YOGA AS A WAY OF LIFE
Resting is one of the key pillars that stand on Sanctuary Hill's foundations as prevention or recovery from injury and illness. When we become connected through this meditative practice, we are more easily able to identify areas of tension, stress and fatigue in the body. Not only does this allow for restoration but it also helps prevent future injury.
We have prepared for you a Guide so you can find the different levels of Rest in our classes. Even the more active classes integrate an adequate emphasis on rest making this the best way to feel the capabilities of the subtle body. However, don’t underestimate the power of this practice, while it might not feel like you are actively “doing” anything, you are.
GUIDELINES
Dynamic Flow
Wednesdays 9:30am
This energized class promotes stability and concentration. Builds stamina, strength and flexibility! If you are looking for something to release energy, this class provides a perfect balance of stable, strong and ease-full flows that support an over all feeling of strength and wellbeing. This style of practice is suitable for seasoned practitioners as the emphasis on spending time to feel your body in a pose will guide each student towards their own unique needs.
Intermediate Hatha
Mondays 5:30PM, Wed 5:45PM, Thurs 9:30AM, Saturdays 9:00AM
Practice with attention and intention. Our signature classes blend alignment with breath awareness and fluid movement for a balanced practice. These classes typically move through a warm-up and Sun salutations into sequenced postures. This classes offer a well balanced body-mind practice through flexibility and stillness moving skillfully and safely on the mat. You will leave this class feeling you have addressed both body and mind in equal measure.
Gentle Hatha
Tuesdays 9:30AM
When you're new to yoga, it can be hard to know where to start. Don't worry, here we love yoga newbies and we offer this class that serve as a great first step. The slower pace of Gentle Class makes it a great choice if you want a less strenuous approach to your practice. These extremely accessible classes are perfect for anyone looking to develop a practice of conscious, mindful movement with some support.
Slow Flow
Thursdays 5:30PM
The focus of this class is to explore a slower more mindful way of moving and breathing . Using functional movement coupled with self awareness you will experience a holistic approach to Yoga. Each class is intelligently sequenced with a balance of stable, strong and ease-full flows that support an over all feeling of strength and wellbeing. This style of practice is suitable for beginners and seasoned practitioners as the emphasis on spending time to feel your body in a pose will guide each student towards their own unique needs.
Yin Yoga
Thursdays 7:15pm & Sundays 6:00pm
Yin yoga uses the application of long deep and passive postures held between two to five minutes for the purpose of releasing tension in the body and mind. This practice targets the deep connective tissue (fascia) including bones, joints, ligaments and tendons with the aim of increasing overall health.
More specifically, yin yoga positively effects flexibility by maintaining or increasing joint range motion, releasing tension, repairing damaged fascia and improving circulation. Yin Yoga encourages you to focus inward and to develop your practice into a moving meditation. We lead such active and busy lives yin yoga is the perfect partnership to help re-balance our bodies and minds. Yin yoga is accessible to anyone at any age, regardless of experience and ability.
Restorative Yoga
Tuesdays 7:15PM & Fridays 9:30AM
This is the most restful class of our schedule. Lights are dimmed, soft music, socks and eye pillows are all in! The aim of this style of yoga is in its name itself, to Restore. It is a very therapeutic practice that promotes deep relaxation with the aid of props. A restorative class is about renewal and rejuvenation that improves the body's capacity for healing and balancing, stills the mind, deeply relaxes the body and enhances the mood.
Yoga Nidra
Wednesdays 7:30-8:30pm
This is a class that will include a little work with breathing exercises but be predominantly focused in the practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra translates to mean yogic sleep. It is aiming to reach a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. There is an enormous amount of research and studies which have shown yoga nidra to reduce stress, anxiety, PTSD, balances the autonomic nervous system, improves quality of sleep, and improves awareness and concentration to name a few of the many benefits. The great thing is absolutely anyone can do this practice. We will start with a very short session of breathing exercises which will be seated and the rest of the class will be lying down with support to be as comfortable as possible (no yoga postures)
This class may interest anyone who would like to reduce stress, sleep better, develop their meditation practice or gain a better understanding of their mind.