction. Open to new and experienced writers ready to read, reflect, and experiment with creating bite-sized stories.
WAITLIST ONLY
