Click here for the detailed schedule.

Updated June 1, 2009 at 11:32 am

The detailed schedules include substitutions and changes to class times.
Please be sure to check before coming to class!

Eclectic Hatha Tuesdays 5:30-7:00pm
This class is a fertile ground to explore your physical/mental edges and dive deeper into your breath. Some previous hatha yoga experience is suggested, though not necessary, as all students are encouraged to work within their own limitations. This is a class ideally suited for those who are athletic at heart.

Dynamic Hatha Thursdays noon-1pm
For experienced students looking to deepen their practice through more advanced poses including hand balances and inversions. A class well-suited for those who are athletic at heart. Not recommended for beginning students.

Deep Stretch Saturdays 10:30-noon
A quiet, slow-paced class ideal for all levels of students. This class offers the opportunity to gently and deeply unwind beneath the surface layers into the deeper connective tissues of the body by working close to the floor, practicing fewer poses and holding them for longer periods of time. Deep stretch can unhook and release enormous amounts of tension, heighten self-awareness and restore a feeling of spacious freedom in the bodymind. back to schedule

Meditative Yoga Wednesdays 5:30-7pm
with Lynn

This class includes the practice of chanting, postures, pranayama and meditation to develop awareness of prana, the subtle energy that all yogic practice is based upon. With an emphasis on physical sensation and breath awareness this class is based on the tradition of Kripalu yoga. A slower pace and a few basic postures make this class appropriate for beginners as well as more advanced students seeking a more internal practice. back to schedule

Sunrise Yoga Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6-7:15am
with Pack and Jan

Start your day with yoga! Join a committed group of early risers for a Kripalu Yoga practice that begins gently and ends more energetically to prepare you for the day ahead. The class will end promptly at 7:15 to allow you to get to work on time. back to schedule

Yoga 102 Thursdays 5:30-7 pm
with Ken

This is an on-going class designed for those who have taken Yoga 101 or who are new to the practices of yoga. Each class will include the introduction and teaching of one new yoga pose or practice. There will be lots of time for questions and hands-on assistance. Pre-registration is not necessary. Come as you are.
back to schedule

alleyCat Community Yoga Sundays 10:30-11:30  

alleyCat Community Yoga is taught by a rotating group of talented teachers. This drop-in class costs only $5 or 2 credits and offers students an opportunity to experience a variety of teaching styles. Each class will be a unique expression of the teacher and the students who have gathered to practice together. back to schedule

Specialty Classes
Yoga passes are applicable for some of these classes, others require a separate registration.

Deep Rest Therapeutic Yoga Sundays 2:30-4:30pm
Next session: September 2009
with Christy and Lynn
$30 or 10 credits/class. Note: You must register for all four classes.
** Please register early. Class size is limited to 10 people. Previous sessions have had waiting lists.

Are you tired of being tired?

Restorative yoga is a specialized practice for those who are tired, in poor health, recovering from injuries or for anyone who wants to learn a deeply nurturing and restorative yoga practice. Restorative yoga focuses on effortlessness and ease.

The demands of modern day life leave many people in a state of chronic exhaustion, which often leads to physical illness. The simple yet very powerful practice of restorative yoga — which we call Deep Rest Therapeutic Yoga — allows individuals to experience all of the health benefits of the yoga postures without expending any energy.

This special manner of practicing utilizes bolsters, cushions, blankets and chairs to completely support the body through a selected sequence of postures. The body then deeply relaxes while the posture is being held. All of the benefits of yoga are received without any expenditure of energy.

Each class includes breathing techniques and covers the full range of movement of the spine.

Comment from previous participant:
It is so easy to get caught up in all of the "doing" activities of every day. You can accumulate stress and fatigue without realizing how much it is wearing you down. Worse, you gradually forget what it even feels like to be completely relaxed. The classes in Deep Rest Therapy Yoga teach you to help yourself reconnect with a natural state that you may not have experienced for a long time. Doing this practice regularly can be healing and release new energy. You cope with stress better during the day, and sleep better at night. It's one of the best things I've ever done for myself. back to schedule

Senior Yoga a.k.a. "Golden Yoga" Mondays 9-10:15am
with Jan
For more information call 289-3007 or 356-4099 or email.
$40 for 4 classes.

A very gentle, slow-paced chair class designed to strengthen the body, improve balance and steadiness, increase range of motion and promote calming of the mind. All ages welcome. We'll breathe, relax and have fun! back to schedule

Kids Yoga Saturdays 12:30-1:30
with Susan
You must register for these classes directly with Susan.
Call Susan at 449-6068 or email.
Check out Susan's website.

Read Feb 3 '06 Tribune article!

These classes, offered by Susan Cooperstock an early childhood educator for the past 19 years, are a lot of fun while also helping kids learn how to focus, balance and feel good about their bodies.

They offer children a playful way to gain patience and self-confidence, strength and flexibility through yoga postures, breathing, stories, music and games.

back to schedule

 

 

Teen Yoga Wednesdays, April 8, 15, 22, & 29 3:30-4:30 pm
You must register for these classes directly with Susan. Fee $40 for the session.
Call Susan at 449-6068 or email.
Check out Susan's website.

iRest Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga

Yoga Nidra is offered on a drop-in basis Wednesdays 12-1

Yoga Nidra, an ancient Tantric Yoga practice (literally "sleep of the yogis"), is a method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation while remaining totally alert and aware.

Yoga Nidra is practiced to reduce stress, overcome insomnia, solve personal problems, resolve trauma, and overcome fear, anger and depression. As well, it is an experience of inquiry and meditation designed to facilitate awakening to one’s true nature. Read more about yoga nidra.

back to schedule

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Next MBSR course begins September 15, 2009. Free Introductory Session on September 1.

with Peter Holmes, PhD
Register directly with Peter. Call 875-0077 or send him an email.

This course is based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD at the
University of Massachusetts Medical Center and described in his best-selling book “Full Catastrophe Living”. The intention of MBSR is to give participants the tools to live a more mindful, aware life so that they can be more present in
the moment and remain calm, relaxed, and focused even when life is tough.

This particular program has eight 2 hour sessions and a full day retreat. Each session will consist of some combination of formal mindfulness practices (sitting meditation, walking meditation, body scan, gentle yoga), group discussion, and homework practice assignments.

Helping individuals to integrate regular mindfulness practice into their lives is the main goal of the program and the group classes are designed with this in mind. There will be a tentative outline for each class but this outline will be flexible and changed as necessary to meet the needs of the participants.
back to schedule

Kirtan Second Sunday of each month, 5-6:15pm

Kirtan is a form of devotional singing that offers "a direct way of reunification with the divine... It is our own heart singing to itself songs of love and devotion."
The word kirtan comes form the Sanskrit root "kirt" which means "to name, to communicate, to celebrate, to praise, to glorify." Traditionally, kirtans are done in a call and response style; the leader sings one line or verse and the group responds by singing the line back. No experience is needed.

One of the oldest sacred music traditions of the world, kirtan can carry us effortlessly to a place of quiet, to stillness. It moves us toward the state of Yoga. Although the kirtan involves music, the underlying art of kirtan chanting is not at all about musical ability or training—it is about the heart. Everyone can participate, regardless of age or cultural background. The purpose of this music is to get us out of our heads and into our hearts.
back to schedule

Kirtan is offered free of charge and donations are gratefully accepted.

back to schedule

Whole Birth Prenatal Yoga
with Erica
You must pre-register for these classes directly with Erica.
Call 445-5053 or email her.

Because we can not think our way through labor, prenatal yoga is a perfect way to drop beneath the thinking mind and into the body/mind to prepare for birth.

Whole Birth Yoga teaches us to listen deeply to and trust in our body's innate birthing wisdom. Yoga poses are taught with an emphasis on mindfulness for increasing breath and body awareness, learning pain management, prenatal bonding, deep relaxation and working with one's edges.

Many of the common discomforts experienced during pregnancy are relieved through the practice of Whole Birth Yoga. Low back and sciatic pain, insomnia, and swelling have responded well to regular practice.