Class Descriptions

Join a class anytime. Fee will be prorated. No class April 27, May 18, June 13

Fresh Start Yoga (60 min)

Are you tired of feeling stiff and tight? Would you like to be able to move more freely and with comfort? This class is designed for beginners, OR those who want a more gentle yoga class. It’s also appropriate for those who want to get back to basics and discover how slowing things down can actually increase awareness and strength.

Mindfulness Yoga (60 min)

This is not your typical yoga class. It incorporates mindfulness into a movement practice so you build strength and suppleness, not strain. We may break down a typical yoga pose in order to identify areas that are weak, compensatory or don’t move well. This will improve the efficiency of your movements. If you want to develop strength, in a non-braceful, non-grippy way, this class teaches you how. Suitable for all levels: those who are new to yoga will learn a lot about their bodies, and those who are familiar with yoga will get an opportunity to slow down and check in. This will help you manage "information overload" and improve your ability to pay attention. Thus improving your yoga practice.

Go With the Flow (60 min)

Built upon a traditional Hatha yoga practice, and designed for those who want to move mindfully and find freedom in movement. Expect both floor-based and standing poses as you develop strength, flexibility and balance, along with some smooth flowing movement. Leave class ready to slip into bed for a blissful sleep!

Candlelight Yoga (60 min)

We all do a pretty good job of making time for exercise and working out, which is important for our health and well-being. Equally important, especially in the winter months, is taking the time to get quiet and focus on our inner self.  In this Restorative class, we do just that. Time to focus on the subtle - those little whispers our body makes to let us know where we're at. When we find that connection with our inner self, we are then better able to connect with the outer world and all its challenges.

Three important areas we focus on: Awareness of our body. Where are you holding or gripping? Where do you have tension? Learn to let go and just be.
Awareness of our breath. Is the breath choppy and shallow? Is the inhale different from the exhale? Do you breathe more in upper chest or belly area? How we breathe is a direct indicator of how we respond to life's challenges. Learn how to deepen and soften your breath. Awareness of our thoughts. Do you have a monkey mind? Are you wanting to be more aligned with your intuition? Do you overthink things? Learn to quiet the mind.

I'll be pulling out ALL the bolsters, blocks, blankets and sandbags (and let's not forget the eye pillows!) and you'll be supported in postures that will help you reconnect to your body and breath and calm your mind.

Intermediate Hatha (60 min)

For those who want a faster paced class and have more experience, we build heat and increase strength, while reducing pain, tension and stress. Learn to move purely, minimizing compensations, in a very mindful way.

Somatics: Move Without Pain Weekend Workshop

This workshop is designed to reduce the effects of Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) that normally occur by middle age. Sensory Motor Amnesia is like a "memory loss" of how to control certain muscle groups and how they feel. How does this happen? Throughout our lives, our sensory motor nervous system continually responds automatically to daily stresses and traumas with specific muscular reflexes. Over time, these muscular contractions become so deeply involuntary and unconscious that we no longer "remember" how to move about freely.

Through slow, gentle and mindful movements, learn to release the muscles that are limiting you. This workshop is ideal for everyone and can be taken again and again to help reinforce proper movement patterns. In fact, if you have already taken this, this time around you will learn more subtleties beyond the first time, which will help you progress even further.

This workshop progresses gradually, focusing on the areas in the body where SMA occurs. Day 1 trains you in sensing and controlling the muscles in the middle of your body, at its centre of gravity (back muscles, abdominal muscles and obliques). Day 2 deals with the periphery of your body: namely your hips, legs, shoulders, arms and neck. These periphery work best when the centre of the body has been freed up first. The last two focus on two major functions of your body: breathing and walking, both of which are typically limited by SMA.

Learn details of early bird savings and more here.

Somatics: Series (75 min)

This class is for you if you want to learn more about your body and how it works, so that you are in the driver's seat when it comes to solving problems with your aches and pains. There are a lot of subtleties to become aware of which will help you become a master of your body and therefore of your health!

I will break down this series into 3 different focuses.  We will explore tight backs in 4 classes, then tight hips and shoulders in 6 classes, and finally explore limitation in rotation and side bending in 5 classes. Learn how to gain control of your muscles by using a unique technique called pandiculation.  This method helps lengthen muscles to their natural length, thus freeing up your movements.  This technique helps even with chronic tightness and pain. You may be surprised at how such small and gentle movements can change in such a small amount of time. This will impact your walking, your running, your yoga... any sport for that matter!  And of course it affects things like sitting cross legged, bending over, reaching overhead, getting up off the floor and turning your head to reverse your car.

Somatics/Yoga Blend (75 min)

Apply the techniques of Somatics and see how it impacts your yoga practice for the better! Each week we will explore a different part of your body and how to release it so that it improves your yoga practice. For example, the ability to back bend is directly related to how free you are in the belly area (this is where "cut" abs are not desirable!). Being unable to bend down to touch your toes is due to tightness in your back. We will start each class with some Somatic exercises, exploring tight shoulders, hips, belly and back and will also look at rotation (twists) and side bending. The second part of the class we will do some yoga and you can see what impact the Somatics exercises have on your yoga practice. This series will give you the tools to help you manage areas of your body where you feel constricted and frustrated.

Availability for Hands-on Somatics Sessions

Contact me to set up a time for your own hands-on Somatics sessions. Learn more here.

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Lenore Foster is a Certified Yoga Teacher and Somatics Educator serving clients in Lorne Park, Port Credit and South Mississauga. She provides yoga and Somatics classes in her home studio. Call her at 905-271-2505