Class Description
Meditation Offerings
Befriending Your Mind ~ Intro Meditation
Drawing from the latest research in neuroscience on meditation's ability to positively change the brain, this course will provide tools to honestly and compassionately relate with your mind. These techniques that reshape the brain will help to steady your mind, reduce stress, notice the positive, and heal painful experiences which promote a life of balance, peace and joy. Drop-ins are not permitted in this class.
Meditation to Sooth the Anxiety Loop
Medical studies have confirmed that meditation is a valid and effective tool to reduce and alleviate anxiety. Through self-awareness and meditation techniques, we look to encourage the brain to develop new pathways beyond the current anxiety loop. The practices fortify our natural ability to relax the nervous system and increase our power of calm observation throughout a wave of negative emotion. This combination of relaxation and observation weakens the emotions impact and causes anxiety to come less and less. Perfect for beginners and those who seek to polish up their already glowing practice
Foundations of Practice ~ Intro Meditation
This class is perfect for anyone new to meditation. It will provide simple, accessible techniques to foster the skill of conscious, sustained attention (presence) which connects us to equanimity and objectivity that allows for internal wisdom, happiness and peace. The focus will be to help you develop a personal practice suited to your personality and daily life. A CD set will be available for purchase, which participants will be invited to listen to throughout the series. Drop-ins are not permitted in this class.
Going Beyond Technique ~ Meditation (experienced)
"Reclaim the original purpose of meditation-as a gateway to objectless freedom of being" ~ Adayashanti
Supported from a strong foundational practice, we will delve into an exploration of inquiry meditation. This is the next step for a dedicated practitioner inspired toward self-realization. Foundations of Practice, Befriending Your Mind OR the Opening Enlightenment Intensive through Vital Life Center are required before taking this course. Previous meditation experience and a strong personal practice may be considered to waive this requirement. Please contact Jayaprabha to determine if this course is right for you. The class will be supported by Adayashanti's True Meditation CD. Drops-ins are not permitted in this class
Meditation to Resolve Habit Patterns
Use the time-honored practices of meditation to help keep your resolve for the New Year. This class is perfect for new and experienced meditators alike. It will provide simple techniques to foster the skill of conscious attention, curiosity, wisdom and compassion, directed toward breaking the habit patterns that have been keeping us stuck in negative cycles of living. Open to the fullest version of you in 2020!
Inquiry Dyad Meditation
“Explore the sacred basis of reality as a discoverable actuality” ~ Adayashanti
In this dynamic meditation practice you will be instructed in the ancient form of contemplation, a practice of experiential inquiry into the nature of things such as “Who am I?” or What is life?; Coupled with the more modern approach of sitting across from a partner and communicating what occurs as the result. With this receptive, spacious attention of a listening partner, we can navigate our inner world with greater ease. This powerful partner meditation format assists us to experientially explore the fundamental nature of self and life optimizing a chance of breakthrough into a spontaneous awakening of consciousness. Pricing and Registration
Meditation for Anxiety with Jayaprabha
Medical studies have confirmed that meditation is a valid and effective tool to reduce and help alleviate anxiety. In this course, we will delve into a deep self-study supported by meditative practices. Through these self-awareness and meditation techniques, we look to directly encourage the brain to develop new pathways beyond worry and anxious thoughts. All the while increasing your natural ability to relax your nervous system and rest as a calm observing presence throughout a wave of negative emotion. This weakens the emotions impact and causes them to come less and less. Pricing and Registration.
Previous meditation experience required - New students click here for intro class.
Satsang Meditation Literature Study
In this meditation study course, a book is chosen for each series. Participants are invited to engage in a reading assignment each week. The class will begin with an experiential practice including chanting, breathing exercises, and a silent sit. Then we will discuss the reading and share ideas, questions, inspirations, quotes from the book, etc. to deepen our practice. You are welcome to sign up for the whole series, drop-in week to week OR use your scan tag! Pricing and Registration
Yoga Offerings
All Levels Yoga
These classes are structured to allow the student to experience different styles of yoga. Modifications and enhancements are offered to bring in a fun and safe practice to suit the experience level and needs of all students. This allows for the growth of both the beginning and experienced students.
Chair Yoga ~ Approachable for all bodies
You’d love to take a yoga class, but getting up and down on a mat is a challenge, you have limited balance or mobility, your knees are tender, or you are recovering from an injury, come on over and pull up a chair!
Chair Yoga is an accessible form of yoga for any age group. In this class, we will use the chair as a prop to help modify the poses while maintaining all the benefits of yoga, including: stress relief, increased energy, strength, muscle tone, balance, deepened breath capacity, and overall health.
This class can also provide training for office workers to utilize at their desk and is a great way to share a yoga class with a parent or grandparent. No previous yoga experience needed.
Exploring the Chakras
Through Yoga & Meditation
Brighten your energy, relax body & mind, & bring ease & joy to your heart!
In this 7 week series, we will work with the 4 main energy centers, from heart to crown, in the human body called chakras. In the yogic tradition, the chakras are seen as responsible for receiving and expressing life force (prana) throughout the body. When this energy becomes blocked or is out of balance we suffer negative physical, emotional, and mental effects. When the prana is flowing strongly, smoothly and is balanced we experience vibrant health and mental and emotional well-being.
There is a direct link between the chakras, our endocrine (glandular) system and our nervous system. If the idea of chakras seems a bit foreign to you, look at this work as exercise to brighten and stimulate the glands and relax and renew our nervous system promoting the rest digest, immune response.
Each chakra is thought to have its own characteristics. We will overview these characteristics discussing causes of deterioration and ways to promote health in each chakra. Then we will use sound, movement, mudra, yoga postures (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation to get in touch with, move and activate the prana in each of these centers to relieve stress, tension, and depression and promote balance. Additionally, you will be given personal reflection questions to support your self-study at home through the week. This will stimulate a class group discussion meant to deepen the long-term transformative effect of this Chakra course.
You don’t need to know yoga or yoga philosophy to feel the effects of this Chakra work. You just need to bring an intention to allow yourself to directly experience and experiment with the effects of these ancient practices.
- 7 Week Series ~ TBD
From Movement to Stillness
Although these days yoga in the West has been primarily thought of as a physical exercise alone and is promoted as fitness, its origins come from an ancient wisdom that is meant to foster spiritual awakening and fulfillment. It is a transformative practice that works at all levels of the being including the physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual. The practice is so powerful that for many even the fitness version that only includes the asana or body postures is stimulating a transformative response beyond your average exercise regime.
Students are curious and often delighted to find the rich practice that extends from and beyond these traditional body postures right into the still point of meditation. This is an experiential workshop that intends to seamlessly move our consciousness from the gross anatomical, mental world to the more subtle energetic, spiritual realm with ease. We will utilize the classical system of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, Samadhi as our guide.
Together we will move, sing, breath and relax into this immersive first-hand taste of the classical yoga system from start to finish.
This is an all-levels class that is suitable for most bodies that have some yoga experience.
Yoga Into Meditation
Come experience the rich practice that extends from and beyond the traditional body postures right into the still point of meditation. This is an all-levels class that is suitable for most bodies that have some yoga experience.
Gentle Yoga
This class is designed for students interested in a slower, but equally effective, practice. You will experience gently held postures and breathing techniques that calm the mind, relax the body and improve joint health and flexibility. This is the class for times of high stress or low energy. It is great for beginners, seniors, and experienced students or anyone seeking a gentle and meditative practice.
Xigong Infused Yoga
Qigong Infused Yoga is a class that combines gentle yoga with Qigong. This ancient healing practice of breath-work and flowing, gentle movements will calm and revitalize the mind-body system. This is a fabulous way to help relieve physical, mental and emotional stress and tension. No previous yoga or Qigong experience necessary. Wear comfortable clothing that allows for movement.
Going Upside Down ~ Yoga Inversion Series ~ Exploring the Benefits and Cautions with Jayaprabha
Inversions can be a great way to challenge yourself to move beyond fear and rekindle your childlike nature as you explore the world from a different perspective.
Going upside down can positively affect your cardiovascular, lymphatic, nervous and endocrine systems. Inverting is said to counteract the long term effects of gravity, helping to decompress the joints, flush metabolic waste and reduce inflammation from your lower extremities. Yet there are risks involved.
We will practice and reinforce the steps to prepare your body over time for a safe and strong inversion practice such as release tightness in the lower back or hamstrings and strengthen the shoulder girdle and network of muscles often called your core. Additionally, we will study the risk factors and contraindications such as neck impingement or high blood pressure, and clearly lay out modifications and practices to help avoid these problems.
Previous yoga experience is recommended, but it is not required that you be an advanced practitioner. A range of inversion postures from simple to more difficult will be provided, and we will promote each student to practice safely within their ability and comfort level.
Class size will be limited to 10 students to optimize student-teacher contact.
Hands On Adjusting for Teachers
This three-hour workshop is meant to be an overview and lay the groundwork for deeper study of the art of teaching yoga through the use of props and hands on adjustments.
We will focus on:
The Key Principles of Hands on Work:
- Clearing Your Energetic Field
- Moving from your center with good energy
- Qualities of Touch
- Building Trust and clear boundaries
- Using the foundation and movement of the pose
- Working with various anatomical structures and range of motion
- Adjusting the Pose using Props and Straps
- Pressure point release in Asana
Throughout the workshop, we look to strike a balance of both theoretical discussion and hands on practice. We hope to increase your confidence and ease with hands on adjustments to enrich your ability as a yoga teacher to better serve your students.
Meditation & Yoga for Emotional Healing
This class is for people who are ready to transform their relationship with their emotional body. Through the use of mindfulness meditation practices, we will explore the deeper patterns that keep us stuck in cycles of strong emotions such as depression, anxiety, anger, obsession, and worry. Mindfulness meditation supports our ability to observe what is happening internally and externally in a non-reactive fashion. This facilitates change in the relationship of mind to emotional body and eventually to life itself. Join this supportive community to deepen your awareness and acceptance and reclaim your vibrant well-being. Drop-ins are not permitted in this class. Pricing and registration
Meditation & Yoga for Weight Loss & Habit Release
This class is for people who are ready to transform. Through the use of mindfulness meditation, we will explore the deeper patterns that keep us stuck in cycles of habit patterns. Mindfulness supports our ability to observe what is happening internally and externally in a non-reactive fashion. This facilitates change in the relationship of mind to body. Join this supportive community to deepen your body awareness and acceptance, reclaiming your radiant health and well-being. Drop-ins are not permitted in this class. Pricing and Registration
Prajna Yoga
“The word Prajna in Sanskrit means Insight, Deep Understanding, and Wisdom. It suggests an embodied wisdom, a knowing that permeates the nerve endings, the connective tissues, and the blood cells throughout the body.”
- Tias Little
A traditional style yoga class that moves at a moderate pace, faster and stronger than gentle yoga while slower and deeper than power yoga. The practice will calibrate the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects while promoting strength, flexibility, with healthy joints, organs, muscles, and connective tissue. Come join us for a truly transformative class.
Yoga Basics
Yoga Basics is an introduction to the building blocks of yoga, emphasizing basic postures, breathing techniques, and relaxation skills. This class promotes balance, flexibility, strength, and stress release. It’s especially good for newcomers to yoga or those who would like a refresher on the basics. Pricing and Registration
Yoga Family Fun ~ Strike a Pose, Share a Story, Sing a Song, Play a Game
This workshop strives to promote positive interaction and shared fun between generations. Come bond with your family in a creative way. Families will learn interactive yoga poses dispersed through stories, songs, and games. Adults are invited to use this time to lighten up, destress and join the fun from the perspective of their inner child. No previous yoga experience required.
The Logistics of It All:
Open to all family members 6 years old and up. Pre-registration prior to Friday, November 18th at noon required. We can accommodate up to 30 people and do require a minimum of 10 people to run the workshop. Please invite friends and extended family members.