Tapas! Core-Building Yoga Sequence for Transformative Practice, WINTER TERM 2020
January 20, 2020 March 9, 2020
SERIES OF CLASSES

Join us for this INNER heat-building yoga class, TAPAS!   This dedicated practice helps bring about transformation from the inside out. 

You can work up a sweat while also increasing focus, confidence, and stability, physically as well as clarity of mind!

For 8 incredible weeks, you'll practice a challenging, endurance-building vinyasa sequence that includes upper-body strengthening, moving balances, endurance holds for the quadriceps and hamstrings, and core work synced with the breath.  "Vinyasa" means "precise placement" and refers in this context to the flowing nature of this yoga sequence, as students move from one pose to the next, coordinated with the breath.  Some yoga experience helpful, though not required.  You do need basic mobility and the capacity to get up and down from the floor easily.  TAPAS! is a way to intensify the transmutation a dedicated yoga practice provides.  You are going to LOVE the way it supports your health and deeper sense of well-being.

Together, we will learn two beautiful vinyasa flows (short routines linking different yoga poses together).  Each step will be cued and demonstrated, then repeated.  These flows include upper-body strengthening, endurance holds for the legs and abdominals, squat variations, & core work, all synced with the breath.

 

We'll do some classic poses that are sure to hit some of yoga pose favorites, such as High Lunge, Cat-Cow, Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Utkatasana (Fierce/Chair Pose), Balancing Cat, Planks & lots of variations of Vasisthasana (side planks), Virabhadrasna (Warrior) 3 with Movement, and Urdhva & Adho Navasana (Upward Facing Boat Pose & Low Boat), and many Twists. But we will also add some playful transitions, variations, and long holds, to build our vitality and concentration!

The 8-week course builds heat from the inside out  [note this is NOT a hot yoga class!], through an engaging, upbeat practice that incorporates lots of movement as well as challenging variations to add a little flair, challenge, and stamina to our asana (yoga posture) practice.  This IS a sweaty practice at times and many find it a little challenging, but the work is worth it!  This intensity of the practice is what feeds our sense of self-discipline and clears the mind, so it works not just on a physical level, but on mental and energetic levels as well.

If you'd like to see a hyperlaspe video of a small portion of this Tapas Core-Building sequence WARM-UP, you can check it out here.

In addition, you'll experience THREE new asanas (postures) for this round of Tapas!

First, you'll learn many TOTALLY DO-ABLE ways toward an easy arm balance, including the first steps & simple variations of Bakasana (Crow Pose). 

 

You'll also feel the expansion that comes with the always-popular Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon).  You can read ALL about that one here!

You'll also feel the lengthening and concentration of Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle), and then move into the strength, balance, AND deep rotation of the classic and challenging Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon).

In addition, we will be adding variations onto classical poses, such as lunge twists (Parivritta Anjaneyasana) to enhance shoulder opening spinal elongation, and core-strength by using and refining hand binds.

Students are encouraged to go at their own pace and take breaks if necessary. Yoga practices are nurturing and provide support to ignite your own inner capacities for transformation.

The most important part of yoga practice is learning how to clear, guide, and refine the mind. "Tapas" means "to heat," but this is not about the material body; it is about using yoga practice to purify obstructions to clear-headedness and thus build wise discernment.  In this course, you 'll work the body to remove the obstructions of muscular tension as well as mental gripping, sluggishness, and dispersal.  In their place, you'll cultivate inner spaciousness as well as one-pointed mental absorption.  Thus, it is as important to practice discipline of your thoughts--what you say, do, and consume--and this course fosters that rich and significant process.

As with any course at AHA Yoga, final guided, systematic relaxation is one of the most important parts of practice (second only to meditation, which itself requires a relaxed body-mind) .  You'll feel a quite drastic, immediate, and intense release in this course when you begin to relax, especially because this sequence can be very demanding of your physical and mental exertions.  This distinct contrast between work and rest will allow you to better sculpt your mental attention as well as sense and direct the subtle energies throughout all layers of your being as you relax.

In addition, WINTER TERM 2020 is the first time this course will wrap up with 2 minutes of advanced breath awareness and meditation each and every session.  This helps contain the openness and replenishment you've created, so you can access those energy reserves throughout the week, and head into your days with more clarity. The meditative preparation is the most important part of the transformation Tapas practice empowers, so it is an honor to share.

This course meets for six luscious ninety-minute sessions for WINTER TERM 2020, on Mondays, 6:00 to 7:30 pm: January 13, 20, & 27; February 3, 10, & 24 [NO session February 17]; and March 2 & 9.  Registration is for the full course so you reap the deepest benefits of a precious yoga practice, from the inside out.

To receive the best results and keep you motivated & inspired, commitment is for all 8 weeks of the course term.  

The $20/class is the  dedicated student rate, and available through investment in the full course series ($160, unless you reach out for Early Bird, just $144, OR VIP for the amazing tuition of $136!).



If you are interested in this course, be SURE to save your place soon; it is one of the most popular courses on the term schedule, & we've added some delicious favorites so it will be all the more rewarding...and FUN.

All Yoga & Meditation offerings offered at AHA Yoga provide a support to ignite your own inner capacities for transformation.  To reserve your place at the dedicated student rate, your investment for the full series must be received prior to attendance (and prior January 5 for EARLY BIRD rate).  

All courses are designed for intelligent progression and turning inward; this turn is advanced practice, a a refinement of the mind that cultivates discernment, inner peace, & joy, so you notice and feel more of the beauty in, around, and through you.

AHA Yoga offerings are not designed to be fitness classes (though fitness is one ancillary result, ESPECIALLY of Tapas!). Instead, all AHA Yoga classes are more traditional yoga courses geared toward mastery of the senses and mind.  Hence, all offerings are developed as courses or specialty workshops to this end, and thus full course registration is recommended as only dedicated practice achieves the best results.

Please BRING A YOGA MAT.  If you use a shared studio mat, please note there is a $2 rental fee and  it is your responsibility to sanitize it after each use (cleaning supplies provided).  All other props (bolsters, blankets, blocks, hand weights, eye pillows, straps, etc) are provided; if you have preferred personal props, feel free to bring those.  



Purchase of the tuition pass below for "TAPAS!" confirms your agreement to the following Terms & Conditions as well as the Waiver and Release.

Terms & Conditions of Registration & Attendance:

• If you have any medical concerns, injuries, allergies, are pregnant, or have any changes in such conditions, it is your duty & responsibility to inform your teacher prior to class.  You have received permission from your licensed health care provider prior to attendance.
• Your place is held only upon receipt of tuition payment for the full course ($160 Investment, OR $144 Early Bird Special, OR $136 VIP!) or for the one-class casual rate ($25).
• Payments for Yoga classes are non-refundable, unless your class is taken off the weekly schedule due to low enrollment, dire teacher emergency, or unavoidable natural disaster.
• Commitment is for the entire 8-week course to receive the dedicated practitioner rate of $160. There are no pro-rated tuition fees for absences and no make-up classes or substitutions for missed days or transfers to future terms.   
• Once you register for a Casual Class, attendance is valid for that day and time only; there are also no make-up classes or substitutions.  
• Payments for this series are not transferable to a future/different class, course series, term, or event.  All course passes expire the last day of the course; all one-day drop-in registrations expire the day of the reservation.
• Advise your teacher with 24-hours advance notice if you are unable to attend (text message is preferred) so your place may be made available for another student.
• The teacher holds the right to cancel or reschedule any classes, sessions, or events due to extreme illness or emergencies.  Students will be notified of the rescheduled date and every attempt will be made to accommodate each student’s schedule. 
• Credit-debit payments are completed online.  Cash or check (made out to “AHA Yoga”) is paid in person or mailed (350 East Duval Street, Lake City, FL 32055).  There are no on-line payments for Casual Courses. 
• Bring your yoga mat; shared mats are available for an additional $2 rental fee and must be cleaned after each use (supplies provided).
• Turn off or put all cell phones on silent. 
• Words and energy matter!  This is your time to turn inward, and much care has been given to cultivating a sacred space. You and your colleagues are doing deep work when you undertake yoga. Please be respectful of your peers and teacher and maintain the calm, peaceful, and quiet space.  This means this is not the time for gossip, complaining, or leftover conversations from work, or any less than tender-hearted, well-intended speech.  Take this time and space to breathe and transition into your practice and allow your best self to shine.  Speak quietly and take loud conversations outside. 
• Please take your shoes off at the door of the studio to keep the floor clean and sanitary.
• Be on your mat and ready to go at the starting time.
• It’s best not to eat one hour prior to yoga; for some people, 2 hours are required.
• If anything can be done to make your experience more comfortable, secure, and successful, please let your teacher know (temperature, bathroom needs attention, you need to leave early, special concern, etc.).  Suggestions to improve your yoga & meditation experience are always welcome.
• A separate Waiver & Release for AHA Yoga must be completed and signed prior to practice on your first day (unless you are a returning student and have already completed this).  Hard copies are available for you at the studio.

These policies allow me to continue offering you the best possible yoga teachings I can and ensure our community runs smoothly. Should you prefer to pay in cash or check, or require a payment plan for the dedicated practitioner rate (available in two installments of $85 each, due January 13 & February 10, let me know and we can arrange something that serves both of us and allows you to partake of this unique series. Connect with me if you have any questions! I would love to hear from you.

In service,

Virginia Hill, AHA Yoga Teacher

Want to learn more about me and why I am so passionate about sharing this practice? You can find out more about me, my practice, and other yoga & meditation offerings here.  Want the full Winter 2019 Schedule? You can explore many delightful options--including TWO courses with the fabulous Jenna Lambert--here.