Samana's Classes

Vijnana Yoga Vijnana yoga is based on the idea of ‘practicing from the inside’. A lot of attention is paid to influence the breath (pranayama). There is a strong focus on the centre (core) of the body. Vijnana yoga will help develop a strong body, a conscious yoga practice and a stable, focused mind. Vijnana is developed by Orit Sen Gupta and is based on 7 vital principles

Vijnana Vinyasa

The classes are based on the principles of Vijnana yoga. We start with meditation and breathing exercises (pranayama). Later we move into an energetic en more intense session of asana’s. You move in the rhythm of your breath. We do standing poses, balances, forward bends and back bends, sitting and reversed poses. We close the session with a short relaxation. The challenge of these classes is to stay moving from the inside, while doing this wide range of poses. Once you are used to the rhythm, it gives you an energy boost.

Iyengar Yoga is a technical style of classical yoga. The classes focus on correct alignment, (inner) strength and deep concentration. The postures are studied with much detail and more time is spent in each pose.

Several props are used in Iyengar yoga, these include blocks, belts, ropes and chairs. These props can support less experienced students to fully experience the yoga poses and are also useful for the more advanced students to study the yoga poses (asanas) in detail. Iyengar classes help to develop flexibility, strength, focus and relaxation.

Yin Yoga
In Yin Yoga we do most of the poses seated or whilst lying down and we generally target the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. It is suitable for almost all levels of students and we mainly focus on regaining flexibility.

Why yin or yang?
We have yin and yang tissues in our body and they respond quite differently to exercise. Yang tissue is exercised by rhythmically contracting and lengthening a muscle and creating internal heat through movement. The muscles need to be trained this way in order to serve as shock breakers. Yin tissue is exercised in a slow and almost static way since it can’t take sudden movements. If we were to target yin tissue in a yang way, it will get damaged. Therefore we move slowly into and out of the pose to increase its flexibility.

How? You come into a pose and then you stay in the pose for several minutes. You only gently move from time to time to adjust to what is happening in the body to either increase or diminish the sensations. This way you target the connective tissues, such as joints, ligaments, tendons, bones and cartilage. You mainly target the yin tissue by bringing the bones away from each other to create a stretch or by purposely bringing the bones together to create compression to strengthen the bone.

Although we move slowly, Yin yoga is not completely static. It is only much more passive and meditative than most yang styles of yoga and it does complement the more active yoga classes perfectly well. The Yin yoga practice can however be quite challenging due to the long duration of the poses and this is something that becomes easier the more often you practice. It is also important to keep on practicing to maintain the regained flexibility and to find a good balance in between the yin and yang styles of yoga to keep your body healthy and strong.

Source: text based on the text taken from: http://www.yinyoga.com/ys1_0.0_what_is_yin.php

Therapeutic Yoga reduces stress and improves health by rebuilding postural strength and stamina. It helps correcting imbalances caused by daily life stress or major life events.

In this class you learn techniques to restore & renew:

• Conscious relaxation
• Observing habits and imbalances
• Breathing exercises
• Holding yoga poses for a longer time in a easy way

During longer asana poses the body can unwind and release within each pose.
Sanne will help you find the best way into each pose by using props and hands-on adjustments so you can fully experience and relax in each pose. The staying and breathing in the Asana’s cultivates the calm necessary for mental and physical stamina.

The postures during this class help revitalise and recover your body from injuries, back problems, or after giving birth. Therapeutic Yoga can also be helpful after illness or burn out.

Therapeutic Tensegrity

Tensegrity is composed of tension and integrity. The practice of tensegrity is based on an optimal use of muscles and bones. It refers to stable systems with a balance between compactness and elongation. It trains the more subtle muscles and teaches you how to rely on your bones as support in your asana’s.

The Tensegrity Repair class is an asset for all yoga practitioners of all levels.
If you have injuries this class can help you repair them.

We tend to use mostly our bigger, stronger muscles. But deep down in your body, closer to the spine, you have many smaller muscles that bring, when use, a very light and natural strength to your body. It makes movement come from within, from your core. Asana’s take less energy and you are more stable because you can rely on these subtle core muscles, not just on the strength of the bigger muscles.

On top of it Tensegrity teaches you the power of your bones and joints. These give you support and stability without effort if alignment is right.

Gioia Irwin developed a series of practices to train the deeper muscles in combination with bone support and hydrating the joins to promote flexibility and alignment.

Eveline and Marta made their own lessons Restorative Tensegrity.

Tensegrity classes start with meditation, vayus and pranayama. Then we do a series of practices lying down. You feel the healthy way to move, without the pull of gravity. Later you can apply these movements in all yoga postures.

Come and discover the yoga with tensegrity!

Kick start into course

In four weeks you gain a clear overview of all the important asana’s in Vijnana Yoga. Lies Schuring also brings your attention to the principles of alignment, beneficial for yoga practice and in daily life.
A course for newcomers and for people who are doing yoga for some time and could use some more insights.

Come to this course to feel more confident with yoga practice. You can get to know them with extra help from the teacher and personal attention.
The classes are small (maximum 15 participants).

The course

This course exists of a block of four weeks. During the classes we will cover several aspects of yoga. We will practice technique and alignment of the most common asanas (yoga poses), the sun salutations, pranayama (breathing exercises) and bandhas. There will also be space for discussion about yoga philosophy. After this course you will have a good understanding about the basics of yoga.

Fast Forward Course
By focusing on one theme for four weeks you can really grow in your yoga practice.

Samana introduces the Fast Forward Course. Each month a new series of four weeks begins, with the focus on one of the pillars of yoga and what its practice can mean. In this way your practice can really grow.  A handout with exercises you can do at home accompanies each course.

During pregnancy yoga you learn how to work with your body and the physical changes that take place during pregnancy. This helps you to trust your intuition and will power. The exercises prepare you for giving birth. Together with the breathing and relaxation exercises you work on:

• Healthy posture during pregnancy
• Strengthening the pelvic floor
• Handling the pelvic contractions
• Birthing positions and tips

You can join in at any time during your pregnancy.

Partner class

Your partner is also involved in the pregnancy and birth.

Partner classes are active, informative trainings covering the phases of pregnancy, anatomy, active role of the partner, birthing positions and requirements for an optimal birthing preparation.

Every 6 weeks, on fridaynight, there is a partner class. Please register in advance.

After giving birth, you can come to Samana Yoga Center for Baby Massage and Post Natal classes. These classes include ayurvedic baby massage, a relaxing way of giving attention to your baby. Through massage your baby’s senses are activated. Your baby sleeps better and relaxes by the touch and the feeling of being connected to you as a mother. The massage also stimulates the digestion of your child and helps alleviate wind and cramps. During the classes you receive advice about cramps, sleep patterns and breast feeding.
After massage we put the babies in a circle and the mothers can practice inter post natal yoga, with adjusted asana’s suitable for new mothers.

Yoga-intervision at Samana
Hosted by Eveline Torres
For: yoga teachers and advanced yoga students

Starting Friday, April 17 2015, Eveline Torres invites yoga teachers and advanced yoga students to come to the monthly yoga intervision sessions: a combination of theory, cases from yoga classes and study of therapeutic yoga. Our goal is to exchanging experiences and insights in an open environment, to learn from each other and to test our selves. This way we hope we can enrich our yoga classes. Every third friday of the month.

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Eveline Torres and Sanne Kerkhof, founders of Samana Yoga Center, both give privat classes both in the studio and at your house. In a privat class the excercises can be more focussed on your personal devellopment. Je learn to find your personal practice. Traditional yoga masters learned from a personal teacher. A privat lesson can sometimes advance your practice faster then taking general classes. Mail us with your questions: info@samanayogacenter.nl