Yoga
Body Mind Flow Yoga-
This class will include foundational asanas (physical postures), breathwork (pranayama), and brief meditation. By using the breath to connect our physical and mental state, we will challenge the body and mind to be stronger and more flexible. Ultimately, this class will encourage students to bring non-judgment, self-care and self-awareness “off the mat” into every day life, which is true yoga! These aspects of yoga are accessible to a practitioner of any experience level and the instructor will offer hands-on adjustments, personalized modifications, and dorky humor to brighten up your Thursday.
Maggie Cohen ’12 hails from Atlanta, GA and received her 230-hour Vinyasa Flow yoga certification from the Asheville Yoga Center and Yoga Alliance in 2010. She has been practicing yoga since 2004, and is passionate about sexual violence prevention and response, and holistic healing through the body. She encourages her students to consider themselves their own best teachers. Maggie is also available for one-on-one consultation and can be reached at mrcohen@wesleyan.edu.
Open Level-
In James Gardella’s Open Level yoga class, taught in style of Sri Dharma Mittra, mind, body, and spirit integration is found through patience and perseverance. In order to embody this connection, we will unite breath and movement and approach each pose non-judgmentally, with acceptance and presence. Creative exploration of the poses, as opposed to rote repetition, will be encouraged. Students will balance, stretch, bend, and twist their way through this calming yet invigorating class. James aims to help each student cultivate an open heart and mind, to respect the wisdom of the body, and to tap into one’s own inner personal power; he hopes each student will leave class feeling happy, peaceful, and free.
Kickasana Yoga-
A power vinyasa flow class, Kickasana uses dynamic movement and heat-building practices to move through the energy centers of the body. As we play with the concept of edge, we cultivate energy from inside in order to project it outward in leading our lives in a spirit of service. The class will be woven together with relevant themes, flowing vinyasa, and playful music. This class offers modifications for any and all bodies. Modifications will be offered and all students are expected to listen to their bodies during the practice to see what works for them.
Shira Engel ’14 is a born-and-raised New Yorker who received her 200-hour certification from Three Sisters Yoga and Yoga Alliance in the summer of 2011. She believes in teaching as a method of healing and uses hands-on adjustments to deepen the energy flowing through the poses of her students. She offers a rigorous practice that enables students to feel their own strength as they connect mind and body through breath.
Go with the Flow-
A power vinyasa class for all levels of yogis. Whether it is your first time on the mat or you have been practicing for years, the postures explored in this class will be a reflection of what you, as an individual have brought to the practice on any given day. While the option to take the practice to the next level is always encouraged, this class is all about the YOU. We will work together to connect the breath with the movements of the body, using the internal to guide the external. Through the exploration and revisiting of a variety of postures over the course of the semester, we will work to create openness throughout the body, breathing through whatever experiences arise. So get ready to move with fluidity, get ready to relax into the present moment without preconception, and most of all, get ready to go with the flow.
Leigh Stewart ’13 was begrudgingly dragged into her first yoga class by her parents in middle school to compensate for the impact that being involved in year round basketball and swimming were having on her physical health. Despite a battle with the stillness of a 15 minute long savasana, she came to be passionate about yoga in its ability to provide a physically invigorating workout with a space to let go of everything outside of the moment at hand. Continuing to pursue athletics while complimenting them with yoga, she has found that that which is explored on the mat can be translated into every facet of life. Receiving her 200 Hour Certification through Yoga to the People in San Francisco this past summer, she hopes to bring yoga to all who want to experience their bodies in an entirely new light.
Hatha for Hippies and Everyone Else-
Charles’s class blends foundational series from Ashtanga and Iyengar, balancing the goals of getting re-centered, getting a good work out, and chilling out on a Friday afternoon. Each class will bring a well-rounded regiment of asanas to strengthen and stretch every area of the body. However, special attention will be paid to twists, backbends, and lower back strengthening—all poses which loosen up the spine and undo all of that neck and shoulder tension we accumulate from hunching over our laptops. Asanas will generally be aimed at the beginning/intermediate practitioner, but modifications of each pose will be introduced to accommodate any level. Free chai at the end of class (please try to remember to bring a cup).
Charles Horne ’12 mainly practiced Ashtanga Vinyasa, until venturing to Mysore, India, during a gap year in 2009, where he received his 200 hour RYS certification with Bharath Shetty. While originally approaching yoga as an athletic endeavor, Charles has since come to realize that yoga is not something you’re “good at” or “bad at”, it’s something that makes you feel good no matter what your level. These days his practice centers around re-uniting the mind and the body and bringing awareness back to the present. He can often be spotted on Indian Hill at sunset, unwinding with a few sun salutations and trying to ignore the mosquitos.
Kripalu Yoga-
Each Kripalu yoga class moves through six distinct but (hopefully) seamlessly integrated phases: 1) centering; 2) breath work (pranayama); 3) warm-up (pratapana); 4) posture (asana) flow, linking breath with movement [the bulk of the class-time]; 5) deep relaxation (in sivasana), and 6) closing meditation. Modifications and alignment cues are offered throughout, making this class appropriate for beginners and more seasoned practitioners alike. Participants are invited to take full ownership of their time on the mat, and to tailor each session to meet the physical and/or emotional needs of the day. The highest aims of Kripalu yoga include the cultivation of non-judgmental, compassionate self-awareness (on and off the mat), and the experience of movement as meditation. Along the way your body will strengthen/open/sweat, your breathing will deepen, your mind will calm, your energy will soar, and you will get to know yourself even more intimately.
Eliza Perlmutter ’12 is a lifelong mover/dancer from the forests of Boston. She began her exploration of yoga five-ish years ago and, in the summer of 2010, completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, in Lenox MA. The following fall, she led two classes per week on the Wesleyan campus, and then went abroad to Nepal/Bhutan. Eliza loves practicing yoga in community, and also guiding private sessions. She can be reached at eperlmutter@wesleyan.edu.
Hatha Yoga Blend-
This class will blend a variety of yoga styles as students link fluid movement with breath, equally engaging the mind and the body. Each class will begin with a focus on the students’ breathing – encouraging students to focus on their breath as a way to help them with the physical challenges of the class. By creating a peaceful and stress-free environment students can fully benefit from the postures as well as enjoy their time on the mat. Together we can find a balance between restfulness and playfulness, so that students can leave the class having gotten a workout, but also feeling renewed and more centered than when they entered the room. This is class is open to students at every level of practice, and all are encouraged to come. Modifications for the poses will be used to individualize the practice for each student.
Emily Pryor ’12 grew up in Santa Monica, California where she began studying yoga at age 18. Upon arriving at Wesleyan, she continued to practice yoga, and it was here she began to really learn and benefit from the teachings, philosophies, and physical practices that yoga has to offer. During the summer between her sophomore and junior year, Emily returned to Santa Monica and graduated from a 200-hour yoga certification training at YogaWorks where she studied ayurveda, pranayama (the art of breathing), anatomy, yogic philosophy, and, of course, the yoga poses. After completing her certification, Emily moved to Madrid, Spain to spend her junior year abroad, where she continued her yogic journey studying Ashtanga yoga in the center of Madrid. Now that she is back at Wesleyan for her senior year, she is looking forward to sharing her findings, teachings, and experiences with yoga. She hopes that others can benefit from the positive and uplifting physical, mental, and emotional effects of a regular yoga practice, which have become an integral part of her daily life.
Cardio Kickboxing with Renee Dunn
Kickboxing is a high-energy cardio work out that simultaneously works upper and lower body, allowing for a more effective workout. Kickboxing tones muscles, increases agility and coordination. Punching and kicking techniques will be taught through fun choreography to upbeat music, integrated with intervals of strength building or anaerobic exercises. Class will start with a 5-10 minute warm up, and will build as we move through the 4 punch variations and 4 kick variations, closing with an ab routine and cool down. You don’t need to have taken kickboxing before to enjoy this class! All levels are welcome and encouraged. Bonus: you’re likely to be burning around 8-9 calories per minute, and with 60 minutes that’s a lot of calories!
Hi everyone! I’m Renee Dunn, and have been a kickboxing enthusiast for years now. This summer, I decided that I’d like to take my love for kickboxing further, and have studied to become a certified kickboxing instructor with Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). I have long been passionate about fitness and health, and with a dance background, choreography will be fun, fluid, and easy to catch on! My goal is to make class fun, yet challenging, exposing students to a fast-paced total body work out, and teaching proper technique to avoid injury and build strength, power, and confidence.
Zumba
Zumba Fitness® is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program that incorporates 27 national and international rhythms. One song could be Reggaeton, the next Merengue, then Bollywood, followed by a Top 20 charts hit. Zumba® is not about feeling the burn, it’s about feeling the music and letting yourself have a good time, while simultaneously burning calories and strengthening muscles.
My class doesn’t feel like a workout, it feels like a party. If you are a dancer, this is your class. If you like to dance but don’t consider yourself any good or are too self-conscious to do it in public, this is your class. If you aren’t sure dance is your thing but like tapping your foot to music occasionally, this is still your class. The beauty of Zumba® is that it is modifiable to every individual. If you want a super intense, high cardio, shake-til-you-drop class, you can make it that. If you are new to dance or are taking the first steps to get into shape and want something slightly easier, you can make it that way. You’ve got nothing to lose, so come shake it with us!
Hannah Monk ’12 is a senior Psychology major from the middle-of-nowhere in Upstate NY. She is interested in dance, baking, and mental health. Hannah was always a dancer, but never really interested in running or going to the gym. Anything with the word “fitness” sounded like a chore, and she felt her time was best spent doing things for other people instead of investing in her own well-being. Her first Zumba Fitness® class changed her entire outlook on physical wellness and inspired her to live a healthier life. She became a certified Zumba Fitness® Instructor in June 2011, and now she wants to share her passion for Zumba® and wellness with you!
Ryukyu Kempo
Ryukyu Kempo is a martial art that blends together aspects of Karate, Japanese small-circle Jiujitsu, and pressure point fighting. In this class, we will focus on the basics of close quarter fighting, counters to common scenarios, and an introduction to pressure point techniques. Awareness of movement and body positioning will be emphasized and we will work with many different drills and techniques to sharpen reaction time and increase one’s ability to judge a combat situation.
Max Shafer-Landau ’14. After catching a fly with a pair of chopsticks on his third birthday, Max Shafer-Landau was recruited into the Japanese Yakuza and trained in the dark arts of combat for over a decade. Escaping from his life of crime and blood with his acceptance into Wesleyan, he has come to pass on his knowledge of the ancient forms of badassery. He’s excited to introduce martial arts drills such as water buffalo boxing, wall-scaling, blow dart gun practice, and poison making to the Wes Community. Max currently holds a Shodan (black-belt) rank in Ryukyu Kempo.
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