 EXPERIENCE
MATTERS-FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
Michael Rhadeya Plasha, E-RYT 500, CYT has been studying Classical Yoga for over 30 years and has completed over 900 hours of superior certified training and has taught over 8,000 classes. He is a senior Integral Yoga teacher and leads workshops for teacher trainings and the general public, presents for teachers at conferences and is a teacher trainer for Integral Yoga. He is certified to teach beginner and intermediate level Hatha, Ayurveda and Yoga, Prenatal Yoga and Yoga of the Heart (endorsed by Dr. Dean Ornish). He also did advanced teacher training with Eric Schiffmann(Iyengar and Viniyoga) and additional training with several Iyengar, Ashtanga and Kripalu teachers. There are over 300 yoga babies in Erie from his prenatal classes! His main intention is to help you develop a safe practice that will reduce mental and physical suffering while having FUN! At Plasha Yoga we reunite body, mind and spirit to be one with the Infinite. The yogic sages have taught this is the most effective way to remove the causes of suffering now popularly called stress. | |
 Michael Plasha in crow pose near Stow, Vermont. |
Michael began teaching in 1982 and received over 700 hours of certified training from Integral Yoga - a gentle, holistic and meditative blend of hatha yoga. He also has training in Ayurveda and Yoga, Iyengar, Kripalu, Viniyoga and Ashtanga hatha yoga, Christian contemplative practices, Zen and Vipassana meditation. His hatha teachings are informed by the psychological and spiritual practices of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti Yogas, Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism philosophies. Some of his advanced practices were done in India at the ashrams of Sri Aurobindo (Raja Yoga master), Ramana Maharshi (Jnana Yoga master) and Swami Dayananda (Advaita Vedanta teacher) in 2003. He was certified in Integral Yoga intermediate level hatha on Feb. 9, 2003 in India. During his trip to India he also practiced Bhakti Yoga at several sacred temples in Tamil Nadu. His work to bring spiritual teachings into hatha so it is not just fitness training, has gained national attention and he is asked to teach teachers throughout the world. He has studied with many master teachers. See more below... |
|
An Open Letter from Michael... The journey to teaching Yoga started when I was a child exploring the outdoors near Cincinnati, Ohio. I often wondered how all this started and what was the origin of the universe. My calling was not to become an astronaut -I barely stretched past basic math- but I became interested in the inner world. The Beatles began to meditate and so did I. The Christian monk Thomas Merton became interested in Asian spirituality and so did I. Yoga was the next step. In the past 30 years, I have tested in the laboratory of my own experience several types of yoga and meditation while raising six beautiful children, practicing yoga in my daily life and eventually extending my love for yoga beyond an avocation and into a vocation. I was co-leader of the Kensho Meditation Center from 1980 to 1984 and the Erie Siddha Yoga Meditation Center from 1984- 1992. I was the Director of Yoga Programs and Services at the Saint Vincent Complementary Care Center in Erie, PA from May 1998 to August 2001. I have been the Director of Plasha Yoga Studio since 2001. I was credentialed as a Yoga Therapist and am a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 hours or more registered teacher. No one else in Erie has this accreditation. I was the owner and director of Bodywise Yoga Center from January 1997 to June 1998 (Erie's first hatha yoga center). First and foremost, I am dedicated to adapting yoga for the individual. I have even taught yoga to paraplegics. If you can breathe, you can do yoga. I am certified by the Integral Yoga Institute in Beginner and Intermediate level Hatha Yoga, Yoga of the Heart (approved by Dr. Dean Ornish for his reversing heart disease program) and Prenatal with additional teacher training in Iyengar, Kripalu, Siddha and Ashtanga. Yoga of the Heart was taught by Nischala Joy Devi. Devi was a research pioneer in Ornish's program and in the Commonweal Cancer Help Program. I have over 700 hours of training in Integral Yoga and I am recognized as a senior teacher and a teacher of teachers by them . In addition, there was advanced teacher's training with Erich Schiffmann(Iyengar and Viniyoga) and training in Yoga for Cancer through the Smith Farm Center for the Healing Art's Cancer Help Program done in conjunction with Commonweal. I subscribed to the Siddha Yoga Correspondence Course from 1984 to 1994 and completed the five day formal Siddha Yoga center leader training course in 1992. My interest in meditation has taken me to the Green Gulch Monastery, the Zen Mountain Monastery, the Rochester Zen Center and the Bhavana Society. One time I taught Raja Yoga to a group of Theravadan monks at the Bhavana Society! I have taught over 7,000 classes in yoga and meditation since 1980 in many community settings. Additional training included attending the Kripalu Center's Yoga at the Leading Edge Retreats in 1997 and 98. I attended Integral Yoga's Teacher Reunions in 1998 and 1999. I have also presented at several additional Integral Yoga teachers conferences as well and at several yoga studios nationwide on the topics of classical yoga. I have attended workshops and trainings with senior teachers in Anusara, Iyengar, Kripalu(adjustments training), Integral, Viniyoga, Sivananda, Siddha and Ashtanga since 1980 including Rodney Yee(Iyengar and beyond); David Swenson, Tim Miller, and Richard Freeman(Ashtanga);Erich Schiffmann(Iyengar and Viniyoga), Donna Farhi(Iyengar and beyond), Lilias Folan(Sivananda), Richard Miller(Advaita Vedanta), Larry Schultz (Ashtanga teacher training), Rama Berch(Svaroopa), Dean Lerner(Advanced Junior 1 Iyengar and past president of the Iyengar Association of the US), Mukunda Stiles(Structural Yoga Therapy), Swami Asokananda(President Integral Yoga-Yogaville), Swami Ramananda(President Integral Yoga-NYC), Swami Chidvilasananda(Siddha Yoga Guru), Srivatsa Ramaswami(Viniyoga), TKV Desikachar(Viniyoga) and John Friend(Anusara). I have been published in Hinduism Today, Integral Yoga, and Darshan magazines. I am the former marketing director at Sarah Reed Retirement Center, copywriter for Donn Advertising and director of public relations for LEIR Rehabilitation Hospital in Erie, PA. I have published over 500 articles on a variety of subjects. I created a Raja Yoga CD for beginners. The Yoga Journal said, "Plasha has mastered his material(Raja and Hatha Yoga)." See other reviews on the CD page. I am a member of the Integral Yoga Teacher's Association and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. My spiritual name Rhadeya was given to me by Swami Chidvilasananda, the spiritual leader of Siddha Yoga in 1991. Rhadeya was a character in the great epic the Mahabharata; part of it is the famous Bhagavad Gita. Rhadeya means bravery and loyalty, qualities I have been invited to contemplate for the rest of my life. I love Yoga! If you can breathe, you can do yoga. What are you waiting for? |
|
|
PLASHA YOGA STUDIO - Voted Best Yoga
Studio 2007, 2008 and 2009 - Erie Times News readers CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Please e-mail Michael Plasha at rhadeya@PlashaYoga.com if you are interested in practicing karma yoga (selfless service) in the following dharmas: cleaning, interior decorating, office management, music performance. MAILING LIST Please e-mail Michael Plasha at rhadeya@PlashaYoga.com if you would like to be removed from the mailing list or if you would prefer to receive your newsletter via e-mail rather than postal mail. |
|
Plasha Yoga and Life Coaching Center 4508 Zuck Road, Erie, PA, 16506
Erie's Yoga Studio - Honoring the tradition of classical
yoga with the highest level of training and experience available locally.
Feel the Difference Experience
Makes!