There are as many different types of yoga taught and practiced throughout the world.  While every type of yoga that involves asana practice (postures) is known as Hatha yoga, there are many different types of yoga that fall under this category.  At YO, we have put together a variety of yoga disciplines that we believe compliment each other: offering a class that is physically safe and philosophically sound for all skill levels.  Here is a list of the styles of yoga we offer:

Hot Yoga:
Hot yoga refers to any type of yoga that is practiced in a room heated to around 38 degrees Celsius. To the uninitiated this may seem like a bizarre practice, but ask any hot yoga aficionado and they will tell you otherwise. There are many benefits to practicing in a hot room. These include: Increased flexibility due to muscles being warmed by the heat, decreased recovery times as a result of the therapeutic effects from the heat, being able to go deeper into postures with a decreased chance of injury, and a prolonged sweat which offers a tremendous cleansing effect. Also, because of how the heat influences one's heart rate, Hot Yoga is considered to be tremendously relaxing while being a cardiovascular workout. At Yoga Oakville, we offer two main styles of Hot Yoga: Series and Flow.

Series Hot Yoga:
All of our Series Hot Yoga classes follow a sequence of approximately 40 postures which are done in a specific order. The sequence is designed to gradually warm up the body and help you progress to deeper and more challenging postures. Because each class in Series yoga is almost the same, these are ideal classes for beginners to learn about the different poses. They are also a great chance to get into a meditative state while practicing. The series has been designed to accommodate a wide variety of skill levels. Almost all of the postures in the series can be modified to allow beginning students to practice with success and to allow more advanced students to be challenged. Hot Series classes range from 60 to 90 minutes.

Flow Hot Yoga:
In a Flow Hot Yoga class, your teacher will draw from a vast variety of yoga postures to create a fun, challenging, and opening yoga experience. Because the Flow classes do not follow a sequence, each one is a little different. Some classes may focus on doing poses that strengthen the body, while others may focus on opening up the hips or bending backwards. Some classes may simply focus on having more fun. Either way you can expect to leave feeling challenged and rejuvenated. Our flow teachers come with a wide and varied background ranging from Bikram, Moksha, Ashtanga, Anusara, and Baptiste Yoga. Hot Flow classes range from 60 to 90 minutes.

Regular Temperature Yoga:
Regular Temperature classes refer to any of our classes which are taught at room temperature in our Green Room. These classes tend to be a little smaller, so you can expect more individual attention while you practice.

Ashtanga Yoga:
Ashtanga yoga is a classical and challenging approach to yoga, taught in the tradition of Pattabhi Jois. It is also one of the most popular yoga systems in North America, made famous by celebrities like Sting and Madonna. Ashtanga is practiced in a regular temperature room where the body is warmed up by a series of continuous movements (called vinyasa flow). These movements are used heat up the muscles and joints in the body and to coordinate movement with the breath. When body and breath move together, a tremendous amount of energy and heat is generated, and it becomes easier to achieve a steady meditative state. Since Ashtanga is a dynamic and movement oriented approach to yoga, it appeals to people who like movement and/or have a dance background. Ashtanga is currently taught at 3 levels: prep for beginners and people new to yoga, level 1 for beginners and students with some experience, and level 2 for intermediate/advanced students

Hatha Yoga & Hatha Basics
Hatha yoga is the classical way of approaching yoga instruction. At our studio we offer 2 types of Hatha: Hatha and Hatha Basics, both of which are taught in a regularly heated room. Our Hatha teachers come from a wide variety of backgrounds including Scaravelli, Anusara, and Ashtanga.

• Hatha blends all of the classic postures of yoga in an intelligent manner to create an approachable and challenging class. Expect to stretch and strengthen all the different areas of your body. This class is leveled: In Level 1 you can expect to learn many of the basic postures and to perform exercises that will help to strengthen your body for the more advanced classes. In Level 2, you will get a chance to safely practice and deepen your understanding of some of the more challenging Yoga poses like headstand or wheel (some experience is necessary for this class).
• Hatha Basics is our most gentle class. This class puts a great deal of emphasis on doing the poses correctly with proper alignment. During class you can expect move slowly while using block and bolsters (large body pillows) to help maintain proper alignment. While this class is suitable for all levels, it especially appeals to students who are brand new to yoga or who are less than highly mobile.

Restorative Yoga
Do you feel stressed and do not know how to bring yourself to a state of deep relaxation?  Do you have any injuries or areas in your body where you experience unwanted discomfort?  Then restorative yoga is right for you.  We spend most of our life doing and being so busy that most of us don’t even know what it feels like to undo and be at peace.  In order to live a balanced and healthy life, we must learn to balance out our activities with conscious relaxation.  In a restorative class, you work with bolsters (cushions), blankets, straps, and eye pillows to put your body in highly supported yet subtly stretching positions which allow your body to open and your mind to deeply relax.  These postures will actually help the cells in your body return to a calm and balanced state.  Be prepared to leave in a state of bliss with a smile on your face.

Special Classes:

Yin Yoga:
Yin Yoga is a new and contemporary approach to yoga Asana practice. The Yin refers to anything that is receptive or surrendering (as opposed to Yang which refers to anything active or doing oriented). In Yin Yoga, postures are performed with muscles held as relaxed as possible (body weight is used for leverage as needed), and are held anywhere from 2 min (beginners) to 10 min (more advanced practitioners). The practice consists of postures selected to gently stretch and release the connective tissues around major joints, and put slight pressure on the joints themselves. For anyone who is accustomed to practicing in a more Yang manner, Yin yoga can be a balancing and holistic form of yoga to practice. All classes are 90 minutes and suitable for all skill levels.

The Practice:
Held every Tuesday from 2 to 4 pm, the practice is a class where students and teachers practice alongside each other. Unlike all of our other classes, in the practice, the teacher practices along with the students (hence the name). Since The Practice is less formal than our conventional classes, students can interact more openly with the teacher. The teacher has more freedom to "workshop" certain poses or work more deeply around certain movements or areas of the body. There is also more of a chance to experiment with some of the more challenging postures. It's 2 hours of fun, laughter, sweat, and education. Recommended for more advanced students.

Kids Yoga
Oh what fun it is to use your body!  Our Kids Yoga program is designed to encourage children to feel comfortable in their bodies and explore the possibilities of what they can do.  Your children can expect to develop a positive self image and cultivate a desire to keep themselves active as they start to grow older by performing yoga postures, communicating with others, and moving to music.  This class is suitable for children aged 5 to 9.  This class is taught as a series of classes and requires pre-registration. 

Teen/Pre-Teen Yoga
Yoga is one of the best ways to develop body awareness and self esteem in youth.  This class focuses on teaching kids ages 10 to 14 years old the practice of Yoga in a challenging and non-judgmental environment.  This class is taught as a series of classes and requires pre-registration. The time of this class is set up so that parents can practice at the same time as their teen/pre-teen in a different room.

Pre-Natal Yoga
Yoga has long been known to be beneficial for pregnant women.  Pre-Natal classes focus on meditation, breathing exercises and yoga postures that help you adapt to the physical and emotional changes that occur during pregnancy and childbirth.  Practicing prenatal yoga on a regular basis will teach you to influence your body and mind in positive way.  The relaxation skills, strength and flexibility developed during these classes will minimize the discomforts of pregnancy, help to guide you through a shorter/more comfortable childbirth, and prevent long term wear and tear on the body.  This class is taught in a fun and friendly atmosphere (this is taught in a regularly temperature yoga room).  No yoga experience necessary.

Meditation
Some Yogis teach that physical yoga is done primarily to develop the stamina and awareness that is required for meditation.  While this may not be entirely true, everyone can benefit from the self awareness and calm that is developed through the study of meditation.  The Meditation classes are taught for all levels: from complete beginners to experienced practitioners.  Each class will include a dissertation on specific meditation techniques, and you will be guided through your own self meditation.  You do not need to bring anything as cushions will be provided (feel free to bring your own cushion or bench if you like).
 
A last few things
Through practicing yoga, you can expect to deepen the relationship you have with yourself.  Like all relationships, it takes time and practice to cultivate something that is long lasting and worthwhile.  The biggest mistake students make in Yoga is that they make an initial commitment to practicing, experience some of the benefits, and then let it all slip away.  Yoga is a discipline, and it takes commitment – especially during the beginning stages of practice.  However, you can expect to gain great fruits from your labour, especially at the beginning.  So stick it out! With consistency and regularity, you can expect to experience your life the way most of us want it to be: exciting, enlivening, and full of possibilities.  Like most things in life, taking the higher road is not always easy, but the views make it all worthwhile.