| YOUR FIRST CLASS AT ENERGY YOGA. One of my favorite things about yoga is the pure simplicity of it all and the lack of expensive gear or equipment. It is an exercise that will fully reconnect you to you own body, mind and spirit. In ancient Sanskrit the word yoga, means to yoke or join. During your practice you will achieve this balance in a natural holistic way, without a lot of "stuff."
If this is your first class with us, or your first class ever, here is what you should bring to class:
- Complete The Registration Form and call, text or email to reserve your spot.
- Your favorite yoga/Pilates mat. Rental Mats are available, but most students enjoy their own mat.
- Comfortable clothing that will not restrict your movements.
Optional items:
- A bottle of water. After class drink plenty of water to rehydrate yourself.
- A small towel.
- During savasana (our final relaxation / guided mediation) some people feel more comfortable covering themselves. Feel free to bring something light to cover yourself. The instructor may give you some Namaste oil (Essential Oil) for Aromatherapy . If you do not care for this, please let the instructor know before class or just close your hand in the savasana.
- If you are new to stretching you could purchase a yoga block and or strap to help support yourselves during some postures. Your towel can also be used instead of a strap.
- If you have wrist problems, you could purchase wrist supports, such a Cat Paws. But unless you really need them, we prefer you build strength in your wrist. Do not feel bad if your wrist hurt during your first classes and you have to come out of a pose. This is completely normal and extremely common, but should get much better in time. If your wrist hurt ask the instuctor about some things you can do to help.
What not to bring:
- No shoes in class. We prefer bare feet, so you can feel grounded during postures and not slip. Socks, unless they are made for yoga can make standing postures difficult and worse yet you will slip.
- Be sure your cell phone is turned off or just leave it in the car. Nothing like having the class deep in a meditative state, when a phone goes off. It has happened to us all. We recommend actually turning the phone completely off, as even on vibrate, distraction will occur. No texting in class!
- No Jewelry on your wrist, it can get in the way, restrict movements and can cause injury.
- No Chewing gum it can become dangerous when practicing inversions.
- We recommend not eating a large meal closer to one hour before class.
For your first few classes, be sure to bring your patience. We are always asked, "I have not excercised in years!!! Are you sure I can do yoga?" The answer is... you will never know until you try. For most people, your first few classes can be a bit frustrating and strange, especially if you have not thoroughly stretched in many years.
It may take five or more classes before you start to see imrovements in flexibility and strength. Come to class with an open mind, do not judge yourself or others and the heart will open naturaly. In class, just follow your heart; it is the greatest teacher. Push yourself, but never try an asana (pose) you are not comfortable doing safely. Once you begin to see improvements, it will all make sense to you and your practice will soar. You will feel great coming to practice, as the transformation is under way. If you are like many of our students, your classes will become a very important fabric of your daily life and you will never know what you did before you found yoga.....
Oh yes, almost forgot... yoga etiquette...
It is very helpful to arrive for class at least five minutes before class is to begin. For your first class we have some simple paperwork, so please give yourself enough time. If you are running late, no worries, just please refrain from entering the room, until we have completed our initial breathing exercise. Once we begin stretching, feel free to join us then. We need the registration form at the start of class, but payment can be made at the end.
If you do have to leave before class finishes, please give yourself a few minutes to lay down on your back, to calm yourself before leaving. We call this final relaxation savasana. During our practice we stimulate our nadi (nerve channels). We have over 70,000 of them. The final relaxation helps to calm them, bringing us back into balance at the end of class. This way we leave feeling bliss and relaxed. Try not exit the room once the other students enter savasana in order to respect their mediation.
Disclaimers...
Yoga, like all exercises can be dangerous and you could injure yourself. We strongly recommend that if you have any health concerns, that you speak with your doctor prior to attending a class. Postures involving inversions, head below the heart, should be avoided if you have high blood pressure, if you may be pregnant or if you are menstruating. Again it is important that you speak with your doctor and our instructor assumes no responsibility for your injury; you are taking the class at your own risk.
It is also helpful to speak to the instructor before class if you have any physical limitations, such as a neck or back injury. Many times we can offer a less strenuous position as an alternative that will give you similar results without stressing your injury.
The golden rule to remember is "Do not worry about how you are doing your yoga, concentrate instead on what your yoga practice is doing for you and your heart." Yoga is not an aerobic sport, gymnastics or competition. I have never yet met someone that could do a posture perfectly, there is constant improvement. Everyone has a yoga style that is right for them. So just relax, listen to your body and you will be astounded by your improvements; you will find blissful happiness from the inside out.
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A tree growing alone in a field, does not get as tall or have as deep roots as a tree growing along side other trees in the forest....
In our classes the prana energy of the group, working together, helps our practice grow in ways we could never develop on our own...
This is why we call it Energy Yoga....
Energy Yoga is not about the teacher but all about the students coming together, learning, practicing and growing as a community.
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