|
|
|
|||||
Portland Yoga Arts is committed to serving our community through safe instruction in the yoga arts.
Our teachers are well trained and experienced
We use "seeing and understanding" bodies as a primary teaching tool
We emphasize the important role of sequencing in yoga practice
We encourage you to become your own yoga authority
We empower our teachers to make a living
We accept requests
We deliver a fresh approach
Our teachers are well trained and experienced
Our teachers have graduated from or are enrolled in the Advanced Studies Teacher Training Program at Portland Yoga Arts. This thorough training emphasizes the importance of sequencing poses in yoga and the ability to see and understand students’ bodies. You can attend classes by any of our instructors, secure in the knowledge that the instruction will come from this solid foundation. We require our teachers to advance their expertise through intensive continuing education, monthly teacher’s study group practices, and periodic peer review. (back to top)
We use "seeing and understanding" bodies as a primary teaching tool
Seeing and understanding bodies refers to an ability to comprehend what is happening in a student’s body by observing skin color, surface topography, quality & balance of muscle activity, foundations, gravity lines, subtle body energy and more. We place tremendous emphasis on this skill in our teachers because there’s so much more going on in a pose than simply keeping your alignment. For example, you could have your knee above your ankle in Warrior II pose, but HOW you’re doing that could affect the quality of your life in the years to come. With skill in seeing and understanding bodies, our teachers help you to go deeper in your understanding of yourself and how you’re embodying your yoga practice. We take the time in class to teach these skills to our students, so that they can recognize for themselves what they need to address in their practice outside of class and in everyday life. (back to top)
We emphasize the important role of sequencing in yoga practice
An often neglected, but very important part of asana practice is the subtle art of sequencing the poses. By carefully choosing which poses to do in succession, and what to feature in those poses, you can open your body into poses and experiences you never thought possible. Our teachers have countless hours of training and experience in yoga sequencing. This helps you move into new spaces inside yourself and plays a vital role in preparing your body to move into the more challenging poses safely. (back to top)
We encourage you to become your own yoga authority
At Portland Yoga Arts, we help our students expand their working knowledge of inner-body sensations. With an internal feedback system based upon sensation and movement, our students gradually learn how to come into a safe and vibrant pose own their own. We encourage this method of self assessment and adjustment to empower our students to be their own authority in what is right for them. How marvelous it is to know from your own inner sensations if you’re in a healthy alignment. How exquisite to delve deeper into subtlety of sensation, to embody your poses with even more lightness, ease, and peace. (back to top)
We empower our teachers to make a living
We are committed to providing a space for yoga teachers to live their passion and be able to support themselves in the process. At Portland Yoga Arts, your money goes to the teacher, so that they can make a living and feel supported in their service to our community. We charge our teachers a very modest, per-class studio rental fee to cover our rent, utility and advertising costs. The rest of the funds go to the teacher directly. When you attend a Portland Yoga Arts class, you can delight in knowing that your tuition supports the teacher. (back to top)
We accept requests
We reward your interest and questions about yoga by giving you what you ask for. At the beginning of each term, our teachers ask you what you’d like to study. Then we’ll blend in your requests to our teaching syllabus for the term. While we can’t make it to everybody’s individual request every time, we endeavor to do our best to include as many requests as feasible. Want to improve your balance in half moon pose? Want to balance away from the wall in handstand? Want to work on backbends, decrease neck tension, strengthen your low back? Just ask. We’ll hear you. (back to top)
We deliver a fresh approach
We strive to present a fresh approach to every class. This means that you experience a well rounded change for the better in your body, mind and spirit. Our teaching is borne out of our training and our discoveries in our home practices. We share these with you in our own language. Like yoga, these new approaches are never-ending, taking us deeper into our understanding of our bodies and beyond. (back to top)