Yoga does more than burn calories and tone muscles. It’s a total mind-body practice that combines strengthening and stretching poses with controlled deep breathing and meditation or relaxation that builds a strong core and a lean body. There are more than 100 different forms of yoga – some are fast-paced and intense, others are gentle and relaxing. Yoga may help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lower your heart rate. And almost anyone can do it. The Village Clubs offer many different types of yoga classes and we’ve detailed out a few below.
New to Yoga
The beginner’s yoga classes at the Village like Basics Yoga, Yoga 101 and Intro to Yoga, offer the “how to’s” of yoga techniques, including yogic breathing, hand/foot placement, and how to intensify the poses with different options for every level practitioner in a slower, more deliberate, informational format. These classes offer a variety of the traditional yoga foundational poses that are generally covered in every yoga class, style, and format.
Go with the Flow
Basic Flow Yoga, Flow Yoga levels I, II & III, Slow Flow, Get Up & Flow, and Heated Flow Yoga classes are all Vinyasa Flow Yoga, or yoga that focuses on uniting movement with the breath. Once you’ve learned the basic techniques of the poses, your teachers bring them together to create a faster-paced flow, one pose moves into the next with your breath as a guide. With the addition of movement and breath, your practice is now a moving meditation. These classes offer a more physically challenging level to a yoga practice.
Power it Up
Power Yoga adds a dynamic intensity level to a basic or flow yoga class. At the teacher’s discretion, these classes can be built around more advanced target poses that move into a deeper physical and strength level, with some fun but challenging arm balances or twist variations with more advanced options. Oftentimes these classes have longer pose-holding times in the flow sequencing patterns to build strength and stamina, or offer modifications to deepen traditional foundational poses. Basic yoga knowledge and flow experience is advised before attending a Power Yoga class.
Turn the Heat Up
Yoga is known to help us detoxify, and HOT yoga takes that detoxification to the next level. You will sweat in Village Hot Yoga, Heated Flow or a Heated Sculpt class. We have our own set series of yoga poses done at every hot yoga class and they’re offered at 3 of our 4 locations. A Hot Yoga series is a great place to grow your yoga practice – it moves at a slower pace than most Vinyasa classes, making it easier to follow, remember the poses and grow more quickly and deepen your practice. Heated Flow is a flow class with the addition of heat. Heated Sculpt is going to add a little weight to your poses allowing your strength to grow faster than non-weighted yoga.
Let’s Specialize
Specialty formats like Therapeutic Yoga, Healthy Backs, Gentle Yoga with Aromatherapy, Yoga for Stiff People, Good Morning Yoga Stretch, and Ashtanga Yoga are available to all levels of practitioners. These classes are taught at slower paces and have a specific focus and benefit (like a healthier back) depending on the class. Try them all and add some specialized knowledge to any level of your yoga practice.
Time to Relax
Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Deep Stretch, and Meditation all offer the yoga practice’s most well-known benefits – mental and physical relaxation. Yoga Nidra is among the deepest possible states of relaxation while still maintaining full consciousness and is offered through a guided meditation. Restorative, Yin and Deep Stretch Yoga offer support through props like blankets and bands, paired with longer deeper holds. Meditation is the practice of training our minds to find peace and stillness, the deepest benefit of yoga.
No matter what you’re looking for in your yoga practice, if you’re just starting out or taking your 20-year practice to a new level, the Village Clubs offer a robust yoga program full of a variety of classes to stretch you mentally and physically. Isn’t it time you rolled out your yoga mat?
You can try all of these yoga classes and more at the Village – learn about our yoga classes and view our schedule on our website.