New Beginners Choices Hatha New Beginners * The Hatha New Beginners course is a 10-week session for people who have never done yoga before. It is a thorough introduction to a basic group of yoga asanas, to basic breath awareness, and to Savasana (deep relaxation). This course sensitizes students to their own body signals and helps them understand and address their physical strengths and weaknesses. To take this class, you must be able to get down to and up from the floor easily. Fast Track New Beginner * If you are fundamentally fit with no particular injuries or physical challenges and you want a more challenging beginning Hatha class, consider this option. Introductory information about yoga philosophy, postures, and relaxation techniques covered in the basic Hatha New Beginners class is covered in this class as well, but at a faster pace. Hatha Intro Drop-In If you want to try yoga, this class is a good place to begin. It assumes no prior yoga experience and covers basic breath work and yoga postures. Simple stretches and deep relaxation are included each week. You can take this drop-in class at any time rather than committing to the 10-week New Beginners series. Therapeutic Yoga * If you have back pain or joint pain and can’t get down to and up from the floor easily, this therapeutic class is for you. Marcia Miller, an experienced therapeutic yoga teacher, will help you find the best variations for each pose to meet your specific needs, and a host of teaching assistants will ensure that you receive lots of personal attention and correction. In class, you will learn relaxation techniques, breathing practices and basic yoga postures in chairs and standing, and you will understand how these practices work and why they are helpful to you. We will also show you how to use what you learn in your daily life. For new and continuing students. Non-Scary Gentle * If you can’t get up and down off the floor easily this class is for you. It’s for people with injuries, health problems, weight problems or other issues that limit mobility. Much of the practice is done in chairs. It’s gentle and led by teachers whose sense of humor and enthusiasm make yoga fun. Don’t be afraid to try yoga! For new and continuing students. Level 1 (Continuing Beginners) This class accepts students who have completed our New Beginners course or who have some other yoga experience. Level 1 students continue the study and practice of Hatha yoga fundamentals, including warm-ups, asanas (the physical postures), breathing and deep relaxation. They generally spend a year or more at this level developing strength, flexibility, and body integration in a wide range of basic poses. Continuing Classes Level 2 Compared Level 1 students, Level 2 students hold poses longer, exploring them in greater depth and detail. They learn poses that require more strength and are introduced to arm balances, inversions, and full backbends. They also work with the bandhas and more advanced breath practices. At this level, we assume you can read your own body and practice within your own limits, so that everyone in the class can approach complicated poses safely. Level 3 Hatha Level 3 is for advanced students and yoga teachers who have had a regular home practice for some time. Here, anything goes. You will become proficient in all types of poses and a wide variety of related practices including pranayama and meditation. Special attention is focused on making yoga a lifelong, moment-to-moment practice. Level 4 This advanced Hatha class meets one a month and lasts 2 hours. It presupposes a strong overall practice including a comfortable headstand and shoulderstand since it explores headstand and shoulderstand variations as well as deep backbends, many arm balancing poses and interesting twists. In this class, advanced students look at poses from a teacher’s perspective and assist each other in class. What is vinyasa? Vinyasa is a style of yoga in which a series of yoga poses flow from one to another in conjunction with the breath. The Ashtanga classes are a set series of poses taught in the vinyasa style. Hatha vinyasa classes vary the poses included in class each week. Vinyasa 1 Vinyasa 1 for experienced Level 1 students who understand basic principles of alignment for Level 1 poses. Vinyasa 2 Vinyasa 2 is for those students with an Ashtanga practice or who are in Hatha Level 2 classes. It is more vigorous than Vinyasa 1 and works with Level 2 poses. Specialty Classes As part of the Hatha curriculum, Yoga on High offers a number of specialty classes: Restorative Yoga, yoga for people with multiple sclerosis, diabetes or cancer, and a class called Special Subjects. Special Subjects focuses on some particular aspect of yoga. In the past, topics have included Yoga for Depression, Experiential Anatomy, Pranayama and Meditation, Backbends in Depth, and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Inversions. Check with us to see what is offered in any given quarter. Yoga for Diabetes * Yoga has much to offer people with diabetes. Through this gentle, yet energizing practice you can learn to love your body from the inside out. This safe practice will help you to increase circulation, stretch and awaken your muscles, massage your internal organs, relax and reduce tension, improve circulation and digestion, promote sound sleep, and reclaim your body as an instrument for joy. Studies show that yoga practices also help you relax, which lowers blood glucose levels and can help with depression. You can expect to feel good after just one class. MS Yoga * Yoga combines breathing with movements that can alternately stimulate or calm the body. Many people with muscle tightness or decreased range of motion find yoga practice brings noticeable improvement. Because yoga is relaxing and noncompetitive, it is especially recommended for people with MS. Yoga on High offers 2 classes per week for people with MS; one is for those who are in wheelchairs and the other is offered for those who are mildly or moderately affected. Held in conjunction with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Central Ohio. Yoga & Anxiety Anxiety is characterized by a variety of symptoms including excessive, repetitive worry; depression; mental and physical agitation; headaches; sleeping and digestive disorders; and rapid breath rhythms. Feelings of anxiousness may be transient or more chronic in nature. In this course you will learn sequences of poses and breathing and meditation techniques that can ease the symptoms of anxiety. There will also be time for discussion around developing personal strategies based on your own, unique experiences of anxiety. This class is for those with no yoga experience and yoga students of all levels. Yoga Philosophy Craige Roberts, a highly sought after yoga and meditation teacher with over 30 years experience, is taking time from her busy schedule this quarter to share her wisdom on various aspects of yoga philosophy. Check the website for more details. Yoga in Balance * Would you like help finding the support of you skeletal system to allow the stresses in your musculoskeletal system to release? Would you like to learn techniques to massage your body into relaxation? Would you like to take a yoga class that guides you in how to practice yoga moment by moment in your everyday life? Do you struggle to stay with the pace of other exercise or yoga classes you've taken? Do you always practice yoga at the same pace? Do you repeatedly injure the same areas of your body? If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions then Yoga in Balance may just be the perfect class for you! Yoga in Balance is for everyone interested in a better understanding of the brilliant architecture of our skeletal system. Placing bones so they can act as support is a prerequisite for strengthening, toning and relaxing muscles. If you've taken Balance class at Yoga on High with Mary Sinclair or Jean Couch, you've experienced the impact and value of this challenging practice. If you haven't taken the Foundations of Balance course but are interested in its lessons, Yoga in Balance is a great place to begin! Yoga on High is offering Yoga in Balance to all who are interested in a gently paced class. All levels of experience are welcome! Practicing Balance and Yoga in Balance may be some of the most advanced yoga you've ever practiced. The rewards far outweigh the struggle to slow down. Watch your physical stresses and strains melt away in class as you optimize your appearance everyday by following the techniques we will practice together in class. Mary Sinclair has been practicing Balance and studying with Jean Couch, director of the Balance Center in Palo Alto CA since 2002. She has taught Balance at Yoga on High since 2003 and Yoga in Balance since 2005. She brings passion, dedication, optimism and humor to her classes as embodying the principles of this practice have helped her own life to explode with joy! "Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening, treat it with care." Buddha Balance Pranayama The Sanskrit word prana translates roughly as “life force,” and –ayama means to lengthen, stretch, or extend. As a practice, pranayama is a specific, intentionally induced pattern of breathing that sharpens concentration and brings inner balance. One of the eight limbs of yoga, pranayama brings you to the doorway of meditation. This hour-long class will include some breath explorations, but it focuses on classic beginning and intermediate pranayama techniques along with some mantra and mudra practices. Satsang Satsang is a Sanskrit word combining "satya" meaning "truth" and "sangha" meaning "group. " It describes a gathering of people for the purpose of seeking the truth. Satsang is often used when referring to a meeting where the search is for spiritual truth, or uncovering the truth of who you are. During Satsang, participants may read inspiring words, discuss teachings, meditate, and find ways to bring this awareness into daily life. While attending services or spiritual study groups can be thought of as participating in Satsangs, this practice can also apply to any group of people that are gathered to inspire one another and express the truth free from judgment. A Satsang can be a group of people that are gathered to sing, play, or listen to music. All that needs to be there is the intention to inspire one another and tell the truth. A Satsang can also be a support group, book club, yoga class, or meeting between friends for coffee or conversation. We don't need to be in a place of worship or supervised by appointed leaders to experience the truth. The truth can be found in every moment and it can be experienced with anyone. Spending time with someone who enlightens us can be as simple as visiting with a grandmother or talking to a best friend. There is wisdom to be gleaned from being with people even when the gatherings are not specifically intended for personal improvement or spiritual transformation. Any occasion we are gathered with people who understand and support us can be a spiritual experience. While gatherings with the intention of communing with spirit are undoubtedly powerful and inspiring, getting together with people that uplift us by their presence alone is also vital to our well-being. When we recognize all the people we know that support and enrich us, our lives can become an extended Satsang. Zazen Yoga on High has been providing space for this weekly zen community for about six months. The meditation practice in the Diamond Sangha tradition. There are two 25 minute sitting sessions with walking meditation in between, followed by a 20-minute chanting service. All are welcome. Please see www.zohi.org for more information. *call to pre-register