1. I'm a Beginner! Is it all pretzly postures that will leave me feeling inadequate?
2. What is Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga?
3. Beginners? Golfers? Runners? Weight Lifters?
4. Who came up with this practice?
5. What if I'm really tight? An athlete?
6. Why the heat?
Is it all pretzly postures that will leave me feeling inadequate?
No. As Baron Baptiste says, there is no known health benefit gained by putting your foot behind your head. People who are tight are often skeptical of their ability to do yoga. When these people finally come to a class they are often amazed. They can do the class. They feel great physical and mental relief afterwards. Often they comment on how supportive the other students are. The postures and flow we do are accessible to the beginner and challenging to the athlete and experienced yoga student.
Beginners All classes at our studio except Saturday Morning and the 5:45 AM classes are suitable for beginners. For a slower pace with more attention given to alignment, classes designated for "ALL" i.e., "All Levels" or "beginners" are best. We recommend taking at least 10 "ALL" classes before taking an "SE" or "some experience" class.
We suggest taking 10 classes in as short a time period as possible. Try our classes and try classes at the various excellent yoga studios around where we live. This will give you a fair assessment if yoga is for you. The benefits are not only physical; many students report increased mental and emotional clarity. it's important to take a stand for ourself, to give ourself what's required for our health. We cannot give what we do not have. If we don't take a stand for our own health, what do we have offer those around us?
What is Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga?
Vinyasa Yoga flows. Once the class starts it does not stop for 90 minutes. It consists of a combination of flowing Yoga poses, and holdings of key postures. Once warm (probably sweating) the practice shifts to yoga poses that open major muscle groups, taking advantage of warm, pliable muscles. Poses include a balance series, backbends, inversion, ab work and hip openers.
It is complete, aerobic (in the sense of increasing lung capacity and efficiency), anaerobic, builds tone, improves balance. The practice helps to make strong but short muscles longer and stronger.
At the same time, we emphasize awareness of the breath and it also becomes a practice in mindful concentration.
Beginners? Golfers? Runners? Weight Lifters?
Beginner? All of the poses are accessible to the beginner. Generally, the beginner can do most of their first class. All students are expected to take a break when needed. By the 5th class, the beginner is generally more relaxed and seeing results.
Golfer? Professional golfers (some who are moving up in the rankings) are doing Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga. The intense but safe hip and shoulder openers release the range of motion in the golf swing. This unleashes the golfer's full power as the range of motion is unrestricted by tightness. Accuracy is increased as the swing becomes more fluid and predictable. Balance in the stance is also improved as the golfer brings more body awareness to overall balance through the balance series of the practice.
Runner? Power Yoga is a good compliment to the serious runner. Beryl Bender Birch, the Wellness Director of the New York Road Runners since 1981, pioneered the introduction of yoga to the traditional athletic community. See the 8 axioms of Power Yoga here.
Weight Lifter? Baron Baptiste served as Peak Performance director of the Philadelphia Eagles while refining this practice. Certainly it is clear that if not addressed, weight lifting will make muscles thicker but shorter, decreasing range of motion. This decrease in range can result in injury as the now very strong limb can power right through the decreased range of motion and rip the muscles. Also, to unleash the strength in just about any activity, increased range of motion is essential.
Who came up with this practice?
Baron Baptiste took the best of yoga, made it accessible to a beginner and challenging to an experienced student, and put the sequence in the order that gives the most benefit. He developed the practice I teach. Certainly, it is influenced by Astanga, Iyengar, and Bikram's. Other well known teachers include Beryl Bender Birch, Bryan Kest, Gregor Singleton, Elizabeth Huntsman, Coeli Marsh, and there are many other great teachers.
What if I'm really tight? An athlete?
Then Power Vinyasa Yoga will help! Tightness due to athletic training often results because repetitive workouts cause certain muscles to become stronger, thicker but also shorter. Power Yoga will strengthen and lengthen those muscles. This sequence will also reveal imbalances in your body and help to strengthen those less developed areas. The aim here is to increase strength and flexibility to increase performance and reduce the chance of injury.
If you are nursing a persistent injury, stopping or resting does not address the problem. You know this because every time you begin the activity again, the injury returns. To heal the injury and resume the activity it is necessary to reveal the imbalance and address it. Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga is designed to do this. If you are an athlete, you will appreciate the tremendous depth of the workout.
The practice welcomes athletes and beginners, gumbys and experienced students. The runner, the golfer, and the professional "sitter" will all benefit. The result is a lean, toned, strong body, able to do whatever you want, whenever, however. The Course in Miracles says that the body is a wholly neutral thing. That is what we strive for: your body is an extension of your will. We don't want our bodies to generate aches and pains that control our life. We want our bodies to become an extension of our will, in service to our life's purpose.
Why the heat?
The room is heated to around 90 degrees for 2 reasons: Sweating is good for you — quickly detoxifying the body, and a warmer body can take advantage of the poses — getting deeper and more benefit.