Well,  here is the 5th and final video of this series. This one is of a little different genre – it is another way of looking at what we do (though we never play this type of music in class!) – we hope you like it.

Here are the first 4 videos in this series:

An introduction * Testimonials I * Yoga For Strength & Fitness * Gentle Yoga

Once again our sincere gratitude to all who helped in this project. We see this 5-part series not as an endpoint but rather as platform from which to go further and deeper.

Looking forward to sharing more in the future with you.

Sincerely,

Satyam

Namaskar and welcome to one of our gentle yoga classes. Basically, any class on our schedule not named as  Strength & Fitness or Absolutely Abs comes within the domain of “gentle yoga”. These classes are for everyone. Do join us – look forward to having you there!

This video captures the essence of what our Yoga for Strength and Fitness class is all about: It is designed to be a challenging yoga experience.

Generally we recommend that people have a solid background in yoga before entering this class, and / or be in very good physical condition.

This piece stands as the third in our series of informational videos about Renaissance Yoga and our growing community of practitioners.

Thanks for checking this out – please do share your thoughts – look forward to sharing the next one with you.

Here are our first two videos:

Renaissance Yoga: An introduction & Renaissance Yoga: Testimonials I

My deepest gratitude to the many students and supporters who dedicated their time and energies to this project.

Namaskar,
Satyam

This is the second video of our 5-part informational series on Renaissance Yoga. It is possible that we will make more testimonial videos in the future. This piece stands as our initial one.

Those who have taken our classes are most welcome (and encouraged) to offer further thoughts on their experiences below. And of course, new people are free to comment as well.

Our deepest gratitude to those who participated in this video and so candidly shared their reflections.

Namaskar,
Satyam

Here is the our first-ever Renaissance Yoga video!!

Many thanks to all who helped make this possible. This is the first of 5 informational videos that will be released onto our site in the coming days. We have tried to capture a range of moods and expressions in this series.

The five videos are: 1) Introduction to Renaissance Yoga, 2) Testimonials I, 3) Yoga for Strength & Fitness, 4) Gentle Yoga, 5) Music Strength Video.

We plan to post the next video, Testimonials I, on Thursday, May 6.

After these 5 videos are presented, we plan to continue using video in a more regular manner as a way of sharing the ideas of yoga with all of you.

Thanks so much for being there with us on this journey…

Namaskar,
Satyam

p.s. Of course we want to hear your thoughts on this first video. Please do share…

Do You Know These Yogis??

While you may not know their names,

you may recognize their poses…

Here is a short (5 min), informal talk about how yoga asanas differ from regular exercise such as sports and games.

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In life, we all have favorites. Some like vanilla – some like chocolate; some prefer to sleep in – others like to rise early, and on and on it goes.

It only goes to figure then that when there are upwards of 50,000 yoga postures (asanas), then naturally there are some you might like more than others.

Do share two or three of your favorite yoga poses and tell why…

Look forward to hearing them.

Oh – almost forgot – then I will tell mine…and why.

Are you slipping off your mat – do your hands and feet become sweat factories (not an uncommon phenomenon in our Strength & Fitness classes) – is it hard to hold certain poses because you can’t grip your mat?

What recourse do you take?

a) Rub your hands on your pants or shirt every two minutes?

b) Rub your hands on your neighbor’s pants when they are working too hard to care?

c) Use non-slip hand and feet add-ons like Yoga Paws or Yoga Toes etc?

d) One person uses a special teri-cloth towel the size of a yoga mat that has a non-slip bottom so it perfectly covers and adheres to the mat.

e) I have seen some use chalk (like rock climbers do), though afterwards the mat is a bit messy(!)

f) Ignore it and pretend it is not happening – i.e. the ancient mind-over-matter approach.

Tell us your tricks of the trade, tales, or struggles – whichever is most relevant…

In yoga, we often find ourselves balancing on our hands, feet, forearms, elbows – you name it.

Here are a few practical tips for balancing on one foot, such as in Tree Pose, or its many variations:

1. Relax the foot that is touching the ground. Let the muscles release so the entire foot may spread into the Earth.

2. Lengthen through the entire leg without locking the knee.

3. Square the hips so they are facing forward.

4. Pull the naval in, lift up through the abs, keeep the spine erect, and match the shoulders over the hips.

5. Fix your gaze straight ahead to one far away point on the horizon.

6. Keep your chin level, facial features relaxed, and breathe evenly.

7. Ensure your body is like an arrow from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head

8. Be firm but not tense; Be courageous but not over-confident; Be aware but not self-conscious.

9. Enjoy your stance and feel how you are in perfect balance with everything!!