True Nature Yoga - Class Structures and Intentions and Principles

All classes will focus on mindfulness (being fully in the now and in the body, not in the mind) or presence; complete and proper breathing; deep relaxation; and finding the still space of peace and quiet and freedom that resides within each of us - the stillness and freedom and unlimited creative potential that is the source and core essence of all.

Arc of Class:

1. We will start by tuning in and relaxation. Of simply bringing our attention and awareness away from the outside world, obligations, concerns and occupations and bring our attention inward - into our bodies, into our breath, into the here and now. Bringing our awareness and our attention inward into our felt sense and our felt experience of the here and now, of the present moment.

2. From here, we will begin to flower outward into opening, balancing, and aligning movement. We will awaken our breath. We will focus on proper diaphragmatic breathing and complete breathing, and from there we will begin to flow outward into simple, effective movements for releasing tension and aligning the spine and the body. Start with small, simple but effective movements.

3. After awakening the breath and the major joints of the body, we will start to heat the body and prepare for slightly more vigorous and large movement. We will do sun salutations and vinyasas... flowing sequences connected with the breath to solidify the mind-body connection and to build warmth and heat in the body, warming up the muscles and further awakening the breath and the vital energy.

4. After the body has been awakened, opened and heated, we will commence with the most vigorous part of the practice. We will include standing poses, balancing poses, backbends, forward bends, twists, and inversions. We will move the body in all planes, in all directions, working every muscle and joint in the body and circulating the blood and the lymph.

5. After the peak of the class, we will begin to cool down as we prepare for deep guided relaxation and meditation. We will focus on forward folds, seated postures, supine twists and other such cooling, relaxing practices. We will focus on staying with the sensations of our breath and our body, of relaxing and letting go and opening and softening.

6. Finally, we will end the class with deep guided relaxation and meditation. We will mentally do a body-scan relaxation, some light visualization practices, and subtle but powerful affirmations. After a comfortable savasana/deep relaxation, we will do a few minutes of sitting meditation - of "being here now". Then, we will slowly return our awareness and our energy back outwards and back into the world - refreshed, revitalized and full of positive energy.

People will then leave the classes feeling infinitely better than they did when they came in - both in body and in spirit. They will feel free of stress, free of tension, free of worry, free of all negative thought patterns - and thus they will live in bliss, freedom, happiness, love, connection, wonder, peace, and vitality.

This is the healing. This is the path. This is one of the many gifts that I will offer to the world - a guide to healing and enlightenment and comfort and connection and happiness.

 I cannot wait! I can, but I can't. :) All is flowing as it should. As it always does. I trust and I surrender to the flow of the ALL... it always takes me exactly where I need to be to be of the highest good for ALL.

All is ONE and ONE is ALL... we are ALL the ONE, we are ALL the ALL. Thus, we should love everything and everyone because it is ALL really the same essence as us... the entire universe is all ONE ocean, and though we are all separate waves and drops in that ocean, we are ALL still the SAME OCEAN. That is the truth. That is a fact. That is freedom. That is universal love. That is ONE LOVE. That is harmony. That is enlightenment. That is good. :)