Yoga Class at Anahata Movement Arts
You can do Yoga poses where ever you go! This is Triangle pose
Hatha Yoga~
These are all part of Hatha Yoga practice; Vinyasa/Flow, Yoga Kosas, Deep Stretch, Yang/Yin, Restore, Gentle, and Beginners classes. These classes are practiced and taught with the 8 limbs of Yoga approach.
What we mean by class type on Schedule:
Hatha/Anusara Inspiried/Yang classes ~ Okay for Beginners to yoga *taught with all levels in mind * build up strength and flexibility. *body and pose alignment
Deep Stretch/Restorative/Gentle/Yin classes~ focus is on relaxing body and mind hold poses with breath awareness and uses props to support deep stretch
Hatha Flow/Vinyasa classes ~ using synchronized breathing technique to move through a series of poses that increase blood flow and heart rate, giving you a more cardo aspect. *Challenging for Beginners of Yoga that may not know poses by name.
Yoga Kosas~ This class format is taught with Iyengar methodology *very specific alignment of body * teacher works a lot with Yoga for Injury
Beginners Yoga~ on going group class focused on beginning stages of Yoga practice
* MOST ALL of our classes will begin and/or End with “OM” chant and “Namaste” greeting…..
“OM” ~ You can join the class for this or just listen. There are several meanings out there. Traditionally it is pronounced “AUM” ah-ooo-mmm. Great way to center and connect to ourselves as well as those that we practice Yoga with.
“Namaste” ~main translation is ” the Divine with me honors and bows to the Divine with in you. This helps you build respect and honor for yourself, your class mates as well as your teachers.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga uses movement, sound current, breath, and meditation to relax and heal your mind and body, thus allowing for spiritual growth. This powerful and effective form of Yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D., Master of Kundalini Yoga, is a great way to recharge and strengthen your body and spirit quickly. The benefits of Kundalini are the similar as those of Hatha Yoga Style.
Those 8 limbs are…
1. Yama ~external attitudes for guiding conduct within society (nonviolence, truthfulness, non stealing, truth, noncoveting
2. Niyama ~ internal attitudes for personal discipline (purity, contentment, selfless service, study of self, devotion to God)
3. Asana ~ Yoga Postures (physical exercise)
4. Pranayama ~ Regulation of the in and out flow of breath/prana “life-force”
5. Pratyahara ~ Withdrawal of the senses from their objects
6. Dharana~ Contemplation of one’s true nature.
7. Dhyana~ Meditation “awareness to a single point of attention is maintained”
8. Samadhi ~ Absorption of the Self “meditation that results in only the essential light of the object remaining – object loses its concrete form.
Yoga classes
can be safely attended by relatively healthy and injury-free beginners. These classes will help you develop the strength, flexibility, breath engagement, and internal awareness necessary for an effective regular yoga practice. Benefits of Hatha Yoga/ Kundalini Yoga include, but are not limited to,…
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Increased Flexibility: You are never too old to improve your flexibility. Yoga safely stretches your muscles, thus releasing lactic acid. Lactic acid builds up in the muscles, causing stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. Yoga increases the range of motion in your joints.The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout the body. Yoga also stretches the body’s soft tissues, including ligaments and tendons. Good classes for this: Deep Stretch, Yang Yin and Hatha
- Increased Strength: Some styles of Yoga are more vigorous than others, such as Vinyasa/Core Vinyasa 1-2 and 2-3 level classes. Yoga classes that focus on more precise alignment of poses, such as Hatha on the schedule, can provide strength and endurance. Poses like Downward Dog, Plank, and Upward Dog build upper-body strength. Standing poses, especially if held for several moments with long breaths, build strength in your leg muscles. When practiced dynamically and correctly, nearly all yoga poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.
- Body Posture: Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength, which helps maintain a healthy spine and makes you more inclined to stand and sit tall. This happens because Yoga increases body awareness, thus heightening our ability to quickly notice when we slouch or slump our shoulders.
- Breathing: Yoga teaches us to take deep mindful breaths which improve lung capacity, improve the immune system, and stimulate relaxation of the fight or flight response. “The quality of the breath reflects the amount of vital energy present in the body.”
- Reduce Stress and Increase Calmness: Even beginners will feel less stressed and more calm after their first class. Yoga uses methods to quiet the constant “mind chatter” that often underlies stress. Yoga’s anti-stress benefits are a host of biochemical responses. For example, there is a decrease in catecholamines, the hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters - dopamine, nor-epinephrine, and epinephrine — creates a feeling of calm. Research also points to a boost in the hormone, oxytocin. Oxytocin is the so-called “trust” and “bonding” hormone that is associated with feeling relaxed and connected to others.
- Concentration and Mood: Nearly every Yoga style will have you feeling happier and more centered after the class. Yoga helps us improve focus. This improved focusing ability may be a result of the effects of oxygen on the brain, stemming from the deep breathing associated with Yoga practice. Poses like Tree Pose (standing on one leg) help us to focus on the moment.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Yoga
1. DO arrive early – getting to class about 10 minutes early can help you settle in and align your attitude with the purpose of the class. While you’re waiting you can get centered, breathe or just be quiet.
2. DON”T eat for two to three hours before class – if you practice yoga on a full stomach, you might experience cramps, nausea, or vomiting especially in twist, deep forward folds and inversions. Digesting food also takes energy that can make you lethargic if practicing while digesting meals.
3. DO let your teacher know about injuries or conditions that might affect your practice – if you are injured or tired, skip poses you can’t or shouldn’t do or try a modified version.
4. DO create an intention – to help you focus, you might find it helpful to dedicate your practice to a certain intention. This might be to become more aware and understanding, more loving and compassionate, or healthier, stronger, and more skill. Or it might be for the benefit of a friend, a cause, GOD or even yourself.
5. DON”T bring pagers or cell phones to class – Leave socializing and business outside the studio, so the peace of the practice is not disturbed.
6. DO be quiet – it’s great to share a class with people you know, but it can be distracting to yourself and others to have an extended or loud conversation.
7. DO bring a towel – if you sweat a lot, and arrive clean of scents that might be distracting or offend others.
8. DON”T push it – instead of trying to go as deeply or completely into a pose as others might be able to do, do what you can without straining or injuring yourself. You’ll go farther faster if you take a loving attitude toward yourself and work from where you are, not from where you think you should be.
9. DO pick up – and neatly put away any props you use. Put blocks way standing them up on side, roll up straps, and fold the blankets and put on shelf in nice way so then next person that uses them picks up the “neat” energy you left behind.
10. DON”T enter class late -a few minutes is okay but after 10 minutes arriving that late is very disruptive to the teacher and others. Also avoid leaving early from class.
11. Do take time afterwards to think about what you did in class – so you can retain what you learned. Review the poses you practiced, and note any instructions that particularly made sense. Even if you remember just one thing from each class, you’ll soon have a lot of information that can deepen your own personal practice.
Anahata Movement Arts
