Class Descriptions

More than 16.5 million Americans practiced yoga last year, up from 15 million the year before, including hundreds from Gales Ferry, Ledyard, Montville, Mystic and Preston. Many people become interested in yoga as a way to become flexible, reduce stress and experience a sense of peace. Yoga is highly adaptable allowing students to move in ways that accommodate aches, pains and limitations. The regular practice of yoga can increase strength and flexibility, lower blood pressure, quiet the mind, improve concentration, and cultivate a sense of well-being. Our yoga classes offer a comprehensive yoga program that includes yoga philosophy, breathing techniques, yoga movements known as postures, concentration and meditation techniques and deep relaxation integrating body, mind and spirit. Adaptive Yoga for Health Challenges Designed for new and continuing students, this class adapts traditional yoga postures to the needs of each individual.  Ideal for students who have health or physical limitations including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, parkinson’s, osteoporosis, and more.  This class offers a balanced approach for strength and flexibility, breath work and deep relaxation.  Private lessons available.  Private Lessons Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis Yoga is an excellent form of exercise for people with MS because it involves stretching and range of motion exercises for the whole body which can reduce symptoms such as muscle spasticity, muscle weakness, problems with balance and fatigue.  Focused breathing exercises promote relaxation of the mind and the body.  As with any other form of exercise, it is important that the Yoga exercises be tailored to the particular physical needs and limitations of people with MS.  Private lessons available.  Private Lessons Chair Yoga for Seniors This is a fun class that explores the needs and sensitivities of seniors including breath work and exercises that increase range of movement, strength and flexibility.  Seniors who have taken this class report that they can walk further, reach higher and sleep better – and have fun doing it! Gentle Kripalu YOGA For all levels, especially beginners.  Move with greater ease.  Enjoy the calm, peace, and self-acceptance of yoga no matter what shape you’re in.  Karen’s gentle approach infuses her classes with humor, humility and warmth as she invites you to go at your own pace.  Karen is known for her clear and caring instructions, skillfully breaking postures into developmental increments using props and modifications that provide an accessible yoga experience for every body.  Ideal for students who want to move with greater ease and reap yoga’s many benefits, even with minimal flexibility.  Includes a variety of postures (standing, seated and on the floor.) Let Go of Stress with Yoga Nidra For all levels, including beginners and experienced students.  A primary cause of many illnesses, mental stress weakens the immune system and invites a variety of physical and mental health conditions.  In this yoga class, you’ll learn stress reduction techniques that will broaden your ability to practice the art of relaxed living, including one of the primary practices, Yoga Nidra.  Yoga Nidra is the state of conscious deep sleep.  In Yoga Nidra, you’re awake and the body is in a very relaxed state.  Yoga Nidra brings calmness, quietness and clarity.  It’s one of the deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of mental process to a state of deep stillness and insight.  This class explores various methods of practice that lead to the state of Yoga Nidra through which we can transform stress and experience the fullness of living an authentic life.  Try it.  You’ll love how you feel! Intermediate Kripalu YOGA For experienced students.  Explore and expand your yoga practice with more yoga philosophy, pranayama, mudras, and meditation.  Postures with varying levels of difficulty are offered on an ongoing basis, including poses that are more complex and held for longer periods of time.  Classes are geared toward students who have knowledge of specific poses and posture flows such as the Sun Salutation as well as some knowledge of yoga philosophy and practice breathing techniques and meditation.  Students without a strong yoga background (at least one year of continuous practice) who are physically able to do challenging poses may sign for this class with the understanding that the pace of the class does not allow the instructor to offer the individual instruction or modifications that are available to them in the Gentle or Open Levels yoga classes.  Under certain circumstances a student may be asked not to attend the intermediate class for their own safety and the overall flow of the class. Mat Yoga for Seniors This gentle class includes traditional yoga postures that start sitting on the floor, transition to hands and knees, then standing poses, then hands and knees again onto the belly, ending on the back for deep relaxation.  Modifications are given for students who have problems with knees, hips, wrist, shoulders and back.  Pranayama, meditation and yoga philosophy round out the class. Open Levels Moderate For all levels, including beginners and experienced students.  Cultivate an internal, meditative experience while stretching and challenging the body.  Practice includes a variety of foundational postures (standing, seated and on the floor), longer holding, and breathing techniques.  Each class offers a unique experience that builds endurance, strength, flexibility and ends with deep relaxation.  Individual attention and modifications are given as much as possible within the class situation.  Modifications are offered for both ends of the spectrum, beginners and more experienced students.  Classes are geared toward the majority of the students’ ability in the class at the time.  Students who have a specific physical limitation or injury may need to attend the Gentle class first.  (Individual lessons are also recommended for students with specific needs.) Slow Flow Kripalu Yoga for All Levels Appropriate for students of all levels who have experience with basic yoga poses or asanas.  Slow flow cultivates inner focus and concentration with mindful awareness of body and breath.  Through alignment and longer holds of some postures, each class focuses on a slow flow linking movement to breath with different sequences of poses.  Some of the sequences focus on strength and endurance while others will be quiet and meditative.  This slow flow yoga class also encourages spontaneous and creative movement within each pose rather than rigidly holding the pose.  You practice the art of moving in response to your body’s wisdom which allows for a wonderful release of tension and rigidity within the body and the mind.  Slow flow increases range of motion within the joints and develops strength and flexibility.