During the fall and winter months the workout room can get quite chilly so dress in layers.
Y oga is practiced in bare feet so shoes and socks must be removed. Yoga “sticky” socks and yoga shoes are the only safe alternatives. They can be purchased online at gaiam.com. The socks can also be purchased at Target, Whole Foods and Borders Bookstores for around $10.00/pair.
P lease bring a yoga mat to class. The regular gym mats are not designed for yoga and can be unsafe and dangerous if used improperly because they are too soft, too short and especially--too slippery. Yoga “sticky” mats can be purchased at the club, sporting goods stores, department stores or online; starting at less than $10.00. Until you have purchased your own yoga mat, please listen for and follow instructions on how to use the gym mat in a safer way during class. As a general rule, place your hands and feet on the floor and use the gym mat to cushion knees, hips and back.
The Routine --See what poses we'll be doing this week in yoga class.
Breathwork --The importance of Pranayama and Yogic breathing.
FAQ's --What does "Namaste" mean and other yoga questions.
Health Issues --Here are the basics for taking care of common health concerns and general modifications.
Music and DVD's/Videos --Music I use in class and where to buy it and recommended yoga DVD's and videos.
Poses --General guidelines and pictures to help you better understand and practice yoga asanas (poses).
Yoga and Pregnancy --Yoga physically, mentally and emotionally prepares one for the birth.
Savasana --Savasana is the most important yoga posture you can do. Learn about it here.
Styles --No style is better than another; it's simply a matter of personal preference. Learn the differences.
How to wash your yoga mat
Download a FREE yoga class from Yoga Today. Wake up each morning to a free one-hour yoga class from beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. World class yoga instructors Adi Amar, Neesha Zollinger and Sarah Kline will take you through a session that focuses on strength building, flexibility, stamina, and meditation-in-motion. Yoga Today delivers a new show, 7 days a week, 365 days per year, keeping your workouts fresh and energizing.
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As a courtesy to others, please turn cell phones off during yoga class.
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Please make every effort to be to class on time. Each class has a beginning, middle and end. Each segment is important and serves a purpose. The beginning of class is spent breathing to calm the mind and relax the body and includes warm up poses. This prepares the body and mind for the more challenging poses in the middle segment of the class. The class ends with Savasana or Relaxation Pose. This time is needed to allow the body to filter out the toxins from tissues, muscles and organs released during the poses to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit while reducing stress and tension. All segments of the class require deep concentration so i f you must arrive to class late or need to leave early please be respectful of others by entering and leaving the room as quietly as possible. To avoid distraction, late arrivals need to set up towards the back of the room.
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An Introduction to Yoga
Yoga is believed to be the best and most time tested part to physical and mental well-being known to mankind. Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise because of its effect on the internal systems of the body. The bending, stretching, twisting, pushing and squeezing bathes our internal organs with blood and vitality. Yoga soothes and tones the nerves and regulates the endocrine system which is responsible for the production of hormones. Yoga improves digestion and strengthens the respiratory system and most importantly, yoga is extremely effective in relieving stress; the plague of modern society. I hope you enjoy the many benefits of yoga.
Mind-body exercise is a process-oriented philosophy. The reward is in the journey itself, not the destination. Workouts designed under the mind-body philosophy emphasizes getting the parts of the body to work together and “integrating” the body’s motions with the thoughts and images held in the mind. The yoga approach is about trying to work without attachment to results, getting the ego out of the way, being able to accept where you’re at and trust where you’re going.
Mindful exercise is a noncompetitive and non-judgmental introspective component, which is process centered rather than strictly goal oriented.
Stress management means learning how to handle stress by first noticing it exists and then letting go of the tension that is stored in the body and mind. Without this letting go process, people can become candidates for stress-related conditions such as ulcers, migraines and even heart attacks.
Yoga can help you gain powerful awareness of how to positively influence your health by monitoring your feelings and regulating your responses to those feelings in the face of daily stressors.
Yoga postures combined with deep breathing can facilitate deep relaxation that combats stress. A stress response is typically accompanied by rapid, shallow breathing. Yoga encourages deep breathing that activates a relaxation response. The steady, even breathing of yoga reduces stress levels in the body. Deep stretching gives you an opportunity to get in touch with your body and notice where you are holding stress. These stretches remove tension from the muscles.
Mind body exercise (physical activity performed with an internal focus) can improve not only flexibility, strength, posture, coordination and balance, but also stress management and focus.
Yoga, which means to yoke or unite, is the practice of uniting all aspects of a person-body, mind, and spirit, through physical postures (asanas), and breathing. Flexibility, muscle tone and strength improve quickly as the mind and body work together in unison.
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Three underlying principals are considered essential to achieving a state of wellness and balance:
--Mindfulness—When the mind is truly focused, it exists in the present moment, clear and free of distracting thoughts unrelated to the events in the here and now. The mind becomes aware of the body’s posture and the fitness activity that is taking place. In the mind body fitness, we use attention or focus as a tool to unite the mind with the physical form to effect the integration of mind and body.
--Correct physical form—In any exercise or fitness activity the body should be in good alignment—both to ensure physical safety and to achieve the desired physiological outcome. This, of course, requires mental observation and the attention of the mind on the body.
--Breathing—In traditional disciplines such as yoga, the breath is considered the link, or bridge between the mind and the body. The WAY we breath is intimately connected with both mind and body. When the pattern of our breathing shifts, there is measurable changes in our psychophysiology. For example, slow, deep, breathing has been found to decrease central nervous system arousal and alter neuroactive substances in the brain. These substances include serotonin, one of the messengers of well-being that influences the mind and body. When you are anxious, your breathing is rapid and shallow. When you are relaxed, you breathe slower and deeper.
Yoga can help you achieve a balance among the elements of mind-body integration by incorporating mindfulness, proper form and breathing.
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The Power of Visualization in Asana
When approaching a challenging/difficult/strenuous yoga posture, you can harness the power of the mind to move the body into the pose. If you can see yourself in the yoga posture, you can do it.
Close your eyes, deepen the breath and see your body doing the yoga posture in your mind’s eye. See every detail, seeing your body’s alignment and how you are breathing. See yourself in the posture strong, confident, and graceful. See yourself holding the posture with ease. See a smile on your face! Keep this image clearly in your mind as you move your body into the posture. Simply allow your body to fill up this mental picture, without excess pushing, straining or effort. When your body is fully in the posture, keep your focus on the mental picture, and begin to feel your body inside this image, filling it up with your awareness.
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Challenge yourself
To go deeper into your practice of yoga, it is necessary to challenge your body-mind-spirit on occasion. When poses become easier and you’re ready to push yourself a little deeper into a pose begin slowly, focusing the mind on the breath and the body. Feel what is happening in the body without the temptation to react, judge, or criticize. Breathe, breathe, breathe, and let go of the “I can’t”. Take yourself right to your edge, breathe some more, and see if you can go just a tiny bit more. Give yourself permission to bail out at any time if the body (not the mind) is saying a big “no”.
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Go to the Edge
When holding a yoga posture you want to go to your edge. The edge is the place where you feel a deep stretch in your body or you feel the body working hard, but not going past that to where you hurt yourself by compromising your form or over working the body.
The edge is a magical place, but a scary place too. Getting to know your edge is getting to know your body. It’s a body thing, not a mind thing, so let go of any thoughts or distractions. Slow down and listen to the body, easing your way closer and closer. Find the place between pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, openness and protection. Balance there, feeling both worlds, feeling everything, and breathe.
