Ongoing Class Descriptions

 

A&K Asana Class with Amy Matthews

In response to requests, this class will be oriented around the material taught in the Embodied Anatomy & Kinesiology class that day. You can come to the asana class without attending the Embodied A & K class beforehand.
Fridays 3:45-5:00pm. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.
Questions? email Amy.

 

BABIES! with Amy Matthews

This class is an opportunity to bring your questions and curiosities about your baby's movement patterns - we'll use principles from Body-Mind Centering® to explore the movements in our own bodies and playing with the little ones.
$10 donation requested.
Fridays 11:00am-Noon. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

 

Developmental Fundamentals with Amy Matthews

This class weaves together principles of embodied anatomy, developmental movement, the Bartenieff Fundamentals and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) to take you on a tour of your own body and breath.
The full class is spend lying on the floor, focusing deeply on connectivity within the body and your relationship with gravity and space. These relationships and connections are the building blocks for our activities of daily life, as well as for practices like yoga asana, martial arts, sports, etc.
No prior experience with yoga is necessary. This is an excellent class for people with injuries, and for anyone who would like to know their body better.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 7:45-9:00am. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

 

Embryology with Amy Matthews

The study of embryology is an incredibly rich field, with the potential to exponentially deepen our understanding of human structure, movement and function. With a new understanding of the fluid origins of cells, tissues and systems we can transform our experiences of movement and re-pattern our relationships to gravity, the environment and our community in radical ways.
This weekly class will cover different topics in embryology and will explore various applications to movement. Class involves both discussion and movement - any level of movement ability is welcome, and no previous yoga experience is necessary.
NEW! Starts October 26. Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm.

 

Gentle Yoga with Julia Hough

Easeful stretching combined with breath helps release tension in neck, shoulders, back and hips; standing and supine postures strengthen muscles that provide physical support in your daily life. Every class includes at least one restorative posture, where you are supported by props and thus can fully release tension.

Gentle yoga is recommended for everyone. If you have physical limitations, you are provided with modifications for postures to make them effective and safe for you. The class is valuable for practitioners of rigorous yoga, as it is a chance to slow down and be nurtured.

Julia is a practitioner of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and is a teacher and mentor for Integrative Yoga Therapy. She teaches an annual Chair Yoga weekend training at the Breathing Project and a year-long 200-hour non-residential yoga teacher training in New Jersey.
Thursdays, 6:30-7:45pm. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

 

Lunchtime Yoga & CORE Strengthening Class with Melissa Elstein

Lunchtime Yoga Flow & Core Strenghtening is a gentle, yet invigorating, one-hour yoga class that focuses on balancing stretching with strengthening. Yoga postures and movements are coordinated with the breath, so that transitions between the poses are smooth and easeful, and the asanas may be held without tension. Abdominal and back strengthening postures are emphasized early in the class so that the core is properly engaged during standing postures. Abdominal exercises are Pilates-inspired with the use of a mini-stabilization ball. Traditional hatha yoga poses are interspersed with circular movements, so that the body learns to move in both linear and non-linear ways for a more complete stretching experience. Elements of Tai Chi Easy™ and Qigong are added to standing and seated postures to help calm the mind and balance the body. Depending on class size, savasana (relaxation pose) may be enhanced with organic essential oils for deeper relaxation.
Wednesdays 12:30-1:30pm. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

 

Pathways to Wellness with Jenna Ritter

Using the healing power of your very own breath, you will be skillfully guided in Chinese (qi gong) and Indian (hatha) yoga techniques that support mental wellness and gently build physical strength and flexibility. Sessions cultivate awareness and acceptance and encourage opening, release and grounding. Self-massage and stillness are integrated into classes, offering a balance of peace, relaxation and renewed enthusiasm for life.

This class fosters the understanding that the body has an innate wisdom to heal itself when we learn how to work with it and cultivates a healthier, more positive relationship with ourselves and others.

This class is open to all who live with a mental health issue (from general stress & anxiety to PTSD, major depression, bipolar, OCD, and schizoaffective discorders, etc). No prior experience necessary.

$5 - $10 suggested donation. NO ONE TURNED AWAY.
Thursdays 1:30-3:00pm. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.
New Time! Starts October 1. Fridays 6:30-8:00pm.

For Six Weeks to Wellness workshops, go to our Workshops page.

for more information

 

Viniyoga: Yoga For You with Steve Rooney

Experience a personalized approach to Yoga in a 90 minute weekly class that emphasizes a breath-centered approach to asana, grounded in the Viniyoga teachings of Gary Kraftsow and the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. Viniyoga is a Sanskrit word that means adaptation and appropriate application. In addition to breath-centered asana (poses), the class may employ other Yoga tools, such as pranayama (breathing exercises), visualization, sound, and guided meditation – depending on the needs and goals of the students. The class is generally relaxing and balanced. You will receive clear verbal instruction, and the work will be adapted and paced to meet your needs.

The class is appropriate for all levels of experience. Beginning students can develop a foundation through an introduction to basic principles of Yoga. Advanced students will benefit from a new experience of fundamentals, and will also explore more challenging variations of poses, complex breathing techniques, and the use of visualization and sound.

The intention of the class is to encourage a personal Yoga practice that addresses your goals, and to provide an opportunity to experience some of the tools that can facilitate such a practice. This Yoga practice can be deeply therapeutic, helping you to address the full range of health issues including those that are structural, physiological, energetic, or psycho-emotional. It can also be incredibly developmental, helping you to create a stronger and more vital body, deepen your mental focus, and enrich your spirit.
Saturdays 9:00-10:30a. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

This is a small group class, limited to 6 students. Please contact Steve to pre-register at Stever@viniyoga.com

 

MELT Classes with Edya Kalev

MELT is a revolutionary approach to pain-free living developed by manual therapist Sue Hitzmann. MELT uses specialized foam rollers, and small rubber balls to rehydrate your connective tissue system, the tissue that supports, protects and stabilizes your entire body. Students sit, lie down, raise their hips up, and roll their limbs on rollers in carefully orchestrated ways. Balls are used for the hands and feet.

Join Edya Kalev, certified MELT instructor, and recent graduates of the extensive MELT training program, to learn these easy self-treatment techniques. You'll see and feel immediate changes in posture, flexibility, pain-relief, balance and grounding. MELT is for everyone, at any level of fitness. Rollers and balls are provided.
Mondays 6:30-7:30 & Tuesdays 12:30-1:30pm

Questions? Email Edya. For more information about The MELT Method, go to www.meltmethod.com

For MELT Workshop listings, go to our Workshops page.

 

MELT for Multiple Sclerosis & Parkinson's Disease
with Anita Wong and Edya Kalev

MELT is the only self-treatment technique that directly addresses the connection between the nervous system and the connective tissue system...the "NeuroFascia." Tapping into these two powerful and inter-dependent systems allows us to make deep, subtle changes in the way our bodies coordinate movement, balance, grounding, and stability. With greater stability, we can finally relax and go into the healing mode that is so necessary for our longevity. The changes brought about by MELT are especially important for people with Multiple Sclerosis, Parksinson's or other neurological diseases. We invite you to experience the results for yourself. $7 Suggested donation. All donations accepted with gratitude.
Tuesdays 5:00-6:00pm

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED before your first class. Email Anita for the registration form or for more information.

 

Yoga for Mental Wellness
with Elizabeth Plapinger and Lori Ruth Kalvert

Yoga for Mental Wellness is a yoga class devoted to people of any age or fitness level who suffer from emotional distress or mental illness. Anyone experiencing such distress is welcome. A typical class involves movement
(asana), attention to breathing, attunement to the present moment, deep relaxation, and mindful, nonjudgmental assessment of the effect of practice on the mind, body and breath. Special classes with visiting teachers explore the role of chanting, other mind-body approaches, massage and body work in emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.

Experience and research suggest that yoga can be a powerful tool for addressing emotional and mental illness. For many of us, the regular practice of yoga can lift the mood, reduce stress, enhance problem-solving, improve strength and flexibility, lessen fatigue and increase energy. Join us in this experiential practice and see how yoga works for you!

The class is by donation, with a suggested (sliding) fee of $10. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Yoga for Mental Wellness was founded in 2003 by yoga teacher and therapist Bess Abrahams, with support from a private donor, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and the non-profit therapeutic yoga center, The Breathing Project.
Tuesdays 10:00-11:15am & Thursdays 4:00-5:15pm. Please check our schedule page for summer cancellations.

For more information, please feel free to contact Elizabeth Plapinger at elizabeth@breathingproject.org