Yoga Schedule
Thursdays
• 6:30 – 8:00 pm Basic Yoga with Saundra Emerson, RYT
Price: $5.00 per class
Basic Hatha Yoga. Suitable for all adults, beginner and experienced. Instruction provided according to your ability. We have the only raised & padded floor in the area. The floor is very comfortable for sitting or reclining poses AND firm enough for balance poses. Enjoy a relaxing class in our retreat atmosphere.
Yoga Information
If you are new to yoga, you might find the following information interesting and helpful:
• Yoga is over 5000 years old.
• Yoga originated in India.
• “Yoga” is a Sanskrit word, which means “to yoke” or “to bind.”
• Yoga is not a religion, it is a philosophy (mindset), a practice or lifestyle.
• There are several types of yoga practice and many styles to choose from.
• “Asana” is what the yoga postures are called.
• Several asanas done in succession with the rhythm of the breath, without a break or pause, is called a “vinyasa.” Sun Salutation is an example of a vinyasa.
• Yoga should be done on an empty stomach. Prior to practicing yoga, you should only eat something light, at least two hours before the class.
• Loose, comfortable clothing should be worn to do yoga.
• Yoga increases flexibility, lowers stress, and increases your energy level.
• Yoga is a process-oriented activity. The idea is to focus awareness on exactly what you are doing in the moment, to be mindful.
• Yoga coordinates the breath with movement, allowing you to fully experience the stretch. Yoga is not about simply completing a stretch so that you can move on to the next one. It is about being present in the moment.
• Yoga is not about competition or comparing. When practicing yoga, one goes within, being aware of what is happening inside the body. Whatever the body can do in a yoga session is exactly what it should be doing. One accepts without judging
As you continue practicing yoga, you may find that yoga can lead to a journey within yourself. You may find the link between the body, mind and spirit to offer a new area of inner growth and self-understanding.
Types of Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is the balance between physical and mental. It is most widely practiced form of yoga in the western world. It is best known as a series of body postures (asanas). Hatha Yoga positions are practiced largely in the West for their practical health benefits. This type of Yoga also involves the performance of breathing exercises (Pranayama), meditation, mudras and purification procedures known as ‘Shatkriyas’.
Bhakti Yoga
The path of innocence, emphasizes on the love and devotion to the Almighty. Practiced in a number of ways, such as praising the God by singing, chanting slogans, reading religious books, listening to prayers and by watching religious movies.
Jnana Yoga
The Yoga of true knowledge or enlightenment, Jnana Yoga aims to detach the person performing it, from all the temporary things of the life. The person doing it attains tranquility, control over his/her mind, sense, faith, ability for concentration and the endurance to withstand the play of opposites by Mother Nature.
Karma Yoga
The aim of a Karma Yogic (one, who performs Karma Yoga) is to provide selfless service to the poor and the needy, without expecting money, fame, power, respect and honor in return of the service.
Mantra Yoga
Mantra Yoga, as the name suggests, makes use of mantras to attain a peace of mind and increase the concentration power.
Raja Yoga
The path of insight. This type of Yoga helps a person to alleviate himself/herself from emotional and mental conflicts. Raja Yoga helps the person to be in harmony with the co-existing creatures and the environment.
Styles of Hatha Yoga
Anusara Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara yoga is a school of hatha yoga which unifies a life-affirming Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment. Its uplifting philosophy, epitomized by a “celebration of the heart” looks for the good in all people and all things.
Ashtanga is a system of yoga transmitted to the modern world by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a vigorous progressive set series of postures and vinyasa. This process produces 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.
Bikram known as Hot Yoga, is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury. Bikram Yoga is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. Classes last approximately 90 minutes and are guided by specific dialogue with a set sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.
Integral Yoga offers wisdom and techniques for the union of the body, mind and soul. It emphasizes the Karma of your everyday life. It involves meditation, pranayama and the performance of alignment-based Asanas.
Iyengar Yoga, developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, is based on giving primacy to the physical alignment of the body in the poses. In the Iyengar school, it is taught that there is a correct way to do each pose, and that every student will one day be able to attain perfect poses through consistent practice. Once this balance is created in the body, it will be reflected in the mind. One of Iyengar’s major innovations is in the use of props. Today it is quite common to see blankets, blocks, straps, pillows, chairs, and bolsters being used in yoga studios. The use of these props is comparatively new in the history of yoga and comes directly from Iyengar. The purpose of the props is to assist the student in attaining ideal alignment, even if the body is not yet open enough.
Jivamukti Yoga David Life and Sharon Gannon are the founders of Jivamukti Yoga, which they have been teaching out of their New York City yoga center since 1989. This style blends vigorous vinyasa practice with spiritual teachings, chanting, and an emphasis on how to bring yoga’s philosophy into daily life.
Kripalu is a gentle hatha yoga practice with a compassionate approach and emphasis on meditation, physical healing and spiritual transformation that overflows into daily life. In a Kripalu class, each student learns to find their own level of practice on a given day by looking inward. The classes usually begin with breathing exercises and gentle stretches followed by a series of individual poses and final relaxation.
Kundalini Yoga aims at drawing the untapped energy (Kundalini), coiled at the base of the spine, by using a set of technique that uses the person’s mind, senses and body. Apart from the physical postures (Asanas), the person performs meditation, chants mantras in order to awaken each of the seven chakras of the body.
Laughter Yoga combines unconditional laughter with yogic breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can laugh for no reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group but with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Power yoga is a general term used in the West to describe a vigorous, fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. Most power yoga is closely modeled on the Ashtanga style of practice. The term “power yoga” came into common usage in the mid 1990s, when several yoga teachers were looking for a way to make Ashtanga yoga more accessible to western students. Unlike Ashtanga, power yoga does not follow a set series of poses. Therefore, any power yoga class can vary widely from the next. What they have in common is an emphasis on strength and flexibility.
Purna Yoga was founded by Aadil Palkhivala. “Purna” means “complete,” and Purna Yoga distills and integrates the vast aspects of yoga into an invaluable set of tools for transformation and healing. Offering wisdom and techniques for the union of the body and the mind with the spirit, Purna Yoga teaches alignment-based asana, meditation and pranayama, along with nutrition and yogic living. Purna Yoga is the art of loving yourself by living from the heart. Aadil Palkhivala says, “Yoga is not to be performed, yoga is to be lived.” His teacher, Sri Aurobindo said, “All life is yoga.”
Sivananda Yoga, after teachings of Swami Sivananda, is a non-proprietary form of hatha yoga in which the training focuses on preserving the health and wellness of the practitioner. It revolves around frequent relaxation, and emphasizes full, yogic breathing. Sivananda Yoga teachers are all graduates of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course, and students widely range in age and degrees of ability.
Therapeutic is a branch of yoga which is focused on the treatment of people with mental and physical conditions. It acknowledges that yoga is a valuable healing art, and that some people are unable to attend conventional yoga classes due to physical limitations or a lack of awareness about yoga. Sessions of therapeutic yoga typically include deep stretching, guided meditation, and breath work. This style of yoga can be integrated into physical therapy regimens, the practice of nursing, and other aspects of health care.
Viniyoga The American Viniyoga Institute uses the term Viniyoga ™ to refer to an approach to Yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of each individual – giving each practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation. This approach to yoga evolved out of the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India.
Yin Yoga practice is focused on being more passive and still. With long holding of poses (5 minutes or more) a practitioner is able to actually stretch the joints and the connective tissues surrounding them. Helping our joints to stay moist and supple into our old age rather than drying out and becoming stiff and immobile.