Group Yoga Classes

Group classes here at my home studio, Panacea, are often intimate, from 2-10 people max, and they will be based on who shows up to class.  As Covid-19 is now part of our reality, I am grateful to have a large, open-air studio so that we can practice safely.  I am experienced in working with people of all ages, all conditions, and all levels of yoga experience.  As Panacea was a yoga retreat for 15 years, I had a class every morning where I had this range of students, thus I have learned how to make a class work for a wide variety of people.

 

Here is what a group class with me is like

I will typically have a theme, and have identified what are going to be any physical postures that we will work towards, and also have identified what other Hatha techniques (breathing, energetic) that will support the class.  I will have an outline of what I expect to do, yet it is often adapted depending on who has shown up to class and how they are at that moment physically, energetically, and emotionally.  I offer a lot of ways to do the practice, making it accessible to a wide range of students.  Here is one typical outline:

  • Centering, grounding, short meditation
  • Warm ups to prepare for what physical postures we’ll be doing
  • Strengthening moves and movements
  • Sun Salutations/flow movement
  • In depth work towards or with a more difficult postures (often this will be a break down and build up of different approaches including modifications or variations)
  • Inversions
  • Warm downs
  • Savasana
  • Pranayama
  • Meditation

Not every class involves all this. Yes, I do teach long classes! Yet, I find it brings about a better result. We usually get a chance to discuss a bit about how everyone is feeling after the class, and the sharing that comes with being part of a loving community.  I hope that you can come join us sometime soon!

 

My Schedule

I do sometimes go on the road to do workshops or retreats elsewhere, and my home schedule does change when I am conducting a teacher training. Most of the rest of the time, I have these regular classes:

Hatha I-II
Mondays and Thursdays
8:30 – 10:00 am  

This is a great time for those in my area who have school age children, as it starts after most of the schools’ drop off times. This class is an open level class for anyone who is interested in yoga, but may not yet have a strong practice or may be more new to yoga, as well as those who have had a regular practice and are looking to deepen their practice.  I will often work with breaking down a particular pose or movement, then build back up into different postures that use that skill.  Because of the number of ways in which any one posture is taught, I can find the best one for each student.  Each class will include some pranayama and meditation.

Fundamentals
Thursdays 5:30 – 7 p.m.
(in Spanish or bi-lingual)

This class is sometimes taught in one of the local communities, sometimes at Panacea.  This class is a fundamentals class, aimed at building a solid foundation of connecting with your body, so that you know how to adjust your own practice for the maximum benefit.  We work with foundational physical and philosophical principles of the art of yoga. It has been my great joy to introduce this practice to a number of locals, and I do this on a sliding scale for Costa Ricans.

At this time the cost for classes is $15 USD (or equivalent in CR colones at current exchange rate) for a walk in.  I also sell a package of 10 classes for $120.  The package can be used by 1-2 people, and must be completed within 3 months of purchase. 

I do require a minimum of 2 people or more to hold a class.  It is always appreciated if you let me know that you are coming, as I do set up the rancho before class, and want to make sure that we have enough room for everyone to practice safely.  Contact me through here and let me know you are interested in taking a class.  We can then exchange phone numbers.  I use WhatsApp to keep everyone informed if classes are canceled for any reason. 

Private Classes & Personal Home Practice Sessions

I love having private sessions with 1 or 2 people!  It is the best way for you to truly make some big advances in your practice. While I do see each person in my class, and can individualize instructions pretty well in a group setting, it is in a private session where it is all about you.  I can help you hone in on how to make your practice fit for exactly who you are and what your goals are, and I love seeing the light in a student’s eyes at the end, for if we do it well, you recognize how much deeper you touch your soul.

A in person private class is typically a 2 hour session.  If I can, I like to have you tell me beforehand a bit about what you want out of the session, and if I don’t already know you as a student, I also have a short form to make sure I understand the vital info about you, physically and mentally.  This helps me to be ready to bring my best expertise to our session.  Some folks come and do this for a specific physical condition they want to improve, some folks have found their practice is getting stale and want to regain their love of yoga, and some folks just want to have some new ways to engage in a practice.  Any and all reasons are welcome!  I charge $75 USD (or equivalent in CR Colones) for 1-2 people per private session.  If you are local and think you may want to do this on a recurring basis, talk to me, and we can work out a deal if you purchase a number of private sessions upfront.

A Zoom private class is one that is done over the internet – you at your home, and me at my home. As I have done more and more of these now that I no longer run my yoga retreat, I am quite pleased with how well this medium works for a private session.  It is also nice in that you don’t necessarily have to buy a plane ticket to Costa Rica, and it can typically be done at a convenient time for the two of us! It has all the same components of the in-person private, we just happen to be in different locations.  Bring your questions, your concerns, what you want to change, what you want to improve, and its even OK if your dog wants to be part of it too.  That is actually likely to happen on my end as well.  Due to the continued economic and travel effects of the pandemic, I am offering this for $60 for a 1.5-2 hour session. I also have made deals with some of my regulars, where we have a every 2-3 month session and again, with an upfront payment, I can make an affordable deal. 

The Personal Home Practice is a just that — a development for you of a practice that you can do at home, that I design especially for you.  It is done in two 1.5-2 hour sessions.  Before the first session, I will send you an in-depth questionnaire which I ask you to complete and send back to me before we meet.  In the first session, I will take you through an assessment process of both your physical body, along with the answers you provided on the questionnaire.  This gives us the basis for what you want to do, what is best suited for you, and just the right way to practice for you.  I then will design for you a home practice.  We will then run through this practice in our second session, while filming it on one of your devices (tablet or phone), so that you will have this video to practice with, along with my written routine for you.  I charge $200 USD for this, which includes one check in session via zoom after you have had between 2 weeks to a month working with it, so we can make any fine tuning that’s needed. 

Meditation Classes

I also offer assistance to those seeking to start or deepen a meditation practice.  As the world is waking up to the benefits of a regular meditation practice (lowered blood pressure, lowered heart rate, increased immune system functioning, increased quality of life, feeling happier, decreased cortisol levels [key indicator of stress], improved memory, empathy, and compassion, to name a few)  adding meditation to a your day can bring a greater ease in being less reactive, find more sustained ability to focus and concentrate, and a greater presence for ourselves and others in our life.

Our meditation class begins with first establishing a comfortable seat, as meditation can be quite difficult if you are not comfortable!  We’ll then establish what can be the best style and I will guide you in practices within that style.  I also offer guided meditations and yoga nidras.