Yoga and Pilates
with Elizabeth Silas
Yoga and Pilates with Elizabeth Silas
Cleveland, Chagrin Falls, Woodmere, and other east side areas!
ph: 513-255-0166
yoga
- Yoga and Pilates with Elizabeth Silas
- Classes You Can Drop Into
- Private Sessions Designed for You or Your Group
- Workshops and Teacher Trainings
- If You Are Just Starting Out
- Get Inspired
- Yoga You Can Download
- How Yoga Works, and Why I Teach
- How I Came to Yoga
- What Other Students and Teachers Say
- Contact Me
If You Are Just Starting Out
Congratulations! Did someone tell you about the benefits of a regular practice? Or are you just curious about that "yoga glow" you see on your friends' faces? Read on...
What is Yoga?
Yoga combines postures and movements
with conscious breathing to simultaneously
strengthen and stretch. The main style of
yoga I teach offers a steady, continuous
flow of movement called vinyasa [vin-ya-sa].
In the process, we:- strengthen and stretch muscles
- stabilize and align joints
- improve balance
- gradually expand breathing capacity
and cardiovascular endurance - develop mental focus and clarity
- cultivate a sense of physical and
mental well-being
Vinyasa yoga can be the hardest thing you've ever done, challenging your strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, and mental focus, and making you sweat more than you ever have before. But here's the important thing: It doesn't have to be! A slow, gentle sequence can have all the qualities of vinyasa, allowing you to focus completely on your breath and the postures. Find the style that works for you, right now.
- strengthen and stretch muscles
What is Pilates?
Pilates [pih-lah-teez] is a set of exercises
that increases core strength. A strong core
is absolutely crucial for good posture and
spinal health, making you look taller and
leaner as well as helping keep your back
pain-free. This core area includes:- four layers of abdominal muscles (transversus, internal and external obliques, rectus)
- the muscles and connective tissue of
the pelvis - the muscles of the lower, middle,
and upper back
These exercises also encourage flexibility
through the chest, shoulders, and torso. Each area is isolated in turn to develop body awareness and pelvic/spinal alignment.My classes combine the classical Pilates mat exercises with recent innovations that target the precise areas where we tend to lose strength over time.
- four layers of abdominal muscles (transversus, internal and external obliques, rectus)
How Should I Begin?
For many people, the best way to begin the exploration of yoga and/or Pilates is in classes or workshops tailored to beginners or in private sessions.
Look for classes labeled "Yoga 101" or "Intro" or "Level 1." These sessions will group you with other new beginners and offer you the basics, step by step.
If you have experience with practices related to yoga--dance, gymnastics, meditation, martial arts, gyrotonics, etc.--you may want to drop into "Mixed Level" or "Moderate" or "Level 1-2" classes. This will immerse you in the practice with students who have been practicing a while--which some people find invigorating and others find bewildering!
Just be sure that some of your classes emphasize "alignment" or "technique." If you only take classes that flow from beginning to end, you may never learn to work safely and avoid injury by learning the deeper and more subtle actions that align the body's bones and muscles. Be sure to set yourself up for a lifetime of injury-free, joyous movement!
Right now, the drop-in mixed-level classes I teach that are appropriate for most brand-new beginners are the Friday or Saturday classes at Evolution Yoga. Call the studio for information about their Yoga 101 program if you'd like to start with the basics in a group of beginners. Or contact me to discuss working in private sessions until you are ready to join a class.
My Number One Suggestion to Brand-New Beginners: Take many classes with different teachers, in different schools, in different styles of yoga. You will not believe the diversity! Please do not take three classes and say, "Well, I tried yoga, and it is not for me." There is an immense variety you have not experienced! Even if you find something agreeable the first time around, expand your horizons, and then hone in on the one you want to focus on.
Copyright Elizabeth Silas 2003-2012. All rights reserved.
Yoga and Pilates with Elizabeth Silas
Cleveland, Chagrin Falls, Woodmere, and other east side areas!
ph: 513-255-0166
yoga
