Teaching Schedule

Tuesdays @ 7:00-7:30pm EST - Dharma & Meditation (all levels, sliding scale class)

***

***

A reminder to please bring your mat and props for practice (blanket, blocks, belt). We always offer guidance for how they can be integrated to suit your practice.

Whether you’re a beginner, deciphering the difference between vrikshasana (tree) and shirshasana (headstand) or an advanced yogi who can put both feet behind their head, the Jivamukti Open class welcomes you, as it is open to practitioners of all levels. You work at your own pace, following the teacher’s verbal as well as hands-on guidance. 

Asana options will be provided for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. A typical Open class incorporates the five tenets of Jivamukti Yoga: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (kindness), nada (music) and dhyana (meditation) by presenting classical yoga teachings as relevant to one’s life on and off the mat, drawn from the Focus of the Month essay, supported by chanting, breath awareness, flowing vinyasa sequences, alignment exploration, hands-on assistance, relaxation and meditation. All Open classes include 14 points—asanas, meditation and spiritual teachings—in a sequence creatively designed by the teacher. 

Exuberant, eclectic music plays an integral role: you might practice to a shifting soundtrack of ragas, global trance, hip-hop, spoken word, George Harrison, Sting, Krishna Das, Donna de Lory, Michael Franti, Bill Laswell, Alice Coltrane and Mozart. The class is called “Open” because it is open and suitable to all levels of practitioner.

(90 minute class) 

This asana practice is centred around the Five Tenets of Jivamukti Yoga: Ahimsa (the primary ethic of yoga); Bhakti (devotion, chanting); Dhyana (meditation); Nada (sound & music) and Shastra (yoga philosophy and scripture study). This is an all-levels inclusive practice, with opportunities to modify according to your needs: a balanced practice that you can take off your mat and extend into the world.

"Jivamukti Yoga is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The Jivamukti Method is grounded in the original meaning of the Sanskrit word asana as “seat, connection” – relationship to the Earth. Earth implies all of life. Citing Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, which states that asana is to be sthira and sukham, Jivamukti Yoga maintains that one’s relationship to others (asana) is to be mutually beneficial and come from a consistent (sthira) place of joy and happiness (sukham). The practice of asana then becomes more than mere physical exercise to keep one’s body fit or to increase strength or flexibility; it becomes a way to improve one’s relationship to all others and thus lead to enlightenment – the dissolution of the sense of separateness, the realization of the oneness of being, the discovery of lasting happiness." 

(*Jivamukti Yoga description by Anna Ferguson, founder of World Peace Yoga - used with author's permission)

(60-75 minute class) 

These classes open with chanting and dharma (yoga philosophy in everyday life), followed by a guided meditation practice. Perfect as an introduction to these practices, or as a complement to your established meditation practice.

(30 minute class) 

This class is designed to rest your mind and your body. It involves gentle movements, breathing techniques, meditation, a guided relaxation, Sanskrit chanting and asana (postures) that are held for a couple of minutes. You will feel physically and mentally restored after taking this class and it is a wonderful addition to all vinyasa based Jivamukti Yoga classes, such as Open or Spiritual Warrior Classes. Your fascia will be gently but effectively stretched, your breath elongated and your mind calmed.

(60 to 90 minute class) 

A guided yogic practice that promotes a state of deep relaxation; going from the outside in; to use the mind’s amazing imaginative capacity to create a space where one is able to both physically and mentally rest and relax; to leave the waking state, go past the dreaming state to Deep Sleep, while remaining fully aware and awake.

Through a regular and sincere Yoga-Nidrā practice over time, our mind becomes one-pointed. We are able to focus on the images being presented in the practice and react in our own ways to them.

We will work with what we call the samkalpa (or resolution) — it is a determination to become something, or do something in your life — a seed which you create and then sow in the bed of your mind. Your samkalpa should relate to your spiritual and self-transformative practice. 

Please bring a mat, blanket and pillow to remain comfortable during this guided meditation.

(60 minute class)