Yoga for Newbies and Anyone with a Beginner’s Mind
My special focus when it comes to Hatha Yoga is the techniques that maximize safety and longevity of our practice. Within that, I greatly enjoy teaching yoga to beginners.
What
Hatha is often misunderstood as a style of yoga. However, it’s actually an all-inclusive term for any type of yoga that includes the yoga postures (Asana) and breathing techniques (Pranayama). For example, Bikram or Hot yoga is Hatha yoga, Vinyasa Flow is Hatha yoga. The original goal of hatha yoga is to prepare your body for meditation, but the benefits of a calm mind and refreshed body extend to other purposes as well.
In this class, we’ll go over the fundamentals of yoga, including alignment, breathing, and relaxation techniques. The classes build on each other and are neutral in “style”, but will touch on principles from major schools of yoga, so that you can take what you learn and go anywhere and do any yoga class with confidence.
Who
The Yoga for Newbies classes have been designed for anyone brand new to yoga and those who may have dabbled into a class or two, and would like to start on the right foot 
. It is also appropriate for anyone who has been doing yoga for some time and looking to gain a more solid understanding and foundation.
A couple things to note:
- I don’t teach in high heat. The room will be at a comfortable temperature.
- Wear anything that doesn’t restrict your movement, ideally your clothes should conform to your body yet allow you to move freely. Keep in mind the Yoga version of Murphy’s Law: “If it’s possible to reveal too much, it *will* reveal too much”.
- Mats, straps and blocks will be provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own mat (If the idea of straps and blocks gives you… well, ideas, rest assured they will be used for good, not evil.)
- A sense of humor is welcomed and highly encouraged!
Topics include:
- Benefits and characteristics of each type of posture
- Principles of movement and alignment in major styles of yoga
- Yoga breathing techniques
- Precautions and common errors
- And of course, Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Yoga But Were Afraid to Ask (to which I may or may not have the answer)
When
The next session of Yoga for Newbies starts Thursday, January 14 from 7-8:30pm., and Saturday January 16 from 9:30-11:00am at Village Green Yoga in Issaquah. It’s $75 and will go for 6 weeks. To register, please send an email to info @ villagegreenyoga.com, or call 425 -657-0411.
A 7-week session will start at Taj Yoga in Seattle from Wednesday January 13 – February 24, 6-7:15pm. $85 for one, $150 for two.
If you have any question about the class, please email me at nikki @ nikkiyoga.com. See you soon!
