Yin Yoga

As Paul Grilley describes it : Yin Yoga is a Quiet Practice.

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced practice where poses are held for a longer period of time in a relaxed manner for up to 5 minutes or more. There are around 20 classical poses (+ variations) in the Yin yoga repertoire which might appear easy at first glance, the challenge remains in staying still while cultivating silence. 

On the physical level Yin Yoga targets bones, joints and connective tissues. There is no aesthetic ideal to reach which makes the Yin Yoga approach very liberating, instead there is an emphasis on a functional approach.

On the energetic level the practice reconnects with its roots of Taoist yoga, and uses the ancient map and modern theory of the meridians, the long holds in Yin restore harmony in the subtle body by targeting the channels that run through the connective tissues.

On the emotional/mental level the Yin approach prepares the practitioner for meditation as one of the central intentions of the yin practice is the cultivation of inner stillness and a keen sense of introspection.

Trained with Sebastian Pucelle & Murielle Burellier

Restorative Yoga

A restorative practice is an advanced yin style of yoga, as opposed to more yang styles that involve more movement and more muscular effort. Practitioners are fully supported with bolsters, blocks and blankets. Restorative yoga uses long-held, supported resting poses to create the conditions for us to cultivate the skill of conscious relaxation and most importantly to release unnecessary habitual tension in the body and mind. It's closer to a meditation practice than a movement practice—it's a way of practicing "meditation" as a somatic, embodied experience. 

Restorative yoga helps us cultivate the skill of conscious relaxation.
Restorative yoga helps us discover where we are holding tension.
Restorative yoga creates the conditions for the relaxation response to kick in. 
Restorative yoga helps us face what we are avoiding about ourselves.

Trained with Jamie Lyn Skolnick from Laughing Lotus NYC

Kundalini Yoga

“The primary objective [of Kundalini] is to awaken the full potential of human awareness in each individual; that is, recognize our awareness, refine that awareness, and expand that awareness to our unlimited Self. Clear any inner duality, create the power to deeply listen, cultivate inner stillness, and prosper and deliver excellence in all that we do.” -Kundalini Research Institute

“Kundalini” is an ancient Sanskrit word that literally means “coiled snake.” In early Eastern religion (long before Buddhism and Hinduism) it was believed that each individual possessed a divine energy at the base of the spine. This energy is thought to be the sacred energy of creation. This energy is something we are born with, but we must make an effort to “uncoil the snake,” thereby putting us in direct contact with the divine. Kundalini Yoga is the practice of awakening our full potential and turning potential energy into kinetic energy.

Kundalini Yoga is a dynamic form of yoga that enables you to move through long held physical blocks and emotional traumas, releasing this coil of energy gently and slowly helping you to blossom into yourself. A Kundalini Yoga set always includes meditation. This is because the purpose of yoga is to get you ready to be still and able to separate from the mind. To meditate. The asanas or positions during the set enable you to be at your most elevated.

Kundalini yoga strengthens our nervous system and helps us to better cope with every day life. It builds resilience, energy and facilitates transformation.

Trained with Liver Kaur, Guru Dharam & Darryl O'Keeffe at International School of Kundalini Yoga

Sound Bath with Himalayan Singing Bowls & Gong

Sound baths are the therapeutic application of sound frequencies to the body/mind of a person with the intention of bringing them into a state of harmony and health. 

Everything in existence vibrates, and so we are surrounded by sound all the time. Sound operates through the law of Resonance which eliminates the limitations of the "sender and receiver dynamic." Resonance is where two become one and in itself, a state of awareness and experiential knowing far beyond concept and mental, cognitive thinking. On the vibration field-form-body-time level, resonance is the experiential state of Oneness. 

Through the sounds of the Tibetan Singing Bowls & the Earth Gong, a bath of sound resonance is created allowing one to completely relax and surrender, lying down in stillness. In this place restoration can be achieved as the parasympathetic nervous system is activated allowing one to 'rest and digest' while the mind is quiet and a timeless state can be activated.