Healthy Heart, Happy Heart: Yoga for Stress Management
January 6, 2025 March 24, 2025
SERIES OF CLASSES

The overall average reported level of stress among adults surveyed in 2024 was 5 out of 10. Managing stress can help control or reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, and digestive disorder. Stress reduction can also improve mental health and reduce anxiety. Reducing stress can improve your quality of life and help you feel more resilient, improve your relationships, and improve your focus and self-control. 

In this 12-week health and education program we will use the practices of Yoga to support your health and well-being. Each week you will be introduced to a new theme to support your health journey. Together we will explore health not as a healthy physical state, but also as a healthy mental state and as social well-being. This view connects with the philosophy of Yoga where health is understood to be an integration of body, mind and spirit. Yoga is both a philosophy and methodology for cultivating this integrated health, or sense of wholeness.

Over the 12 weeks participants will have the opportunity to support their health in various ways. Past participants have noticed improvements such as: lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, reduced muscle pain and tension, reduced joint pain and inflammation, reduced back pain and improved balance, improved digestion and elimination, more peace and positivity, reduced stress, relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression, improved sleep, and an overall improved quality of life.

Each session will build upon the previous week. Sessions will include: introduction of the week’s theme, body awareness, mudra, affirmation and breath work to support the theme, gentle chair Yoga (with the opportunity to progress to standing postures in later weeks), deep relaxation and meditation. There will also be time for partner and group sharing. Each week participants will receive a short video to support their home practice.

Participants will be asked to participate in a pre and post blood pressure reading. There will also be a pre and post general health assessment. This information will be kept confidential, but is essential to evaluate the on-going benefits of this program. 

This is an all level offering and you do not need previous Yoga experience to participate.