Class Descriptions
All K.O.’s classes emphasize integrating the primacy of breath with movement in the physical poses, while learning to adapt the postures to suit your unique needs. Specialized breath practices (pranayama), visualization, meditation, and relaxation are also incorporated. All classes will help develop strength, flexibility, focus, and a greater awareness of body, breath, and mind.
Beginning Meditation
Learn how to begin a home meditation practice in this four-week class. Systematic methods for meditation, mindfulness, and stress relief are progressively covered each week. Relaxation and concentration techniques, as well as a few gentle physical warm-ups, are also explored to help prepare your body and mind for sitting in meditation. Group discussion will be an integral part of class to help support you in this beautiful endeavor. Discussion will include exploring your questions and experiences, as well as some yoga philosophy. Chairs are available for sitting.Class size limited to 10.
Viniyoga Fundamentals
Asana practice usually focuses on performing a precise form of a posture. In this workshop, we will explore the functional benefits of asana for the individual practitioner by understanding”
-the purpose and practice of mobilizing the spine using the breath
-how to adapt the form of an asana by using different leg and arm positions to shift the intensity and functionality
-how to adapt the breath in order to deepen the structural and physiological effects and to better prepare for pranayama
-how and why to use internal and external sound to deepen the structural and physiological effects in asana and pranayama
Cakras for Transformation & Well-Being
Explore the psychological aspect of the cakras through the use of gentle postures, Sankalpa (affirmations), breathing, visualization, to deepen your understanding and connection with well-being. This class will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and practice.
THERAPEUTIC CLASSES
Calming the System: Yoga for Anxiety
What can we do about the tension, restlessness, and agitation that arise in our everyday lives? So we can better cope in these stressful times, how can we use the tools of yoga to affect emotional health and cultivate a clear, calm mind? Learn a variety of strategies and techniques to decrease muscular tension, gain self-awareness, affect thought patterns, and increase feelings of well-being. The class will include lecture and discussion, as well as practices using postures, breathing, and meditation.
Stress Management
It’s easy to feel as though the demands on our lives can exceed our resources. Many people live with feelings of irritability or anxiety. Many have trouble concentrating or sleeping. Would you like to begin to cultivate a more peaceful, less reactive life?
There are many conditions, both physical and emotional, that can be improved by decreasing one’s stress. Simple lifestyle changes, as well as learning to understand your perceptions and reactions to stress, can help support a calm and clear mind. In this class you will learn techniques to help decrease your reactions to stress through breathing, relaxation, and meditation. Lectures on lifestyle, some gentle physical exercises, and other related topics will also be included. This class will be limited to 8 people. No previous yoga experience is necessary.
Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis
Yoga is a wonderful tool for promoting wellness in our bodies, our physiology,and our minds. This class is specifically designed to use yoga postures, breathing techniques, relaxation, and visualization to encourage strength, flexibility, balance, and mental focus, while lessening stress, contraction, and fatigue. Our room will be climate controlled. No previous yoga experience is necessary.
Therapeutic Yoga for Back Pain
Using yoga practices that were demonstrated to be effective for chronic low back pain, this class is based on the N.I.H. funded controlled trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2005. Discussion, yoga postures, breath techniques, visualization, relaxation, and home practices will be included. Class size is limited to 10 students. No previous yoga experience is necessary.