For some advanced yogis, wall yoga, brings to mind restorative gentle yoga for the elderly or beginner yoga. For me, I think of it as total balanced yoga - the opportunity to strengthen, align, flex, release, enjoy support and give support to my mind, body, and soul. While it is true that my first experience with gentle yoga was done completely at the wall, I have also taken advanced (level 3) yoga classes also done completely at the wall.

Cheating on alignment at the wall is non-existent and for many a wake-up call to the compensations and habits accumulated over time during other classes. The wall also provides unique opportunities for complex active stretching and strengthening movements.  Of course the restoratives at the wall are always rewarding after the work and the added support provided for meditating certainly aides in deepening the focus of the mind. Join me - April 13 at 12:15pm-2:00pm for an extended experience at the Wall.  Your Body, Mind, and Soul will thank you!  



































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Long before I ever practiced my first downward dog, or even knew there was such a thing as a warrior pose, I practiced yoga.I meditated – my own different form of spacing out, calming my breath to clear my mind away from the pressures of the hours spent in the dance studio. It wasn’t until my retirement from professionally performing that I needed a new outlet for physical relief. Enter swimming, Pilates, choreography, teaching dance and eventually yoga classes. However, it took me a very long time to find a yoga studio that jived with me personally and with my beliefs for anatomical alignment, injury prevention, and total mind/body balance. Thanks to my spiritual sister Kristin, I found the Yoga Loft and a whole new world of experiences and relationships opened up to me – something I really never thought would occur at the age of 50.
My first regular classes were level 2/3 with Carrie and Miriam at the Yoga Loft in Bethlehem , PA.. But I could still remember my first dance teacher telling me, “The hardest, most challenging class you will ever take is one that you think is below your level/capabilities”. So for every level 2/3 class, I began to add in a level 1 class. Each class reinforced poses, challenged alignment and process. It was because of these classes and these teachers that I became motivated and interested to complete the 200-hour Yoga Loft Teacher Training Program.
Kristin invited me to a gentle yoga class to experience one of her favorite styles and teachers. Initially, I thought – hmmm, when is class going to get moving? Then as we began to balance in high lunge facing the wall, with our toes up the wall, for extended breath counts, and then transitioning to straightening and bending the front leg for balance – my thighs began to shake, and I lost my balance and needed to hold onto the wall. I looked around the room and saw serene, peaceful faces and suddenly, I understood. This class was giving me the opportunity to come back to the ultimate goal of yoga – to release the ego, calm the mind and breath, remain longer in poses rather than “fight and flee”, all leading to the ultimate goal of meditating longer at the end of class before Savasana.
This is the challenge of any yoga class, no matter what the level, and the challenge increases the slower you move.Sharing my appreciation for gentle yoga as an instructor is equally rewarding. Knowing the benefits the wall provides to correct stances as well as to enable participants to hold poses longer, allows me to construct classes that are tailored to focus on individual parts of the body. Additionally, working at the wall provides an outlet for “no-cheat” stretching and many supportive alternatives that benefit participants of all backgrounds. It is a pleasure to witness the peaceful meditation and savasana of participants in their own “cubby,” bringing me full circle, back to my first experiences in gentle yoga. It is truly an honor and privilege to teach these classes.
As long as I can, I will continue to take level 2/3 classes, however, I will pair them with a level 1 class to keep me honest, and a gentle yoga class to check in with my ego and to enjoy the benefits of what I have to come to love as “total yoga” – the ability to practice for me, in that moment, experiencing the entire class fully, in my own zone, at my small piece of the wall.
Please join me in class – challenge your mind, heart, breath and body. All classes include everything you would experience in other classes – but done at the wall – a place of support as well as alignment correction. And for those who need an extra challenge in a gentle class – try taking the entire class with your eyes closed and calm even breathing – I have yet to succeed – but you may and if you have any pointers – please share.
Fondly,
Lynn
Gentle Flow Yoga at Emmaus PA:
Friday with Lynn 10:45am-11:45am