| 2012 Winter/ Spring Schedule |
| Yoga Schedule |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
|
- Please arrive at class at least 10 minutes early to allow yourself time to settle into your space and also to allow class to begin on time. Everyone
makes an effort to attend class, it’s important to respect each and every student’s time. Also, it cheats you out of a portion of the serenity that yoga
offers, when you start your class in a rush and flustered it most often doesn’t allow you to gain the most benefit from the class.
- I understand that with today’s demanding lifestyles, it is sometimes required that you arrive late or leave a class early. This is perfectly acceptable. I
would rather you have some yoga, than no yoga at all. If this occasion arises for you, please be respectful of the other students and enter class after
the initial centering/pranayama is practiced {when the asana practice begins}, and when leaving early please leave before the savasana begins. Even
though you are trying to be as quiet as possible it is still quite distracting for the other students when you are fumbling around with your mats, keys,
bags, etc.
- Please refrain from wearing perfumes to class; many people are sensitive to strong scents. As you know, I sometimes heat oils for the purpose of
Aromatherapy, please make me aware if these aromas bother your senses.
- Please turn off cell phones completely. Even placing your phone on vibrate can distract other students and it leaves you tied to the outside world
which prohibits you from having a full hour of being totally available to only yourself.
- Please feel free to bring any of the props that you would like to use in your practice. Especially items that enhance your time in savasana.
{For ex. Eye pillows, blankets, heavy socks, etc.}
- Please let me know of any injuries or limitations that may affect your practice. Always ask me for assistance when modifying an asana. My goal is
for you to have a safe and fulfilling practice, help me to help you. Occasionally I may make an improvement in your alignment. This is to help you to
feel the posture in the correct areas of your body. Please let me know if you are sensitive to touch so that I can respect your boundaries.
- Always remember that yoga is non-competitive….with others….but most importantly with yourself. It doesn’t matter what the person next to you
is doing, how far they are bending, or how long they can remain in a pose. It also does not matter how well you did a pose last week or how well
you think you should be doing next week. What does matter is what you are doing and what you are feeling in this moment and where your focus
is TODAY. It’s important to remember that our physical practice and asana needs change on a daily basis. Our balance and strength vary from day
to day. In my opinion, this is where yoga differs from the rest of the fitness/activity world. Yoga was not designed to be a competitive sport, or to
increase your athletic ability, it was designed to enhance your journey into stillness. We, Westerners, somehow morphed this sacred practice into a
sport!!! Unlike other exercises or activities where you focus on going a little farther or doing a little more each week, I feel that a continued yoga
practice allows us the openness to create our own perfect poses that are set by the needs our individual mind/body requirements. The goal that we
are trying to achieve in yoga is to get to a place of quietness within the body so that we can tune-in and listen to the messages from our soul. These
messages will guide our practice to where it needs to be. My best advice is for you to get out of your own way, take part in a yoga practice that is
free from false expectation, practice self-compassion, listen, and respect your edge. This is the true mastering of yoga…….full self-awareness.
The intention of each of Now Zen's yoga classes are to infuse the soul with serenity, bring flexibility into all layers of the body, and relax the mind through meditation and contemplation. |
| Yogic Guidelines {suggestions for enhancing your practice} |