Yoga Studio
Ready for some online yoga? Check out Align-Online
We have a keen awareness of the powerful effects yoga can have on the healing process and feel that offering a decent variety of options to suit the different needs of our clientele is imperative. People will often choose to take a yoga class for flexibility, strength, or balance in the physical body. What some don’t realize is how practicing yoga can affect things like boosting immunity or balancing the nervous system as well.
Through the mind body connection; a strong yoga practice can deepen our relationship with the self and our spirituality. Through this cultivation of awareness, a regular yoga practice enhances our overall emotional wellbeing.
What Is The Best Yoga Class?
When you are deciding which yoga style is right for you, you might not know exactly where to start. Below a few of our gifted yoga teachers share their perspective and description of the kinds of yoga classes they offer, so that you can make informed decisions on which classes you may want to explore. We choose our teachers with care because it’s one of the most important ingredients in having a deeper, more meaningful experience.
Flow Yoga (Martha/Kaity)
Flow Yoga is exactly what most of us think of when we think of yoga. We spend much of the time standing in traditional warrior poses, working on balance and strength. In most classes, we move the spine in all five directions, though you may not even realize it. The movements are usually continuous and constant. We flow to standing, flow in and out of our daily poses, flow down to the floor.
Flow stems from the sanskrit word “vinyasa,” which means “to place in a special way.” We can look at vinyasa flow yoga as mindfully and attentively using our awareness while moving the body, breath, and mind.
As a whole body discipline (incorporating mind, body, and breath), vinyasa yoga follows a bell curve sequence where we are progressively building our energy up to the peak of the class, and then gradually winding back down into our final relaxation, Savasana.
Vinyasa yoga can vary from gentle to vigorous, yet the thread that ties the discipline together lies in connecting movement, mindful breathing, and awareness based meditation practices. Where these three parts of the practice line up, we embody a state of flow.
Yin yoga (Martha)
Yin Yoga is a relatively new format of yoga and may not be what you think of when you imagine a yoga class. Yin and yang are two parts of a whole, yoga flow (vinyasa) is considered yang, and yin is the complementary other half – lying on the floor in restful, supported stretches for the entire class.
What sets yin postures apart is the duration of the hold; each posture is held for 3-5 minutes. Holding for a longer period allows for softening the muscle, fascia, and connective tissue to allow a deeper level of release. As the body slows down and holds the stretch, the mind begins to quiet which produces a relaxing effect on the nervous system.
This is a great class for folks with tight achy muscles who may not find time to stretch on their own. The meditation portion of class may facilitate relaxation for those suffering from anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. We often hear that normally restless people sleep through the night after this class. Yin could make you feel like you’ve had a full body massage.
Yoga RX (Michele)
With a therapeutic feel, this is a very slow flow (vinyasa) class with a focus on alignment, breath and muscular engagement through various postures (asanas). Emphasis is on good form while remaining grounded through constant refinement of the asana mixed with breath, lightness and heart-opening humor. This class is a good choice for beginners, and is also great for experienced yogis who want to focus on alignment and grounding.
Yoga Nidra (Kaity)
If you have never experienced Yoga Nidra, it could change your life and will definitely change your Nervous System. Yoga Nidra, or Yogic Sleep, is a systematic relaxation approach that works with the nervous system from superficial to deep levels to give every single cell of our being a chance to deeply recharge. True rest is something we rarely offer ourselves.
Nidra is a systematic approach to Nervous System regulation, decompression, and release. Through a step-by-step series of relaxation techniques, breathing practices, and visualizations, students are guided into deeper and deeper brain states. While the body begins to relax and let go, as it would in a deep sleep, the mind remains passively conscious. Brilliant changes can occur from this state of mind and body.
- In the practice of Yoga Nidra, we are able to reprogram subconscious and unconscious thought patterns and core beliefs.
- Yoga Nidra is a systematic tool for restructuring our subconscious or unconscious habits to better align with conscious goals through the process of inducing total relaxation on all levels of our being.
- Through Yoga Nidra and setting an intention (Sankalpa) in a state of deep openness and relaxation, we can align our conscious beliefs and desires with our waking impulses and behaviors.
- Yoga Nidra can clarify anything blocking one from connecting to the true nature of the Self at all levels of being (physical, energetic, mental/emotional).
- Kaity’s class involves gentle movement practice to open us up to deeper relaxation as she guides us through the journey of letting go.
Something to Remember
When we look back to the very roots of this ancient 5000 year old tradition, we can see it has always been heavily steeped in meditation and energy work. The actual postures of yoga are relatively new, and much of the postural yoga we practice today is only about 100 years old.
While practicing these more modern forms of yoga, it is important to remember the roots of this practice. The Sanskrit word “yoga” in itself means “to unite.” Indeed, yoga is a practice meant to unite us with our highest selves.
Yoga is that which brings us closer to our deepest truth, while cleansing away all that is not aligned with our true selves. Yoga is the recognition of our inner wholeness, and the asana (postures) of yoga are tools that allow us to connect to our highest selves every time we step on the mat.
We host all of the above styles of yoga on our online studio, Align-Online