12 Sep 3 Fun Yoga Classes To Check Out This Weekend

With the weekend still several days away, you’ve got no excuse to miss out on these upcoming yoga classes. Yoga extends the body, renews energy, and has been known to calm anxiety. Whether you choose a Saturday or Sunday course, grab a couple of friends and check out a yoga class. To make sure you don’t skip out on it when the weekend comes around, set up a brunch date for after your class.

CompleteBody Gym offers several different types of yoga classes. We’ll cover three fun and energizing ones that are offered on the weekends first. Below that, read on for a little bit of information about how yoga benefits the body (and why you should be doing it).

#1 Yoga Flow (Vinyasa) at 9 AM on Saturday // Hanover Square

Wake up, throw on some leggings, and meet us for Yoga Flow at 9 AM in Hanover Square. Vinyasa yoga is excellent for everyone, from beginner yogis to the very advanced, and you’ll have a blast learning flow sequences you can take home and do all on your own.

Our 57th Street location also offers Yoga Flow at 12 PM on Saturday. Note that times may change periodically, so please check with the gym or take a look at our group fitness schedules that are posted online.

What is Vinyasa Yoga?

Vinyasa is all about breath and the movement from one yoga pose to the next. It coordinates your breath and movement together, and in doing so, energy moves throughout the body. Vinyasa yoga feels very different from traditional exercise – you will definitely get a workout, but you might not even notice until later!

With Yoga Flow, you’ll focus on moving your body and breath smoothly and in a coordinated way. You can absolutely move at your own pace, but you’ll also be guided from one pose to the next.

CompleteBody Yoga Flow focuses on strength and opening up the body. In this hour long class, you’ll have plenty of time to find your rhythm, ground your energy, and become self-aware. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

# 2 Yoga Stretch at 5:30 PM on Friday // Hanover Square

Start your weekend off right with a lovely, forty-five-minute body bliss session. There’s no better way to get that extra release of tension you need just as the weekend is starting. You’ll get off work, come on over to our Hanover Square location, and relax with fellow yogis in our Upstairs Studio.

If you’ve been having trouble figuring out how to just relax and be, this awesome class helps you do just that. We all get tense and caught up in everything life throws at us. Yoga Stretch helps us recenter and guides us through soothing, gentle yoga poses. This class also helps if you’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard and need a guided stretch.

Gentle yoga improves posture and energy levels while reminding us of the power and importance of breath control. You’ll learn to listen to your body in this relaxing, yet energizing, after work class. Tap a friend to come along with you and then stop at our juice bar after the class before heading home.

# 3 Ashtanga Yoga at 4:30 PM on Sunday // Hanover Square

If you’re looking for something a little more powerful and challenging, join our Sunday afternoon Ashtanga Yoga class. Ashtanga Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga are similar in that they focus on flow, but Ashtanga Yoga takes it to another level.

Many people consider ashtanga yoga the power workout. You’ll definitely be challenged, but it’s still yoga, and much gentler on the body than other workouts. In yoga, you simultaneously strengthen and stretch the body, which leads to all sorts of desirable benefits. And you go at your own pace, though, in ashtanga yoga, you may be pushed just a bit outside your comfort zone. Don’t worry – that is a good thing!

If you’ve been hanging out in Vinyasa Flow or Yoga Stretch for awhile and like how comfortable it is, try out Ashtanga and see how you like it. While Vinyasa Yoga classes will guide you toward being aware of your breath and state of mind, ashtanga will begin to incorporate challenging movements and postures that build strength and endurance.

The Sun Salutation is a core part of Ashtanga Yoga. Most classes repeat the Sun Salutation several times – each time through builds strength, coordination, and stamina.

How Yoga Classes Benefit the Body

You probably hear people talk about yoga all the time. The practice has become trendy lately, however, yoga is ancient. Yoga benefits the body and mind in several incredible ways, and yoga classes make it fun and educational, too.

Improved Circulation

Yoga can improve the flow of blood through the body, which can reduce inflammation and keep us energized. Both of those outcomes are important for overall health, but they also support any other workout goals.

Your body depends on a healthy, functioning circulatory system. For one thing, it’s how we stay healthy. Good circulation ensures white blood cells can get to where they need to go to fight disease and inflammation, so it’s critical to maintain it. Stretching muscles and moving the body continuously for long periods of time help your circulation.

Better Mobility

As we age, our bodies have the potential to become less and less flexible and mobile. When we lose mobility, we significantly increase our risk of injury while at the same time, dropping our quality of life. Loss of mobility means we can no longer do the things we once did, such as sitting cross legged on the floor or easily getting up and down stairs.

Yoga moves the body gently and builds muscle as we go through the poses. In a single yoga class, you’ll move almost all of your body and use muscles you probably wouldn’t in the course of a normal day. Because the movement is not forced, you’re less likely to injure yourself, too. The key is to listen to your body and avoid injury but backing off of any movement that causes pain. Over time, you’ll be able to do all of the poses.

Reduced Anxiety

All exercise has some ability to relieve anxiety, but yoga’s incorporation of relaxation, movement, and breath makes it superior for stress relief.

Pro-tip: Do not look around during yoga classes and try to be exactly like everyone else! If there’s any stress coming out of a yoga class, it’s from feeling inadequate in comparison to other people. In yoga, you should only ever be concerned about your own body and your own progress. Try not to compare. If you let go of the need to have perfect form, you’ll enjoy the class much more and come out relieved and relaxed.

As you can see, yoga’s beneficial and convenient, too. Taking a weekend class means you don’t need to worry about work or rushing to and from class. Weekends make perfect opportunities for yoga, so definitely take advantage. Have any questions? Give us a call or connect with us on Facebook.