Know the Depths of Yourself.
Make an Impact on the World.

Svälja’s House of the Gathering is Duluth’s only Trauma-conscious Yoga School. We offer opportunities to deepen the practice and understanding of yoga through workshops, retreats, classes, and a 250 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program (YTT).

We Are Doing Something Different

With a curriculum based on Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga our Yoga Teacher Training Program informs all aspects of our lives. From our physical health to our personal relationships, to social issues (racism, sexism, marginalization, and oppression), and tough global issues like the climate crisis, we are whole beings. House of the Gathering Yoga School trains seekers in multiple styles of yoga with trauma conscious focus, as well as meditation, depth psychology, sustainable practices and more—our programming is holistic, heart/healing-centered, and growth-oriented making the ancient teachings of yoga relevant, accessible, and practical. Our Story. We also hold in-depth workshops and registration classes as an opportunity for seekers and students to move deeper into their practice. Check our calendar for upcoming workshops. 

Classroom Without Walls

We offer classes and workshops in various locations around Duluth. Each locale offers a rich yoga experience of its own. We call this the Classroom Without Walls because we champion the idea that yoga can be practiced anywhere.

HGYS CORE VALUES

At house of the gathering yoga school (HGYS) we take what we learn on the mat and bring it into our daily lives.
We champion the philosophy that our yoga practice is not separate from what is happening in our communities and in the world.

Post-Lineage Yoga & Meditation

HGYS is a Post-Lineage Yoga School, which means that we do not subscribe to any particular lineage of yoga. Due to the ongoing recent revelations of abuse in the yoga tradition, most often by Gurus, we have decided to forgo the “Guru Model” in favor of post-lineage yoga. Post-lineage yoga is not “anti-lineage,” but rather offers a more spacious and conscious way to address what yoga is and how yoga is practiced in community beyond the lineage. Post-lineage yoga also offers the opportunity to address the abuse and harm that has occurred and to work towards creating safe yoga spaces for all. This is especially important to us as a yoga school that spearheads trauma conscious care and practices.

That being said, we also honor the deep and ancient traditions of yoga that originated in India while understanding that yoga comes from another continent which was colonized. While yoga was brought to the west by many Indian teachers, we remain acutely aware of the problems around cultural appropriation. Students in our YTT programming learn about the cultural appropriation of yoga, and of spiritual practices the world over, so that they may bring a critical and compassionate eye to their own practice, and to the larger industry that modern yoga has become.

At HGYS yoga begins with Patanjali’s ‘Eight Limbs of Yoga:’ Yama (ethical disciplines), Niyama (rules of conduct), Asana (postures), Pranayama (restraint or expansion of the breath), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (freedom). As such, the particular style or brand of yoga is secondary, though students at HGYS are exposed to a variety of teachers and yogic styles so that they may explore what suits their own personal needs and values. Students at HGYS are also taught extensive yoga philosophy, beyond the parameters of Yoga Alliance’s requirements, to ensure an adequate foundation around what yoga is, where it comes from, and how it was traditionally practiced. In this way we honor the practice and its roots.

Somatic Honesty: Skillfull Teaching & Practice

Somatic honesty is an intentional way of being both a yoga teacher and a yoga student that acknowledges that there is no one right way to practice yoga. Rather than look at the teacher as the authority, we see the student as the authority on their own body/mind/psyche/soul. Rather than seeing yoga as a prescribed rigid set of poses, we see yoga as a fluid way to experience one’s breathing embodiment. We use invitational language (everything in a yoga class is a choice, not a direction), offer options in terms of poses/movements (students have diverse anatomy, experience, backgrounds, life stories, and ability levels), and invite students to experience their own unique embodiment from the inside out, listening to their bodily wisdom, in somatic honesty.

Trauma Conscious Yoga: Awareness & Integration

According to recent statistics, over 70% of people in the US have experienced some sort of trauma, big or small,—anything from stress, poverty, accidents, and abuse, to assault, war, and social oppression—which left untended can lead to an array of symptoms and nervous system dysregulation, as well as chronic stress—impacting our ability to feel safe, grounded, and present. Learning to become “Trauma Conscious” is a life skill. Many of us are not taught how our nervous system functions and lack the vocabulary, knowledge, and skillset to deal with our own stress and trauma. Many more of us are not aware that we might carry epigenetic trauma, passed down through the generations. Stress and trauma shows up in different ways for different people, though it is often held and expressed through the body in the form of sensations, emotions, and memories, and sometimes even patterns and behavior (often pathologized in modern medicine).

Recent cutting edge research suggests that sensations, emotions, and memories stored in the body can surface through healing modalities such as bodywork, talk therapy, and even yoga. As a Trauma Conscious yoga school we are aware that students bring their full selves into the room to practice, including their stress and trauma, both conscious and unconscious—and it can assert itself in a myriad of ways—which is why we are committed to a higher level of awareness and integration of the origins, impacts, and outcomes of trauma, including in all aspects of guiding yoga and interactions with participants. Trauma conscious yoga is not for a special population—it is for everyone. It is a way of getting to know one’s self on a deep level through understanding what nervous system regulation and dysregulation feel like. And it is a way of understanding that we bring the totality of our life experience within our body-mind to the mat and cushion when we practice.

A trauma conscious perspective asks us to come at our students with compassion and curiosity rather than judgement or pressure. Just like we are taught to offer safe physical alignment to everyone, not just those with injuries, being trauma conscious is a safety protocol that we can offer all students. At HGYS we are committed to upholding a trauma conscious framework that asks us to be cognizant of people’s humanity while engaging with them, and values safety and respect as the most important qualities of a yoga teacher. By informing our lives and our practice of yoga through this integrative lens, we are better able to assist ourselves in healing, and find compassion and understanding for others.

Exploring the Depths: Mystery & Enchantment

Depth Psychology is an exploration into the psyche using archetypes, dream work, art, mythology, shadow work, literature, philosophy and more. As a modality that is full of rich meaning, Depth Psychology assists us in exploring the mysteries of life in our own bodies, hearts, and minds. At HGYS we offer workshops and retreats that explore the language and dynamics of the unconscious mind and the psyche. Students in the Yoga Teacher Training Program will also have supplemental training around how depth psychology relates to current community, cultural, and ecological issues. This partnership of light and shadow, spiritual and practical is so meaningful within the context of today’s world. 

Positive Social Change: Action & Accountability

 At HGYS we explore challenging and complex topics through both the lenses of yoga philosophy (non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, and inner exploration) and depth psychology (the collective & personal unconscious, the collective & personal shadow). As we work to empower ourselves as seekers, teachers, and spiritual aspirants, we work to lift others up, too, including those who are bound by systems of oppression. We use our voices and our platforms of privilege to take positive action around what we see happening in the world. At HGYS we work towards the healing and liberation of all.

Stewards of the Earth: Practices in Sustainability

Through practices in sustainability like composting, growing food, and learning about the local medicinal plants where we live, we learn how to bring yoga off of the mat and into our homes, communities, and cities. We live in uncertain times in which the threats posed by unstable weather patterns are very real. By visiting farms and urban homesteads that are already engaged on the front lines of sustainable agriculture and herbalism, we can learn what we can do to live the value of sustainability while also making an impact on the whole—caring for ourselves and our planet. 

Spending Time in Nature: Grounding & Connection

In a world where being indoors on screens is becoming the new normal, we purposefully spend as much time outdoors surrounded and immersed in nature as we can. HGYS asana, meditation, and workshops are held outside when and wherever possible so that we may breathe fresh air and connect with the Earth. HGYS locations for workshops and trainings are often chose with this in mind. 

Service: Lead by Example

Students at HGYS are invited to participate in selfless service, or seva, as a part of their training and will gain hands on experience through service. At HGYS we believe that the best way to change the world is from the inside out, through each and every one of us becoming more aware of the nature of our interdependent world. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 200 HOUR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM HERE.