Our classes, Shanti Style!
There is no typical Shanti Yoga Center class. All of our classes will offer you a safe space and personal freedom to explore who you are and who you are becoming.
At any level, you are encouraged to be yourself, enjoying and deepening your practice according to your individual experience and needs.
If you have any questions at all, please call us at 750-9642 and we will help you find the level and instructor that is right for you. We warmly welcome you just as you are…
Live Kriya Rhythms
Vibrating to the energy of live drumming, this dynamic Kundalini/Chakra-based class will nudge into our creative edges, creating an expansive and cleansing practice that will leave you recharged, refreshed, and deeply centered. We (teacher, student, drummer) move together through the chakra system, releasing stagnant energy, awakening dormant prana, and blasting through old habitual patterning to promote a feeling of exuberant well-being. A great way to press the "re-set" button, this powerful class is healing to the emotional body, cleansing to the physical body, and a unique journey into the spiritual body. No experience necessary, all active levels welcome.
Writing Your Dharma
Bring your journal or notebook, bring your thinking body and feeling mind, and learn how to live your best possible life! With each 7-week session exploring a different topic leading to a deeper understanding of “your one wild and precious life”, this class examines your personal and community dharma through group discussion, guided and silent meditation, mind/body mapping, and an ever-deepening spiritual inquiry through writing, both in and out of class. These classes are perfect for lovers of the dharma, offering a wide lens with which to embrace and celebrate You and Your Yoga, on and off the mat. No prior experience needed, although this class is best received when attended regularly, instead of as a drop-in. All are welcome.
Movement and Meditation
Meditation, and the gentle postures that cultivate the ability to practice with ease, is the focus of this class. Whether you have an existing meditation practice or are ready to begin one, our time together will offer you the quiet space and gentle guidance to explore this amazing practice. We will enjoy simple movements and calming breath practices to support our time in silent seated meditation, closing with the deeply restful practice of guided Yoga Nidra. No meditation experience needed, all are welcome.
Quiet Sit
These 30 minute silent meditation sessions are offered for free. You may arrive (quietly) any time during the sit and settle in for an unguided silent practice of watching your breath soothe your mind, and feeling your body respond to the stillness. All are welcome and donations are happily accepted.
Shanti Kids
Children ages 6 through 10 will stretch and strengthen not only their bodies, but their imaginations as well. Traditional hatha yoga poses will be presented in a playful, imaginative way, focusing on breath and body awareness. Children will also engage in other types of creative movement, storey-telling, and Yoga Games to further enhance feelings of well-being, joy, and connection to Self. Drop your kids off at yoga and have an hour to yourself, or relax in our Living Room with some tea and a good book. Pre-registration is necessary--please, no exceptions.
Try Another Way
A gentle and integrated yoga class designed for adults with developmental disabilities. With that familiar Shanti style that celebrates the unique gifts and challenges of each individual, we will explore a beginning yoga practice at a pace that provides extra time and ample assistance to move into and out of postures. Extra props, pictures, music and some Shanti Friends will be part of the class to support one another as we learn together.
Unwind
These gently powerful yin-based classes help you let go with simple postures and mindful movement, basic breath practices, and the deep release received through the therapeutic use of foam rollers and other tools to encourage physical and mental relaxation. Start and end your weekend stress free with these Monday and Friday classes! No experience needed and all levels benefit from these “unwinding and unraveling” classes.
Restorative
Relax and renew with this very gentle class, combining simple yet very nourishing stretches, guided deep breathing explorations, mindfulness meditation, and fully prop-supported restful Restorative poses to deeply nourish the Body Mind. Absolutely all levels of students will benefit from this quiet, soothing class. All are welcome, and no experience is needed.
Back Care/Core Strength
Explore yoga postures specifically designed to create core strength and a supple spine. Find relief from back tension and pain through practices that target deep postural muscles and strengthen your entire core from the detailed belly/back alignment cues woven throughout each class. All levels of students can benefit from the core-concentrated structure of this class. As with all of our classes, breath guidance and relaxation are woven throughout. Offered as a beginning “All Levels” class and as a continuing “All Active Levels” practice--please check the schedule.
Yin / Hatha Flow
The first half of our long-standing Sunday morning class will explore the embodied meditation of our signature Yin practice, while the last half will be the "yang" of an all-levels Hatha Flow. A great combination first thing Sunday morning and accessible for our new and experienced students alike. Some familiarity with basic Hatha Flow postures is helpful for this “All Active Levels“ practice, but not required.
Hatha Flow Classes
These on-going classes are aimed at building strength, stamina, and flexibility in both body and mind, and strike a balance between flowing vinyasa movements and the longer holds of classical hatha. Classes marked “Flow” will move with the breath from pose to pose, with the pace and challenge appropriate to the Level noted. All of our Hatha Flow classes are instructional in nature, insightful with short offerings of the dharma, and appropriate to your degree of yoga experience. Yoga is defined as having a still, focused mind, and Hatha Flow Yoga utilizes active physical postures, guided breath practices, and calming rest, to find this state. We offer Hatha Flow classes in a wide variety of levels:
Gentle
Gentle Flow is slower-paced than regular Level 1’s, and is geared toward absolute beginners who are working through injury or recovering from illness, new-to-yoga Seniors, or anyone simply looking for an extra-gentle practice that still flows. No experience required.
Level 1
Great for healthy brand-new beginners, Level 1 classes are well-rounded and moderately paced offerings, offering a strong foundation for a life-time yoga practice. Emphasis is on healthy alignment of the body/mind, conscious breathing, building strength and flexibility, and calming the nervous system. You are encouraged to move at your own pace, honoring your unique needs in each moment. No experience necessary.
Level 1-2
The perfect way to bridge the gap between Level 1 and 2. Advanced beginners on up will find their flow in this class and be encouraged to increase or decrease the challenge as needed. Some basic asana experience is helpful.
Level 2
Well-suited for healthy students who are familiar with most foundational postures, as well as beginning pranayama and meditation. Starting with a firm foundation in Sun Salutations and basic standing and seated postures, these somewhat more active classes explore slightly stronger back bends, beginning inversions at the wall, and gentle arm balances, while observing the subtle complexities of alignment that connect body and breath, movement and stillness. Not appropriate for brand-new beginners.
Level 2-3
These somewhat more vigorous classes are for students in sound condition and a willingness to dive more deeply into the subtleties of the journey in playful, yet serious study. At this level we increase our ability to be present in the dharma discussion and in meditation, as well as challenging ourselves by exploring deeper back bends, longer-held inversions, and intermediate arm balances. We will deepen our understanding of breath and alignment, and refining the expansive, non-judging mind.
All Active Levels
Classes marked “All Active Levels” are for strong beginners through advanced practitioners, and will support students in engaging within their own level of skill and experience. Although specific experience in the format of an “All Active Levels” class is not needed, a familiarity and comfort with knowing how and when to challenge or soften within the body is suggested. An “All Active Levels” class is not for students recovering from illness or injury, but is perfect for new and experienced students alike who are currently ready to gently challenge their comfort zone of the body, mind, and spirit.
All Levels
Classes marked “All Levels” are just that--appropriate for all, regardless of experience or strength or stamina. “All Level” classes are specifically formatted to be welcoming to all, absolutely no experience needed.
To register for a class now, click here.
Please check the web site and bulletin board for special Karma Yoga events and Friday evening and Weekend workshops.