VARIETY OF YOGA

YOGA BLEND - Is a blend of different yoga styles - yoga with props to help with alignment, flow yoga to increase heart rate, improve circulation and to build tenacity and endurance with restorative postures in between to absorb the benefits of the practice.

THE GREAT YOGA WALL™ - The creation of the yoga wall was inspired by B.K.S. Iyengar’s work using wall ropes and props to provide traction, support and to create resistance, "isometrics", to help strengthen the body. It allows us to safely penetrate deeper levels of the body in the asanas [poses]. There is great therapeutic value and growth to be obtained with the yoga wall for standing poses, inversions, back bends, forward bends and twists that maximizes correct alignment.

CHAIR YOGA - Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting on a chair, or standing using a chair for support. Often the poses, or asanas, are often adaptations of Hatha yoga poses. 

RESTORATIVE - Restorative Yoga focuses on relaxing the body in restful postures, thus activating a deep relaxation response that enhances the immune system, and restores the nervous system. Note that 'rest' is different than sleep. Rest provides the body an oppotunity to renew and heal. Countless studies have proven the physical and emotional benefits of this.

HATHA YOGA - The word Hatha is a compound of the words "Ha" and "Tha" meaning sun and moon, hence hatha yoga is meant to join together our sun (masculine, active, strength receiving) energy with our moon (feminine, receptive, nurturing force) energy, bringing one  into direct intimacy with reality. Hatha Yoga is the Heart of Yoga, the merging of above to below, the convergence of the seven chakras up and down to the heart. It is where spirit and form are one, the surrender to the natural state. 

TAOIST FLOW YOGA - "Tao" (pronounced DOW) translates to the way, the path, the absolute. The style of Taoist Yoga taught by Master Zink was originally developed by Taoist priests in northern China for maintaining physical vigor and mental clarity. It encompasses flexibility training, movement exercises, visualizations,and breathing meditations which are designed to increase suppleness and stamina, cultivate vital life force, release tension, calm the mind, and enhance self-awareness. Ingrid has been given the honor to teach under Master Paulie Zink.

YIN YOGA - Yin Yoga is the relaxed practice of floor postures for three to five minutes at a time. It is the ideal complement to more muscular or “Yang” forms of Yoga. A Yin practice emphasizes the connective tissues of the hips, thighs, pelvis and lower spine. In this way it prepares the body and the mind for longer meditation practices. By drawing the student’s awareness away from the muscles and deeper into the bones a deep level of relaxed focus is achieved.

FLOW YOGA (Vinyasa) - Flow Yoga keeps the body in motion activating prana, the life force energy, flowing through the cells. It incorporates variations of sequenced sun salutations between asana (poses) creating tapas, internal heat, for flexibility and purification of body, mind and spirit.

YOGA WITH PROPS - A style of yoga, inspired by B.K.S. Iyengar, using bricks, straps, chairs, wall ropes, bolsters, benches and blankets to help strengthen, align, heal and restore the body to it's natural healthy state.

YOGA THERAPY - Yoga Therapy is a form of alternative medicine, and is considered a mind-body intervention that is used to reduce the adverse health effects of stress. It can prevent specific diseases and maladies by keeping the energy meridians open and the life energy (prana) flowing. It has also been used as supplementary therapy for such diverse conditions as cancer, diabetes, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, epstein-barr, fibromyalgia and AIDS. It helps patients to strengthen muscles, stimulate and regulate internal organs and glands and facilitates opening the windows of the mind through meditation, breathing and yoga philosophy.

HEALING POWER OF YOGA

Yoga is no longer some strange esoteric religion from the far east. It has been around for over 5000 years and has now rooted itself in our culture. It has become mainstream. Yoga means union. It is a practice that unites body mind spirit and has earned its reputation because it really works if you practice it.    

BENEFITS OF YOGA - There are many benefits to yoga. The one of them is the deep awakening of intelligence and transformation that happens with a disciplined practice. Yoga can benefit everything you are doing because it is the most complete form of exercise. The physical practice will bring people to deeper levels healing and move them towards deeper levels of spiritual depth and consciousness. Yoga works with all the different systems of the body in an amazing way. 

SKELETAL - For bones to remain strong and to absorb calcium they need stress. Yoga is a powerful weight baring exercise. The posture moves each joint to its limit, creating more mobility. A supple spine equals health, longevity and good posture.

MUSCULAR - Yoga keeps muscles equally toned, strong and flexible. It releases mental stress held deep in the muscles.

CIRCULATORY - Blood circulation is a major component in releasing tension, purifying and nourishing internal organs and glands. Circulation stimulated by yoga practice caries oxygen and nutrients to all the cells in the body including the brain. It also stimulated the lymph system to be cleansed.

RESPIRATORY - Correct breathing in postures creates good circulation, stimulates cardiovascular and cleanses the lungs. It has a calming effect on the whole nervous system and helps one to move deeper into postures,

DIGESTIVE -Yoga practice stimulates and creates and maintains a healthy digestive system. 

ELIMINATIVE -Yoga increases peristaltic action, cleanses the kidneys and skin. It also cleanses the lymph system from the breakdown of blood cells.

ENDOCRINE - Yoga creates circulation nourishing and cleansing glands. It effects the whole balance of metabolism because it tones the glands, which in turn effects ones mental state, sexual drive and energy levels.

NERVOUS - Yoga postures concentrate on the spinal cord and the nervous system. Nerves atrophy as we age therefore diminishing our energy levels. The postures help to lengthen and open our spinal cords so that the nerves are not pinched and damaged, creating full energy to all of our muscles. A subtle spine is a healthy nervous system!

PRANIC SYSTEM - Yoga postures release emotional and psychological blocks and puts one directly in touch with the life force energies. Vibrant health is a free flow of energy throughout the body from one organ system to another uniting them in a dynamic flow of interconnected wholeness. 

MENTAL - The Yogis likened the mind to a drunken monkey stung by bees. That is how out of control our mind becomes. We are no different to a mad person talking out loud on the street. The only difference is we don’t verbalize our train of thoughts out loud. In yoga we learn to go beyond our habitual rational mind patterns into yoga (union) and reach a place of deep inner stillness and awareness. We become less manipulated by the external world in our lives and our center of control is deepened within us.