Choose the right style of yoga for you!
“The success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships”
– T.K.V Desikachar
Class Descriptions
Each class is practiced in one of our 3 rooms. We have 2 non-hot rooms (one is our rope wall room) and a hot room (or reduced heat).
The schedule will indicate where the class is being held.
A few contraindications for the hot room are high blood pressure and pregnancy. While non-hot yoga can be largely appropriate for just about anyone depending on the style of class you are choosing to attend including seniors, pregnant women and those just starting a yoga practice, you may need to check with your doctor if you have certain conditions or injuries such as high blood pressure, glaucoma and sciatica.
The Spinal rejuvenation classes cannot be attended by anyone who is pregnant, has high blood pressure or serious eye or ear disease such as glaucoma.
We always recommend you try a few different classes with various teachers to find what works for you.
Do you need guidance to choose the right classes for you? We are here to help! Please email lindsay@yogashalawaterdown.com with the following information listed below:
- What are your goals, objectives and intentions
- Do you have any injuries or limitations that we should be aware of
- Are you interested in hot, non-hot or reduced heat classes or all of the above
- When is your availability to attend classes
Hatha
Hatha involves a set of physical postures (yoga poses) and breathing techniques, practiced more slowly and with more static posture holds than perhaps a Vinyasa style of class. The teacher will guide you to greater depths and gives you the tools for proper alignment to ensure safety and success in the postures. Modifications & use of props are always offered
Hatha Flow
Hatha Flow is all the goodness of a Hatha practice with the addition of some added movement, linking pose to pose at a more moderate pace. Hatha flow gives you the opportunity to explore more movement and flow but not commit to that full vinyasa practice.
Vinyasa
Vinyasa is a style of yoga characterized by linking postures together so that you move from one to another, using your breath. Commonly referred to as a “flow” style of yoga. The teacher will create a class that builds stamina, increases strength and establishes flexibility with a constant emphasis on the core area of the body while reducing stress and increasing vitality.
Slow Flow
Slow Flow is all the goodness of a Vinyasa practice but taught at a slower to more moderate pace.
Deep Stretch
Deep Stretch is an active stretching class that targets primary muscle groups surrounding the hips, hamstrings, upper back & shoulders. This class will help you to access these areas in the body that hold more habitual tightness, stress and tension. Spending time stretching will help you gain greater mobility overall, increase flexibility, feel more ease & openness in areas like the whole back and spine.
Spinal Rejuvenation
Do you want to feel refreshed, energized, more flexible, and younger? This anti-aging series designed by Aadil Palkhivala opens the spine in all directions while it’s in a state of suspended traction. This frees up the tension in all the small and large postural muscles that surround the spine, while simultaneously reversing gravity’s effects on the spine. The series releases pressure on the vertebral discs, increases blood flow, circulation and allows the nerves to regenerate, which helps reverse the aging process of the spine. When the spine is youthful all the muscles and organs in the body will function better, and overall health improves.
This class will increase the flexibility and mobility of the muscles—both around the spine and between the vertebrae themselves. This creates more space for the intervertebral discs, as well as decreases the likelihood of bulging discs, disc compression, and pinched nerves.
Walk taller, breathe deeper and feel more open in the whole back and chest.
Happy Hips
& Shoulders
Based on the teaching of Aadil Palkhivala and Purna Yoga, this 60 min yoga class will help you find balance and stability in your hips and shoulders.
Your Hip muscles directly effect the pelvis and spine, we will explore postures that can relieve tight hips and leave you with more flexibility and mobility. The Shoulders are a common area for injury, moving through gentle full range of motion postures you can begin to strengthen the shoulder area to prevent future injury, gain strength the stability.
Happy Hips
& Spine
Based on the teaching of Aadil Palkhivala and Purna Yoga, this 75 min class will help you find balance and stability in your yoga practice.
This class will take you through Classical Surya Namaskar, this sequence moves your body from head to toe, giving you a full body energy boost. Exploring standing postures using the wall will help you gain greater stability in your hips and legs. During this class you will also find freedom in the spine through the use of traction techniques using the pelvic sling. Combined with yoga philosophies, mantras and breath work bring your practice to a deeper place, nourishing body, breath and soul.
Yin
Yin yoga is a quiet contemplative practice. It works deeply into our body with passive, long-held poses. Yin yoga targets the deepest tissues of the body; our connective tissues, ligaments, joints, bones and the deep fascia network of the body, rather than the muscles (the focus of a yang practice)
Benefits of a yin practice:
- Releases fascia & improves joint mobility
- Can revitalize the tissues of the body & increases circulation
- Yin yoga forces us to slow down & find more balance
- This practice can help us become more resilient to stress
- Yin gives tools to reduce anxiety
- Yin yoga can help us tap into the parasympathetic nervous system
- Increases flexibility in the body & mind
Yang/Yin
Yang/Yin for balancing energy, flexibility & strength Yang/Yin blends two styles of yoga into one practice – bringing together the benefits of passively holding yoga poses with more dynamic movements and standing postures.
Combining both Yin and Yang in one class provides a balanced practice and can have a powerful effect on energy levels, calms body & mind, reduces stress & anxiety plus strengthens & tones the body, increases stamina and improves flexibility & circulation.
Meditate & Connect
The most difficult part of connecting to life is to slow the mind long enough to even see what we need to do. In this class, the teacher offers guided meditations, visualizations, pranayama exercises, reflective prompts and other techniques to help strengthen the connection you have with your life by stepping back, slowing down and building a strong self-awareness muscle. Learn how to connect with yourself, with others, and with the Universe around you by observing your mind and changing the relationship you have with the thoughts that swirl around up there.
