If you are new to yoga you may be wondering how to get started. Yoga may be one word with little nuance, or perhaps you’ve heard about a few styles and you’re wondering whether your first yoga experience should be a Hatha yoga session? Is Vinyasa right for you? What about Ashtanga? Or Iyengar? Or Power? This article will help broaden your understanding of the styles of yoga that are available.
Archive for the ‘Yoga’ Category
Yoga 101: Understanding Styles of Yoga
Monday, September 6th, 2010Yoga Classes with Nathan
Monday, September 6th, 2010
To view information on Yoga classes with Nathan:
1. Click the Title of the Blog
2. Look at the Pages links on the right side of your screen
3. You should see links for: (Friday Morning Yoga; Thursday Night Ashtanga; Weds. and Sat. Yoga etc.)
Friendship and Love, Beauty vs. Glamour, Healing and Renewal, Spiritual Hunger, and Original Thoughts on Death
Sunday, September 5th, 2010
A European friend introduced me to the writing and words of John O’Donohue. I’ve turned to John’s words at times when I’ve sought greater clarity and hope. This one interview covers a wide variety of topics, and if you listen to the whole thing it’s likely that at least one story or topic will resonate and inspire.
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/tapestry_20080115_4414.mp3
John O'Donohue
Just a few topics covered in this interview include:
(On Meister Eckhart) “He said an amazing thing in one of his latin writings: “There is a place in the soul that neither time, nor flesh, nor any created thing can ever touch.” So that means like, that there’s a place within you where no one has ever got to you, where you’re not damaged, or where there is no negativity in you, but where there is a pure tranquility within you.
Yoga and Business
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
“Yoga is not the renunciation of personal life and business, but the renunciation of the vicious concepts parading as vital to these expressions.”
- Ramamurti S. Mishra from “Fundamentals of Yoga”
Ashtanga Practice Notes: Jump Back and Float
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Category: Physical / Ashtanga / Yoga
Difficulty: Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Best For: Ashtangis, Int. Vinysasa Students, Teachers
The feeling of “float” that is an important component of various transitions during Ashtanga Primary Series can be difficult for beginners to access. Picking oneself up from seated, lifting one’s own body weight, and swinging back during the seated series of poses in Primary Series can be called a Jump Back (Grimmly shown above in the first 20 seconds). A correctly executed Jump Back has a moment of float in it.
Yoga, Gangsters, Power and Teaching Peace
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Learning from a teacher who truly understands his/her subject gives me insight into the real meaning of power. To see some masterful teaching, check out this site: http://mathforum.org/dr/math/ They won’t teach you yoga. They will teach you math. (And I nominate Dr. Peterson for the Nobel Peace Prize.)
In the movie Road to Perdition the gangsters seem to have trouble with math. The inclusion of this detail suggests that learning opens doors which otherwise might be closed. Those who don’t have know-how, support and encouragement can wind up feeling they depend on the likes of Mr. Rooney to survive (and we see where that leads).
Practical Wisdom
Saturday, July 10th, 2010Here’s a lecture that I found helpful in thinking about a variety of issues. I’ve summarized some of the points made in the lecture below.
- A wise person knows when and how to make the exception to every rule.
- A wise person knows how to improvise.
- Real world problems are often ambiguous and ill defined, and the context is always changing.
Inner Freedom: The Flow of Yoga On & Off the Mat
Monday, June 28th, 2010I’ve learned a few things on YouTube. The choreographers of Flashdance knew Purvottanasana. The Forbidden Kingdom has a great fight scene. And you can find inspiration for moving toward your full potential in yoga by watching how people move in other disciplines.
When I first started watching the movements of practitioners trained in different disciplines, I was turning over in my mind the idea of effortless flow. “What is possible in yoga teaching and practice?” was a thought spinning about at the back of my mind.
Friday Yoga
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
Center at Westwoods Grounds Near Labyrinth
Day and Time: Friday Mornings. 9:30 am – 11:00 am. (Newcomers can attend a 10-minute beginner’s introduction at 9:15 a.m.)
Location The Center at Westwoods, 590 Gay Street, Westwood, MA 02090
In the Meditation Hall (look for the wheelchair ramp in front, and the fish pond out back)
Fee $17 to drop in / $45 for 3 class card (expires 5 weeks after purchase) / Gift Certificates Now Available!
Contact Nathan Schechter, RYT / nathan@aflowyoga.com / (617) 335-9317
Note: the second Friday of each month includes an OPTIONAL group discussion which is held from 11:15am – 12:15 pm. Students can attend yoga class at regular rates. Cost to attend both yoga and discussion is $20. Discussion only is $20.
Class Description:
Yoga poses are woven into a fun, athletic, flowing series of movements, interspersed with elements that seek to challenge, soothe and restore the body and mind. Students are encouraged to adapt the exercises and poses to their own bodies and comfort level. Experienced students will notice the influence of Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar styles. Students are welcome to remain for an additional half hour after class to socialize and help put away props.
Thursday Ashtanga
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
at Yoga Energy, 399 Washington Street, Dedham, MA
This is a led Primary Series class
Ashtanga Yoga at Yoga Energy in Dedham
Nathan Schechter, RYT
More information is available on the Thursday Ashtanga Page (click the blog’s title , then look to the right).
