Pilates and Yoga Workout Virginia

Many of us are drawn to yoga for the physical benefits it brings to the body. Yoga builds muscular strength. Yoga opens our joints and lengthens our muscles, improving flexibility. We gain aerobic capacity and endurance. Yoga re-educates the body in a whole body workout that can happen on many levels of physical intensity, from gentle to challenging. However, importantly, we do this practice while linking our movement with our breath. By employing conscious breathing, the rhythm of the breath begins to calm the fluctuations of the mind. We focus. Yoga is about learning to pay attention, developing mindfulness in our movements and actions. A deeper inner awareness begins to flourish leading us to places of stillness, insight, and clarity. We find we are less reactive to uncomfortable situations, less resistant to change. By engaging in the moving meditation of yoga we experience gratitude and grace, which nurture our spirit.

Pilates is a method of controlled, precise, focused movement practiced in connection with the breath. Pilates combines visualization, physical strengthening and stretching of the body to improve blood flow and mental vigor, improve posture, and ultimately create a grace of movement that allows for suppleness and vitality in natural everyday movements. With time, Pilates will give you the personal tools to care of yourself. Autonomy is a powerful tool to promote self-sufficiency when it comes to exercise.

Through gentle fluid movements Qigong (pronounced chi gung) gathers and moves our energy (chi). Qigong is a healing modality which opens pathways of energy within the body (meridians), nourishes our organs, and increases our vitality. The practice of Qigong is accessible and beneficial to all ages, physical conditions and abilities.

Tai chi is a centuries-old Chinese martial art that descends from qigong. Tai Chi has its roots in martial arts, but is also practiced for its health benefits, both physical and mental. It involves a series of slow, meditative body movements that promote inner peace and calm.
Barre
A vigorous class that combines Pilates, yoga and ballet to create muscular endurance. Targeting muscle groups, such as the gluteus, the class uses full range of movements mixed with partial range of movement and pulsing to create fatigue and eventually endurance. This class can tap into the cardiovascular system and is more similar to an exercise class then a yoga class. Participants should expect to sweat, breath hard, and work their core muscles. Barre is a method, not a piece of equipment. Center of Gravity will teach Barre on matts in the center of the studio. Exercise balls, resistance tubing and fun music will be employed to create an overall body workout.

A vigorous class that combines Pilates, yoga and ballet to create muscular endurance. Targeting muscle groups, such as the gluteus, the class uses full range of movements mixed with partial range of movement and pulsing to create fatigue and eventually endurance. This class can tap into the cardiovascular system and is more similar to an exercise class then a yoga class. Participants should expect to sweat, breath hard, and work their core muscles. Barre is a method, not a piece of equipment. Center of Gravity will teach Barre on matts in the center of the studio. Exercise balls, resistance tubing and fun music will be employed to create an overall body workout.