Foundations
Foundation classes are suitable for beginners, but open to all levels of practitioner. A Foundation class will provide instruction on correct alignment for various common postures, conscious breathing principles as well as meditation/relaxation techniques. Expect a slower pace that will challenge you but not overwhelm. Music ranges from classical world music to downtempo chill.
Yoga Lite
This class is designed for anyone who desires a more relaxing practice with slower movement and a lighter flow. No handstands, headstands, or arm balances. Supportive methods of bolsters, straps, chairs, and wall space to assist with alignment in some of the poses. Thai yoga massage may also be used in this class. Music ranges from classical, world music to downtempo chill.
Beginner Vinyasa
The Beginner Vinyasa class is designed to provide the student with the underlying basics of how a vinyasa practice works. Vinyasa is a method of linking poses together in a sequence that moves in time with the breath. The class follows a sequence of asanas (postures) but is presented at a slower more relaxed pace than an All-Levels class.
Guided Meditation
Meditation can remove stress and replace it with a deep sense of inner peace. It’s one of the best tools we have to balance our emotions, deal with physical and psychological stress, and promote the peace of the present moment. But it can be tough to meditate without a teacher or guide. Enter guided meditations. Meditating on your own requires some effort, while guided meditations literally walk you through a meditation and help you find a calm and peaceful state—one step at a time.
All-Levels
These classes are for students of all levels and experience. The style of yoga taught in these classes is a mix of hatha and vinyasa. Hatha yoga is a generic term that refers to any type of yoga that teaches physical postures. Vinyasa (pronounced "vin-yah-sah") is the Sanskrit word for "flow", and vinyasa classes are known for their fluid, movement-intensive practices. Vinyasa teachers choreograph their classes to smoothly transition from pose to pose. Music is hand-selected to be positive, uplifting, energizing & revitalizing. Music may include styles of down-tempo, global trance, hip-hop, pop, house, indie or classic rock. You are encouraged to stay with your own breath, take breaks if needed, and take the variations and modifications that suit you best. Intermediate/Advanced options will be given for those who would like a stronger practice.
Sunrise & Morning
The morning classes are designed to energize the body and prepare you for the rest of your day.
Lunch Hour
A shorter length class, this class is designed for those who would like to squeeze in a class on their lunch break.
Evening & Late Night
Expect to challenge your body with an all-levels class, but finish the practice with poses that will help you unwind from your day.
Ashtanga
Basic athletic ability and some experience with yoga is recommended for these classes. Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga transmitted to the modern world by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures—a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.
Class Etiquette
• Please respect the student-teacher relationship and follow any request from your teacher.
• Please do not add or skip any postures from the traditional Ashtanga sequence unless acknowledged
or requested by your teacher.
• Please do not take any new postures unless agreed upon with your teacher.
• Practice with care and consideration towards yourself and others. Respect your limits and
acknowledge that your body and mind will feel different every day.
• Please be mindful of other students practicing by keeping talking to a whisper and walking softly throughout the studio and outside in the lobby.
Intro to Ashtanga Primary Series
The Primary Series is a set sequence of postures designed to bring strength, flexibility, and endurance to the body. It is designed to purify the body through the breath and the movement to invoke a stillness of the mind. This strong class will teach the fundamentals of Ashtanga yoga: ujjayi breath, energy locks, sun salutations, and vinyasas to prepare the student for the full primary series of Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga’s intensity invokes positive life transformations off the mat, helping you to live fully, with a deep sense of Self in your daily life. Please note: this is not “Gentle/Beginners Yoga.”
Ashtanga Primary Series
Primary Series. This is the classical Primary Series taught in many places around the world. Here we learn to link the postures together with breath and the technique called vinyasa, breathe with precision and learn to practice without missing a single breath. Previous yoga experience is recommended for this class, but after learning the fundamentals, people with fitness backgrounds and active lifestyles will be comfortable with this level of practice. No music is played in this class to encourage proper breath awareness.
Mysore Practice
“Mysore” style is the traditional method for learning the Ashtanga yoga practice as taught in Mysore, India. In the Mysore method, each student has an individualized practice which is developed and overseen by the teacher. A common misconception about the Mysore practice is that you need to know the Primary Series to attend. Postures are learned one by one and as they are mastered, the student gradually builds a personal practice. During Mysore, students of all levels practice at their own pace and the instructor is available to help with the postures by means of hands on adjustments and reminding students of sequencing. Cheat sheets are also available. A Mysore practice is developed slowly over time so that the student is able to memorize sequencing and the body is able to adapt to the postures. Mysore is appropriate for students of all levels and is the traditional method of learning yoga, one on one from teacher to student. There is a block of time for each Mysore class. You may come into the class at any time during the block. Quietly enter the room layout your mat and begin your practice. The teacher will offer assistance as needed. When you are finished quietly roll up your mat at leave.
New To Mysore
We recommend that you attend one of our Introduction to Ashtanga classes to learn the basics of rhythm and flow prior to attending Mysore class, but it is not absolutely necessary. Students new to Mysore are welcome to come and observe how the Mysore class flows at any time. There is no need to call ahead, just show up. The teacher can then talk to you about getting started.
Kundalini Yoga
KUNDALINI YOGA is a sacred science. Over 5,000 years old, Kundalini Yoga is a comprehensive technology ideally suited to people who lead active lives in today's world. Yogi Bhajan described Kundalini Yoga as the direct, non-stop jet route to consciousness. The focus lies on balancing the glandular system, strengthening the 72,000 nerves of the body and bringing the body, mind and soul into balance. Considered a Raj Yoga (royal yoga) Kundalini Yoga was carefully handed down by oral tradition from master to disciple for centuries and was always held in secret. In fact, it was never taught openly until 1969 when Yogi Bhajan challenged this secrecy and brought it to the west and began teaching publicly. He strongly felt that we would desperately need this technology to cope with the changing times. Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan is the Yoga of Awareness. It is a householder's path, which means that the yogi continues his/her normal life while on the spiritual path. Yogi Bhajan also challenged the way Kundalini Yoga is taught by making it his mission to create teachers, not disciples.
What to expect?
Each class lasts approximately one hour and consists of simple but powerful yogic techniques and meditations that can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter his or her age or physical ability. Kundalini Yoga truly needs to be experience to understand and recognize the potentially profound effects.
A Kundalini Yoga class begins by centering ourselves and tuning in* with the mantra "Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo", which means "I bow to the divine wisdom within myself and others." Next, you will warm up the body and the spine with some stretching and breathing techniques.
Each class is centered around a kriya (a yoga set which means "complete set or action") with a theme. There are literally thousands of sets, so each class will be very unique. Some examples of the sets are: strengthening the immune system, creating prosperity & abundance, strengthening & opening the heart, increasing flexibility of the spine, strengthening the thyroid & throat, detox & purifying the organs, recharging the electro-magnetic field (the aura, or energy field that surrounds the body), disease resistance & strengtheing the nervous system. Each set is a transformational experience. The yoga set (kriya) will be followed by a long deep relaxation time (savasana), where you will be able to totally relax and integrate the healing energy into the body.
After a deep relaxation, there will be a meditation that typically lasts anywhere from 3-11 minutes. (Yogi Bhajan said that doing yoga without meditation would be like cooking a big delicious meal, and not sitting down to enjoy it.) Some of the meditations have sound (mantra) and some are silent with a specific breathing sequence. The meditations can also have movement and/or a mudra (hand position). There are also thousands of different meditations, which, like the kriyas, provide a specific result, so each time will be unique.
To close the class, everyone sings* a beautiful prayer & blessing: "May the longtime sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on." Followed by chanting "Sat Nam". Sat means 'truth' and Nam means 'name' or 'identity.' It translates to "Truth is my Identity or Essence."
*You may simply choose to listen instead of chant or sing.
Some of the benefits of Kundalini Yoga:
Balances Emotions
Strengthens the nervous system
Enlivens sense of awareness
Increases intuition
Increases energy level
Brings clarity to the mind
Encourages sense of peace
Reduces stress
Increases lung capacity for better breathing
Strengthens the immune system
Supports & encourages personal transformation & growth
Orients consciousness to create happiness and health
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga, named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, is a form of Hatha Yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture (asana) and breath control (pranayama). The development of strength, mobility and stability is gained through the asanas.
B.K.S. Iyengar has systematised over 200 classical yoga poses and 14 different types of Pranayama (with variations of many of them) ranging from the basic to advanced. This helps ensure that students progress gradually by moving from simple poses to more complex ones and develop their mind, body and spirit through a step-by-step approach.[1]
Iyengar Yoga often makes use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas (postures). The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimising the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible to both young and old.