Classes : Ojas Yoga Center

Classes

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Ojas Yoga Center welcomes students of all ages, and regardless of experience or fitness levels. All of our classes are "All Levels" meaning our experienced instructors can offer modifications to simplify or variations to challenge. To read more about the various class styles, click here.

*Feb. 27 | Pratyahara: A Multi-sensory Healing Event

Imagine, laying down your yoga mat, reclining over bolsters and blankets, closing your eyes and being serenaded by healing chants, and beautiful instruments like harmonium, acoustic guitar and crystal bowls. In the depth of bliss, a fragrant essential oil anointing takes you further into peace. As a moment of silence comes, it is so full of contentment, your mind is effortlessly peaceful. This is Pratyahara.

Pratyahara: Harmonizing the Senses
Mondays 7:30 – 9 p.m. | February 27, March 26, April 30
Instructors: Nicole Becker & Matthew Anziani
Step into a healing sanctuary for the senses. Rest comfortably while being ministered to with soothing vocals and instruments, anointed with pure plant essential oils, and guided into relaxation with healing imagery meditation. A unique offering from two devoted healers and teachers. Enjoy an individual class or take as a series.
Click here for full details and to pre-register.
(Space is limited so pre-registration is recommended since we cannot guarantee drop-in space on the day of.)

**Mon. Jan. 30th Yoga Nidra Class

On January 30th, Melinda Lewis will be teaching a special Yoga Nidra Meditation from 7:15-8:00 p.m. following her regularly scheduled 6-7:15 p.m. Hatha Yoga class. Cost: $10 – come for just the nidra class or take back-to-back with the 6:00 class.

Yoga Nidra is a specialized guided meditation practice. Practiced while laying down, the student is led through a series of relaxation and imagery practices to calm the mind, reduce stress, and heal the body. Yoga Nidra has been researched by major medical universities for it’s profound stress reduction and trauma recovery benefits.

**January: Pregnancy Movement & Labor Dance Series

Pregnancy Movement & Labor Dance Workshop
Sundays 1-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 15th-Feb. 5th

$18/class or $64 series. Recommended for women in their 2nd & 3rd trimesters

During pregnancy exercise benefits you and baby through increased energy, strength, and stamina. Specific movements encourage the baby into optimal positioning and help the cervix open more easily and labor progress smoothly. Baby and mama marinate in oxytocin while tuning inwards for the deep transformational dance of childbirth.

Topics in this class include:
* Connecting with your baby through specific practices/exercises
* Body mechanics and pregnancy posture
* Preparing the body and mind to work together (the mind-body connection)
* Relaxation, breathing, visualizations, & more
* Positions for labor & birth (optimal fetal positioning)

“pelvic motion is really important to many women if they want to give birth with a minimum of pain and discomfort… every pregnant woman should practice exploring the range of motion of their pelvis” (Ina May Gaskin).
Gingi Allen www.mamababyconnection.blogspot.com
ChildBirth Doula, WombWellness Educator, Mother

**January: Kid’s Yoga (ages 8-12) FREE INTRO SESSION

Girls and boys ages 9-12 can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of Yoga through a combination of practice and play. Students will have room to be themselves as they develop strength, coordination, flexibility and concentration and learn about the Yoga’s underlying philosophy of kindness and compassion.

Day/Time: Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Free Intro Session: Tuesday, January 10 | 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Winter dates: Jan. 17 – Feb. 14th
Cost: $15 drop-in, $50 full series

Instructor: Lisa Klein is a yogi, storyteller, theater artist, and educator. She’s been an artist/educator (pre-K – university) for 18 years, teaching yoga, movement, improvisation, poetry, creative writing, storytelling and theater arts. Lisa is a certified Yoga Ed instructor, (Yoga Ed Instructor Training, Pre-K – High School, August, 2009), and a certified Yoga Alliance instructor (200 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification, May, 2010.) www.dolphintalesyoga.com

“Lisa’s love for teaching, story telling and Yoga is obvious in her class for children. She mixes story telling and asanas to create an inviting environment for children to learn and explore yoga.”

New Class: Kundalini Yoga (CORRECTION: STARTS 6/15)

Join guest teacher, Sadhu Singh Atehortua for a special 10-week introduction to Kundalini Yoga.
Correction! Wednesdays, 7:40-9:00 p.m. JUNE 15 June 22- August 17

Enjoy as complete introduction to the practices of Kundalini Yoga, or drop in as time or interest allows.
Regular class passes can apply, New student pass 3 for $30. Drop-in $18.

Kundalini Yoga, the Yoga of Awareness, consists of simple yogic techniques that can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter his or her age or physical ability. It is a complete science that includes breathing exercises (pranayam), yoga postures (asanas), sound, chanting (mantra) and meditation. It is designed to provide you with the experience of your highest consciousness.

Week 1: Breath and Relaxation
Week 2: Pranayam and Physical / Mental Balance
Week 3: Opening the Spine
Week 4: Moving Energy and Improving Circulation
Week 5: Mental Clarity
Week 6: Circulation and Aura
Week 7: Transforming Sexual Energy
Week 8: Digestion
Week 9: Strengthening the Naval
Week10: Preparation for Deep Meditation
“Sadhu Singh Atehortua is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher who started practicing Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan PhD. at the age of 10. He has been teaching beginner/intermediate Kundalini Yoga in the Bay Area since 1995 and is currently working on developing rural and urban yoga centers in Ecuador, where he teaches courses once a year. Sadhu has explored various spiritual paths, martial arts, therapeutic massage, and other healing arts throughout his personal evolution, and applies this knowledge to his yoga classes to provide a wholesome exploration of personal growth, self care, and overall evolution of the self.”

Article: The Meaning Behind the Movement, by Nicole Becker

The Sanskrit word Vinyasa means “placing the body”. We often encounter it as the name of a style of Yoga class which focuses heavily on postures that flow together coordinating with the inhale and exhale. Vinyasa is also commonly used to refer to the Plank-Chaturanga-Upward Facing Dog-Down Dog series that is relied upon as the athletic “chorus” between the “verses” of the standing postures. Although you may know that this little series of poses is a small portion of the traditional Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) series, most of us are never taught the meaning behind these ubiquitous postures.

The traditional Surya Namaskar series is made up of 12 postures that correspond with 12 aspects of the Sun. Being essential to Life, the Sun has a special place of honor in many traditions, Yoga being no exception. Each posture in the Sun Salutation is meant to be a meditation on a particular aspect of Light. When taking the postures of a Sun Salute, one is mindful of the corresponding chakra/area of the body and is repeating the mantra internally three times. For example, in Plank, which arrives with an exhalation, the focus is on the throat chakra, and the mantra is “Om Khagaya Namaha“. Khagaya refers to “The One Who Moves Through the Sky”, or “The All Pervading Light”, signifying the unending passage of time and eternal light that pervades it. As we repeat the mantra, we meditate on our own Life and the Light of Consciousness – our eternal nature and also our impermanence in this bodily form. It might occur to you that this could take awhile to contemplate! That is why the mantra is repeated three times (to slow the movements down), and the Sun Salutation series is usually repeated 12 times, or multiples of 12.

Although ever present in modern yoga classes, Chaturanga – that clever yoga push-up – is not part of the traditional Sun Salute series. Instead, Eight-Point Pose (Ashtangasana) follows Plank, still on the exhalation, offering toes-knees-chest-chin to the ground. With the attention to the Solar Plexus/Navel, this posture honors the “Giver of Strength and Nourishment”. Repeating silently “Om Pushne Namaha” we honor the aspect of the Sun “Pushne” which is the source of all our food and thus all our strength.

Inhaling into Upward Facing Dog (or sometimes Cobra), we turn our focus to the pelvic chakra and open the chest, looking upward, honoring “Hiranya Garbhaya“, the Golden Cosmic Self. Signifying the absorption of the individual into the universal Ocean of Light, our small movement becomes a bigger offering to shining interconnectedness. “Om Hiranya Garbhaya Namaha.”

With Downward Facing Dog we repeat inwardly, “Om Marichaye Namaha“. Fingers and toes spread wide, hips reaching to the sky, we shift our focus from pelvis to throat. Like rays of the sun beaming through parting clouds, our limbs mimic the brilliant rays of the Sun. We become “Marichi” – The Light.

Understanding the meaning behind the movements, the Vinyasa becomes much more than just a means to get buff yoga arms, or spice up the practice with extra heat. Each movement becomes an opportunity to connect with an aspect of your self and the Natural Order of Things.

Ultimately, the Sun Salutation is a practice that honors the Inner Light that radiates from our own Hearts. Now maybe that Chaturanga will be a little more enjoyable. Better yet, replace it every once and a while with Eight Point Pose.

Join Nicole Saturday, June 18 from 3-5 p.m for “Mantras of the Sun” workshop at her SF Bay Area studio, Ojas Yoga Center. Click here for registration details.

OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND – Sat./Sun. 4/30-5/1 Free classes & Raffle

Ojas is celebrating it’s 6-month anniversary & the grand opening of 3 beautiful “wellness” rooms – which will be home to massage therapists, Ayurvedic specialists, and other holistic health care providers.

Join us Sat. & Sun. April 30th & May 1st from 1:00-5:00 each day for free classes, chair massage, and raffle prizes!

Open House schedule:

Saturday
1-1:45 – Jill Intro to Ayurveda
2-2:45 – Hatha Flow w/Tia Ukpe
3-3:45 – Yoga & Chanting w/ Shakthi
4-4:45 – Hatha Yoga w/ Leah Kenaga
5:00 – 5:30 Hatha Yoga w/ Carla Koopal

Sunday
1-1:30 – Qigong w/ Sanghi Choi
1:30 -2:00 – Mindfulness Meditation w/ Daniel Doane
2-2:45 – Hatha Yoga w/ Rhoda Rossman
3-3:45 – Feldenkrais w/Jennifer
4-4:45 – Intro to Aromatherapy w/ Nicole
5:00 - Raffle

* Prenatal Yoga starts Thursday, April 28th

Thursdays 11-12:15 ongoing w/ Amanda Nube

Relax, Strengthen, Renew for you and your baby.

Prenatal classes are safe for all stages of pregnancy and all levels of yoga practice. Yoga provides an opportunity to cultivate mindful awareness that provides a deep reservoir and resource for pregnancy, birthing, and parenting. Through a practice that incorporates strengthening as well as restorative poses, students are able to build strength, cultivate flexibility, deepen their capacity for relaxation, gain relief from common discomforts of pregnancy, prepare for laboring and birthing, as well as create community with one another.

Amanda teaches prenatal and therapeutic yoga classes, as well as offering prenatal massage, childbirth preparation, labor support, and postpartum healing. She is a certified acupressure massage therapist and completed her yoga teacher training with Noah Maze and Sianna Sherman in 2007. Since then, she has also completed a restorative yoga teacher training with Judith Lasater and an Anusara Prenatal Yoga teacher training with Jessica Jennings. Her classes are designed to serve students of any level of experience or ability. She is committed to helping build and empower each students’ practice, while inspiring a heartfelt, joyful, and creative yoga experience.

$12 for first class
$120 for 10-class prenatal pass (first $12 applied toward this)
otherwise, $18 for drop-ins after first class

* Yoga & Meditation Mini-retreat w/ Gretchen Wobrock, Sat. April 16th

Yoga & Meditation Mini-retreat w/ Gretchen Wobrock
Saturday, April 16th 1:30-4:30 pm.

In this workshop we explore yoga as stillness in movement. We see how every asana becomes an opportunity for deeper levels of awareness. By slowing down and fully experiencing our physical, mental and emotional body we begin to bring attention to what is happening in the moment. When we are able to be with that experience, we begin to awaken to higher levels of emotional stability, mental clarity and physical well being on and off the mat. Come andexplore your own potential for growth and transformation.

Gretchen Wobrock is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist. Trained at Kripalu, the largest yoga school in the US, she began to understand the profound connection between body, breath and spirit. Her deep yet entle vinyassa flows in her yoga classes allow students to delve into the mysteries of their unique mind/body connection, exploring the many facets of healing and transformation.

As a Phoenix Rising Yoga therapist she has witnessed the profound transformation in individuals, who, through self inquiry, explore and discover a more authentic connection to themselves and the world around them. Gretchen is currently a student in the Diamond Heart School, and has had over a decade of meditation training, primarily with teachers
in the Vipassana tradition. Her website is: http://yogawithgretchen.com/

Fee: $50 online or at the door

Click here to register/reserve your space

*Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse w/ Jill Leslie. Sunday, April 3rd.

Our diet and our digestive system is the key to our vitality and well being. Incorporating a 3 -7 days to cleanse during the spring gives the body, mind and senses a rest from constant challenges and the chance to eliminate toxins before they accumulate and create imbalance. Come try and feel great!

Event fee: $65.00 ~ Optional Take home - Cleanse Pack: $55.00

Click here to register online.