WHY MY YOGA CLASSES ARE SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS
FUN FACT: Did you know that yoga was created by a man and ONLY men were allowed to practice it at the time? Oh how it has changed these days, which I am so grateful for.
In my yoga classes I aways offer variations. We start in the ‘base’ (beginner) pose and each individual can opt to take the more advanced variations if they wish. More so for those who have a regular yoga practice or are competent to do so.
I like to mention EGO in my yoga classes as well. I believe there are two types of ego.
The positive ego; which is what helps us push past our comfort zone. Helping us to achieve our goals and gain more flexibility.
Then there is the negative ego; which usually involves comparison, judgement and competitiveness. This negative ego is what we want to leave behind. This is where injury can occur which is the last thing we want. Yoga is there to help us, not hurt us.
We also close our eyes for majority of the practice; only opening the eyes if you are unsure of the cues and need to see the teacher. Or if the yoga pose is cued to focus on something in particular. This can certainly be a challenge at first, but very soothing once you feel comfortable.
I am also very mindful of every ‘body’ and what each individuals capabilities are, and so I always offer variations if/when a certain pose may not be suitable for some bodies. For example. Pigeon pose (sometimes known as Swan pose) is not always suitable for peoples knees and/or hips as it puts a fair amount of pressure on these joints. Therefore I offer a variation called ‘Figure 4’ which is much nicer on these joints, but you still feel the stretch just as much, if not better. This is where letting that negative ego go is important, because you are likely to do a different variation in some poses than what the fellow yogi next to you might be doing. And that is more than ok!
Below are some images of the variations we can do. However I very rarely, teach the advanced poses as they need a lot of cues, time and assistance to come into.
As you can see with the images above, there are MANY variations of pigeon/figure 4 pose. But I usually only offer the beginner variation and sometimes the intermediate option.
Most of all, it is my goal to make you feel comfortable throughout the class and for you to leave feeling wonderful and blissful. Not to mention you get a complementary bliss ball on your way out. Some of my fellow yogi’s jokingly say that they love coming for the bliss balls just as much for the class itself.
I currently have two (2) yoga classes held at The Longwood Institute Hall.
WEDNESDAY
YOGA FLOW ~ 6:15 - 7:15PM
A slightly more 'flowy' class with poses focusing on balance, core strength, flexibility, pelvic core and mindfulness.
FRIDAY
WIND-DOWN YOGA ~ 5:00 - 6:00PM
A slow, relaxing class with minimal effort needed. Focuses on flexibility, stress relief, bodily awareness and mindfulness.
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As of 2023 ALL of my yoga classes at the Longwood Institute Hall will be extending to 75-minutes long.