yoga classes sandy springs

Ayurveda Workshop

Saturday, August 19th

10:00am-4:00pm

Investment: $125

Learn to live in harmony with yourself and with the Universe. Ayurveda is the sister science to Yoga. It outlines multitudes of living knowledge for how to thrive according to your own constitution and with the natural world. Jaya, an accomplished teacher and practioner of Ayurveda, will discuss the basic principles and specific qualities that can be applied to enhance your life.

Includes Ayurvedic light lunch. No prerequisites.

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Yin Yoga Workshop

Saturday, May 6th

2:00-5:30pm

Investment: $59

Huelya will lead a workshop style session exploring the benefits and history of Yin Yoga and how to teach the practice to others. If you are a yoga teacher, this is an amazing opportunity to not only learn how to share Yin Yoga with your students, but to experience it power and benefit for yourself first. After the workshop part is complete, Huelya will take you into an intimate exploration of your body through a Yin Yoga class followed by a Yoga Nidra session. Your awareness will expand with each pose reaching its peak in the Nidra part.

Yin Yoga is a calm, intense, and relaxing practice with long-held poses, usually 2-5 minutes, in as much stillness as your body allows. It consists mostly of passive stretches, and includes some active strengthening poses. The main goal for the physical body is to work the connective tissue – tendons, ligaments, and fascia – and ultimately have a therapeutic effect on the joints. Yin Yoga also works deeply the energetic body by using poses that work certain meridians – the energetic channels in the body.

Nidra is a very deep form of relaxation and awareness expansion, a real treat after the intense Yin yoga practice.

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2 NEW Classes for 2017

We are pleased to announce two excellent new yoga classes to kick off the New Year! Mark your calendars for the following additions to our schedule:Group of people meditating

BASICS- BEGINNING JAN. 2

Seth Adams is a longtime favorite at Peachtree Yoga. He’s already teaching a popular class on Saturdays at 9:30am. We’re delighted that Seth will also be teaching a Basics class every Monday  at noon. Be there!

ALL LEVELS – BEGINNING JAN. 8

Imagine having a personal friend who’s a certified yoga teacher teaching you yoga in your own living room.  That’s what yoga with Lauren feels like. As of the first of the year, join her on Sundays at 3:30pm. Beginners to all levels welcome!

Register for these great new classes today!

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Yin Yoga Workshop, Jan 29

Please note that the date for the Yin workshop has been updated. If you previously registered for the workshop on Jan 7th, you will NOT need to re-register for the new event date. If for some reason you cannot make the new event time, contact us at (404) 847-9642. PYC will issue a full refund.

Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with postures that are held for longer periods of time—anywhere from one to five minutes. Yin yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body—the tendons, fascia, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. A more meditative approach to yoga, yin aims at cultivating awareness of inner silence, and bringing to light a universal, interconnecting quality.

Woman practicing yoga.

 

Please join us for a Yin Yoga workshop, both for Teachers and for serious students who would like to explore this form of practice. The workshop is led by Christina Law, a Peachtree Yoga Center certified instructor and owner of Yoga & Wellness Studio in Blue Ridge. Christina has been teaching Yin for a decade and has a unique presentation of the basics. She will guide you through this inner journey, closer to the bones, to an inner practice so many could benefit from to balance the predominant yang practices.

Key benefits of a regular Yin Yoga practice:

  • Stillness: calms and balances the mind and body
  • Stress and anxiety reduction
  • Increased circulation
  • Improved flexibility
  • Fascial release
  • Greater joint mobility
  • Balance to the internal organs and improved flow of prana through meridian stimulation

 

Sunday, January 29, 2017

1pm – 5pm

 (4 credit hours for Advanced Teacher Training students)

$45 per person

Click Here to Register

 

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Candlelight Yoga Benefit, Dec. 18

Join a handful of PYC’s finest teachers for a two-hour yoga class that will nourish the soul and make a child’s future brighter.

All proceeds from this event will go to Children’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, the premier wish-granting organization for children.  Join us in this life-affirming way of bringing some joy into the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions.  In doing so, our practice will enrich the lives of many others.

All are welcome and all are invited!

Sunday, December 18, 2016

6 – 8 pm

Click here to register.*

 

*Please note that if signing up online, select “Enroll Unpaid” option. We will process your donation at the studio when you arrive.  All credit cards accepted.

 

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Holiday Class Schedule

Happy Holidays from the Peachtree Yoga Center family!

In honor of the holidays,  PYC will offer an abbreviated class schedule on the following days.

Saturday, Dec. 24 at 9:30am – All Levels with Seth

CLOSED Sunday, Dec. 25

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9:30am –  All Levels with Seth

Saturday, Dec. 31 10:00am – Prenatal with Bonita

Sunday, Jan. 1 at 11:15am – Basics with Natalie 

Please be advised that all other classes will be canceled on those days. We hope that you–as well as our instructors–will enjoy time with loved ones this season!
cozy-slippers-fireplace-winter

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Yoga 101 is Back & Better Than Ever!

yoga class sandy springs women doing downward-facing dog

Do you know someone who has always wanted to try yoga but has been afraid or hesitant, telling you he or she is not flexible, not familiar with the terminology, etc.?

Fear no more! Yoga 101 is here to help!

yoga class sandy springs women doing downward-facing dog

Yoga 101 is not just a class for beginners. Yoga 101 is an excellent class to take if:

  • you have never been to a yoga class in your life
  • you have let some time pass since your last class
  • you want to learn the basic principles of alignment and “feel” the poses
  • you want to learn some of the yoga terminology used in almost any class
  • you want to question and understand HOW the poses work

Join 500-hr RYT Ilona Moore on Thursdays at 6:30pm for these hour-long yoga classes that can transform your practice. The classes are not the same. They rotate through a cycle including:

  • standing poses
  • forward folds
  • backbends
  • flow (vinyasa)

You can start any week and rotate through the whole cycle. Step onto the mat and let’s take the journey together!

Register for Yoga 101 today!

ilona-700

Ilona loves to help people find joy and confidence in their practice and facilitate a breakthrough in a safe environment.

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What Yoga Is Not

what is yoga

what is yogaAs a yoga student and yoga teacher, I sometimes have people share their interest in yoga but explain they have yet to give it a go because they are not “this or that.”  I try my best to counter these misconceptions and encourage the person to join me on the mat but I am not always successful. So, for all those folks out there with whom I have yet to have that dialogue, I offer you a few truths about what yoga is and what yoga is not:

Yoga is NOT limited to only the flexible, skinny, and young. The most common misconception I encounter is the belief that if someone isn’t already flexible, skinny, or below the age of 50, then they are blacklisted from the practice of yoga.  While it’s true you will find many yogis who are flexible, skinny, or young, yoga is a practice for everyone.  It is equally available to those who can bend backwards and those who can’t touch their toes.  It is for those who are overweight, underweight and everywhere in between.  It is a practice that looks at age only as a number—it is for both the young and the young at heart.

Yoga is NOT only for the Hippie, the Wanderer or the Spiritually Enlightened.

It is true that many beautiful yogi souls are peace lovin’ with wanderlust in their hearts, but there is no prerequisite that to step onto a mat you too must flash a peace sign and drive a VW. Yoga is for the wanderer and the type A planner, the hippie and the businessperson. It is for the soul who walks barefoot and the individual who appreciates fine shoes, and the person who loves both.

As for spiritually enlightened, let me set the record straight. You do not have to be a monk or a Jedi master to be a yogi. There is no prescribed belief system or religion to follow in order to practice yoga.  This practice is yours to interpret in the way that speaks to you. For some of us it is a practice of our own belief system, and for others it is a great way to relieve stress and get a good stretch, and both are A-okay.peachtree yoga center teachers

Guest contributor Lauren found yoga as an outlet to relieve stress from corporate life. Now a certified yoga teacher by Peachtree Yoga, she loves sharing yoga with others. She also enjoys early mornings, cooking without a recipe, and peanut M&M’s.

New to yoga? Check out our Tips for Beginners and then join us for yoga classes at Peachtree Yoga Center in Sandy Springs.

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Learning in the Margins: 3 Tips for the Practical Yogi

Originally, I wrote an article on triangle pose: how to, variations, benefits, and philosophy. I thought the most daunting part of the task would be keeping the post concise! But after receiving the assignment to do triangle pose every day, multiple times a day for two weeks, I learned a few things that aren’t normally taught on a how-to blog.Yoga Teacher Erica Rascon in triangle pose

The first revelation struck during my 19th time in triangle. I figured that I could go deeper each time that I did the pose. On the physical level, I was right. My hips, adductors and hamstrings have never felt so liberated!

But with rote repetition, the mind-spirit connection began to dwindle. I tried to force thoughts of divine trifectas, geometric symbols and cosmic secrets—which is what I assumed my teacher expected of me—but every visit to triangle became an exercise in futile spirituality.

The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection Cannot Be Superglued

I felt ashamed. Usually, I don’t have a problem tapping into the mind, body, and spirit during a practice. But I hit a block with this triangle assignment.

Not every visit to your mat is going to bring you closer to divinity in the way that you might think. Sometimes your practice will feel like work. Sometimes you’ll leave the mat with the same questions—or more questions—than you started with.

On other days, the mind-body-spirit connection will be effortless. But you can’t superglue the three together and hope they will remain intact during every step of your yoga journey. Some days you may experience more of one than the others.

One of the benefits of taking yoga teacher training at PYC is the emphasis on the integration of mind, body and spirit throughout our practice—on and off of the mat. Yet there is also a shared understanding that each day is different. No one expects you to vibrate on a higher level all of the time.

Enlightenment Does Not Have a Due Date

As students, we must remember that we approach growth on our own terms. It’s not the responsibility (or even the ability) of a guru or teacher to assign growth. They can only give us a road map for turning inward. We are responsible for the rest.

Sometimes revelation comes quickly, like a flash flood. It can be powerful and overwhelming, leaving us reeling in its wake.

Other times, we face weeks of drought. We struggle to find meaning. Any insight becomes a single drop that barely satisfies our thirst.

Classes at PYC taught me that persistence is the key to growth as a yoga student. Growth will take time. There is no reason to feel like a failure if you don’t get where you think you ought to be in a certain amount of time.

Fortunately for us, enlightenment does not come with a due date. At PYC, we receive the tools that we need to grow at our own pace.

Learn in the Margins

Though I struggled to find meaning in triangle pose, my relationship with forward folds grew stronger. This is perhaps the most psychological and spiritual insight that I received during my assignment.

Triangle pose presents the beauty of opposition and imbalance. It’s an asymmetrical pose that asks us to fold and lift, lengthen and contract, stand firm and let go.

At the time of this assignment, though, too many components of my life felt imbalanced. I couldn’t appreciate triangle pose. Tragic events in the news left my heart aching. I felt pulled between indignation and forgiveness; optimistic action and hopeless inertia; fighting for self-preservation and fighting in righteous indignation. The imbalances took a toll on my mind.

I thought I was coping okay until the triangle assignment came along. Being in the pose every day, multiple times a day, revealed just how weary I’d become of being pulled in multiple directions. Triangle pose left limbs extended, alone and vulnerable. I had too much vulnerability in my life already.

Forward folds became my refuge. Symmetry. Balance. Fairness. Forward folds allowed me to curl into myself and find a safe, dark space where I could breathe. I felt whole and connected. Every part of my body came in contact with more of my own flesh.

I originally did not think that I was “supposed” to learn such lessons during my assignment, but that’s the beauty of learning in the margins. You walk away with more understanding that you ever thought possible.

Come learn in the margins with us!

Guest contributor Erica Rascon is a 200-hr RYT and graduate of Peachtree Yoga Center. She enjoys organic gardening, writing, and exploring the great outdoors. 

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