Beginner Yoga Series

Stability, Strength, Mobility:

Introduction to Yoga for Functional Longevity

Designed for yoga rookies, this series is offered as a progression of 6-week modules focusing on the 7 essential movements for functional longevity. Functional Longevity refers to the ability to do everyday things with relative grace and ease for as long as we possibly can. Everyday actions like:

carrying groceries
climbing stairs
opening doors
reaching for items on high shelves
getting in and out of chairs

require that we maintain stability, strength, and mobility to live independently. While many of us may not give these things a second thought, our increasingly sedentary lifestyle means we shouldn’t take them for granted. Being able to perform these functions is integral to overall well-being and contributes to independence and vitality for a rich, rewarding life.

This series of 6-week course modules introduces 7 functional movements and how to practice them safely through internal and external sensory awareness, breath awareness, and yoga poses that promote the stability, strength and mobility required for healthy levels of functional capacity.

The classes are designed to explore our bodies’ different relationships to gravity by lying on the floor and in standing positions. Variations for some of these explorations will be offered in a chair. No prior experience in yoga or exercise in general is required.

Course Design:

Each of the 6-week modules follows the following course design

Week 1: Increasing Body Awareness and Improving Posture and Balance
Week 2: Gait: The Elements of Walking (stride, pace, clearance, lunge, balance, rotation, mobility of hips, knees and ankles)
Week 3: Squatting and Hinging: Getting In and Out of Chairs and Picking up Items from the Floor
Week 4: Introduction to Pushing and Pulling: Opening Doors and Doing Household Chores
Week 5: Lunging and Twisting: Getting Upstairs, Off the Floor, In/Out of the Car, Dressed, and other everyday activities
Week 6: Putting It All Together and Next Steps

What You Will Learn:

What the 7 functional movements are that support Functional Longevity and why it matters
Why Posture and Balance are foundational to practicing the 7 functional movements and well-being in general
Movement and yoga poses that will help you develop stability, strength and mobility to perform the tasks of daily life with grace and ease
Internal and external sensory awareness (body awareness/interoception; proprioception) so that you can move mindfully to help avoid the common aches, pains and injuries that keep us sedentary

How You Will Benefit:

Experience greater grace and ease in performing daily tasks
Develop the basic skills for an ongoing practice to help maintain independence in the tasks of daily life for as long as possible
Gain balance, strength and flexibility
Improve posture, motor control and coordination
Develop greater self-awareness
Gain confidence and control in your own well-being journey; feel good that you’re doing something nourishing for yourself
Enjoy social participation and community
Experience the fulsomeness of yoga as a mind-body practice

Logistics:

$240 per person per 6-week module
10% discount per person when 2 or more people sign up together
Class size is limited to 8
Refunds and cancellation policy: No refunds except for cancellations up to 1 week prior to the course start date.
All courses are offered in the studio at

111 Church St., NW, Suite 204

Vienna, VA 22180

Tuesday evenings 6:00-7:00pm

Module 1:

May 23 - June 27, 2023
January-February 2024 (tentative)

Module 2:

July 11 - August 15, 2023
November 7 - December 12
February- March 2024 (tentative)

Module 3:

September 5 - October 10, 2023
January -February 2024

Module 4:

February-March 2024 (tentative)