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Mindful Hatha Yoga Flow links the postures practiced in our Fundamental Yoga class into a sequence of movements that "flow" using the breath. The class focuses on transitioning from one posture to another very mindfully and safely to allow our full awareness to rest in our practice and in the present moment. Variations on the Sun Salutation are used as a warm-up, followed by a standing sequence, balancing poses and seated/flexibility poses. All sessions have mindfulness as the primary focus and all sessions include Meditation. This yoga class is recommended for students who have attended the Yoga Fundamentals class for at least 3 months and are interested in cultivating a Yoga practice connecting mind / body / breath mindfully.

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The Yoga Loft offers many options geared towards students beginning their yoga and meditation journey.   If you need some assistance in choosing which of our offerings would be best for you, call me anytime at (610) 662-5652. I’m also available by email @ info@melaniesyogaloft.com.   I would love to help! 

Pregnant Yoginis are welcome to attend our Gentle Yoga classes.  
 

YOGA FUNDAMENTALS - In Yoga Fundamentals you will begin to build the foundation for your yoga practice and receive individualized attention as you gain flexibility, strength, and balance.  In each Fundamentals class you will explore specific alignment of asanas (yoga poses)  and asana sequences including standing, seated, backbends and sun salutations;  as well as the relationship of movement and breath.  Yogic breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques will also be introduced, perfect for stress relief and overall well being.   Our experienced teachers are available for questions throughout the class.  This class is perfect for those just beginning their practice or those who may be looking for a more gentle class.  We recommend beginners take at least 8 Yoga Fundamentals classes before launching into some of our more advanced Flow Classes.
 

WHAT IS MEDITATION? - For thousands of years, individuals have engaged in practices of meditation - bringing moment-by-moment awareness to their own experiences in the body, heart and mind.  Available in almost all major spiritual traditions, these practices have helped individuals cultivate greater wisdom, kindness and compassion, and develop the capacity to accept more fully the joys and sorrows that life brings.

Many different methods are employed to help focus attention and concentrate the mind, including visualizations; the use of a mantra, a word or phrase to anchor one in the present moment's experience or paying attention to the breath, the body, or sensory experience.

In Buddhist meditation what these different techniques and methods have in common is that they help the yogi concentrate the mind in order to see clearly into patterns and habits of clinging and holding that cause suffering, in order to let go and live a life free of suffering.

It is often thought that we meditate in order to create some elevated state of mind or heart - peace, bliss, or altered states of well-being.  But while a natural product of deepening meditation practice, these states are impermanent, and true freedom of the heart comes from a willingness to be fully present with our own experience - pleasant or unpleasant, joyful or sorrowful- rather than in creating particular states of mind.  When we learn to accept fully what life brings us in this moment and can cultivate a freedom that is not dependent on particular conditions.

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Pilates offers an approach to strength and flexibility training with exercises created to strengthen abdominal and back muscles while developing pelvic stability and abdominal control. A great compliment to any yoga practice, it promotes ease and efficiency of movement through focused, slow, careful and controlled exercise. The mind/body awareness developed in Pilates will improve your posture and form in all areas of your fitness program.

I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier. - Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86.

Joseph Pilates wasn’t always the picture of health, though.  He was a sickly, scrawny child who was drawn to physical fitness to deal with asthma and other medical conditions.  During the First World War, Joseph Pilates was placed in an internment camp in England.  There, he began devising exercises to help the other camp members maintain health.  These exercises were rooted in ancient Greek and Roman physical activities as well as yoga, and became the basis of “Contrology.”

Today, Pilates is not only an excellent fitness activity, it is also an important component of athletic training and physical rehabilitation.  Pilates offers strength, flexibility and coordination – both mental and physical.

Exercises are usually done in 5-8 repetitions, and move around the core of the body, working the front abdominals, the obliques, the hips and the lower back.  The results are fast and profound.  People stand taller after Pilates as their vertebrae are supported by a girdle of muscle.  Long, lean muscle mass is created and functional fitness is improved.

Pilates is taught at The Yoga Loft because it is a wonderful compliment to your Yoga practice.  The Pilates practice of “scooping the abs” can be likened to engaging the bandhas in Yoga.  The core strength that Pilates brings is invaluable for Yoga asanas (Yoga postures) and arm balances.  And for the practitioner, there is Joseph Pilates’ promise - You feel different after 10 sessions.  You look different after 20.  After 30, you’re a whole new you. 
 

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