Mind/Body
All-Levels Yoga Flow
This flow yoga class is designed for ALL skill and fitness levels! Whether you are new to yoga or have been practicing for years, this class can be tailored to fit your needs. Expect to breathe, build heat with movement, learn, and settle in stillness to tone, strengthen and relax the body.
No yoga experience necessary.
Yin & Restorative Yoga
Beginner friendly. This class is a blend yin yoga, which offers a slower-paced practice where poses are held for a longer period of time allowing for increased circulation and opening within deeper muscles and connective tissue. Restorative Yoga is a gentle, calming, therapeutic practice that soothes the nervous system and releases physical and mental tension.
Props such as blankets, blocks, bolsters, and straps support the body in gentle stretching sequences and nurturing, sustained postures that ease the entire system into relaxation and balance. This class is designed to down regulate the nervous system, find more openness and presence within the body, and decrease stress.
Roller Work & Release
This class is geared toward athletes, dancers and others with an intermediate or higher level of body awareness. Utilizing foam rollers for self-myofascial (connective tissue) release and to reset the central nervous system, the practice is guaranteed to make you feel as zen as the ocean. Bring back greater fluidity of movement and work through those tight, restricted, sore muscles. Restore healthy fascia and leave that tension behind!
Tai Chi/Qigong- Longevity Tree Form
Dating back to the 6th century AD, the Longevity Tree Form is part of the tradition of the Nam Hoa Temple. The exact place of origin is unknown, but it was commonly thought to have come from Tibet.
The Longevity Tree form is about the development and use of chi (life force energy). The basis of the practice is balancing and harmonizing the three energies: ourselves, the earth and the cosmos. Each image in the form is a progression of transformation which deepens our understanding regarding the spectrum of chi.
Qi Gong is grounded in several thousand years’ experience in the cultivation of vital energy. One may say that Qi Gong is the mother of the more well-known practice of Tai Chi. Qi is the basic energy of the universe. We are the microcosm of chi, the universe is the macrocosm. Gong means to work with intensity and discipline in a particular area of endeavor.
Based on the interplay of yin, (contraction), and yang (expansion), Qi Gong stimulates the system of energy throughout the body. Through a variety of movement sequences, Qi Gong gives the practitioner the means to balance mind, body and spirit. When there is harmony between yin and yang, we maximize the potential for mental health and tranquility. The understanding of this concept is rooted in theory and practice. The practice is intended as a daily routine. Join us and experience the many benefits!
Tai Chi/Qigong- Tiger Form
In Chinese cosmology, yin energy is represented by the image of a white tiger. In the Nam Hoa Temple Tiger form, we establish our connection to the earth, (yin) and we find an excellent means to ground and center ourselves. This form is more of a physical form, as we put more emphasis on the strength of the legs, and the opening of the upper body. The kicking positions challenge our balance, and reinforce the importance of centering, both physically and mentally.
As we go deeper in our practice, we understand our energy connection to all aspects of nature, including animals. If you have the opportunity to observe cats, that will be helpful, as most of the forms in the internal and external arts use animals as their inspiration.