****Note – our online class schedule may have more detailed descriptions of individual classes
All classes at YogaGeauga will include attention to the breath, centering and enough yoga philosophy to help you find your way to mental stillness. You will begin to develop an awareness of your own body and how to move through the poses mindfully and safely.
One of the benefits of practicing at a small studio like YogaGeauga is small class sizes. The teacher is able to teach to the students’ abilities within the class description. Beginner’s will be comfortable in either Gentle or Basics.
Preparing for class. What to wear, what to bring.
Gentle Yoga – no experience necessary. Each class will include restorative poses for relaxation and some gentle flowing movement linked with breath. You will have the option to use a chair rather than get up and down from the floor. Rounding out the class will be an assortment of balance work, strength development, and therapeutics for improving range of motion of the major joints.
Basic Yoga – For beginning students or more experienced students wanting to revisit the fundamentals or slow the pace. The basics of sun salutations (a connected series of poses to open and stretch your whole body) will always be covered. Additionally, essential yoga poses and their adaptations will be taught with time to explore how the pose feels in your body. This class is appropriate for new students without any major physical limitations.
Beyond Basic Yoga and Slow Vinyasa Flow – Appropriate for all levels except brand new to yoga, this class is a bridge between Basics and full Vinyasa. While there will still be instruction on the fundamental poses, breath and philosophy, a little yoga experience and knowledge of the sun salutations is assumed. This class builds strength and flexibility and can be either a healthy, ongoing yoga practice or a stepping stone to a more advanced class.
Strong Yoga for Functional Movement – Similar in pace to Slow Flow or Beyond Basics, but with additional emphasis on strength and understanding body mechanics through the lens of yoga flow. Because of the strength aspect, this class may feel more rigorous than Beyond Basics or Slow Flow.
Vinyasa Yoga – some experience recommended. If you know the basic yoga poses and embrace Downward Dog as a place of rest, this class if for you. Vinyasa synchronizes traditional yoga poses with deep breathing to build an inner fire. This athletic practice tones the muscles, cleanses the tissues and quiets the mind creating a feeling of clarity and serenity.
Yoga Tune Up® – a format that accelerates and increases the healing benefits of yoga by combining elements of yoga, strength training, body therapy and stress reduction. The poses and sequences found in Yoga Tune Up® approach the body as a living archaeological dig, probing layers of muscle, tendons, connective tissues and joints. By excavating unhealthy tension patterns we bring your body back into long lasting physiological balance.
Restorative Yoga – a slow, gentle, quiet practice, Restorative Yoga is the quintessential yoga of relaxation. It soothes your nervous system, allowing profound unwinding and restoration of energy. Each 75 minute session of carefully sequenced, fully supported restorative poses relaxes large muscles and calms the mind, providing relief from everyday stress and insomnia. Relaxing night time pre-sleep breathing techniques and guided meditation or a brief yoga nidra will be introduced. Restorative Yoga classes are held once a month on Tuesday evenings.
Roll and Relax – blissful self-massage, stretching and relaxation using Yoga Tune Up®/ Roll Model® Method Therapy Balls. This class will help you: release stress and tension; identify body “blind spots”; and deepen your proprioceptive sense.
Ashtanga Primary Series – Practiced only to the sound of the breath, Ashtanga Vinyasa is the basis of most vinyasa yoga styles. It is a specific, progressive sequence of asanas synchronizing breath and movement. Once the practitioner learns the basic forms of the sequence, they can shift their emphasis to breath, focus and working with their body and mind as they are in the moment. It can be taken slowly or at a more athletic pace as the practitioner’s breath and ability permit. The process generates internal heat and improves circulation, creating a sense of lightness and strength in the body and a calm mind. Newer students to the practice will receive more instruction than ongoing students exploring their own practice.
Additionally, we periodically hold workshops for those brand new to yoga. Visit either Yoga for New Beginners or Introduction to Gentle Yoga for more information.