He said beginners should consider whether they want “more of a workout or something slower. Do you have medical issues or injuries that would affect your ability? Are you looking for group or one-on-one classes? Are you interested in meditation or just the physical aspects? Do you have specific goals such as reducing back pain, improving your physical health, losing weight or reducing your stress? Call or e-mail a studio or teacher with your specific preferences and concerns.”
One more thing: “Keep going to class. It usually takes five or six classes to get the hang of things.”
Here’s a sampling of some area locations to study yoga:
Inner Dance Yoga Center: 2600 Far Hills Ave., Suite 306, Oakwood. (937) 609-9642. innerdanceyoga.com
LeeLaa Yoga: 72 N. Main St., Springboro. (937) 477-2241. www.leelaayoga.org
OM Yoga Studio: 140 Stonemill Road. (937) 299-7756. www.theyogastudio.us
Pilates Plus Movement Studio: 5799 Far Hills Ave., Kettering. (937) 432-668. pilatesplusmovement studio.com.
Practice Pilates: 5575 Far Hills Ave., Kettering. (937) 432-9399. www.practice-center.com
Practice Yoga: 504 E. Fifth St. (937) 321-7676. www.practiceyogadayton.com
Samaritan North Well-Being Center: 9000 N. Main St., Englewood. (937) 837-7811. www.daytonyoga.com/KE/Home_Content.aspx
Sri Yoga Center: 813 Leo St. (937) 222-7482. www.sriyogacenter.com
Yoga Springs Studio: 108 Dayton St., Yellow Springs. (937) 767-9300. www.yogasprings.com.
Yoga with Laurel: Classes at two locations in Kettering. home.earthlink.net/~dalamitoh/index.html or (937) 298-1376.
Upcoming yoga events
• Yoga Springs Studio will be part of an “Eat, Pray, Love” event on Friday, Sept. 17. Participants will take a yoga class, then walk to the Winds Cafe for a menu based on the foods in the film, then head down the street to the Little Art Theatre, to watch the movie starring Julia Roberts. Tickets are $40. The “Pray” portion of the film is about a woman who travels to India to live in an ashram and study yoga.
• OM Yoga Studio is offering a 30-hour course in Thai Yoga Massage during September. Director Anthony R. Conard said it combines “palming and thumbing along energy meridians and gentle, assisted yoga stretches.” One student has traveled from Hawaii to take it.
• The City of Vandalia Recreation Center, 1111 Stonequarry Road, will offer a free yoga class at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22.
• Sri Yoga Center will offer a free workshop and yoga class from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21.
Yoga in the movies
If you want to learn more before heading to class, check out the 2008 documentary “Enlighten Up.” Filmmaker Kate Churchill sets out to prove that yoga can transform anyone. She tracks her subject, Nick, on his international travels and during a wide range of yoga experiences. There are encounters with celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks and world-renowned gurus.
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