Tatiana leads a dynamic yoga that flows on the breath. Her sense of humor and love of life makes everyone feel welcome to explore the magic that yoga is.
<About Tatiana
Tatiana has always enjoyed movement as an expression of the mind and body together. From an early age, she followed her mother's footsteps to become a performing Modern Dancer with the Isadora Duncan dancers in Berkeley, California. Later, the move from modern dance to the free and spiritual yoga philosophy was a natural one. With seven years of personal yoga study and two years of teaching experience, Tatiana is a registered teacher through Yoga Alliance from the Yandara Institute, Baja, California.
Tatiana's Yoga Philosophy:
Just breathe and have fun and you'll be surprised at how much you can do!
Yoga is for everyone, no matter what age or mobility issues. Every pose can be safely modified by using blocks, straps or chairs for those with injuries or any limitations. Yoga is not about becoming a pretzel - that's gymnastics.
Yoga can be taught fast or slow depending on the needs of the students. It can be solely stretching and meditative or flowing with some cardio workout. Weight loss, flexibility, or relaxing, yoga has it all. A good yoga class should stretch and work all the muscles in your body while training you to breathe and calm your mind - something you can't get at the gym or an aerobics class.
Yoga is about kindness to your body and understanding yourself inside and out, giving you a greater positive outlook on life: 'No Pain, lots of Gain'
Yoga doesn't have to be from any particular school as they all come from one source. They all have in common the importance of synchronizing the breath with movement giving greater calmness of mind. I have studied many different schools of Yoga and incorporate different styles in my classes.
Yoga is not a religious philosophy. I teach the postures of yoga and breathing exercises, incorporating meditation, but the students can add on their own beliefs. I do not use any of the Sanskrit words or chants in my class. I make yoga perfectly accessible to those with their feet firmly in the modern world because that's where it is most needed.
General information about Yoga
Yoga is movement linked to breath which calms the mind. It isn’t just an exercise that shapes the body but has many holistic benefits that Western Medicine is slowly beginning to prove with research. A good yoga class should strengthen and stretch all the muscles in your body in a series of poses that mimic natural movements that we in our modern life neglect. Yoga feeds your body what it needs to heal itself which then in turn heals the mind. Most exercise regimes neglect the most important factor in our life - the breath. Yoga teaches you how to breathe. More oxygen relaxes and uplifts your mind, as well as giving you obvious health benefits. Yoga teaches you to listen to your body and appreciate the wonderful things it can do, making you a happier, healthier person.
Some confusing words in Yoga:
Hatha
Hatha is the general name for the ‘asanas’ or poses of yoga, which is controlling the body through slow movements, as opposed to ‘pranayama’ yoga which is controlling the breath or ‘raja’ yoga which is controlling the mind.
Sun Salutations
A sun salutation is a very old series of poses that follow a certain sequence. Almost every yoga class has some variation of this, usually at the beginning of the class for a warm up. There are many modifications that can be done to adjust to your body’s needs.
The poses are as follows:
Mountain
Forward Fold
Lunge (or jump)
Plank
Cobra (or Up-Dog)
Down-Dog
Lunge (or jump)
Forward Fold
Mountain
Vinyasa
Vinyasa yoga is a kind of yoga that the breath and movement are linked through a series of flowing movements. Doing a ‘vinyasa’ usually means a sun salutation between poses to keep the heat going in the body.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga is a kind of ‘vinyasa’ yoga that is a series of poses that build on each other. This can become physically demanding and athletic depending on the teacher and speed that it is led.
Modern forms of yoga
Pilates: a strengthening and stretching exercise that works with the body and breath in similar ways to yoga. Most poses in Pilates have there roots in yoga but it is in the repetition of the movements (or ‘reps’) that it diverges. For example ‘Boat pose’ in yoga and ‘Pilates 100’ are the same pose but in Pilates the hands are pumped for more action. This has created many spin-offs of pilates/yoga trademarks, for example Piyo and Yogalates.
Flow yoga: a kind of Vinyasa yoga where movement and breath are linked in creative sequencing.
Power Yoga: a face paced and athletic yoga using some sequencing from a traditional Ashtanga class.
Iyengar: one of the original forms of yoga that was introduced to the US (here in Ann Arbor in 1973!) It is based on a strict understanding of alignment which can be achieved with straps, blocks and other props.
Anusara: John Friend’s own style modifying Iyengar to a kinder, softer version.
Bikram: Hot yoga (105 degrees) in a series of strict postures that never change, not flowing but separate postures to increase flexibility.
Baptist: power vinyasa that is very athletic.
Yin Yoga: a very slow yoga that the poses are held for a about 3-5minutes to allow the body to really open up to a pose. This is wonderful for stretching and calming.
Gentle Yoga: Less is more in this class. Slower paced with poses chosen for their accessibility rather than for physical challenge.
A fantastic magazine with many useful articles and resources. Check-out the terrific ‘build a sequence’ page for students to print out their own series of poses: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/sequence_builder
Report by American Council on Exercise on the benefits of Yoga [PDF link]
