When I start a yoga class, I usually make sure that the room is clean, the floor is ideally a hardwood floor and there should be bathrooms nearby that are also clean. Lights that dim are also ideal so I can create a soulful class and really make the mood quite serene. I usually start the class off by telling students what props they need. I then let them know to turn their cell phone off and to have a bottle of water nearby.
I then usually start with some simple warm-ups. Most yoga classes start off with some kind of silent meditation which I would ideally like to do. Since students often come later and it is incredibly disruptive to come to the meditation part of the class late, I usually have the meditation part about 10 minutes into the class or at the end of the class. It always angers me (even though I am in a yoga class) when people come in late during meditation. Most of the people that come in late don’t even have the courtesy to not set up during the meditation but they are just fumbling around noisily when I am trying to find some inner peace.
Ideas for Yoga Sequences such as sun salutations
Ideas for Yoga Sequences
After the warm-ups, I have various ideas for yoga sequences which usually are something that is seated on the floor to warm up the mid-section, I do some poses on the floor to warm up shoulders, hips, hamstrings, low back and to stretch out and elongate the spine. They usually consist of seated forward bends, side bends or a cat and cow flow that ends with a child’s pose.
After some seated postures, we then transition to some standing postures such as mountain pose, warrior pose, down dog, triangle, standing forward bend and side angle. Since I teach gentle beginner yoga classes I don’t do a lot of sun salutations. If I do teach any kind of sun salutations it is usually a modified version with a chair to support such as hands on top of the chair for down dog or you can also you the wall with your hands up against it for down dog. For a modified warrior, you can do that against the wall with a block between your knee and the wall which makes it much easier.
Then we will do some balancing poses and I love doing half moon pose against the wall with a block. Even yoga newbies and those with physical limitations can do this challenging pose using a block and a wall and it really builds confidence. Sometimes I will do tree pose or occasionally dancer pose but always against the wall so that everyone can do it even if they don’t have very good balance and focus.
Sometimes we will do some poses in a chair depending on the athletic ability of the class. You can do lots of traditional poses with a chair such as down dog, side angle, hamstring stretches, standing wide legged forward bend, seated arms stretches, eagle pose and even thread the needle.
Then we transition to the mat and we do some poses such as twists, bridge pose or we grab a strap and do some hamstring and abductor and aductor stretches.
I almost always finish with a restorative pose such as legs up the wall or legs up the chair. You can also roll up a yoga mat and lay your spine on top of it for a nice and gentle shoulder opener. If I have a lot of props I will put them in other poses such as goddess pose.
I then finish the class with a controlled breathing exercise and meditation.
I set out to create a representations of the top spiritual sites for yoga, spirituality, meditation, holistic health and wellness. Over these subjects overlap and so many of the yoga sites I reviewed had all kinds of great content about health and wellness. Many of the sites were promoting teachers, products or places that I had a personal connection or experience with. I included many yoga teachers, studios or retreat centers that I had been to.
Top Spiritual Websites
Some of them of them were aspirational. I have never been to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico right near San Diego but since I used to work at SpaFinder and my parents have been there a few times, I feel pretty well acquainted with what they have to offer and the value they provide. When I used to work at SpaFinder, almost every single day I would come across a destination spa somewhere in the world that I just absolutely “had to go to”. I looked at so many pics and videos of the most luxurious properties and was just drooling all the time over these incredible sanctuaries of luxury and beauty.
Of course, I had to include places like Kripalu in Western MA in the Berkshires since that is where me and my hunky, Hellenic hubby saw our friendship blossom into romance and we met at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY in the Hudson Valley just outside of New York City almost 4 years ago. Even if these places didn’t play such a pivotal role in my own personal life history, I think they would have been included anyway since they both offer so many outstanding spiritual and personal growth seminars and workshops in idyllic locations.
Spiritual Sites for Mind-Body-Spirit, Yoga and Holistic Health
This top 100 spiritual sites listto be a great gateway into the holistic world of wellness and well-being, with lots of juicy yoga-centric links since I’m a yoga teacher. We, Yogis need special clothes, training, props, mats, music and equipment so I included some of my favorite sites to buy all things yogic-ally.
If you have been involved with the yoga community for a while you will recognize some of the sites on here and likely find a myriad of awesome resources. I encourage suggestions for other top spiritual websites that can be included in next year’s list. Some of the sites are just loaded with all kinds of free tips, articles, downloads and videos. Like yogadownload.com where you can get your down-dog on at home (or out and about on your mobile phone). I had to include Yogajournal.com but recommended the little know community section which is like YogaJournal’s own little Facebook where you can post pics, videos, blogs and comment on other members content.
While we all value directness and constructive criticism, please be professional and refrain from disparaging comments… no trashing anyone on this list or that will disqualify you from being considered for next year.
Ideally, you would nominate another company but I do accept self-nominations. I reached out to the webmasters
of most of the sites and if something is in quotes, then it is in their words and not mine. So this is my list of the top Spirit Mind Body Websites. I also include resources for yoga DVDs, books, clothing, retreats.
Best Yoga Videos – Jill Miller Yoga Tune-Up Reviews
Jill Miller Yoga Tune-Up Videos have made such a big difference for me lately. I think I found I found her while reading the latest issue of Yoga Journal magazine. Since I have been having bad knee pain for awhile and it seems like it was getting worse and worse. I teach about 5 -10 yoga classes a week. Most of them are gentle classes and I also teach a lot of couples yoga and partner yoga classes in Manayunk. I don’t teach a lot of vigorous yoga these days even though I was trained in that. I didn’t even do that many standing poses since I tend to teach a lot of poses where you are seated, laying down or even in a chair.
I did not get a lot of strong anatomy training in my yoga teacher training even though I kept asking for it all the time. I wanted to make sure first and foremost that I did no harm to my students and really didn’t know how to work with students that had a lot of injuries, pain, prior surgeries etc. I have been teaching more and more classes these last few years and my knees seemed to get progressively more painful. I saw a myriad of health practitioners from traditional allopathic doctors that gave me some quad strengthening exercises ( helped a bit) to the omre alternative healers who would invoke angels to heal me, wave crystals on me.. whatever it took. I didn’t care what method it was…. just wanted to feel better.
I would often wake up in the morning with my knees on fire… actually it was worse than that… my knee pain was so intense in the morning that the pain actually woke me up. Not a pleasant way to wake up. I don’t know why but it was always the worst in the morning.. ( can anyone explain that) I would often ice my knees… or they just throbbed so bad that my hottie, hunky hellenic hubbie would fetch me some ice so I could cool my knees down first thing in the morning.
I found her videos a few months ago and they have been a a gift from some higher power… I literally would pray to god to help me with the throbbing.
Best Yoga Videos – Jill Miller Yoga Tune-Up Reviews
I started to do the exercises in her videos every day….it took a while to do all the movements she recommended. Most of them involved massaging certain parts from your hip all the way to the bottom of your toes. These muscles can get dry and tight and when the muscles that affect how your knee tracks are dry, tight and out of whack, then that can affect how your knees track. So I went ahead and bought her special yoga therapy balls. At first I was just using tennis balls but wanted to really do the massaging and exercises properly so I broke down and just ordered her special Jill Miller Yoga Tune Up therapy balls. They’re kind of fun to play with, just don’t let your dog near them… they make for a nice chew toy.
Over the last few months I have also been studying how to do some of the classic standing poses so I can stop injuring myself. So slowly, I have been learning to keep my knees smiling and now there is less repair I have to do on them.
The poses, sequences and routines of Jill Miller Yoga Tune Up Program are designed to strengthen your weak muscles, stretch your tight and dry muscles and heal from head-to- pinkie toe. She has a focus on finding your body’s blind spots – areas that have become weakened due to overuse, underuse or misuse, and are now prone to stiffness, inflexiblity, pain and injury – these specialized routines will help balance out your entire physical being.
What kind of modalities have helped you find relief from tightness, chronic pain and stiffness?
Philadelphia Yoga Class Outside …Rock Your Asana Yoga on the Art Museum Steps. We took this outside yoga class as a benefit for Yoga Unites against Breast Cancer which they hold every year so you can rock your asana yoga on the Philly Art Museum Steps.
Five Solid Benefits You Can Experience from Yoga
Reduce Stress through the practice of Yoga. This is a universal benefit of all styles of Yoga. If you have stress, when you walk into a Yoga class, you will have much less when you leave. You might feel sore or invigorated after your first class.Some Yoga schools use a variety of methods to purge stress from the body, but the most common are Pranayama (breath techniques), Asana (posture), Mantra (sound), Meditation, and Relaxation Techniques. After a few classes, you will know what works and what does not.
Positive Thinking is a by product of most yoga classes, with the rare exception of a dogmatic Yoga teacher. If you discover you are in the midst of a “drill sergeant,” disguised as a Yoga teacher, you have to make a decision based on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Do you want to be challenged or do you want to feel supported during your class? Consider this: If you feel negative after listening to your Yoga teacher, you should not return to that class. You may find another Yoga teacher in the same facility or at another Yoga center.
Sleeping Better is a result of the first two, above-mentioned, Yoga benefits. For the most part, the physical styles of Yoga release muscle tension through Asana (movement) and Pranayama (controlled breath work). The less physical styles may focus on Mantra, Meditation, and Relaxation Techniques and often delve more into yogic philosophy.
Relief from Back Pain is a by product of the physical styles, but choose carefully. The more gentle Hatha Yoga sub-styles such as Restorative, Gentle, and Therapeutic Yoga, cater to students with a variety of ailments, including back pain. Styles such as Ashtanga are usually not a great choice for a yoga newbie since the adjustments can be quite aggressive.
Increased Muscle Tone is also a result of the physical styles of Yoga. If you are searching for a Hatha Yoga teacher, studio, or style, choose one that caters to your physical condition. Do not jump into a physically vigorous Yoga class, unless you are physically active. Most injuries, in the physical forms of Yoga occur, when students push themselves too far or the teacher does an inappropriate aggressive adjustment.
How does yoga transform you physically, mentally and spiritually to achieve your yoga weightloss goals? How can you choosing a yoga teacher help you get there faster?
Release chronic pain, tightness and that frozen feeling in your body through juicy stretching and deep breathing.
Each breath, coupled with movement and intention allows you to create the space for change.
Gain clarity to detach from outcomes during your day so that decisions and obstacles become less stressful, which keeps you off the emotional roller coaster for good.
An uplifting & restful class that will leave you buzzing with vitality & connect you to a deep sense of inner wisdom so you can focus on what you want to manifest in your life
Have you ever done yoga outside or in nature..what was it like…..? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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Jasmine Kaloudis teaches spiritual retreats in Pennsylvania, NJ and is the author of the mind body blogs and websites for 2011. She also teaches yoga weight loss classes, prenatal yoga near the Mainline, PA, gentle yoga near Broomall PA as well as gentle beginner yoga in various Philadelphia area locations.
