Basic Yoga poses for Beginners Virginia

Adaptive Yoga
A slow-paced class which combines yogic breathing, deep relaxation, and gentle movement to restore strength, range of motion and vitality. The practice will be modified for individual needs.

Ayurveda Lifestyle
Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga that gives the principles and guidelines to living a balanced life. This is a special eight-week course to introduce simple ideas for self-care and healthy habits. Each class will include some beginning movement and end with breathing practice or meditation.

Bones and Balance
Those diagnosed with osteoporosis and arthritis have found this class useful. Students will learn to strengthen muscles, safeguard the spine while toning the upper body, protect their hips and lower back, build balancing skills, improve the health and flexibility of joints with blood circulation exercises and safe resistance-training postures. Class will include mindful breathing techniques and guided meditations.

Core Awareness
An active class with a core-strengthening focus, where the strengthening happens more around awareness and less around force.

Chinese Yoga (Tai Chi / Qi Gong)
Based on a 5, 000-year-old Chinese energy healing system, this class brings the body into a state of balance and self regulation through coordinated movement of body and breath. It includes standing movement as well as seated on a chair.

Feldenkrais
Movement explorations that can reveal and alter habits responsible for chronic stress or pains, facilitate recovery from injury, and improve skills and creativity. The focus is not so much on what you do, as on HOW you do it.

Gentle Yoga
Basic poses at a slow pace with lots of support. Ideal for those recovering from illness or injury, as well as those with chronic health concerns necessitating extra caution in physical activity.

Kids Yoga
Play and work with poses to increase flexibility and strength, develop coordination and posture, and explore relaxation and stress reduction tools. Yoga stories and/or visualizations will be presented in each class.

Mat Pilates 1
This exercise system focuses on correct breathing, posture and core strengthening. No admittance after week three without permission of the instructor.

Mat Pilates 2
The progression in this class is faster than Pilates 1 and provides an energetic, full body workout. Prior Pilates experience necessary.

Meditation
A general survey and practice of various meditation philosophies and practices. Open to beginners and advanced students alike. No registration necessary.

Middle and High Schoolers
A playful yet disciplined practice of asana, pranayama, and relaxation, intended to help reduce stress and promote strength, self-esteem, focus, balance, and positive body images.

Moms & Babies
Bring along your baby, from infant to almost-crawling, for this welcoming postnatal class that emphasizes how yoga can help you stay physically and emotionally strong and centered during your first months together. Strengthen, stretch and tone your body with emphasis on support for feeding, holding, lifting and carrying your baby, as well as moving more easily through your daily life. Learn basic techniques of baby massage and movements that encourage neuromuscular development in babies.

Morning Mysore Practice
Mysore style is an un-led class where students arrive any time during the specified hours. The teacher greets students one-by-one and gets them started on a set series of Ashtanga Yoga postures, breathing, and gazing points. Learn more about our morning Mysore classes here.

Peaceful Practices
Begin your weekend or finish your week in an uncommon way, with three different elements of yoga over the course of the quarter. Yoga Nidra, Meditation, and Restorative Yoga will help move you toward a deeper and new-found feeling of peace. This class is designed to help you find time in your life for reflection, contemplation and relaxation.

Prenatal Yoga
An all-levels course which supports and empowers expectant mothers. Teaches ways to ease aches and pains, make the body comfortable during pregnancy, and use the breath to calm and steady the mind.

Family Yoga Fun
Geared toward younger children (toddlers through early elementary ages). A light-hearted and playful class that helps reduce stress, build motor skills, increase strength and promote flexibility. Usually includes games, stories, and guided imagery. Always relaxing. Always fun.

TGIF Yoga
This all-levels class is designed to help you de-stress from your week, build strength and flexibility, and reclaim your energy for a great weekend. Moderately paced, joyful in spirit and community, accessible for anyone.

Vinyasa 1*
A fast-paced, challenging practice that builds stamina and strength through a series of flowing poses. Students should be comfortable coming quickly into standing poses with good alignment and should be practicing at Level 2 or above. Appropriate for beginning Ashtanga-style and power yoga practitioners.

Vinyasa 2*
Adds more advanced poses and challenging transitions to the fast, flowing pace of Vinyasa 1. Open to Level 3+ students or students comfortable with a Vinyasa 1 practice who are ready to expand their focus and core strength. Appropriate for experienced Ashtanga-style and power yoga practitioners.

Yoga 101
For those who have never taken yoga before, this class will be a friendly and accessible introduction to such mysteries as how to sit on the floor, use props, and practice simple poses like table, down dog, and easy twists. Time to take away the myth that you have to touch your toes to take a yoga class.

Yoga for Boys
The adolescent boy will learn ways to focus his mind, condition his body to help avoid athletic injuries, build flexibility to balance his emerging strength, and manage emotions. The class is designed for middle and high school boys seeking a peaceful environment without the distraction of girls.

Yoga for Healthy Aging
A research-based course of 37 essential practices correlated to increased healthy life span. The practices include static, dynamic, and restorative poses focused on flexibility, agility, balance and strength. This class is appropriate for anyone who's looking to take their yoga with them through many years ahead. We recommend that students have taken a minimum of one full quarter of Level 1.

Yoga-Infused Pilates
Classic Pilates exercises intended to strengthen the core abdominal muscles, combined with a yoga aesthetic, incorporating gentle cool-down stretches, yoga breathing practices, and deep relaxation at the end.

Yin Yoga
A close-to-the-ground practice in long-held poses that complements our more active typical yang yoga practice and lives. The attentive receptivity of yin practice promotes health in the joints and connective tissue. Yin yoga class emphasizes focus on sensations and intensity, producing a meditative state in the mind and heart.