Power Yoga-An Empowering Experience
People often ask me, "What is Power Yoga?" and, "Do I have to do ordinary Yoga before I can do Power Yoga?"
-My Power Yoga classes are Vinyasa style Hatha Yoga classes. This is an energetic and powerful style of Yoga in which the poses are linked to the breath. The classes are suitable for those of a beginner or intermediate level.
A Typical Class
In a typical class we begin by focusing our attention on the here and now, tuning in to our bodies and letting the class be "our time" and uninterrupted by outside thoughts. Then we do some simple body warm-ups followed by a series of "sun salutations" (surya namaskara)
and variations which waken up and
tone every part of the body. These
sun salutations are so called because
they are traditionally done first thing
in the morning to celebrate the sunrise.
The movements are a dynamic flow
of "asanas" or poses, linked by the
breath. This means that you inhale as
you move in to a pose and exhale as
you move in to another. As a rule of thumb you inhale on the opening of expansive movements and exhale on the closing or contracting movements.
These warm-ups are followed by a series of classical yoga poses to stretch and tone your entire body. We do a selection of poses every week to experience a large range of poses, but the
more common ones will quickly become familiar to you. I demonstrate various
forms of each pose so that participants of all levels can enjoy the class but it is
important not to compare yourself with others while doing yoga. Try not to
get anywhere in particular, but enjoy being where you are just now, exploring
the boundaries of your body, finding your own edge between what is too easy
and pain, which is a warning sign from your body. By pushing your boundaries
gently outwards, you gradually expand your range of motion and increase your
strength. You will benefit immediately from these classes by your effort,
regardless how far or deep you get. If you are feeling something and breathing
calmly, you are doing it perfectly.
After standing poses, we
do one or two balances.
Balancing poses use a lot
of supporting muscles
which otherwise tend to
get neglected, as you
quickly find out when
you try them! As we
age, we tend to lose
our sense of balance
and can easily fall and
injure ourselves. Ending
up with lengthly and
sometimes complicated
recoveries. It also takes
a lot of concentration to
hold a balance, but a
kind of calm
concentration on the task at hand. If you have a wavering mind, you get a wavering body! This is great mind training for stress-relief, and the first step towards meditation, which is the focus of the mind on one object. (dharana)
We then move on to the floor for a series of seated and lying exercises. These are less cardivascular than the first part of the class, and concentrate more on deep stretches and spinal twists. In fact about 70 to 80 percent of Yoga poses work on the spine to lengthen it and increase the range of motion. This stage also gently starts to wind down the class ready for the final and many saythe most enjoyable part of the class in which we lie down in "savasana" the relaxation pose. Here we do some simple breathing exercises, creative visualisation and progressive relaxations. Allowing the mind and body to totally relax and adjust to any new openings that have happened during class. This section lasts for about five or six minutes, after which it is tims to slowly bring our attention back to the room ready to leave, hopefully all relaxed, stretched out, and happy.
See You In Class! Namaste, Julia