our collective wisdom
a santosha yoga community blog
4/29/2024 0 Comments What is Kundalini Yoga?There are so many different kinds of yoga out there, it can be hard to know what they all include, and which one is right for you! Kundalini Yoga is a unique style of yoga that is offered monthly at our studio, and it may be a practice unlike any you have ever tried before! Kundalini is the Yoga of Awareness. Kundalini helps us find the expanded sense of Self and tune in to the infinite reality of our shakti (personal power). We do this with the rhythm of breath, movement of body, and thunder vibration of mantra. In Sanskrit, “Kundalini” means “coiled snake.” The foundation of this common style of yoga is the intertwined energy flowing up and down the spine. The use of this style is to uncoil, unknot, and undo any twisted up energy there. Through life, these two coils of energy – masculine and feminine – become tangled and blocked. In Kundalini, we can unblock these paths and allow the energy to flow; leading us to a greater sense of connectedness to the Divine within all of us. This summer at Santosha Yoga Collective, we offer monthly Kundalini workshops on special topics! Check out our full class schedule, but here is this year’s Summer Series with Patti (pictured above): May 18th - Finding Strength in Your Voice Come join Patty for an invigorating Kundalini practice to build confidence, awaken Shakti (your personal power), and create sound with the voice through chanting with will and purpose. Do you feel uncomfortable speaking up for yourself and setting healthy boundaries? Chanting is a practice to clear out stuck energy of the body and mind. The vibrations soothe the nervous system, calm anxious emotions, and can help you feel more joyous, honest, relaxed, and compassionate towards others. You will learn:
June 15th - Healing Through Loss Come and experience breath, movement, and chanting to release the energy of anger, fear, and grief. Honoring your personal healing process with loving-kindness, practices of Kundalini help us to refine our own medicine within. Through the process of chanting, the body-mind experiences vibrations to soothe the nervous system, calm anxious emotions, and can help you feel more centered, relaxed, and compassionate toward yourself and others. This class will focus on the energy of the heart; the center of our emotions of love and grief, as well as the root, our connection to stability and a sense of groundedness, where grief is often felt first. Learn tools to embrace acceptance and feel more grounded and positive, with movement and mantra to awaken the grace of our personal power. July 20th - Intuition and Wellness How does yoga support our ongoing well-being and prevent illness and disease? Come and learn the practices of movement, breath, and chanting to connect with your inner source of body-mind wisdom. This class will move vital energy that rules our sense of strength and happiness up to the third eye, which is where intuition and wisdom connect. Intuition is often considered to be our natural instinct to act, feel in tune, and acquire knowledge. Developing a strong intuition can help us awaken the brain’s potential, achieving greater mental clarity, improving decision making, and forming a deeper connection with the inner Self. Practices of Kundalini can also stimulate the body’s endocrine system, which is responsible for our hormones (chemical signals from the brain to the rest of the body’s vital organs) and controls our metabolism, energy level, and responses to injury, stress, and mood. Come and learn how to feel vibrant at every stage of life! August 10th - Energy and Vitality Release stress and anxiety to feel bright and energetic heading into the Fall! In this class we’ll focus on practices of breath, movement, and chanting to withstand the pressures of time. These exercises are designed to strengthen the nervous system and increase prana (life-force energy). Breathwork (pranayama) is an invigorating way to connect with your parasympathetic response, which is all about rest and digest. When we are stressed and worried, our breath can be shallow and disconnected. Slowing down our breathing creates a sense of presence and calm. In this class we will learn about the contrasting effects of long deep breathing, breath of fire, and alternate nostril breathing. “Santosha” is a sanskrit word that means contentment. Our Loomis-based Yoga studio brings together decades-long practitioners and new students alike. We believe Yoga is beneficial for every body and will make sure you find the right classes to support your yoga journey. With 24 weekly yoga classes from Vinyasa and Balance, to Chair, Yin, Kundalini, Iyengar, and Restore, our aim is to provide a space of contentment for students and teachers of yoga as we honor movement, holistic wellness, and community as a way of life. We serve the beautiful community of Northern California.
We offer these yoga styles and many more through workshops, our community room, and themed classes. Please reach out on our “Contact Us!” page if you have a yoga theme you’d like to experience in the beautiful Santosha studio. Post written by Stephanie Alston ERYT200 and Annie Schwab RYT200.
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When people say, “I do yoga”, what do they really mean? Believe it or not, there are many different forms of yoga! Especially in the transition from the East to our Western culture, other forms or subsets of yoga have become popularized. Entering into the yoga world can become confusing when just understanding what kind of yoga you’re even doing! Here, we’ve cultivated a basis of each type of Asana practice offered at our studio for your understanding. There’s always more learning to be done, but here is your introduction: Yoga is a practice of paying attention, to everything within and around us. It is literally translated as a "union" or "yoking" to a wider power and cultivating the mindfulness to embody the full Self. Most of the time we see it today as a practice of movement, although Yoga as a full practice is a lot less of a "workout" and more of a work-IN. Yoga is based on Eastern traditions and philosophies with traits of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism weaved throughout, and depending on which lineage or style you follow. Vinyasa Yoga “Vin” meaning breath and “asa” meaning movement, this form of yoga is the relationship between breath and body/posture. Each pose is led into through the breath. You’d notice that you are in a Vinyasa class if the teacher says “Inhale, Mountain pose” or, another example, “Exhale, Forward Fold.” These Flow Classes on our schedule tend to be faster moving and dancelike, feeling like water as you find a seamless transition from one movement to the next. Hatha Yoga “Hatha” means “force” in Sanskrit. The “force” is typically referring to the physical practice of yoga rather than the breath. It’s well-known as an umbrella term to cover many of the other styles you see here and beyond! In fact, my RYT (yoga teaching certificate) is registered under Hatha yoga. It’s become the general type of yoga you would encounter here in Western Culture. These classes are more static, and do not incorporate the same circular transitions of flow. Balance Class on our schedule and Iyengar Yoga are great examples of a Hatha practice! Iyengar Yoga Iyengar yoga is named after its founder, B.K.S. Iyengar. It is a style that is made of detailed and precise movements and cues, so that postures can be held for a long time. Challenging right? Plus – your focus is to control your breath throughout. An example that you might find in an Iyengar class is if the instructor cues, “rotate your pelvis towards the prop wall,” or “activate your left glute to lift your heel higher.” On our schedule, you will see this style of class called Align. Restore Yoga Close to the ground, slow, and supportive, Restorative Yoga is created for those recovering from injury or illness. It is great for all bodies, whether you're athletic or have limited range of motion. It allows you to release whatever you have been doing during the day and stimulates the body's natural repair and healing response. A Restore class will have lots of props, leveled transitions, being completely passive in the body, in order for you to get the deep rest and presence you need. On our schedule Restore Yoga is offered Sunday mornings, and every other Friday along with live music. Yin Yoga Compared to Restore Yoga, Yin Yoga is a more meditative practice with deep work in the connective tissues of the body rather than activating the muscles, like in a Vinyasa class. Postures are held sometimes 5 minutes or longer with the challenge being to find stillness in the eye of the storm. “Yin” is linked to the balance shared with “Yang.” There is a Yang Yoga, but we’ll get into that next time! Yin Yoga is gentle in its approach, and can allow you to drift off into a space that feels like you’ve been there for 3 minutes or an hour. On our weekly schedule you will see these classes listed as Gentle Yoga. Kundalini Yoga This is a unique style of Yoga that is based on building a Sadhana (or ego eradicating practice) through breathwork, chanting, and movement that is repetitive and done in a certain order, known as a Kriya. The aim is to awaken energy at the base of the spine and move upward to liberate Shakti, your personal power. Kundalini is offered on our schedule twice a month, every 2nd and 4th Friday! Chair Yoga A wonderful practice for those who need a little more support and TLC; Chair Yoga does not necessarily follow one single yoga tradition, but rather brings in elements from many disciplines. Here you might experience Sun Salutations, standing balance work like Tree Pose and a Warrior Series, along with healthy core and spine connection, and getting a deep stretch, all while supported by the Chair. One of the most popular classes on our schedule, 11am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Santosha Yoga Collective
“Santosha” is a sanskrit word that means contentment. Our Loomis-based Yoga studio brings together decades-long practitioners and new students alike. We believe Yoga is beneficial for every body and will make sure you find the right classes to support your yoga journey. With 24 weekly yoga classes from Vinyasa and Balance, to Chair, Yin, Kundalini, Iyengar, and Restore, our aim is to provide a space of contentment for students and teachers of yoga as we honor movement, holistic wellness, and community as a way of life. We serve the beautiful community of Northern California. Any questions? Send us an email at hello@SantoshaYogaCollective.com or you can directly call or text us at 916-303-0621. 3587 Taylor Road, Loomis CA 95650 We can't wait to see you on the mat! Post written by Stephanie Alston ERYT200 and Annie Schwab RYT200. 3/11/2024 0 Comments YTT: How to Become a Yoga TeacherBecoming a Yoga Teacher is a fun dream for many, but the steps to get there can sometimes feel confusing! Let’s break it down: Once you decide you want to become a yoga teacher, it’s time to find your training / yoga school. Get to know the studio(s) you might want to teach at and talk to the teachers there. Every studio has a different style or training preference. When you find teachers you love to learn from the most, they can help guide you to great trainings or what to consider. Especially when embarking on a new journey, sometimes it’s best to be familiar with the space, practice, and faces. (: A Registered Yoga School is a studio who has RYS status with Yoga Alliance. YA is an international registry of yoga teachers and studios that provide continuing education and uphold certain standards, ethics, and philosophies around the teaching of yoga. Everyone starts at a base-level 200-hr training, but from there they can soar to 300-hr training and even 500-hr training! Once base-level training is completed, you have the option to add on to your training to develop more skills on the mat or in the studio. There are many different kinds of certifications one can choose and more often than not, the spark is found on the mat once you find the right teacher! Traditionally, after completing your 200-HR teaching certificate, yogis have the option of continuing their education to receive a 300-HR. This certificate is designed to look deeper at the postures, philosophy, and world of yoga since the foundational level has been achieved. Like a Masters program after an Undergraduate degree, 300-HR training certificates have plenty of different specialties. We are thrilled to be hosting Inner Peace Yoga Therapy School at our studio in May 2024. In this Yoga Therapy Teacher Training, Erin will be the facilitating teacher in coordination with Inner Peace Yoga Therapy School, where students will have the opportunity to receive their Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) 300-HR certificate. Teachers may choose to go on and complete their full 800-HR IAYT training from this accredited program. (See the blog post under this one for more information on Inner Peace Yoga Therapy School and their 300-hr training!) [chart from The Yogatique on Yoga Alliance] Your baseline yoga teaching certificate is broken down into 200-hrs of learning, teaching, and doing. All these (seen in the graphic above) is the current YA standard. All these have to be hit in order for you to be a certified instructor through Yoga Alliance! In every level, there is a foundation of respect, honor, and safety.
I had a yoga instructor who was certified in Trauma-Informed Yoga and the 100-hr certificate reframed her language used on the mat! The core of Trauma-Informed Yoga is so that you do not weaponize the body, but instead, feel safe and supported within the space. In fact, our very own Stephanie Alston is a certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor! She got it in addition to her RYT-200hr and I and many other students feel the difference her class makes – especially if you’re looking for that in a yoga instructor. (: After you complete the necessary amount of hours it takes to be able to teach at a studio (your 200-hr), then you are certified to teach! It is always up to you whether you’re ready or want to, I know plenty of students who took and completed their 200-hr yoga teacher training but only wanted it to supplement their own practice. (: At the end of the day, yoga is meant to be of service to you and how you can be of service to others: on and off the mat. If your cup isn’t full, don’t pour from it! If you’d like to teach, yay! Know that teaching is a big jump from practicing and it’s okay to feel scared! When I first taught, I stumbled over my words and forgot the left side in some postures! The fear is okay, completely normal, and honestly – good. If you’re nervous, that means you care about it deeply. And that care will only grow and carry you through each stage of teaching! One of the best tips I can provide is to teach as much as you can. The more you’re in the studio talking, connecting, and leading, the easier it will come. Every teacher has a different story as to how they began teaching as well as their career after their first hiring. Up until a few years ago, it could be hard to be a yoga teacher. Many studios only had you work a class or two a week on their schedule, and if you were a brand new graduate from your 200-hr certificate? You would be lucky to find a sub opportunity! After your certificate, you would have to earn hours to teach. For a lot of my friends, that meant donation-based yoga in the park or bugging their favorite studio enough until they finally gave them the opportunity to substitute a class. From there, they would have to substitute a few more times and then maybe be considered if there was a new teacher opening. The yoga teacher market post-COVID was a doozy. With two years of total shut down for studios, gyms, and other yoga-found spaces, many yoga teachers had to find another job or different career path. I was a fresh graduate of my yoga teacher training at the 200-hr level in 2021. So by complete happenstance, I was able to be hired right away due to a needed job market. Since it was also a new studio as well, I was able to build my way up to teach up to around 10 classes per week. Once you have the experience teaching, it becomes dramatically easier to move around and operate within the yoga job market. And if you mix up your lefts and rights, the more the merrier. (; Post written by Stephanie Alston ERYT200 and Annie Schwab RYT200.
Yoga Therapy is a specific modality of yoga that utilizes the practices and concepts of yoga, including the Kosha model and Ayurveda, to look at the entire person: body, mind, and soul. The Kosha model is how yogis visualize the layers of existence. Basically, there are five layers that are necessary in order for our bodies to exist; physical, breath, thoughts and emotions, mind and wisdom, and soul. (Here’s more information for further reading.) Ayurveda is the life-science companion to yoga that looks at the whole person based on their relationship to the elements and the 5-senses. This holistic medicine that many practitioners use as a lifestyle practice in addition to yoga movement and breathwork can have a profound effect on the emotional and physical well-being of every individual. An example of this is the particular diet that one might cultivate, as well as seasonal living, or using complimentary alternative medicine practices such as oil-pulling and massage to support the body-mind connection. Some yogis may even use essential oils for relief of ailments like distilled lavender, peppermint, and/or eucalyptus to treat headaches. Ayurveda and yoga are branches of the same tree in the science of healing body, mind, and soul. Through the Kosha model and Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy looks at the entire person to create an environment for optimal healing. Yoga Therapists then have specific training to support individuals with pain care, anxiety and depression, those with terminal illness, on the care care continuum, and more. Yoga Therapy Immersion classes are offered monthly at our studio with Erin Alexander. These masterclasses are open to everyone. Erin Alexander has been teaching in conjunction with Santosha Yoga Collective since 2022. She is a Yoga Therapist who owns All Souls Yoga in Auburn. Within this yurt of healing, she and Santosha host retreats and regularly collaborate with shared community offerings. (Erin Alexander pictured third from the left) At Santosha (meaning “Contentment”), Yoga Therapy is not only an option for practitioners of yoga but the teachers as well! Traditionally, after completing your 200-HR teaching certificate, yogis have the option of continuing their education to receive a 300-HR. This certificate is designed to look deeper at the postures, philosophy, and world of yoga since the foundational level has been achieved. Like a Masters program after an Undergraduate degree, 300-HR training certificates have plenty of different specialties. We are thrilled to be hosting Inner Peace Yoga Therapy School at our studio in May 2024. In this Yoga Therapy Teacher Training, Erin will be the facilitating teacher in coordination with Inner Peace Yoga Therapy School, where students will have the opportunity to receive their Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) 300-HR certificate. Teachers may choose to go on and complete their full 800-HR IAYT training from this accredited program. Stay tuned for more offerings like this one!
Any questions? Send us an email at hello@SantoshaYogaCollective.com or you can directly call or text us at 916-303-0621. We can't wait to see you on the mat! Post written by Stephanie Alston ERYT200 and Annie Schwab RYT200. |
AuthorThis blog is authored in collaboration by registered yoga teachers and guest educators at Santosha Yoga Collective. Archives
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