Yoga is many things: breathing, relaxing, stretching, and stressing your muscles, connective tissues, and joints.  It means to bind in Sanskrit. This can be thought of as the union of the body, mind, and spirit.

Hatha yoga refers to the postures, or asanas, that help us open the body’s energy, align the spine, and apply stress to stretch the muscles and connective tissues. 

Our classes are designed for all.  Many poses will be performed with modifications to help people find their own expression of the poses. There is no pressure to do more than you can.  

No.  The movement of yoga and the combined breath will, over time, become a meditation of sorts.  No experience is necessary.  

These classes are not about weight loss and are not focused on the numbers.  You will feel better in your body and do more movement as a result.  That may lead to weight loss; however, that will not be the focus of this work. 

Not only Yes but Hell Yes!!!!  We will focus on the pelvic floor in every class and gain greater control over that area and its functions.  I can’t promise a rose garden, but I can promise we’ll try to help, and doing this is better than giving up.  

Yes, I have found you can hurt yourself doing just about anything.   We try to support the body, minimize danger, and most importantly, listen to your body.  If you feel tingling, strain, or even pain, back off.  This is not calisthenics, this is yoga.  Don’t take chances, when in doubt, take it easy and relax in savisina. 

Yoga is not like other forms of exercise, where you need to do legs one day and arms the next. There is an infinite variety in yoga, and once you start getting moving, you may choose to do it every day or once a week.  It is all about you and your needs. 

No.  It is best to do yoga on an empty stomach. This helps with movement and energy level.  Drink lots of water before and after class.  

I once had a great yoga teacher who told me that the key to avoiding injury was finding the right balance between flexibility and strength. If you are too flexible and don’t have the strength to back it up, you will hurt yourself, and if you are all muscles and have no flexibility, you will hurt yourself.  Only when you reach a balance between the two will your body withstand injury.   

These classes are non-denominational.  All are welcome.  We will meditate and try to connect with our own bodies and minds. We will breathe, and we may even chant an OM or two, but this is not about any concept of God or Dogma.  This is about you and your body and coming to terms with loving yourself.

Wear clothing that will allow your body to move freely. Nothing too flowy that will get in the way of motion, and nothing too restrictive. Yoga pants and a t shirt is a good start.  

I swear by blocks as the most used prop.  A strap is not a bad idea, and a bolster can be used in many places where blocks are used. If you can only pick one, I would get 2 blocks. 

The Big Mistake that people make with mats is getting a puffy one.  You need a mat about 5mm thick and actually rather hard.  The soft mats look good, but they get in the way when you try to balance or do standing poses.  The mat’s purpose is not to give you the ultimate softness but to give you a firm, strong, steady place to practice.