Yoga FAQ
What does “Chakra 5″ mean?
The body is made up of different “chakras”, or energy fields, that are believed to be circular. The 5th Chakra is called the “throat chakra” (it’s also located at the throat) and it represents creativity, community and sincerity, all qualities we strive to impart in our yoga classes.
What exactly is yoga?
The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, and that’s a good place to start in your understanding. Yoga is an integrated system that attempts to create a union of the mind, body and spirit. Many people think that yoga is “just a bunch of supervised stretching”. The physical exercise component (called “Asana”) of yoga is just one of many facets of the practice. Other elements include: living with “right mind”, breath techniques (“Pranayama”) and meditation. See: Patanjali’s Eight-Fold Path for a more comprehensive explanation.
Take note of the word used above: practice. Yoga is a regular practice that never stops growing and evolving over your lifetime.
Do I need to be flexible to do yoga?
No. Not only is “flexibility” a rather relative term, but every body is unique in terms of physical build. We all have our own more evident natural strengths or “weak spots”. Yoga involves using strength, balance, flexibility, your BRAIN and most importantly, your breath! What makes yoga so endlessly fascinating is how different people respond to different poses. Even your own body will “behave” differently day to day with the same pose.
Chakra 5′s approach to yoga ensures that all people of all abilities can participate safely and with confidence. Asanas are explained in detail with caring, hands-on instruction, and options are always given to modify poses to be less or more challenging.
What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga releases the lactic acid buildup in muscles that causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. It helps the lymphatic system cleanse and detoxfy the body. It increases flexibility and range of motion. Yoga can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, increase mental focus, improve posture, strengthen your immune system. You can learn yogic techniques to calm yourself down and sleep better, or charge yourself up with energy when you need it (instead of grabbing that Starbucks!)
It probably sounds like yoga is a “magic pill” that cures everything. The truth is, it really can do a lot of amazing things for many people. Your experience with practicing it will be uniquely wonderful. There is a reason why 11 million people in the U.S. do it and after 5,000 years, it still hasn’t gotten “old”. This article in Time magazine explores the growing public adoption of yoga and the health benefits.
Can I get injured doing yoga? How do I prepare for my first class?
One of our primary concerns at Chakra 5 is to make sure that our yoga classes are safe yet effective. However, it’s still possible to strain a muscle or ligament in yoga if you don’t use common sense. Here are some tips for beginners:
- Feel free to contact us with any questions about classes or to let us know about special concerns, existing injuries you might have or arrive early to classes so you have plenty of time to chat with us first about concerns you might have.
- Avoid a big meal within 2 hours of class. If you are hungry, a light snack such as yogurt or an apple an hour before class is fine.
- Please turn off your cell phone!
- Hydrate well before, during and after class.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothes and bring a small hand towel and (ideally) your own mat.
- You’re the best judge of your limits! In any of our classes, you are welcome to opt out of doing any pose…and when doing a pose, be mindful of gently pushing yourself to your edge of challenge. Your experience with yoga is a profound and uniquely individual one…don’t look at the student next to you and how “well” he or she is doing. Pay close attention to the feedback your body gives you during your practice to know best how to take care of yourself. This “body knowledge” is a wonderful thing that grows with your yoga practice.
- Consistency is the key! That means doing yoga as often as you can. It’s always better to take a gentle approach that slowly builds up strength, flexibility and balance over time.
- Take it down a notch – try taking a level of class lower than what you think you need, then give total focus and attention to your practice. Some of the poses that appear to be the simplest can be the most profound and transformative. The idea is to start simple and layer on the complexity and challenge.
- Finally, consider taking a private yoga lesson to get personalized attention and a strong foundation for your yoga practice.
Is yoga a good workout that will help me lose weight?
We incorporate lots of strength poses and movement into our classes to help burn calories, get the heart pumping and tone the body. But yoga is a different kind of experience than going to the gym and burning up an hour on the treadmill. Rather than setting a goal, like: “I want to lose 5 pounds by the end of this month”, we encourage our students to think about their yoga practice as a way to evolve physically, mentally and spiritually. This evolution never ends. Since a regular yoga practice typically encourages better management of stress and a natural desire to eat healthier, many people lose weight. And yoga helps give you a graceful, elongated posture and toned muscles, helping you look better regardless of weight loss. We all know the radiant look of a healthy yogini.
We encourage you to continue with all your fitness pursuits! Yoga can wonderfully compliment and improve your performance in all kinds of other workouts.
Candlelight Yoga at one of our Downtown Yoga Labs
