“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” Vincent Van Gogh
“Sometimes it's more about the journey than the destination.” Jamal Crawford, American Athlete
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”Heraclitus, Greek philosopher, 500 BCE
“Sometimes it's more about the journey than the destination.” Jamal Crawford, American Athlete
Much has been said about journeys and travelling. Yoga in many ways is a journey, and like many journeys it can have stations that we stop at along our way. Class levels can be seen as stations that we visit along our yoga journey. On this page we hope to set out the different class levels at Just Yoga so that you may have an idea of what you may expect.
Prior to COVID we run a regular Beginners' Course of 6 weeks course consisting of a 1 hour 30 minute class once a week, for those participants with little or no experience in Iyengar Yoga, or yoga in general. On the timetable these courses were run during the beginner time slots. In Beginners students are introduced to the basic yoga poses and their understanding is gradually expanded with the participants exposure to yoga, the Iyengar method of instruction and the use of props. Standing poses, forward bends, twists, along with basic inversions such as handstand and shoulder stand and introductory backbends are explained and demonstrated to the participants in each class building on the previous classes progressing the participants' knowledge.
Novice students are student crossing over between the Beginners classes and the General classes. They have attended regularly the Beginners classes for a number of weeks, or have had a reasonable degree of exposure to yoga, the Iyengar method of instruction and the use of props. Novice students tend to do a Beginners class and a General class where they are exposed to the next of poses, once a week. They are developing their stamina longer durations in the postures and an increasing degree of attention to the detail of the posture. Participants are also encouraged to start developing their own home practice.
The General class is a 1 and half hour class for those participants who have been practicing Iyengar Yoga for a number of years and are familiar with the Iyengar method of instruction and how they need to use the props in their own practice. Participants in a General class should be starting to develop a home practice between classes using the class itself as a supplement to their practice rather than their sole weekly practice. The duration for which the postures are held is longer and the range of postures is greater, including the introduction of inversions such as headstand and forearm balances and full backbends. Participants are expected to perform all the postures in a class, with variations given where required. A degree of self management is expected from general level students, in that they should understand which props they may need for their injuries or other restrictions
Intermediate classes are designed for those who have had at least 12 months previous experience of yoga. Students attending these classes are expected to have an established understanding of the General yoga Asana’s (postures). These classes build on the Asana’s taught in the Beginner and General classes leading on towards the more strenuous and demanding Asana’s that require more a deeper detailed understanding and strength. Pranayama (breathing practice) is introduced at the Intermediate level.