Yin yoga is a slow-paced and meditative style of yoga that focuses on deep stretching and relaxation. Here's an overview of Yin yoga:

1. **Long-held Poses:** In Yin yoga, practitioners hold passive yoga poses for an extended period, typically ranging from 3 to 5 minutes or even longer. The extended duration allows for deep stretching of connective tissues and fascia.

2. **Relaxation and Surrender:** Unlike more dynamic yoga styles, Yin yoga emphasizes relaxation and surrendering into each pose. It's not about muscular effort but rather letting gravity and time do the work.

3. **Targets Connective Tissues:** Yin yoga primarily targets the body's connective tissues, including ligaments, tendons, and fascia. These tissues can become tight and less flexible over time, and Yin yoga helps to release tension and increase flexibility.

4. **Mindfulness and Meditation:** During Yin practice, there's a strong emphasis on mindfulness and meditation. As you hold poses for an extended period, you have the opportunity to observe sensations, thoughts, and emotions, promoting a sense of inner calm and self-awareness.

5. **Complementary to Yang Styles:** Yin yoga is often seen as a complement to more "yang" styles of yoga, like Vinyasa or Ashtanga. While yang yoga focuses on muscular strength and dynamic movement, Yin balances this by focusing on flexibility and stillness.

6. **Balancing Energy:** Yin yoga is influenced by traditional Chinese medicine and the concept of balancing the body's energy meridians. Practitioners believe that holding specific poses can stimulate and balance the flow of energy or "chi" in the body.

7. **Accessible to All Levels:** Yin yoga is accessible to practitioners of all levels, including beginners. Poses can be modified or supported with props to accommodate individual needs and limitations.

8. **Benefits:** The benefits of Yin yoga include improved flexibility, increased circulation, reduced stress, enhanced joint mobility, and a greater sense of relaxation and inner peace.

9. **Popular Poses:** Common Yin yoga poses include Butterfly (Bound Angle Pose), Sphinx Pose, Dragon Pose, and Shoelace Pose, among others.

10. **Safety and Awareness:** Due to the long-held nature of poses, it's essential to practice Yin yoga mindfully and listen to your body. Avoid forcing yourself into uncomfortable positions, and if you have any existing medical conditions, consult a healthcare provider before starting a Yin yoga practice.

Yin yoga can be a wonderful addition to your yoga practice, helping you find balance, release tension, and cultivate mindfulness and relaxation in your daily life.

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Yoga Wall

Based on the principles of alignment, ‘the wall’ is used as a prop to deepen yoga postures by opening and creating space in the body using therapeutic techniques. (Inversions in our advanced classes). The original “Yoga Wall” took on the form of ropes attached to wall hooks, designed by B.S. Iyengar. Overtime, the Yoga Wall has been modernized for greater comfort with the use of a new system of comfortable harnesses, supportive bars, and adjustable straps to accommodate all body-types. The wall can be used for a beginner that needs extra support for balance or by an advanced yogi who wants to use gravity to deepen their experience. Students with injuries or limitations may find that the Yoga Wall provides additional support as well as freedom in the joints and muscles, allowing for some relief.

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Benefits of the Great Yoga Wall

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• Allows standing postures, forward and back bends, twists and inversions.
• Can help improve overall flexibility and mobility in the joints and spine
• Builds strength in both the large muscle groups and the core.
• Creates ease in facilitating proper alignment for optimal spinal stability
• Aides in the ability to access various muscle groups in poses they are not yet able to achieve on the mat without support.
• Allows for safe progression of postures from the wall to yoga mat dissolving fear and building confidence.
• Reduces or eliminates back pain.
• Provides gentle spinal traction.
• Increases body awareness.
• Improves circulation and lymphatic flushing.
• Connects back to your inner child facilitating playfulness.

Gentle yoga is a yoga practice that is characterized by its slow and nurturing approach. Here's an overview of what gentle yoga entails:

1. **Slow and Relaxing:** Gentle yoga classes move at a slow pace, allowing ample time to transition between poses. The focus is on relaxation and stress reduction.

2. **Accessible to All:** Gentle yoga is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels, including beginners, seniors, and those with physical limitations or injuries. Poses are often modified to accommodate individual needs.

3. **Breath Awareness:** Like other forms of yoga, gentle yoga incorporates breath awareness. Breathing techniques are used to promote relaxation and enhance the mind-body connection.

4. **Mindfulness and Meditation:** Gentle yoga often includes mindfulness and meditation practices. This can involve guided meditation, body scan exercises, or simply staying present in the moment during the practice.

5. **Stretching and Flexibility:** While gentle yoga is not as intense as some other styles, it still includes gentle stretching to improve flexibility and range of motion. These stretches are performed in a soothing and non-strenuous manner.

6. **Stress Reduction:** One of the primary goals of gentle yoga is to reduce stress and promote a sense of calm. This makes it an excellent choice for those seeking relief from stress, anxiety, or tension.

7. **Balancing Energy:** Some gentle yoga practices incorporate elements of traditional Chinese medicine and energy balancing, similar to Yin yoga. Poses may be chosen to stimulate specific energy meridians.

8. **Supportive Props:** Props such as yoga blocks, straps, and bolsters are often used in gentle yoga classes to provide support and enhance comfort in poses.

9. **Therapeutic Benefits:** Gentle yoga is often used therapeutically to address specific physical or emotional issues, such as back pain, arthritis, or insomnia.

10. **Variety of Poses:** Gentle yoga can include a variety of poses, from seated and supine stretches to simple standing poses. Savasana (Corpse Pose) is typically a prominent feature at the end of a session for deep relaxation.

11. **Slow Flow:** In some gentle yoga classes, there might be a gentle flow sequence, but it's always done at a slow and manageable pace.

12. **Safety First:** Instructors of gentle yoga prioritize safety and encourage students to listen to their bodies. The emphasis is on practicing within one's comfortable range of motion.

Gentle yoga offers a gentle and nurturing approach to yoga practice, making it an excellent choice for individuals looking for a more relaxing and therapeutic experience, as well as those who are new to yoga or have physical limitations. It can be an effective way to promote physical and mental well-being.

Vinyasa yoga is a dynamic and popular style of yoga that emphasizes the synchronization of breath with a continuous flow of postures. Here's an overview of Vinyasa yoga:

1. **Breath and Movement Synchronization:** Vinyasa yoga is often referred to as "flow" yoga because it involves smoothly transitioning from one pose to another while synchronizing each movement with a specific breath pattern. The breath acts as a guide for the transitions.

2. **Fluidity and Continuity:** Unlike some other yoga styles where poses are held statically, Vinyasa yoga offers a continuous, almost dance-like flow. The sequence of poses is usually varied, allowing for creativity and variety in each session.

3. **Strength and Flexibility:** Vinyasa practice helps build both strength and flexibility. The dynamic nature of the practice engages various muscle groups, making it an effective full-body workout.

4. **Cardiovascular Benefits:** The combination of movement and breath control can increase heart rate and provide cardiovascular benefits, making it a more physically intense style of yoga compared to some others.

5. **Focus on Transitions:** Vinyasa classes pay significant attention to the transitions between poses, often incorporating poses like Downward Dog or Plank as "linking" poses to facilitate smooth flow.

6. **Breath Awareness:** Vinyasa places strong emphasis on breath awareness, with each movement coordinated with either an inhale or an exhale. This mindful breathing can promote concentration and a meditative state of mind.

7. **Variety and Creativity:** Vinyasa classes can vary greatly in style and pace. Instructors often have the flexibility to design their sequences, which allows for creativity and variety in each class.

8. **Heat Generation:** Due to the continuous movement and breath, Vinyasa yoga can generate heat in the body, leading to increased perspiration. Some practitioners find this aspect detoxifying and invigorating.

9. **Core Engagement:** Many Vinyasa poses require strong core engagement for stability and balance. This can contribute to improved core strength over time.

10. **Accessible to Most Levels:** While Vinyasa yoga can be physically demanding, it's generally accessible to practitioners of different levels. Instructors often provide variations and modifications to suit individual abilities.

11. **Cool Down and Savasana:** Typically, Vinyasa classes conclude with a cool-down phase and Savasana (Corpse Pose) for relaxation, allowing the body and mind to settle after the dynamic flow.

Vinyasa yoga offers a dynamic and energizing practice that combines physical fitness with mindfulness. It's a popular choice for those looking to build strength, improve flexibility, and enjoy a sense of flow and fluidity in their yoga practice. However, it's essential to approach Vinyasa with awareness and gradually progress in difficulty to avoid strain or injury.

Ashtanga yoga is a traditional and physically demanding style of yoga known for its structured sequence of postures and dynamic, flowing movements. Here's an overview of Ashtanga yoga:

1. **Structured Sequence:** Ashtanga yoga follows a specific and unchanging sequence of postures, which are divided into primary, intermediate, and advanced series. The primary series, known as Yoga Chikitsa, is the foundation and focuses on detoxifying and aligning the body.

2. **Vinyasa Flow:** Ashtanga is characterized by the continuous flow of movements, where each posture is linked with a specific breath. This synchronicity of breath and movement is called Vinyasa.

3. **Breath Control:** The breath used in Ashtanga yoga is called Ujjayi breath, characterized by a deep, audible, and rhythmic quality. It helps to heat the body, increase focus, and regulate the flow of energy.

4. **Physical Intensity:** Ashtanga yoga is physically demanding and requires strength, flexibility, and endurance. It involves challenging poses like inversions, arm balances, and deep backbends.

5. **Mysore Style:** Ashtanga classes are often taught in a Mysore style format. In Mysore classes, students practice the series at their own pace, receiving individualized guidance and adjustments from the teacher.

6. **Teacher-Led Classes:** In addition to Mysore style, Ashtanga classes can also be teacher-led, where the entire class follows the teacher through the sequence. This format is more common for beginners.

7. **Traditional Chants:** Ashtanga practice typically begins and ends with traditional Sanskrit chants, including the invocation to Patanjali, the sage who codified the Yoga Sutras.

8. **Focus on Internal Cleansing:** Ashtanga yoga is believed to purify the body and mind through intense physical practice, leading to greater mental clarity and self-awareness.

9. **Eight Limbs of Yoga:** Ashtanga yoga is rooted in the eight limbs of yoga as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. The physical postures (asana) are just one limb, with the others encompassing ethical guidelines, breath control, concentration, meditation, and more.

10. **Daily Practice:** Traditional Ashtanga practitioners aim for daily practice, which is thought to yield the most significant benefits. However, many practitioners modify this frequency to suit their schedules and bodies.

11. **Injury Awareness:** Due to its physically demanding nature, students of Ashtanga yoga are encouraged to practice with mindfulness and avoid pushing themselves into poses that may lead to injury. 

12. **Progression:** Advancement in Ashtanga yoga comes gradually as students move through the series. It is a long-term practice that requires patience and dedication.

Ashtanga yoga offers a disciplined and systematic approach to yoga practice, promoting physical strength, flexibility, and mental clarity. While it can be challenging, it is accessible to individuals of various levels, with modifications available for beginners. It's a traditional practice with a rich history and a strong emphasis on personal transformation and self-realization.