Yoga
Improve flexibility, increase muscle strength and tone, improve balance, improve body awareness, lower stress, calm anxiety, and elevate mood.
Kind Yoga
Kind yoga uses traditional poses such as the warrior series. We spend some time on the mat/ground and some time standing. I lead in a slow, gentle style paying attention to the elements of the pose and encouraging people to honor their body where it is at that day. We don't practice competitive yoga and that includes with ourselves. The body is different day to day and we need to appreciate what we can do in each moment when we are on our mat, not compare our practice to what we were able to do yesterday or last week. Poses can be modified for challenges people face and props such as blocks can be useful. This is an active form of yoga.
Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga and Yin yoga (alternating weekly) are both slow-moving practices with little movement. We will find our position, support ourselves with props, and allow the body to sink into the posture while holding that posture for several minutes. These practices are done primarily on the floor rather than standing. Restorative yoga is intended to help the participant find rest and calm while quieting the mind and focusing on the breath. Yin yoga focuses on movements to support the elasticity of the connective tissues. Props are necessary for these classes. You should have available to you a bolster (this could also be a firm pillow or a couch cushion); a strap (this could be the belt from a robe); 2 blocks (this could be two hardback books of about the same size and no dust cover--those make them slippery); and a fairly firm blanket, so not the kind you would snuggle on the couch with although you could have one of those also to use once you found your resting position.
Chair Yoga
Chair yoga is an adaptive, body-friendly practice of mindful movement that eliminates the need to move up and down from the mat. Chair yoga is practiced using one or two chairs per participant. This is a good option for those who find getting up and down from the mat to be challenging and those who benefit from stability support while in the standing position (although this can also be practiced sitting through the complete program).
More About Yoga:
From Tracy Lake
I have been practicing yoga for many years. It is a mind and body practice that incorporates physical posture, breathing, meditation, and relaxation.
The year I turned 50 I decided that my gift to myself would be yoga teacher training. I attended the 200-hour program over the course of a year; it was a year of new friendships and personal growth as I learned more about the philosophy and history of yogic practices and, of course, more about the asanas (postures) and how to safely practice the physical movements. I eventually went on to participate in advanced yoga teacher training and was delighted to become a 500 hour graduate, and am now currently working toward my yoga therapist certification to specialize in pain management and improved mobility for my clients.
My original intent was to become certified and registered only for personal fulfillment. The longer I was in training, however, the more I wanted to share what I was learning with others. I want to help spread the message that every body is a yoga body.
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Many people have found that yoga helps improve flexibility, increase muscle strength and tone, improve balance, improve body awareness, lower stress, calm anxiety, and elevate mood. I have certainly found this to be true in my personal practice and have heard others that I practice with voice the same.
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I have received additional training in several areas including chair yoga and trauma-sensitive yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, adaptive yoga and was blessed to receive training with the Veteran’s Yoga Project for their Mindful Resilience program.
I currently teach classes in Kind yoga, a subset of yoga that is gentle and designed to be inclusive of all bodies, encouraging the use of modifications for those who might have challenges and allowing the person to honor their body where it is each day; restorative yoga with a focus on restful relaxation; and chair yoga, which is particularly helpful for those who may find it a challenge to get up and down from the floor.
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If you would like to attend a yoga class with me, please take a look at the calendar to find days, times, and locations that I teach. If you prefer a private yoga consultation, please contact me.
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Namaste
