Prague Summer Program - Activities outside the classroom

Activities outside the classroom

The Prague Summer Program offers a variety of activities beyond the classroom that provide opportunities to experience the rich cultural heritage of the Czech Republic and view its natural beauty. For an orientation to Prague, we offer walking tours on the first Saturday and Sunday of the program. In addition, participants will be offered the opportunity to visit the former Nazi holding camp of Terezin, and to take part in other weekend excursions throughout Bohemia. Participants are encouraged to attend ongoing PSP events, including the Czech Film Series, the Reading Series (offering readings by faculty and guests), our famous PSP Lecture Series, as well as the "Survival" Czech Language Class.

Czech Film Series

The PSP Czech Film Series offers participants each week the chance to view some of the best work by Czech filmmakers. Past years' selections included the most recent work by Jan Švankmajer, Petr Zelenka, Bohdan Sláma, Martin Šulík and others, as well as such classics as Jiří Menzel's Closely Watched Trains.

Reading Series

Throughout the Prague Summer Program, our writing faculty and guest writers will conduct readings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the lovely Ypsilon Theatre in central Prague. Monday nights are reserved for student readings.

Prague Summer Program Lecture Series

Our famous PSP Lecture Series is available to all the participants, though attendance is mandatory for all four-week students seeking academic credit. All the lectures will center on the theme, "Pitching the Sacred: Art and Spirituality." The lectures are presented by Czech and American professors and will focus and enrich your experience as a writer, photographer, or literature studies student in a foreign land. The PSP Lectures Series is held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Tuesday of the Program.

Survival Czech: A quick course in conversational Czech language

Held 9 to 10 a.m. every Tuesday and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, this course is taught by graduates of Charles University, with the aid of a workbook. An extra fee of 700 CZK will be charged for this course (collected at orientation in Prague), which covers the cost of the workbook and tuition. The class is designed to provide an introduction to this fascinating language. It is not a complete course in the language; it will, however, provide some basics for navigating the city and gaining a glimpse of Czech culture through its language. This course can be taken in addition to one or two other courses. No academic credit is awarded for this course.

Yoga Nature: Breath, Movement, Peace
With Krista Katrovas

Vinyasa is a style of yoga that utilizes a steady dynamic flow of yoga postures linked together by the breath. "Vinyasa" is derived from the Sanskrit term, nyasa, which means "to place" and the prefix vi, "in a special way"-as in linking one asana to the next in a special way.

In yoga communities Vinyasa is most commonly understood as a flowing sequence of asanas (postures) that are linked together through the movement of the breath. Vinyasa Yoga, or Flow Yoga, utilizes the Ujjayi (ooh-jy-yee) breath, a specific type of Pranayama (rhythmic control of breath). Ujjayi breathing helps the chest and lungs expand to full capacity. The Ujjayi breath cultivates present moment awareness, it also builds heat within the body which then causes purification and detoxification through sweating. The muscles become warm, releasing tension within the body, cultivating strength, stillness, and endurance in the physical body offering the yogi/yogini opportunities to arrive at a more peaceful place within the body, mind, and spirit.

Krista will be offering Vinyasa Yoga classes with a focus on breath awareness. She will also be teaching introduction to Chanting, Pranayama, and Meditation techniques. Class will be offered 2-3 times a week, with time and place TBA in spring. All PSP participants, from beginners to advanced, are invited to practice.

Krista holds a BA in Dance and an MFA in Poetry from San Diego State University. Over the past decade she has trained extensively in "Bikram" Yoga, taking 3rd place in the U.S. Southeast Region Yoga Championships. She has studied Pranayama Techniques through "Corepower" Yoga Teacher Training,"Yoga One" Interdisciplinary Flow Yoga Training, "Anusara; Expansion" with Darren Rhodes, and "Power Flow* with Rolf Gates. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher with "Yoga Alliance," and is certified by the YMCA in Group Fitness and Healthy Lifestyles. She has taught Dance and Yoga at numerous colleges and studios in California, Florida, Kentucky and most recently Michigan.

Krista participated in "The Heart of Yoga" program at the "Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram", in Chennai, India in August and September 2009. She has been accepted to attend the 2.5 year long 500-hour Teacher Training program with Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation in New York beginning, Jan. 2011.

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