• CLASSES
• What is Yoga?
• Is Yoga a Religion?
• What is Meditation?
• What if I’m not very flexible?
• Is this Hot Yoga?
• Is this Physical Therapy?
• How is this different from a typical yoga studio?
• What type of yoga is this?

Why Yoga?

When people think of yoga, they usually think of stress management, yoga for physical therapy, or fitness. No one associates yoga with learning a new language. But at CALA, we use brain-based learning methods that are most useful when students are in the best state to learn a language.

CALA director Dr. Thomas took her first yoga class in 2004. She has been practicing ever since. As our teaching methods developed over time, so did the impact of the yoga. As an expert in brain-based teaching methods, Dr. Thomas’ experiences with yoga gave her a unique understanding of how the two were connected. She realized most people would need some form of physical therapy and stress relief to help them manage their own states. So, in 2013 Rishi was hired from the same school where Dr. Thomas learned yoga, the Isha School of Hatha Yoga. His role was to bring these methods to teachers. The program was such a success that we opened the yoga classes to the public. 

Whether you are looking for a yoga class that is akin to physical therapy or something more challenging, we have options to meet your needs.

 

What is Yoga?

The word yoga means union. It refers to a state of being: “Union means in your experience everything has become One.” The word asana means a posture. So, a posture which moves you in that direction is a yogasana. When you attach the word “yoga” to the word “posture,” you are saying the posture is a method. It is a technology. Yoga provides pain relief, but it is not limited to just pain relief. These yoga classes will enhance your health and fitness, but they are not just fitness classes. It is a technology for complete inner wellbeing.

  

Is Yoga a Religion?

No, yoga is not a religion. Like your cell phone, yoga is a form of technology. Whether you are a Christian, Buddhist, or Atheist, your phone works for you if you learn to use it. Regardless of how you believe, your phone works only if you learn to use it properly. Yoga is the same way. If you learn to use it well, it works.
Some form of yoga is present in almost every culture on the planet. You can see it in dance, martial arts, and other cultural practices. Maybe it’s in the way you sit or the way you breathe. Or maybe it’s something else you would not recognize as yoga.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is actually a made-up English word. It comes from Latin “to think.” All common use of the word is very vague. If someone is sitting with his eyes closed, we say, “He is meditating.” In the tradition of classical yoga, he may be doing many different things. He could be doing asana (posture), pranayama (breath)... Or he may just be daydreaming or sleeping!

Here we use it as a more general term. When we talk about our meditations tips or meditation classes, we just mean it’s more of an inward-focused practice, like our Meditation Yoga class

What if I’m not very flexible?

Yoga is not just for flexible people. Most people over the age of 3 are not able to do most yoga postures fully. That’s fine. That’s why you practice! This is about working upon the body you have right now. If you’re 70 with a knee replacement, we can work with you. If you’re 18 and an athlete, we can work with you.

That’s not just an example! We’ve actually had these two exact people in one class at the same time before. The older person shared afterwards that they felt the instructor was very patient to their pace, and they were able to get a lot out of the class. The younger person was looking for a bit of a challenge and went home with something more challenging to work on. If you’re worried about not being flexible or you have an old injury, try our Beginners Yoga class

Is this Hot Yoga?

In this tradition, we do not heat our yoga studio. Even though our yoga tradition comes from the tropical climate of south India, it was always done in temperate conditions. They often practiced in the cooler part of the day.

If you enjoy hot yoga for physical fitness and aerobic exercise, try our Fitness Yoga class

Is this Physical Therapy?

Yoga can be used as a form of physical therapy very effectively, especially our Beginners Yoga class. It is not intended to be a substitute for a medical professional. Please consult your doctor if you have concerns about an injury before taking yoga classes.

How is this different from a typical yoga studio?

Here at CALA, our priority is not to keep you in a yoga studio every day. Rather, all our classes teach you a practice that you can continue on your own at home. You walk away with your own self-sufficient tools for wellbeing.

For those who have taken our yoga classes before, we also offer follow-up classes for just $5. These give you a refresher and a chance to go deeper into the practice.

What type of yoga is this?

We teach classical hatha yoga from the isha school. The Isha School of Hatha Yoga is located in the Veliangiri foothills of southern India. It was founded by renowned yogi and humanitarian Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to revive classical hatha yoga. The school was prominently featured in the International Yoga Day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thousands of officials participating in the practices taught by their teachers. Sadhguru himself also taught these simple, yet powerful practices to the UN general assembly for the occasion. The Isha School of Hatha Yoga certifies its teachers at 1700+ hours.  The industry's standard accepted level is 200-500 hours.

Classes Offered

Beginners Yoga (Click Here to Register)
Our Beginners Yoga class teaches you a gentle yoga called Upa Yoga. Upa yoga relaxes tension, and it’s good for your joints. It rejuvenates the body after a period of inactivity or long travel. This is the first class we give to people looking for physical therapy. If you want yoga for pain or physical therapy, this practice is more easily modified to fit your needs. You learn to do an upa yoga sequence that you can continue on your own at home.In fact, some of the Upa Yoga the practices can even be performed in your office, at your desk, and even on an airplane.

This class is not intended to be a substitute for a medical professional. Please consult your doctor if you have concerns about an injury before taking yoga classes.

Yoga for Developing Attention and Memory (Click Here to Register)
So how can a physical exercise make me smarter? Let’s look at it this way. Have you ever been “hangry”? It's a funny combination of hungry and angry. The very way your mind works is changing because of your stomach! This physical side of stress has an effect on your mind.

The brain is not an island. It does not happen separately from your body. When you have anxiety in your mind, it reflects in the body. You can take blood pressure, heart rate, or blood tests. In so many ways, medical science is showing you how close this relationship is. For many chronic diseases we recognize stress as a cause or as a leading factor. In fact, it is estimated that anywhere from 75-90% of all physician visits are related to stress.

Now one aspect of this yoga is the body gets an opportunity to clear out the physical manifestations of stress. The body and mind come to be at ease and get energized. When the body and mind are well rested and energized, you naturally focus well.

Fitness Yoga (Click Here to Register)
Did you know that as much as 60% of our muscles go generally unused in day-to-day activity? This class teaches a yoga practice that incorporates 95-97% of the muscles in some way. How many fitness classes can say the same? It provides a full body workout and plenty of aerobic exercise that you can learn to do at your own pace.

In this class, you learn something called Surya Shakti. Some form of this practice is done by many of the top athletes in the fields of martial arts, dance, and professional sports.
This is a yoga practice for physical fitness and overall wellbeing. Surya means sun, and Shakti means energy. The sun shines bright every day. Whether it’s behind the clouds or not, it’s keeping the whole planet warm. You want your body to be that strong and dependable. Not a problem, not a burden. Every day, it just shines.

Meditation Yoga (Click Here to Register)
Yoga doesn't just work your muscles. There is also the mental focus, and slowly an evolution of many different aspects. In this Meditation Yoga class, we focus on preparing the body and mind so that meditation becomes a natural process for you.(What is meditation?)

In this class you learn an ancient yoga process called Surya Kriya. "Surya" means "sun" and "kriya" means "inner energy process" This is a powerful and holistic practice for complete inner wellbeing. It incorporates physical postures and trains the mind, bringing clarity and stillness. It is a powerful process and can be a very meditative experience. This is the most important practice we teach here at CALA right now.