Yoga lessons

“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV.4.5

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The core of my yoga lessons comes from Hatha Yoga, and that will structure both group or private lessons. 

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Hatha yoga practice has many elements, both behavioral and of practice. The Hatha yoga texts state that a successful yogi has certain characteristics. For example, enthusiasm, fortitude, courage, patience, essence for knowledge, determination, solitude, renunciation.

In the Western culture, Hatha yoga is typically understood as asanas (physical postures) and it can be practiced as such, but hatha yoga is much more. It extends well beyond being a sophisticated physical exercise system and integrates ideas of ethics, diet, cleansing, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and a system for spiritual development of the yogi.

Yoga postures come in numerous forms. For a beginner, these asanas are uncomfortable, typically difficult, cause the body to shake, and are typically unbearable to hold for extended periods of time.  However, with repetition and persistence, as the muscle tone improves, the effort reduces, and posture improves. According to the Hatha yoga texts, each posture becomes perfect when the "effort disappears", one no longer thinks about the posture and one's body position, breathes normally per pranayama, and can dwell in one's meditation.

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My classes will provide step by step methodology on how to enter those postures. Most asanas are inspired by nature, such as a form of union with symmetric, harmonious flowing shapes of animals, birds, or plants. Together with the postures, you will learn how to connect the ideal pranayama to get best results from you effort.

Pranayama is made from two Sanskrit words prana (breath, vital energy, life force) and ayama (restraining, extending, stretching). Regardless of the nomenclature, proper breathing, and the use of breathing techniques during a posture is a mainstay of Hatha yoga, it is the practice of consciously regulating breath (inhalation, exhalation, and retention).  

Each of these breath units are then combined in different permutations, time lengths, posture, and targeted muscle exercises in the belief that these aerate and assist blood flow to targeted regions of the body.

Meditation is the goal of all the preparatory cleansing, asanas, pranayama, and other steps. For the first steps, I’ll be guiding you to how to use techniques that will help you to be able to observe yourself without identification to what you see, this will learn you how to be immune to to the situations that triggers stress and other toxic responses. The ultimate aim of meditation is to realize the complete absorption and union with the Brahman (The Ultimate, Unlimited), a stage of  "inner union of physical opposites", into an inner state of samadhi that is described as blissful, plenitude state.

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During the progression of the lessons I hope to introduce to you progressively more techniques of this beautiful method of living as whole.

Other aims of Hatha yoga include physical siddhis (special powers, bodily benefits such as slowing age effects, magical powers) and spiritual liberation (moksha).

Yoga Lab

Online Group Lesson at Zoom
English and Portuguese

Yoga Lab is a practice for the ones who want to go deeper into their experience with yoga. You will learn powerful techniques of hatha yoga like kriyas, pranayamas, bandhas, mudras, meditation techniques and so. 

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THe students are guided to listen to their inner selves and find the courage to step out of their comfort zone.

Just like playing an instrument, yoga lab teaches you to be present in the moment, learning not just move your body but also your energy body, this will bring joy and self confidence. 

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"I relate to you the means to be employed for destruction of errors;

Without the practice of yoga, how could knowledge set the Atman free?

Inversely, how could the practice of yoga alone, devoid of knowledge, succeed in the task?

The seeker of Liberation must direct his energies to both simultaneously.

The source of unhappiness lies in Ajnana (ignorance);

Knowledge alone sets one free.

This is a dictum found in all Vedas."

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Yogatattva verses 14–16.

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Personal Yoga Lessons

"Tailored to your needs."

Originally, yoga was taught by a teacher who worked with people on a one to one basis. The lesson would be tailored specifically to the needs of the person, their health, body type and lifestyle. Although group yoga classes are now the most popular way of learning yoga, this doesn't suit everyone. If you're interested in a personalized approach, then private yoga classes could be for you.

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Private yoga lessons are ideal if you:

- would like a personal plan to improve your health and wellbeing
- are a beginner who wants to learn the basics before joining a group class
- are someone who is recovering from an illness or has a health condition
- would like to explore yoga at your own pace
- are not comfortable in group settings
- are very busy, find it hard to fit in a regular class and want to practise yoga at a time to suit you
- would like to take your practice to a deeper level and incorporate yoga philosophy and psychology
- would like to treat yourself or someone else to a gift of yoga

Every person is unique, each time they step on the mat, so every private yoga session is different and tailored to your needs, at that moment in time.

Private yoga sessions are scheduled for approximately 60 minute each, at a frequency of your choice. Ideal is two lessons per week.

Sessions include:

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- Postures (mindful movement, strength, stretch, balance, focus and power)

- Breathing practices

- Restorative Yoga

- Meditation (spiritual and scientific approach)

- Mudra (hand movements) & Mantra (affirmations)

- Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation)

Restorative Yoga

"Surrendering to relaxation and healing."

Restorative Yoga is a deeply relaxing style of yoga practice. It is a receptive, non-active practice.

The time in Restorative Yoga postures is on average 5 to 20 minutes. When in the postures you are completely supported in a particular way, where blankets, pillows and other special props are used. This helps to achieve the desired benefit of yoga, such as opening your lungs, or releasing the tension in your entire body. In Restorative Yoga, body and mind are brought into balance, and begin to dialogue with one another in a peaceful way.

When you practice this type of yoga, you enter into a state of deep relaxation, where you begin to "let go" of those deep emotional patterns in your body and find a state of balance that will allow your body to heal itself. Restorative Yoga is mainly for practitioners suffering from injuries, stress, or illness, who therefore require a yoga practice that can bring them back to a better quality of life; classes are necessarily small so that each person can receive detailed attention to ensure they are safe and properly supported.The development of Restorative Yoga postures began in 1937 with B.K.S. Iyengar, a yoga teacher from Pune, India, and is growing more and more in the West as a form of deep relaxation and restoration as a whole.

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*This practice is included in all the presencial classes and also can be an unique class itself or a workshop.

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