Yoga

YOGA ETIQUETTE

Practice Ahimsa: Be gentle in voice, movement, actions thought and attitude respecting those who come to yoga for a safe, uplifting, truthful environment. Have mutual respect for the instructor and other participants.

  • Please arrive 5-15 min prior to beginning of class to prepare your space with mat, shoes off and water available
  • Turn off all devices—cell phones, watches or leave them outside the room
  • Don’t wear scented lotions and perfumes
  • Don’t chat with neighbors
  • Fans are left off unless there is a general agreement with instructor and others before class.
  • Don’t leave during Savasana, final relaxation. If you must leave early, please leave before Savasana.
  • Clean up space and equipment; put your equipment away at the end of class

We offer a variety of styles of Yoga at FAC: Hatha, Vinyasa or Flow, Kundalini, Ashtanga or Power, Iyengar

YogaBasics (1 hour): This class is a gentle introductory class, designed to help you ease into yoga. You don’t need to be flexible, strong or experienced to enjoy the benefits of yoga. You will be introduced to different styles of Yoga, depending on the instructor and the style Yoga they were trained in.

Yoga 1 (1 hour): An introduction to the alignment and form of yoga. The style is Hatha; the technique is Iyengar. A gentle class.

Flow Yoga (1 hour): An exciting, somewhat challenging Advanced Vinyasa (flowing) aerobic class. This Yoga class will give you the opportunity to intensely work on your physical body, your meditative breath and mind and your energy spirit.

All Levels Yoga (1 hour – 1 hour 15 min): This is an integrative practice appropriate for those with some yoga experience and interested in expanding skill level. The class offers options for newer students, while encouraging growth for others. Class intensity varies based on the skill level of students present. While alignment is emphasized, a foundation in YogaBasics is recommended in order to optimize the understanding and experience of this practice. You will be introduced to different styles of Yoga, depending on the instructor and the style Yoga they were trained in.

Athletic Flow Yoga (1 hour): A type of flow yoga which increases balance, strength, flexibility and is a compliment to the other athletic endeavors you do. To balance us out! Core strength is emphasized throughout the class and is so important in everyday life as well as your athletic endeavors.

DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA

HATHA: Hatha is a very general term that can encompass many of the physical kinds of yoga. If a class is described as Hatha style, it is probably going to be slow-paced and gentle and provide a good introduction to the basic yoga poses.

VINYASA: Like Hatha, Vinyasa is a general term that is used to describe many different types of classes. Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a more vigorous style based on the performance of a series of poses called Sun Salutations, in which movement is matched to the breath. A Vinyasa class will typically start with a number of Sun Salutations to warm up the body for more intense stretching that’s done at the end of class. Vinyasa is also called Flow, in reference to the continuous movement from one posture to the next.

ASHTANGA & POWER YOGA: Ashtanga is a fast-paced, intense style of yoga. A set series of poses is performed, always in the same order. This practice is very physically demanding because of the constant movement from one pose to the next and the emphasis on daily practice. Ashtanga is also the inspiration for what is often called Power yoga, which is based on the flowing style of Ashtanga without keeping strictly to the set series.

IYENGAR: This style of practice is most concerned with bodily alignment. Iyengar practice usually emphasizes holding poses over long periods versus moving quickly from one pose to the next (flow). Also Iyengar practice encourages the use of props, such as yoga blankets, blocks and straps, in order to bring the body into alignment.

KRIPALU: The is a form of Hatha Yoga using inner focus, meditation, standard yoga poses, breathwork, “development of a quiet mind”, and relaxation. It emphasizes “following the flow” of “life-force energy, compassionate self-acceptance, observing the activity of the mind with judgment and taking what is learned into daily life”.

KUNDALINI: The emphasis in Kundalini is on the breath in conjunction with physical movement, with the purpose of freeing energy in the lower body and allowing it to move upwards. All asana practices make use of controlling the breath, but Kundalini, the exploration of the effects of the breath on the postures is essential.

YIN YANG: Yin is slow paced with poses that are held for long periods of time with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints. Yang usually targets the muscles with aggressive stretching.

ANUSURA: A modern school of Hatha yoga derived from Iyengar and emphasizes alignment.