» The Benefits of Yoga
» Frequently Asked Questions
» Helpful Tips
» Introductory Course & Classes
» What Is Flow?
The Benefits of Yoga
- Build strength & stamina
- Correct poor posture
- Improve your flexibility
- Improve muscle tone/create longer, leaner muscles
- Speed up your metabolism
- Lose weight
- Enhance your balance
- Rehabilitate an injury or recover from chronic pain
- Reduce stress
- Feel more focused and positive
- Have more energy, passion, and creativity
- Experience a new level of emotional calm and mental clarity
- Enjoy life more
- Live Longer
- Look and feel younger
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if I can’t do particular poses during a class?
All of our teachers are trained and experienced in assisting students with modifications for poses. Often times, you may feel as if you simply are not ready for a particular postures. You can always choose to rest or do another pose that feels better for you. Don’t be shy-ask your teacher for suggestions during class. At Sacred Space, our intention is to create an environment that cultivates non-competition and ultimately, guides you to move, breathe and practice from a place of intuition. Always honor your body and what feels right. Not every pose is for every body!
Q: Can I practice yoga even if I’m over 50?
Absolutely! Yoga can be practiced at any age. In fact, yoga is particularly beneficial for people 30+years old when the regeneration power of the body is declining and resistance to illness is weakened. Yoga generates energy, as opposed to using it. Unlike other exercise, yoga creates a concentration of immunity cells in areas that are prone to disease, thus improving the function of your immune system. This is why doctors are now beginning to prescribe yoga to aid or cure ailments. It is a restorative and preventative science.
Q: I’m athletic and in good shape, however I have an injury…can yoga help?
Yes, yes, yes! Most postures can be modified and structured to accommodate injuries-sometimes the teacher may have you use props and sometimes he/she may direct you towards a modification of the posture, or maybe even a different posture altogether. Please let your teacher know of any pre-existing medical condition or injury so he/she can help you appropriately.
Q: Can yoga be practiced as a weight-loss regimen? Which classes will help me lose weight?
Yes, yoga can be practiced as part of or entirely as a weight-loss regimen. Vinyasa Flow yoga, in particular, helps shed unwanted pounds for several reasons: the movement through poses and focus on breath not only provide cardiovascular workout, but also helps increase your metabolism and stabilize your hormonal system. The awareness and meditative aspects of the practice make you more centered, conscious and stress-free which helps you develop better eating and sleep habits. Not only this, yoga does wonders for your posture, muscle tone and flexibility and strength. It should be said, however, that you need to practice consistently to get results; particularly for weight loss, you should commit to practicing at least 3-4 times per week.
Q: Can yoga help me manage stress,anxiety and depression?
Yoga is an ancient mind/body practice that cultivates mental clarity, heightens self-awareness, promotes physical and mental calm, and overall improves your well-being. It is a holistic approach that has been utilized for years to elevate mood, inspire joy and free us from unnecessary suffering.
Q: What do I need to wear to class and what should I bring?
Wear anything you feel comfortable in when you exercise. Yoga is practiced in bare feet, so you will need to remove your shoes and/or socks. Bring a hand towel, water and a mat. You can purchase or rent yoga mats at the studio. We do not sell bottled water. Instead, we offer a pure, filtered water dispenser that you may use freely to refill your own water bottle from home.
Q: Can I just show up for a class or do I need to make a reservation?
Reservations are not required but some classes do fill up so we recommend that you check out our online reservation service WebScheduler. Here, you can create an account to reserve your classes in advance, purchase class series, view your account details, and find out how many classes are remaining in your series or when your series expires, by clicking on the "My Info" tab and selecting "My Account." All students, whether you’ve signed in online or walked in off the street, MUST check in at the front desk and log in on the sign-up sheet.
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Helpful Tips
The following guidelines will enhance your experience of Yoga at Sacred Space, whether you are new to yoga or have been practicing for years. They are meant to help us maintain the quality experience we all want out of our yoga practice.
- Remove your shoes upon entering the space. There are cubbyholes in the rooms for your personal items, including your shoes.
- Leave your cell phone in your car. Please do not bring it into the studio.
- Come to practice with an empty stomach (unless a specific condition prevents this).
- Be early to class. Entering class constantly late is very disruptive and disrespectful to all. If you arrive a few minutes late, take a breath, and quietly enter.
- Bring your own mat, it’s more hygienic. We do have rental mats for $2.
- Wear comfortable exercise clothing.
- If you have a health issue (illness, injury, or medical condition), please notify your instructor before class so they can guide and direct you.
- Don’t expect instant results. To reap significant health benefits requires consistent practice and dedication.
- Find the time! There are 168 hours in your given week and 4 1/2 hours of yoga in that week (that’s 3 classes a week) is the best investment you could make. We recommend a minimum of 3x per week. You will see amazing shifts and changes in your body, mind and spirit when you practice consistently.
- Take total responsibility. Your health is your responsibility. Do not force your body. Be patient and move into your poses with care and precision. There’s a difference between training smart and training stupid!
- Enjoy your practice. People who enjoy their practice get the best gains. The emotion of enjoyment puts the mind and body into a positive state. Don’t try to outdo anyone. Look to improve on your own level. Over time, you will discover that when it comes to yoga, everyone wins.
- Be kind to yourself. It is okay to come out of a pose before the teacher says to. Yoga is not “gutting it out” or “no pain, no gain.” To the contrary, the body will respond beautifully when you show it kindness, acceptance and love. Do what you can, with what you have, with where you are.
- No experience or flexibility is required to practice Yoga. Yoga is for everyone.
- Stay for the entire class. If you need to leave early, tell the teacher beforehand and exit before final relaxation.
- Most classes finish with the gesture and saying Namaste. This means: I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells. I honor the place in you in which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are one.
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What Is Flow?
Flow yoga, also called Vinyasa flow, has become one of the most popular forms of Hatha Yoga practice in the world today.
Flow Yoga is a practice in which our movements are linked fluidly together with an awareness and focus on breathing. Postures are connected and sequenced in a way that intelligently opens the body in stages (in Sanskrit, “karmas”) and sets of postures, or sequences always build from the most basic to the complex.
Flow yoga can be practiced in a very vigorous, stimulating and dynamic way as well as a softer, slower, and gentle manner.
Most people tend to think of flow as a practice that is constantly moving, with very little regard for form or structure. While constant movement may be used during class, individual postures will be held for longer periods of time during a flow practice. A flow class also emphasizes alignment and sound structure, which helps us move in a very mindful, healing and graceful manner.
Flow Yoga is a well-balanced yoga practice that will stretch every muscle, move every joint, build strength, flexibility, endurance. Its greatest lesson is that it teaches us how to stay fresh and alive, present with the moment so that we may experience how to move through our lives with more joy, grace, and ease.
This type of practice literally puts us into a state of flow. It is a state of being where we feel totally non-judgmental, conflict-free, self-loving and free. Ultimately, when we are in this “zone,” we experience our potential more fully and we tap a source of strength, joy, openness and presence that we do not often experience in our daily grind.
History of Vinyasa Flow
Our lineage is through the great teacher Krishnamacharya who’s brilliant knowledge of the healing power of yoga inspired most of the popular branches of yoga we know today in the West. Krishnamacharya, Desikachar, BKS Iyengar, Patthabi and Indra Devi, the first western female to receive instruction and blessings to teach yoga, all derived from this great tree. Our intention at Sacred Space is to maintain the highest standard, integrity and adherence to the quality of the lineage from which we flower.
Key Qualities of a Flow Class
- A breath-focused practice. Attention to the breath continues UNINTERRUPTED throughout the entire class and in every posture.
- Utilizes proper body alignment, body mechanics and structural integrity of muscles, joints and bones.
- Is designed to build strength, flexibility, endurance and balance.
- Contains all classes of Asanas (standing postures; twists; forward bends; backbends; inversions; balancing postures and movement sequences)
- A well-rounded practice that includes a full complement of postures that are accessible to most students and sequenced to incorporate the most important postures and their counterposes.
- Structure of class is creative, dynamic and ever-evolving. Each class you experience is fresh, unscripted and born of the moment.
- Facilitates a deep meditative state within all movement or moments of stillness.
- Gets you in touch with your body’s natural rhythm.
- A holistic practice that is based on the viewpoint that there is a relationship between body, mind and spirit and that the physical and the spiritual reflect and affect each other.
- Cultivates intuition by teaching practitioners how to determine their own pace and move to the tempo of their own breath. Encourages personal expression and freedom.
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