CONTINUUM — Bend, United States
A Shadow Yoga school in Bend, Oregon, led by a single teacher
Continuum occupies Suite 112 at 155 SW Century Drive in Bend, Oregon, a brick-and-mortar studio devoted to one system: Shadow Yoga, created by Sundernath (Shandor Remete) and Emma Balnaves. Angie Norwood owns the school and is its only teacher. She has studied Shadow Yoga for over 20 years and is described as one of a handful of acknowledged Shadow Yoga teachers in the United States. Classes are small, and she says that lets her take a personal interest in each student's growth.
Shadow Yoga is presented as a progressive, self-cultivating system grounded in yoga and martial arts. Practice begins with large, vigorous movements that clear physical obstructions, then works through mental, physical and emotional layers, the "shadows," to reveal the body's energetic maps. Instruction draws on the subtle systems of marma, nadi and vayu, and on circular movement meant to free the spine. Each class opens with a dharma talk and closes with time for questions.
The curriculum is built as a ladder. A three-evening Intro Series, offered each quarter except summer, is the entry point. Shadow Yoga I meets Monday evenings, on a sliding scale of $10 to $20, and Saturday mornings. Shadow Yoga II is reserved for students with some Shadow Yoga I experience and links the sequences into the complete Preludes. On Thursday afternoons, Individual Asana brings students in on a staggered schedule for hands-on work with marma support, props and sandbags. Angie describes the format as unique to Shadow Yoga.
Other offerings widen the door. Angie was certified as a Structural Yoga Therapist by Mukunda Stiles in 2008 and teaches Therapeutic Yoga for students managing injury, illness or loss. Sadhana Support, a live Wednesday-morning class on Zoom, grew out of the need to keep dispersed students connected. Once a month the studio hosts a free Community Sangha: a short meditation, then discussion of principles from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, with herbal tea. Workshops run two to three hours, and weekend retreats of four classes take place once or twice a year. The studio is also available to rent.
Traditions: Shadow Yoga, Structural Yoga Therapy, Vinyasa Krama, Marma and Vayu, Mantra Sadhana, Yogic Philosophy
Programs: Intro to Shadow Yoga (3-session series), Shadow Yoga I, Shadow Yoga II, Individual Asana, Therapeutic Yoga, Sadhana Support (online), Community Sangha, Workshops & Weekend Retreats