Yoga: Vinyasa Style

Sheila Axtman

It’s December. What a year it has been.

Yoga is a way to breathe, move, recenter yourself, and forget for a few minutes all the challenges of this past year. Every year on the last yoga day before Christmas, I teach a class I call “Low and Slow Christmas Crazy.” It is an antidote for all the stress at this time of the year. This year, it will be Tuesday, Dec. 22. We will practice more on the ground (meaning less standing) than we usually do. We will have a nice long Savasana and the only Yoga Nidra (guided relaxation) of the year. This class is relaxing, centering, and rejuvenating. There will be no class Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve), but there will be class Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve).

Vinyasa yoga is moving through a series of poses (asana), synchronizing your movement with your breath. Poses are linked together with a series of poses called Sun Salutations. This series of poses moves your body from standing, to the floor, and forward folding, and a slight back bend. Vinyasa yoga will help you gain strength, balance, and flexibility by stretching tight muscles. It helps you feel young and gives you a sense of wellbeing. Vinyasa yoga is not suitable for students who have never done yoga before. However, if you are fit and healthy, Tuesday’s classes are less challenging and may be a good place to start.

Location: Cottonwood Palo Verde Fitness Center fee: $5 per class, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m.

Residents of Cottonwood and Palo Verde register at the Cottonwood homeowners website.

Oakwood, Ironwood, and Sun Lakes Country Club residents call the Fitness Center at 480-895-1776 the morning of class and have your name added to the class attendance list. I can be reached at 480-264-9951.