Find Your Class, Find Your Path
Desert Song Yoga Class Descriptions
“Yoga is a pathway to a life filled with more joy and meaning. It feels like you are coming home to yourself. Yoga opens your body, mind, and heart, so that you begin to experience life in a more vibrant and loving way.”
Mary Beth Markus, Desert Song Yoga & Massage Center Founder and Director
Desert Song Yoga teaches hatha yoga with influences from the Anusara and Iyengar yoga traditions, which encourage proper alignment, concentration on breath and heart-based expression of the poses. Classes range from beginner to advanced.
Fundamentals: Foundation building classes; everyone
welcome, appropriate for beginners.
Intro to Yoga
Students new to yoga or looking for a review of basic yoga concepts are encouraged to begin with the Intro to Yoga series. This class focuses on yoga foundations for safer practicing. This course is offered in two-hour sessions and is held once a week for three weeks. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. Classes fill-up quickly, so early registration is encouraged. For more information, including dates and times for this course go to the Intro to Yoga page, or sign up online by clicking here.
Basics
This class focuses on the fundamental poses of the practice, with emphasis on alignment, breath, building core strength and increasing flexibility. Beginners are welcome.
Gentle: Soothing and calming classes;everyone welcome,
appropriate for beginners.
Gentle
This slower-paced restorative class focuses on breathing, relaxation and gentle stretching. Beginners are welcome.
Gentle Chair
This class is conducted with the students using chairs, and includes stretching, pranayama, and gentle standing poses. Ideal for the elderly and injured.
Restorative
Comfortable, supported postures and therapeutic breathing techniques designed to rejuvenate and deeply relax your body.
Meditation
Learn new meditation and breathing techniques while connecting with like-minded individuals.
Mixed Level: Active classes;variations given for every
level.
Low & Slow
In this class, we begin with a longer warming-up phase, slowly building into the complexity of the poses using props to support alignment and safety. Time is taken to explore the transitions moving from one pose into the next. The emphasis is on increasing awareness and ease, while building core, arm and leg strength. Great as an addition to your more strengthening yoga classes or as a way to invite more awareness into your life.
All Levels
In this class,variations of the postures are taught and students are welcome to participate at their own level. Inversions and backbends are introduced.
Community
This All-Level class is designed to make the sacred practice of yoga available to everybody. Class fee is only $7. Students are welcome to use their class cards.
Family: All levels welcome.
Prenatal
This class focuses on increasing strength, flexibility and balance and also on creating community and connection within the group. Breathing and relaxation techniques are introduced. Women are welcome to practice at every stage of their pregnancy.
Mommy & Me
This class is less formal than traditional classes and is designed to create special time between mother and child. Women may practice as soon as they get their doctor’s approval. The class is appropriate for newborns up to moderate crawling. For more information on our post natal offerings, go to our Yoga for Motherhood pages.
Movers & Shakers
This class is for mothers or fathers with mobile babies, up to 18 months. The room becomes a yoga mat, as the babies explore and the adults go in and out of asanas. Throughout the class the babies will be encouraged to try different yoga poses through song, exploration, and movement. Parent and child are able to bond over an activity that encourages patience, tranquility, and quality time with one another. Babies are supported in expanding their skills of independence, by being encouraged to explore and to maintain a healthy body of movement.
Kids Yoga
A playful introduction to yoga that includes basic poses, relaxation techniques and yoga games for children ages 4 through 10. This class is offered weekly. Please contact the studio for more information.
Parent/Young Child Yoga
A playful introduction to yoga that includes basic poses, relaxation techniques and yoga games for children ages 18 months through three years. This class is offered monthly. Please go to the Kids Yoga page or contact the studio for more information.
Challenging: Prior yoga experience required.
Flow
Poses (asanas) are linked together, using the breath with each movement to create a sequencing that increases heart rate, flexibility, and strength. Limited instruction on basic alignment, so prior yoga experience is required. Music will often accompany this class. On the last Sunday of every month the time length for this class is extended to 2 hours.
Intermediate
This is a stronger class with emphasis on building strength, flexibility and stamina. Inversions and backbends are regularly included in the sequencing.
Intermediate Flow
This is a challenging flow-style practice, which combines breath with a series of postures that builds heat in the body and develops strength, flexibility and stamina. Prior yoga experience required.
Advanced
This more intense class incorporates inversions, backbends and arm balances. The depth and subtleties of alignment are explored.
The Practice
This class is for individuals with a solid working knowledge of alignment principles and the endurance and strength for a strong physical practice. The instructor participates with students, offering guidance and direction. Advanced yoga practice and permission from the instructor for non-teachers is required.
Other clases offered
Tai Chi
Classes focus on mindful movement for improving physical and mental balance, vital energy and effortless strength. Learn more...
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