About Our Yoga: The Mama Nirvana's Experience
Mama Nirvana's is a place to come recharge yourself on all levels, with people who help and support you in an environment where you can relax, learn and grow.
Your Safety is Top Priority for Us
When applied appropriately, yoga is powerfully effective and safe. When applied inappropriately, mild to serious problems can result. We carefully assess each technique we present for effectiveness and safety. Our class levels are clearly delineated so that you can be certain the yoga you are doing is safe for you. In order to ensure that you get the most out of your yoga experience with us, we carefully supervise all students. To enhance your learning, we offer abundant modifications and props.
We also recognize the importance of emotional safety. For some people it's easy to come to that first class at a new studio; for others it's a bit threatening. If you had bad experiences in school gym classes, at a health club or with yoga in the past, we understand you why might feel hesitant to try again. We are aware that coming to Mama Nirvana's might feel like an emotional risk—or at least it's a little outside your comfort zone.
We pay close attention to the way we set up our classes—(there are no mirrors, no bright lights)—and the way we offer feedback. We support you by being positive, friendly, and down-to-earth. Whether you are new to yoga or just new to us, we welcome you.
It All Flows from a Magical Partnership
Mama Nirvana's is under the direction of two dynamic teachers who share a powerful business and marriage partnership. Each one has a lifetime of experience teaching and practicing yoga and movement arts. Yet each one represents a separate and unique paradigm of yoga and personal growth:
Josh's fascination is with helping students quickly and efficiently increase their functional strength and achieve healthy flexibility. His method is deeply rooted in a lifetime of practicing and teaching various physical culture techniques (martial arts, pilates, strength training, yoga and more) plus his deep insight into anatomy. His students learn yoga poses as well as strength training and martial arts. His classes are very accessible for people who are new to yoga. He works brilliantly with students who have limitations due to mild to moderate physical conditions. Longer-term yoga practitioners will appreciate his refreshing no-nonsense approach and endlessly creative material. His classes are methodologically and structurally profound. Yet he keeps the mood light with his quick thinking, warmth and sense of fun.
Ruth Anne's fascination is with empowering students to experience, know and master energy through poses, breath, and mental techniques. Her method is deeply rooted a lifetime practicing yoga and experimental movement, her 20+ years of meditation practice, metaphysical studies, Buddhist and Yoga philosophy, hypnotherapy and the emerging field of consciousness studies. Her classes help students to experience inner nourishment and satisfying personal expression through yoga. She teaches that each of us has an inner connection to the source of all health, vitality and joy-and her yoga methods lead you there. She approaches each class as an opportunity to model self-care to her students and to inspire them to ever higher levels of self-empowerment.
Together these two passionate teachers train and inspire others to become creative, effective and joyous yoga instructors through Mama Nirvana's Teacher Training Course. Some of these instructors eventually come to teach yoga at Mama Nirvana's. These teachers learn fundamental principles of safety, sensitivity, ethics and effectiveness from Josh and Ruth Anne. Then they bring their own life experience, inner wisdom and authentic voice to their yoga classes. The result is that while you are learning yoga at Mama Nirvana's you will have at your disposal enough reinforcement to build a solid foundation, and enough novelty to keep your interest and inspiration high for a long time to come. This is why so many of our students continue to study with us year after year.
Quality and Experience Counts
All of our instructors have a minimum of 200 hours of Yoga Teacher Training and have completed a real-world teaching practicum. Some have much more training and experience. All are trained in anatomy, teaching methods and ethics. They are able to improvise and instantly adapt to the needs of their students. They are skilled yoga practitioners whose passion is to share their love of yoga with you. They are engaging presenters who make yoga fun.
A High Level of Personal Service
When you come to Mama Nirvana's, you are treated as an honored guest in our "yoga home." You will notice many personal touches: You will be greeted personally by your instructor; there are plenty of spacious bathrooms; our studios have excellent modern central heating and air conditioning; you will find abundant props and cushions available to enhance your comfort; after your first class your instructor will check in with you to answer any questions you may have.
People Ask Us "What's Your Style"
This is a tough question for us to answer. Yoga is a living system and as such it is evolving. Our way of life is changing fast, and our human family is experiencing what some call "upheavals" and what others call "an evolution of consciousness." Every day that we teach yoga we connect with our students and respond spontaneously to their needs. We have been doing this for years and years.
Yes indeed we have decades of study with teachers of yoga, movement, meditation, martial arts, and more. Some are famous; many are not. Some were or are true masters who showed us the heights of our own potential. All have blessed us with their brilliance and given us our own solid foundation.
When a teacher gives full attention to a discipline, seeks to master it, seeks to teach it as effectively as possible, and applies their full creative energy to this task, inspiration occurs. Information, direction, knowledge come directly to the mind. The teacher and their style become one. Their teaching becomes an outer reflection of that individual's Inner Being. At that point, the style is evolving right along with the teacher it is flowing through and people it serves. It defies being limited by names and descriptions. It cannot be copied by another. What we offer is a response to a present need and is therefore living, real and ever-changing.
Our Classes Work for People Like You
Below is a partial list of some of the conditions* our students have come to us with and reported relief or improvement with regular yoga classes: **
- Lack of Flexibility
- Muscle Aches and Pains
- Haven't exercised in a long time
- Fatigue
- Overweight/underweight
- Inability to concentrate
- Too much or too little sleep
- Nervousness
- Poor body image
- Poor eating habits
- Feeling rushed all the time
- Feeling disconnected from yourself or others
- Too much time alone-isolation
- Low self esteem
- Lack of motivation
- Negative emotions
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Painful menstruation
- Headaches
- Backaches
- Minor musculoskeletal injuries
- Addiction to cigarettes
- Stress
- Seasonal mood problems
- Arthritis (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis)
- Scoliosis
- Weak core muscles
- Trying to conceive
- Discomfort due to menopause
- Obsessive thinking
- Fears
- Lack of Purpose or Meaning in Life
*We do not diagnose or treat any physical or mental illness or condition. Our classes are not intended to substitute for medical advice or treatment. If you have any physical condition, seek medical help. If you are under a doctor's care get medical clearance before attending classes.
**If you don't have any of these conditions, congratulations! You are in the minority. In your case yoga would be excellent pro-active self-care and prevention.
What is Possible for You to Experience through Working With Us
Most people expect to get stronger and more flexible doing yoga, and our classes will definitely help you there. But there is so much more available. For those who stick with yoga, the potential exists for total inner and outer transformation to occur, including:
- Health and Well-Being Beyond Your Expectations
- Zestful Living
- Material Abundance
- More Love and Intimacy with Others
- Increased Creativity and Productivity
- Mastery Of the External Conditions in Your Life
