Gentle Yoga Classes near Havertown, PA and My Favorite Store in Philadelphia

You hear so much about Yoga these days, and there are so many Yoga styles to choose from, that it is advisable to research a particular Yoga style which suits your needs. Some Yoga classes are gentle, restorative, athletic, cerebral, spiritual, meditative, or hot. Therefore, research the style of Yoga which attracts you most. Then visit a local Yoga studio, or wellness center, for further information. If you have any concerns, you could set up an appointment with a Yoga teacher, and share your thoughts about your specific needs. Do research online to see what kinds of reviews the studio and teachers have receive.  Lululemon is one of my favorite yoga stores since it sells hip yoga (yet pricey) yoga threads and they also have free yoga classes once  week.

Yoga does require commitment: commitment to showing up on a regular basis, to being willing to gently try even when you feel tired or checked out, to being open to whatever presents itself, to responding to what is actually happening and not what you think should be happening. As I’m sure you have heard many times and in many forms, yoga is about being true to the present moment. This means developing our conscious ability to observe and participate in the present moment, and learning how to use our asana practice as a forum for experiencing and enhancing this awareness.

Being present, however, also means that we cannot come onto our yoga mat with an agenda. Often when we “make a determination” or are “determined,” we become committed to a plan or an idea that obstructs our ability to be open to the present moment. Therefore, instead of approaching your asana with “determination,” I encourage you to make a slight semantic shift and think of approaching your practice with equal parts patience and persistence. This way you still have committed energy, but in a somewhat less rigid form.

At some point along your path as a yogi, you’re likely to hear breathing instructions like these: Now lie on your back, and we’ll do diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe into your belly, letting it rise on the inhalation and fall on the exhalation. Don’t let your rib cage lift. If your rib cage moves up and down but your abdomen does not, you’re not using your diaphragm. Belly breathing is the deepest breathing.

Those instructions are riddled with myths and half-truths. But even though they are anatomically inaccurate, they are not wrong. The practice they describe, known as diaphragmatic belly breathing, is perfectly legitimate. It’s true that emphasizing abdominal movement while keeping the rib cage relatively immobile engages your diaphragm and creates a breath that feels wonderfully calming. But it’s not true that allowing your ribs to lift or keeping your abdomen still always creates shallow, nondiaphragmatic breathing.

Most people don’t know this but Lululemon, my favorite yoga store in Philadelphia, has free yoga classes almost every week.  They usually have them on Sundays.  Check with the your local Lululemon yoga store to find out when the schedule is.

How does yoga transform you physically, mentally and spiritually?