OPEN yoga
This Hatha style class is based on the Ashtanga, Iyengar and Vinyasa styles - infusing traditional yoga poses with safety principles. All shapes, sizes and levels are welcome to join this class, as poses can be modified to suit individual needs - making the poses either more accessible, or perhaps more challenging where required. Emphasis is on correct technique, learning about the poses as you go, and honouring where your body is with your new practice. YOGA – meaning “to yoke”, or “to join” - the mind and the body joining in a quest for a stronger body, looser limbs, a fuller breath and a quieter mind.
GENTLE yoga
A great starting point if you haven't done any yoga before, are re-starting your practice, working with an injury, just testing the waters or maybe just want to stick to a softer-style practice. We work at coaxing you out of your brain, and cultivating a connection with your body. Expect functional stretching - gently lengthening muscles & opening joints, guided breath work and gentle introduction to some of the less-threatening yoga poses, with modifications made to keep them accessible and safe for YOU, in the body you’re in right now. Emphasis is on correct technique, learning about the movements as you go while honouring where your body is, with your practice. A great lead-up if you wish to progress toward the OPEN class - though that certainly doesn’t have to be ultimate goal.
We recommend people who've NEVER done any yoga before do a few GENTLE classes. It's not about how fit or strong you are, it's about learning the basics of technique and alignment - how to perform the poses properly and what's important about them. The GENTLE classes will give you the tools and confidence to attend an OPEN yoga class.
NOTE: Rather than teaching you some of the more 'remarkable-looking' yoga poses, all classes have a FUNCTIONAL focus.
It is a well documented fact of corporate life that inevitably the many hours spent sitting in front of a computer and the associated pressures of our corporate culture lead to serious detrimental effects on the body and our mental well-being and can eventually lead to postural issues, work related injury, chronic stress, lowered productivity, reduced longevity and compromised self care.
The yoga program at EY has been designed and implemented to gently initiate significant postural corrections and positive long-term physiological change. Testimonial evidence constantly reaffirms that regular participation leads to arresting and reversing chronic work related physical issues such as back and neck pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, tendonitis (wrist, elbow, etc), tension headaches, stress, high blood pressure and many other related problems. Yoga also encourages an overall improvement in general health and quality of life, encompassing increased energy levels, improved sleep patterns, enhanced ability to handle stress and quieten the mind, increased strength and flexibility and overall postural improvement.
YOGA comes from a Sanskrit word meaning 'to yoke', or 'to join'; the union of opposites. The mind and body joins to rejuvenate, strengthen and stretch the body, relax the mind and revitalize the spirit.