If we assume that:
then, categorizing different styles of yoga is a bit tricky. Most schools of yoga borrow from each other's methodology. Often it is hard to say which is which.
We have tried to organize the styles to give you an initial reference point when looking for a class to go to so please treat is as such. Even within a style, the teacher will create a container that will either work for you or not.
All classes listed on the schedule are drop-in, first class is $8. We suggest that you come 10 to 15 minutes before the class starts and we will help you get orientated to the studio. We have mats for you to use (no charge) and water. Wear something comfortable you cam move in, and no socks or shoes needed. If it is your fist time to yoga, we'd recommend that you start with either the classes listed as Hatha or Yin.
Hatha – Combination of pranayama (breath work), sun salutations and various yoga postures. Many styles fall under this umbrella. It can be very gentle and accessible or quite challenging – depending on the level and focus. If you are new to yoga, this may be a good place to start.
Ashtanga – Can be quite vigorous. Sun Salutations, standing and seated postures are linked with vinyasa (fluid transition) creating a rhythmic meditative flow. The sequences are set by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois – sometimes we follow them and ride a wave, sometimes we play and change things around. Generally not recommended for beginners or first-timers to yoga.
Yoga Flow – Here the sky is the limit. Sequences are often created by our experienced teachers. Focus will change, form will be different – what will be the same is the smooth links and transitions. Sometimes music will hold the container for the practice.
Yin – This practice focuses on yielding and surrendering to gravity. Passive stretching, poses held for up to five minutes. No, this is not siesta time… The poses are held in a space of vigilance. Passive stretching aims to get deep into the body – the bones and ligaments as opposed to more superficial soft tissue. The practice can be quite challenging as well as very gentle, depending on where you want to go – many options, props, alternatives. Can be quite challenging, especially mentally.
Hip Opener – Yoga addresses the mobility of the hips in one way or another. Hip openers will increase strength and increase range of motion in and around the hip joint. The hip area must learn to pass on messages from the legs to the upper body, spine and back again. If we are tight, weak the messages get lost in a huge crowd of sensations...This area is often stubborn, it needs regular practice. Giving us so much feedback it gives us a chance to PAY ATTENTION and work on these sensations in the body. Check it out, you just might find some freedom in your hips....
Family Yoga – As parents, we strive to give our children the best foundations in life. By bringing yoga to our children, we plant the seeds for a healthy body and mind. When children learn the importance of wellbeing and health at an early age, the impact it can have in their older years is priceless. Children who practice yoga may not only be better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves, studies now show that they may also choose better foods to eat and engage in more physical activity than children who do not. Likewise, the time that a parent spends with his or her young ones creates a lasting bond that builds the foundations of a strong family. Come as a family, drop of a child, bring one of your family's child. Have a good time!
Body Contour Program with Aidan Thomas - New Classes! Marked on schedule as Kettlebells
NEW: The Kettlebell- Cardio BootCamp - Drop-in class - Get in shape! - Experience maximum efficiency fitness with this high-intensity comprehensive workout that will help you burn fat, increase your core strength and endurance, and build your aerobic capacity while improving balance, flexibility and joint mobility. Great complement to a Thursday Afternoon class! Drop in and enjoy! Commit to coming on regular basis till Christmas - see the results - get hooked! Mondays 4:15 to 5:00 pm - Nov 1 till Dec 20
The Anti-Aging Kettlebell Body Composition Program - Squat, Swing and Lunge your way through this Lactate Threshold Training Circuit designed to boost your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) levels--the Anti-Aging hormone that has multiple significant positive effects on skin, muscle tone, mood, energy, sleep quality and bone density. Thursdays 1:50 to 2:30 pm
CANCELLED: Anatomy of a Turkish Gladiator - Challenge yourself and build your body into one rock solid unit with this 300 Repetition Yoga-inspired workout made up of foundation movements essential to mastering this most complex and beneficial kettlebell movement. Core activation and stability, joint mobility, motor control, hip flexibility, pressing power and concentrated focus--all from one single, highly efficient movement. Fridays 6:50 am
Hatha – Combination of pranayama (breath work), sun salutations and various yoga postures. Many styles fall under this umbrella. It can be very gentle and accessible or quite challenging – depending on the level and focus. This is an all levels class.
Grounding Flow - This evening class will focus on postures that are grounding and balancing, cultivating downward moving energy. We will be working hard, but this slow flow grounding class will be the perfect way to wind down your day.
Infrared Heating (IR) requires no medium to transport warmth. When the invisible (infrared) light collides with (or is absorbed by) surfaces, including the human body, warmth is generated. This is also known as "direct" heating or the same sort of heating we experience through the sun. Far infrared heat removes toxins that are stored in the body, improves flexibility & joint mobility, promotes healing, reduces muscle stiffness and pain, decreases soreness & inflammation, increases circulation, improves skin tone, promotes weight loss, enhances heart function, lowers blood pressure and reduces stress. As with many Hatha classes, you will discover that some teachers will either be more vigorous or gentle, but as always you will be encouraged to move at your pace and level.
Hip Opener – Yoga addresses the mobility of the hips in one way or another. Hip openers will increase strength and increase range of motion in and around the hip joint. The hip area must learn to pass on messages from the legs to the upper body, spine and back again. If we are tight, weak the messages get lost in a huge crowd of sensations...This area is often stubborn, it needs regular practice. Giving us so much feedback it gives us a chance to PAY ATTENTION and work on these sensations in the body. Check it out, you just might find some freedom in your hips...
Hips, Back and Shoulders – Similar format as the popular hip opener class but we'll add some back and shoulders. Just think if we can open our hips maybe our backs will feel better, if we open our shoulders maybe our hips and back will feel better. Such a great thought. Come out, get on your mat and experience what OPEN might feel like...as most of us often feel tight and tense in these areas from too much sitting, not enough stretching and just holding "stuff" in this particular part of the body. At the end of the class you might just go "ah" that feels great.
Yoga for Runners – Hatha yoga class specifically focused on mobilizing, stabilizing, and creating space in the core and lower body. Expect lots of foot work, legs - hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, gluteus, and rotators. Stable and awake core is essential for running so we will work that center or our universe - opening things up, softening - then building the strength and support.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE RUNNER to greatly benefit form the class. If you wish more flexibility and access to the core and lower body, consider adding this class to your schedule.
Kettlebell Yoga - Strength and Stretch - Who says having a strong body must come at the cost of inflexibility? Who says you have to work hours at the gym in order to have a leaner, fitter body? This class combines an intensive half hour of kettlebell training with thirty minutes of toning and lengthening yoga stretches to create a fitness and wellness session that will increase both core strength and cardio respiratory endurance while improving your body composition and flexibility. You will be amazed at the changes that can happen with just a one-hour practice every week. This is a vigorous workout, but with lighter weights, is appropriate for beginners and intermediates who have a reasonable level of fitness.
Yoga Flow – Here the sky is the limit. Sequences are often created by our experienced teachers. Focus will change, form will be different – what will be the same is the smooth links and transitions. Sometimes music will hold the container for the practice.
Yin - This practice focuses on yielding and surrendering to gravity. Passive stretching, poses held for up to five minutes. No, this is not siesta time… The poses are held in a space of vigilance. Passive stretching aims to get deep into the body – the bones and ligaments as opposed to more superficial soft tissue. The practice can be quite challenging as well as very gentle, depending on where you want to go – many options, props, alternatives. Can be quite challenging, especially mentally.
Yin & Deep Relaxation - For most of us, relaxation doesn't just "happen". True relaxation is a gradual process that can require practice and cultivation. The longer held poses of Yin Yoga are a chance to give ourselves this gift of time. The time to settle into a pose, to find our way around, to deeply stretch and open the body, to soothe our over stimulated minds and our tendency to think excessively. Breath by mindful breath, we drop into our body, and our heart. It is a chance to reestablish the natural wholeness of body-mind and to come more fully into our life in the present moment - with greater awareness and acceptance. Our longer Yin practice will slowly transform into a few deeply relaxing restorative poses using props to support the process of letting go. A meditative class throughout, a variety of therapeutic tools may also be used to further explore and encourage the relaxation response (music, therapy balls, singing bowl, etc.).
Can be quite vigorous. Sun Salutations, standing and seated postures are linked with vinyasa (fluid transition) creating a rhythmic meditative flow. The sequences are set by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois – sometimes we follow them and ride a wave, sometimes we play and change things around. Generally not recommended for beginners or first-timers to yoga.
As the name suggest, a gentle approach to Hatha class - posses are more accessible, the pace is a bit slower, there is more space to rest if need be. Great class if you want to go easy, restore from a health adventure, or are relatively new to the practice and want a gentle entry to more active work.
No experience required. We build the practice from the ground up, with great detail. Create a solid foundation for a life of practice so that you can avoid injuries later on. Breathing and intelligent awareness of the body in asana (posture) practice are the core. Fairly gentle, but we still get some good exercise, targeting core and upper body strength, shoulder and hip opening and balance, which will begin to re-build your body for yoga practice.
Prenatal Yoga has a focus on breathing techniques, positive visualizations and gentle stretching to keep your muscles toned and your mind calm during pregnancy. We will help build stamina in your body and mind to help you during your labour and birth experience while at the same time honouring the changes that occur daily in the maternal body. There are specific poses designed to optimize your comfort and the baby's comfort during the stages of labour. This class is suitable for women in all stages of pregnancy or even those who wish to be pregnant, perhaps tapping in to the shaki energy in the room No previous yoga experience is necessary.
Restore and recharge by means of letting go. It is interesting that letting go and resting is not as easy as it seems. It takes some work and careful watching to slow down, soften and come back to equilibrium.
Restorative practice allows you time and space to let go of holding patters. Supportive postures, deep breathing, and other "tricks" enable the body and mind to shift finding new forms, perhaps more useful and at ease. Give it a try, you may be surprised how it opens the door to whatever else you want to do - strong practice, intense training, or sitting with a friend and smiling for no particular reason.
Half moderate Hatha practice, half deep tissue Yin release. A perfect balance of active poses to encourage strength and muscle lengthening, and deep joint opening with connective tissue stretching. Equally energizing and relaxing. The best of both worlds. Easy enough for beginning students but deep enough to benefit experienced yogis or those recovering from injuries and physical imbalances.
Qigong and Yoga - One third Qigong, one third moderate hatha flow, one third yin release. We turn on the music, move your body, shake up your energy, and stimulate your breathing without overloading or over-straining your muscles and organs (although we do work out a little). Using the Daoist principles of yin and yang; wu-wei (non-striving) and harmony with nature, we present a fun class that also builds Qi (life force), and channels it through the 12 Chinese meridians (energy lines). Smiling, laughter, sighing, groaning and other expressions of lively practice are all equally encouraged!