Most of the questions we answer more often than not have to do with people wanting to know where to begin and which of the classes we offer are the best place to start their yoga practice. With the explosion of yoga in the United States, (more than 30 million people practicing yoga) people often have preconcieved ideas about what yoga is. A lot of people think yoga is just stretching, breathing, relaxing and easy. Most of the basic yoga postures look easy, that is until you actually try them. Typically, the hardest yoga class you ever go to is your very first class. We see a lot of people for their first yoga class and then we never see them again; usually because they chose the wrong class to attend and were overwhelmed and they leave believing yoga isn't for them. You may feel awkward and frustrated in your first few classes, but nearly everyone starts this way.
We want everyone to do yoga and everyone can do yoga, but you have to start in an appropriate class and be patient with your ability. At our studio, we emphasize proper alignment so that you stay safe. We think yoga should be fun and we especially want you to leave feeling good about yourself. The two primary styles of yoga we offer at our studio are Anusara Inspired and Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga. Both of these styles fall under the bigger heading of Hatha Yoga and both of these styles are two of the twelve styles of yoga recognized Internationally. Any yoga that works with the physical postures is Hatha Yoga. We have quite a bit of information on our web site about these two enormously popular styles of yoga. Our studio is the only studio in the State of Oklahoma to offer both of these styles taught by certified teachers.
There is a style of yoga for everyone and a yoga teacher for everyone. It's important for you to do your homework and find a style and a teacher that resonates with you. All of the teachers at Spirit House Yoga are Certified Teachers, with the exception of our newest teacher, Abbey. We believe this is a crucial point, as too many teachers are not certified at all or certified in any Internationally recognized style of yoga such as Anusara and Baptiste. If you are interested in studying Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga, we recommend that you buy Baron Baptiste's books, Journey Into Power and or 40 Days to Personal Revolution. We also recommend his newest DVD, "Foundations of Power Vinyasa Yoga" offered through Yoga Journal. www.shopyj.com
Anusara DVD recommendations are "Yoga for Meditators" and "Riding the Waves of Grace" available through www.anusara.com
We've categorized the classes we offer into three levels so that you can determine which class would be appropriate for you. We offer a beginning class, Saturday mornings at 11 am taught by Ted AND Martha and three Level 1 classes on Monday and Wednesday at 6 pm taught by Abbey and Tuesday's at 4 pm taught by Martha. Beginners are most welcomed to ANY of our Level 1 classes. If you've never done yoga before, these classes would be a great place to start. We recommend about ten level one classes before considering any of our level two classes. We offer nine level one classes; the 9 am classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, all three of our noon time classes in addition to the Saturday 11 am class and Monday and Wed. at 6 pm.
Level two classes would be Tuesday evening at 6:15, Thursday evening at 5:45, Saturday mornings at 9 am and Sunday afternoon at 5 pm.
Level three classes are ALL six of the power vinyasa classes. All of the POWER classes are held in a heated room, around 90 degrees. It's not a "power" yoga class unless the room is heated. A Vinyasa style of yoga moves at a fairly quick pace, so unless you really understand the postures and alignments, you'll have trouble keeping up with the rest of the class and be at risk for injury and frustration.
Perhaps the most important aspect of beginning a yoga practice is attitude. Developing proficiency and competence on the yoga mat takes many, many years. How often should someone practice yoga? We tell people that for good results, 2 to 3 times per week and for life changing results, 5 to 6 times per week. Approaching a yoga practice with "beginners mind" is perhaps the healthiest and safest attitude. You can hurt yourself on a yoga mat, especially if you aren't paying attention and if you are attempting to do something you really aren't ready to do. The ego is the biggest cause of injury in yoga. In our classes, you will use upper body and abdominal strength. You will use all of your muscles in yoga, so plan on being sore in places you never knew existed. Soreness is heightened awareness and a part of positive change. These new aches and pains are a part of the healing and strengthening process. A lot of people come to class believing they are in good shape, only to find out otherwise. Also, Pilates is NOT yoga! If you have some experience with Pilates, great. But know that one has nothing to do with the other.
We come to yoga with a belief system about ourselves; believing we can't, when in fact we can. Our "mission" at Spirit House Yoga is to help transform your "cant's into can's" and to help you realize your fullest potential; letting go of all the limiting beliefs we have about ourselves. We often start a yoga practice for some specific reason, such as a sore back. But, if we stick with it, we find ourselves practicing yoga for a far greater purpose than our initial reason. Yoga opens the door to the life we have yearned to live.
What to Expect: The beginning of your yoga practice will be challenging. Once you get started, it gets easier and will start to come together in an effortless series of breakthroughs.
You'll experience ups and downs and the inevitable plateaus as you go through your practice. Everyday on the mat is different. Some days your energy is great while other times it's a struggle. Your body is just like your mind in that it has moods. The moment you step on to your mat you'll know the mood of your body. Just work with it no matter what. Modify as needed in order to make the poses healthy, safe and workable for you. Don't overreact and give up. If your ego says no, let your spirit say yes. Be gentle and patient with yourself. It's completely natural for intense emotions to surface, coming out of nowhere, often in the form of tears. Know that maybe for the first time in your life, you are healing and waking up.