Align
This class is designed for people who want to focus on alignment and basic principles. The focus is on breaking down postures and giving explanations of key alignments to ensure safety, on going health and the full benefits of yoga. The practice will flow through a sequence of postures that will be held a little longer than a traditional flow class. This allows students to become more aware of their body alignment. Options to modify postures will also be a focus in these classes, to allow for a gradual build up to more advanced poses. Align classes create endurance and build muscle, whilst teaching the foundations of traditional yoga practice.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga is a dynamic, flowing style that connects the movement of the body with the breath. It is a very dynamic and athletic form of hatha yoga, with a fixed order of postures. The flowing movements between postures is with a focus on energy and breath. While it is a very physical practice, it also promotes mental clarity and inner peace. Ashtanga yoga is considered a vigorous, orderly practice and, as such, is more suited to students who want a dynamic and rigorous yoga practice. Ashtanga means “eight-limbed” in Sanskrit. It was Sri K. Pattabhi’s belief that the asana "limb" of yoga must be practiced before the others could be mastered. The practice was developed in Mysore by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and T. Krishnamacharya in the 20th century.
Flow/Vinyasa
Flow yoga classes tend to be a mixture of meditation, breath-work and energizing movement. Depending on the teacher, flow yoga classes can either be a strong physical challenge, or slow, gentle and relaxing. They usually begin with gentler movements to warm up the body, then move into progressively more challenging flowing sequences. These may include standing poses, balances, inversions and peak poses. The classes tend to end with slower, deeper stretches, and often floor-based asana practice. Flow yoga has no set sequence of poses, as it is not confined to any particular tradition or lineage. As such, yoga teachers tend to get creative with sequencing, either targeting certain areas of the body, focusing on different themes or helping to build certain abilities, such as strength, flexibility or balance.
Hatha & Prana
Hatha translates to force. Hatha yoga is about balancing the body and mind. ‘Ha’ represents the esoteric sun, and ‘tha’ is the moon. The practice of Hatha yoga aims to join and balance these two energies. A Hatha class involve a set of physical postures and breathing techniques. These are typically practised more slowly and with more static posture holds than a Vinyasa flow or Ashtanga class.
Hatha Yoga offers a multitude of benefits for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Through the practice of asanas, it enhances flexibility, strength, and balance. Incorporating breath control techniques (Pranayama) improves respiratory function and vitality.
Kundalini
Kundalini yoga classes combine postures with breathwork, chanting and meditation. This is a more spiritual practice, as we aim to gently awaken our kundalini life force energy within and elevate our body, mind and spirit. Classes are done with our eyes closed to block out distractions and connect within, and every class finishes with a healing relaxation.
Mysore
This yoga practice, named after the southern Indian city of Mysore where it was first taught, is a particular way of teaching Ashtanga Yoga. It is an assisted self-practice class where students are working on the same sequence of postures but their practice is tailored to where they’re at. Students learn the fixed order of asanas, combining movement with free breathing with sound, while being guided and supported by an experienced teacher.
Restorative
Restorative yoga is a slow, meditative form of yoga designed to release tension passively, without stretching. Props are used to support the body totally, and poses are held for a long time, sometimes up to 10 minutes. By allowing time for longer poses and deeper breathing, restorative yoga helps elicit the relaxation response and allows for passive healing. It the best type of yoga for seniors or students of all fitness and ability levels, who want to cultivate relaxation and a strong and healthy body without the joint stress that comes from other activities like weightlifting or jogging. And it’s never too late to begin: You can start yoga at any age (be sure to clear it with your doctor before you get going).
Synergy Vinyasa
A dynamic, flowing practice that combines yoga styles (Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa and Iyengar) with knowledge from Physiotherapy, linking breath and movement to increase your strength and flexibility. Six sequences are each taught progressively throughout the year, over a nine-week period towards a final flow through practice to music in the final week. It doesn’t matter when you join in the nine weeks, as each posture has a simple and a complex version. You choose which version of each posture is appropriate for you on the day.
Yin
Our yin classes balance out the more active and fast flowing practices offered at My Asana (which are generally referred to as more of a yang style). Initiating deep relaxation of the body, mind and spirit, it is a great wind down after a busy day or week. With the use of bolsters and blocks, postures are held for longer periods of time allowing passive stretching to give a deep opening to the body. With fewer poses held for longer periods, you may find yourself in a meditative state throughout this class. In today’s fast paced world, this is the perfect antidote to stressful living.
Yoga Nidra & Pranayama
Envision the possibility of revitalizing your body at a cellular level. Yoga Nidra offers the profound practice of yogic sleep in a fully awakened state. It’s designed to center the mind, tune into emotions, sensations, and thought patterns. A successful session leads to profound relaxation. Pranayama, the art of breath control, holds the potential to invigorate the body, uplift the spirit, and bring peace to the mind.