advancing asana and yogic studies

Interested in advancing asana and yogic studies?   Maura has something you’ll really want to tap into.  She brings her deep knowledge of philosophy, asana and pranayama to this series, supporting you ever step of the way as you explore your practice.  Want the inside scoop?  Read on!

What has you most excited about offering this series?

As a teacher, I’m excited to switch up my teaching a bit. I haven’t offered a class like this in a few years and now I have the added challenge of making it work over Zoom. It also means that I’m shifting the way I personally practice so I can build more strength back into my practice. I’m excited to offer this to students because a tremendous amount of growth can happen when we try something new. The practice mirrors to us all that is possible with focus, intention and discipline. And a sense of humor. We’re bound to make mistakes, fall out of poses, and so we just keep trying again, just like in life. And right now, life is asking a lot from us, We’re still anchoring into a new way of being, sometimes gracefully, sometimes not so much. So, just like on our mat, we pick ourselves up and try again.

You could offer this series any time – why now?

I find myself getting distracted with a home practice and following along on Zoom. I know I’m not alone with this and I know that what makes me the most present is a good challenge. A physically strong and vigorous practice can pull us out of our heads and into our body. We’re all Zoom fatigued, maybe finding ourselves in a practice-rut, so I thought this would be a nice way to mix it up, for me as a teacher and for students.

Describe your ideal student for this series.

The ideal student for this series has a strong foundation in Vinyasa or alignment- based yoga. They are confident with Sun Salutation A & B; they have good body awareness and know how to take care of themselves, when to modify or when to challenge themselves; and they are interested in learning more about yoga. Some physical markers that may be helpful for students to know if they are ready for this type of physical practice are: being able to interlace hands behind the low back in Yoga Mudra, moving towards Crow or Wheel pose on their own, practicing Dolphin pose without having issue of the head still touching the ground.

This series will include asana, yogic philosophy and pranayama.  Why do you think it’s important to include all of these elements?

For me, I work to include all of these elements in all of my classes, so it’s important to keep this consistency in my teaching. It’s also a reminder that an advancing practice is not just physical – our whole practice evolves. I’m excited to talk about and teach some techniques that I wouldn’t normally offer in a regular class.

Anything else you’d like for us to know? 

The way that I’m building out this series is two-fold. The classes are meant to both stand alone and build upon each other. And not just the individual classes, but the three series, as well. Meaning everything we do in February’s Bind focused practices will help prepare us for Inversions which will prepare us for Arm Balances. So if students have the ability to stick with me for the full 3 months, I think they’ll see themselves develop more strength and flexibility in their bodies, confidence and stability in their practice and a sense of discipline and accomplishment of how it all pulls together.

Each Series starts the 1st Thursday of the month.  Click below for full dates, details and registration!

April Focus:  Arm Balances – Details and Registration