Class descriptions

Yoga Classes

All yoga classes feature the elements of chanting (accompanied by harmonium), pranayama and meditation in addition to the physical postures. Use the descriptions below to help you find a class that is appropriate for your body and your specific needs or email us if we can be of assistance.

Gentle – Gentle yoga will incorporate gentle stretching with easeful flow at a slower pace to accommodate all levels of practitioners. Beginners and seniors will benefit greatly from this class while more experienced practitioners that want to slow down the pace may benefit as well. Props will be liberally used to help the practitioner find good alignment and ease in the poses as well as allowing them to experience poses that might otherwise be unavailable. Gentle classes will get you moving and ready to face your day with calmness and ease.

Moderate – This class will pick up the pace a bit as compared to our Gentle classes while still being grounded in good foundations of alignment. You’ll experience more flowing movement in this class as it grows from the basic Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) into more challenging balancing postures and inversions. Some yoga experience and familiarity with the basic yoga postures is recommended.

Mixed – Mixed level classes may feature more flowing postures and sequences to challenge you while giving you modifications to make them available to every body. These classes will allow you space to practice at your own pace or challenge yourself to go deeper. Some yoga experience is recommended.

Beginners – Beginners yoga is the perfect place to begin your practice or find your way back to the mat. This gentle class will explore the basic foundations of the practice through breath and movement, taking each pose from the ground up. Plenty of props and other forms of support will be employed to make it accessible while you become more aware of your body and begin to open it to new possibilities. A great class to take to begin a yoga practice, come back to practice after an injury, surgery or other physical trauma, or after a long absence.

Chair - Chair Yoga incorporates the use of a chair into the practice that the student uses to support them so they may receive the very same benefits as mat yoga without the stress and strain of getting down to or up from the floor. Meditation, breath work and chanting are incorporated, just like a regular mat yoga class. Chair yoga is for every body!

Whether you are confined to a wheel chair, spend hours a day working at a desk or with a computer, are getting on in years, are facing physical challenges that make mat yoga impossible or simply don’t wish to get down on the floor any more, chair yoga can help you feel better and regain strength and flexibility. Jessica specifically uses the methods learned in Laskshmi Voelker Chair Yoga certification to help students gain all the benefits of yoga from a comfortable seat. Try a class today and see how great it can make you feel!

Yin – Yin yoga is a very different type of yoga class than most of us are typically familiar with. Instead of stretching and stimulating the muscles, Yin yoga focuses on stimulating the connective tissues and joints improving the flow of Chi or Prana through these areas. This is accomplished through passive holding of specific postures for 3-5 minutes. Don’t let the time intimidate you! The Yin postures are not difficult to hold for these periods of time and are frequently supported by props to allow you to release and relax. Yin yoga is very meditative and can be a perfect complement to a more Yang or active yoga practice. A great class for all levels of practitioners! For an excellent article about all the benefits of Yin Yoga, go HERE.

UNWIND Yoga – These classes will incorporate a mixture of various yogic techniques to help you get over the “hump” and relax so that you can finish your week well. This class may include combinations of Yin and Flow Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, Breathwork and various Meditation techniques. Expect to release tension in body, mind and spirit so that you can feel completely nourished and ready to head home and off to a good night’s sleep. This class is suitable for all levels of experience.

Private Yoga Sessions -

Private Yoga Sessions can be a rewarding way to expand your practice or to experience yoga individually if you have never tried yoga and would like some one-on-one attention before joining a group class.

Learn even more about your body and become aware of its strengths and weaknesses.
Receive personalized attention to refine alignment and understanding of poses.
Work specifically on poses where you are challenged and could benefit from extra guidance.
Target specific areas of the body that you’d like to strengthen.
Find ways to improve your specific lifestyle and wellness concerns such as anxiety, pain, diet, insomnia, depression, stress management, fear etc. through yogic teachings.
Assist in recovery from injury, surgery or other trauma or illness.
Take your practice to a new level and get started with a home practice.
Ask the questions that you just aren’t able to ask in a class setting.
Receive personalized guidance to open up to possibilities you may not have even considered.

Private sessions are scheduled on an individual basis and may take place at the studio or in the privacy of your own home. You may also take advantage of a FREE 15 minute consultation before or after class that will focus on a specific question or aspect and allow you to decide if a further exploration in a full length private session would be appropriate. Please call the studio or email Jessica to inquire further or schedule an appointment.

Nia

Do you enjoy moving in your body? Do you want to increase your energy? How about improving your flexibility, strength, and balance? Would you like more of a connection to your community? Do you want to work out and then forget you were working out because you were having fun too? All of these things come together in a Nia class.

A licensed instructor will guide you through this hour long class, and present movement options at three different levels, so everyone is moving together yet each individual is moving at their own pace and energy level.

The Nia Technique is a Holistic based movement class that combines movements and concepts from the Dance Arts, Martial Arts, and Healing Arts. Nia is a dynamic movement and transformational lifestyle practice that provides the opportunity to move and play, to express and explore, get fit, and to personally develop by making a deeper, and richer connection to the body. Nia teaches people of all lifestyles and abilities to explore movement guided by the Sensation of Pleasure, vs No Pain- No Gain and allows participants to move towards their personal health and well being goals as well as achieving stability, mobility, balance, strength, agility, and cardio benefits.

Meditation Classes

(On hiatus until the fall)

Meditation classes will generally follow a format that includes introduction of a meditation technique or concept, putting that technique or concept into practice and then concludes with sharing of experiences and an opportunity for asking questions. You will learn meditations that quiet the mind, relieve stress, inspire peace and joy in your life and allow you to open to your highest potential. Techniques may include: guided meditation, visualization, minute meditations and/or mindful meditation so that you may have a broad experience and find a technique that works best for you! Appropriate for beginners or those who want to deepen their understanding of the practice.

**PLEASE NOTE** – There is a $5.00 cash or check fee for this class. No passcards may be used.