Class Descriptions

Yoga Classes

All of the yoga classes taught at the Barefoot Movement Headquarters (HQ) are in the style of Flow Yoga and are taught at various levels to suit any student from the total beginner to the seasoned practitioner.

In Flow or Vinyasa Yoga we focus on transitions.

As with other styles that stem from the Krishnamacharya lineage, we pay a great deal of attention to the physical alignment and energetic flow in the individual postures. This is essential for both physical safety as well as insuring that we receive the maximum benefit from the postures.

In addition, driven by the breath, we let a dynamic flow that is inherent in a pose, put us into motion, so that we find a grace-full transition into our next still posture.

The focus on the movement ‘riding the breath’, like a surfer riding a wave, is what allows us to improve upon the way in which we move from one place to another, both in yoga class as well as in daily life. We practice gracefully exiting one ‘situation’ while we seamlessly move to the next.

With a flow yoga practice, the breath dictates the features of flow. With the exhales we become more grounded and stable. With smooth, inspired inhales we stay weighted while finding lightness and more expression. Between the exhales and the inhales there is a timeless, in-the-now moment, space for a calm, 360 degree awareness.

The flow yoga practice challenges our bodies, improves our range of motion, strength, balance and awareness. With consistent practice, we shed our acquired movement and postural patterns finding more ability and ease.

Level 1, these classes are perfect for beginners and work well for practitioners at all levels who will benefit from a less vigorous class, and from taking time to look more closely at both the individual asanas (positions) as well as the transitions. Flow Basics classes also provide an opportunity to consider different modifications that you may, for any number of reasons, want to incorporate into your practice. Yoga en Movemiento is a Flow Basics class taught in Spanglish, perfect for Spanish and English speakers, alike.

Level 2, these classes are appropriate for folks who feel they benefit from a more vigorous class and have a basic familiarity with commonly used asanas and transitions.

Level 3In these classes you can expect the vigorous-ness to be taken up another notch.  Familiarity with the commonly used asanas and transitions used in a Flow style class is recommended.  The heightened level of intensity may come from: more repetitions of flow sequences, more of the class time spent in standing asanas and flow sequences (fewer seated postures), more arm balances, more advanced asanas and/or variations of asanas, more inversions and fewer rests.

Prenatal Yoga These classes prepare pregnant women for labor and delivery through postures, breathing exercises and relaxation. The class focuses on a gentle flow of movement to increase your overall strength and flexibility with modifications to accommodate the various stages of pregnancy. Whether you are new to yoga or already have an established yoga practice these unique classes offer you techniques to restore balance and vitality during pregnancy and assist in preparing for and providing relief during labor and birth.

Postnatal Yoga Postnatal Yoga is oriented to the special needs of new mothers. Babies of pre-crawling age are welcome to this class. The Postnatal practice focuses on helping to restore alignment and tone and provide relief from lifting, carrying, and nursing. The Postnatal class provides a supportive community for new mothers and babies three weeks old to crawling.

Level I, Prenatal OK These are our slowest paced Level I classes. Led by teachers who are trained to teach Prenatal Yoga, modifications are given throughout class for the pregnant students. For a class that will cater to the specific needs related to pregnancy, please attend classes labeled ‘Prenatal Yoga’. This class will work well for those who need a little more time for the transitions between postures, and would benefit from a gentler practice. This is also a great opportunity for male partners to practice with their pregnant partners, since the other Prenatal Yoga classes are for women only. These classes are included in the “$30 for Unlimited Prenatal or Postnatal Yoga Classes” offer.

Student Led Class (SLC) These 75 minute classes are offered on an occasional basis. They are led by student teachers enrolled in the Flow Yoga Teacher Training. We create a win-win situation by offering reduced-rate classes for the community (just $5 for a drop-in and included in the $50/mo Unlimited Yoga Classes offer) while giving the student teachers a more realistic student population to teach.




Somewhere between Yoga and Massage…

Thai Partner Stretch All levels welcome! These classes, offered occasionally, consist of easy, relaxing and yet potent stretches done with a partner. Come with a partner or be paired with someone when you come to class.

Massage Classes & Practice Sessions

Barefoot Bodywork These classes are open to experienced massage therapists and novices alike. Because learning to massage with one’s feet is generally unfamiliar for everyone, these classes provide the opportunity and support needed to ‘get the hang of it’. The first layer of the learning process is becoming familiar with the gross form as well as the balance and the coordination required. The second layer is developing the ability to feel through the feet. In this class, Leah will guide half of the students through a massage ‘routine’ using primarily the feet while the other half of the class receives. Then, students exchange places so that each class consists of both giving and receiving a session. Since practice, practice, practice is the key, one could regard this class in the same way they would regard a yoga class. Come regularly to get the hang of it. This class works beautifully in conjunction with the Ashiatsu massage workshops listed on the Workshops Page.

Practice Sessions Offered on an occasional basis, these sessions support massage students as they integrate skills into their practice.

TRANSITIONING (in YOGA and LIFE)

By: Jacquelyn Richards (FYTT ’10)

The world, and the universe in which it spins, is constantly changing. Look around you and you can see natural rhythms and cycles happening everywhere (night/day, seed to tree, seasons, breath, heart circulating blood, birth/death/rebirth). Today’s fast-paced and goal-oriented world has taught us to break up this ongoing movement into goals, time slots, separate compartmentalized parts of life. While it is sometimes easier to understand the infinitely complex world around us (and inside of us) by breaking things down into discrete pieces, we must not forget the universal truths that everything is interconnected and always changing.

Vinyasa Flow Yoga is an embodied way to reconnect with the natural flow of life’s ever-constant movement (especially when practiced with this awareness and intention). Rather than focusing on specific asanas, try flowing with your breath through the series of movements. Notice how you transition when you practice: How do you move from one asana to the next? Can you shift your awareness to the greater flow of your practice? How is your breath as you flow? Is there a cyclical pattern to how you move (ground, connect, flow)? What happens when you slow down/speed up?

Practicing yoga with awareness of transitions and intention to connect with the greater natural flow of life can have positive/profound effects on our ability to flow through life. It is the way in which we view life that determines whether we are halted by challenges/blockages, or are able to flow and move through the totality of our experience. Although we do not have control over life (we cannot control what happens to us), we can always choose our perspective (compartmentalized or connected, halted or flowing) and, in turn, the way in which we move through the world.