Yoga Classes I Introduction to Hatha Yoga I
Yoga Nidra – The Art of Relaxation I Introduction to Power Yoga

Introduction to Power Yoga

Power Yoga is a challenging flow of postures that strengthen and tone muscles, improve balance, coordination and flexibility while promoting relaxation and mental focus. A great stress buster. It’s fun, it’s sweaty and it’s with music! Beginners are welcome, but get ready for a great work out! You do not need any special equipment. Bring a water bottle and a towel, and wear either loose fitting clothing or Spandex.

THIS IS NOT A GENTLE YOGA CLASS. It is a physical and mental challenge, to help you connect to your inner Power. It is recommended that you are physically fit before joining this class. The class moves at a brisk pace. Beginners should be familiar with the Salutations to the Sun, know how to listen to their bodies, take breaks as needed and stay out of the ego. Familiarity with basic yogic postures is helpful, but all students are encouraged to work at their own pace.

You do not need to be super flexible to do this style of yoga. You will develop strength and flexibility in increments and see dramatic results as you continue to practice Power Yoga regularly.

Power Yoga offers tremendous health benefits. This sequence lengthens and stretches the muscles at the same time it builds strength, stamina and lean muscle mass. It can reshape your body and mind!

Power Yoga feels more intense than lifting weights or circuit training, because you are exercising several major muscle groups simultaneously while also stretching the opposing muscles. After a lifetime of sports and chores that work certain muscle groups more than others, most people develop some significant strength imbalances in opposing muscle groups – imbalances that can trigger everything from sore knees to a bad back. By bringing these opposing muscle groups back into balance, Power Yoga can help you overcome long-standing aches and pains. In just five minutes you will be sweating like a steam pipe, and after two months you will notice a marked improvement in both strength and flexibility. Keep it up and you will look and feel as buff as a well-conditioned swimmer; sleek, toned and well proportioned from head to toe; calm, relaxed and focused.

Power Yoga increases internal body heat – killing off bacteria – and creates a heightened state of awareness of the workings of your body, coordinating the breath with movement, connecting your body, mind and spirit at their deepest levels! Emphasis and focus are placed on connecting with your inner core of Power, recognizing the Power within on several levels.

There is Physical Power – developing strength and health for the body, releasing physical tension and energy blocks. There is a Power beyond the physical that holds us in challenging postures and sustains us in long holdings. There is Mental Power – the WILL to draw our mind away from scattered thoughts, focus and concentrate on the practice. Then there is Spiritual Power – which is the true essence – the true Power behind the Physical and Mental Power.

Power Yoga is essentially yoga with brawn. It is the American interpretation of Asthanga Yoga, a discipline that combines stretching, strength training and meditative breathing. David takes Power Yoga back to its roots in Hatha Yoga, focusing on yogasana, physical discipline, combining traditional Hatha yoga with movement and meditation.

The poses, also called postures or their Sanskrit name asana, are basically a series of physical stretches with awareness that have been inspired by meditation and the close examination of nature. They resemble basic calisthenics – push-ups, back bends and side bends. But the key to Power Yoga’s sweat producing, muscles building power is the pace. Instead of pausing between poses as you would in traditional yoga, each move flows into the next, making it an intense, aerobic workout with inner awareness.

Although many people practice asanas only for physical health and looks, they are primarily intended to transform the body to its full potential of optimum health in order to train it to sit still for meditation. Asana literally translates as ‘to sit quietly and make one’s self present’. This means that when the body reaches a state of perfect health and balance, you will no longer pay attention to it.

The body in harmony is free of need. Therefore it sits quietly without distracting the mind. This allows you to transcend the physical body as the mind travels inward becoming aware of the real YOU, the individual human spirit, reconnecting with the Universal Supreme Spirit of which we are all part. This is the true purpose of all Yoga’s.
Asanas work on all levels – physical, mental and spiritual. The body, mind and spirit can all become steady with the practice of asanas. When held for sufficient periods of time they help to direct prana – vital life force energy that pervades the universe – to different parts of the body depending on which asana that is being practiced.

If practiced regularly, with patience and determination, the whole system can be toned and revitalized, resulting in radiant health. However, the most difficult challenge is not mastery of specific poses but mastery of the mind. What counts is not the ability to stand on the hands or drop into a backbend, but the ability to keep the mind steady, and the heart joyful, in or outside the class.

Pranayama are specific breathing techniques in yoga used to regulate and control the vital life force energy of the universe that flows through us. An integral part of Power Yoga is a breathing technique known as ujjayi pranayama which is maintained throughout the class assisting concentration and inner awareness. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, adding a meditatitve component to the workout and leaving you with a transforming sense of calm that lingers long after you have rolled up your exercise mat.

Caution; A real danger in Power Yoga is that students try to overdo it and get hurt in the process. The exercises are quite demanding and have to be done in series, one flowing into the next. It should be learned at the expert guidance of an instructor. Some poses are quite brutal and may not be suitable for all. Be aware of your physical limitations in performing these exercises.

Ease into Power Yoga gradually and never stretch to the point of pain. Since Power Yoga involves a lot of twisting and weight bearing moves, you should be especially cautious if you have a history of neck, shoulder, back or knee injuries. Let the instructor know you are a beginner and probably not as flexible as longtime students. Most yoga poses can be altered to accommodate beginners.

This class has been modified to make it more adaptable to a wide range audience. If you progress gradually, yoga can actually help you avoid injury. It is recommended that you practice Power Yoga for three days a week. Practice Hatha Yoga for the other three days of the week, working on your weaknesses such as flexibility or concentration. Swimming, jogging and cycling are also recommended. One day a week take a day off from physical exercise and treat yourself to a soothing massage and sauna.

A fitness routine based on aesthetics feeds your ego, not your spirit. By increasing your ego you actually become more vulnerable, more susceptible to everyday occurrences that are out of your control. By feeding your ego you ignore what you actually need in order to create something that your ego desires. Consequently, you end up working against yourself and your goal of health, and you actually create more imbalance.

Yoga is directed at creating the highest level of energy, vitality and freedom. The only way to do this is to work with yourself, not against yourself. By working hard sensitively, we create an environment that is healing and that honors each individual, an environment that respects our boundaries and works within him or her. In this way we create an atmosphere conducive to natural expansion and growth. We are not interested in pushing past our edge to get to a place where we have been brainwashed into thinking we need to be in order to have happiness.

Unfortunately, many people do not seem to want to work necessarily to create harmony. When you spill something on the floor, you clean it up, right? You do not want to live with that mess. Well, that is all Yoga is designed to do, bring awareness to the mess and give you direction to help start the cleanup.

From the first step in Yoga, you start to feel better simply because your house has just begun to become cleaner or less cluttered. The move toward harmony begins immediately. You do not need some blind faith that someday down the road Yoga will enlighten you. The first class helps to silence our mind and experience the peace beyond. The same first class helps us to release some tension, which gives us a feeling of lightness, balance and connectedness. As long as we approach our Yoga practice by listening to what our body needs and by moving away from any existing ideas of where our ego wants this body to be, our initial experience can be wholly satisfying.

Power Yoga 2 hours class

The following examples have been included so that you may see a general over view of a Power Yoga class. Do not attempt the following exercises until you have thoroughly discussed them with your instructor or practiced them in class. It is recommended that you practice several weeks of Hatha Yoga or preliminary exercises before attempting, and that you are in good physical health, without injury. Empty your bladder and bowels before commencing and do not eat for at least four hours before practice. The order of these exercises is also very important. This is an intense yogic work out, so listen to your body and take rest and water as needed.

Chant aloud; Om om om

RELAXATION
Lay down in Corpse pose – shavasana. Relax your body, relax your mind. Bring your Self into the present moment by focusing on meditative breathing - ujjayi pranayama for 5 minutes

Part One - 25 minutes
Salutations to the Sun x 5
Palm Tree x 1minute
Swaying Palm Tree x 10
Hand Raising x 10
Dynamic Energy x 10
Swaying Waist Rotating x 10
Spine and Back x 10
Double Angle x 10
Swaying While Standing x 10
Warrior I II III sequence
Headstand x 1 minute
Relax 1 minute

Part Two - 25 minutes
Salutations to the Sun x 5
Cat x 10
Tiger left & right x 10
Attitude of Union x 10
Gate left & right x 1 minute
Child to Cobra x 10
Mountain to Dog x 10
Push-ups x 10
Boat x 10
Star x 10
Bow x 10
Relax 1 minute

Part Three - 25 minutes
Salutations to the Sun x 5
Forward Bending x 10
Bridge x 10
Celibate x 10
Cycling x 100
Shoulder Pose x 10
Plough x 1 minutes
Shoulderstand x 1 minute
Stomach Cruncher x 10
Half Wheel x 1 minute
Gas-release x 1 minute
Complete relaxation 10 minutes

Chant aloud; Om shanti shanti shanti

Hatha Yoga Handbook
A Supporting Handbook for the Safe and Effective Practice of
Hatha Yoga Techniques by David West

It is our divine right to practise the spiritual techniques of the ancestors. The information in this booklet is compiled with love by
The Omsense International School of Yoga. May your practice be successful.

For your copy of The Hatha Yoga Handbook contact The Omsense International School of Yoga

Email: omsense@yahoo.com
Tel: 0044-7929-120393
Price $10.00