Life Force Project

Led by Sibyl Buck

Make yourself comfortable and be guided into deep relaxation and meditation. Specific language is used to help you move past the spinning movement of your mind, and into the deeper dimensions of your being, out past the temporal details of your life, which pull you out of the moment. Even if you find a lot of mental noise when you attempt meditation, combining your practice with restorative yoga will help you to arrive in the ever-present peace within yourself, deeper than the layer of mental movement that distracts you. Using props that can be found around the house, you'll create a comfortable position for your body, and release each body part individually before delving deeper. Breath techniques are used to help bring balance to the body and mind. Namaste.

Led by Brady Wilson

This is an alignment-based introduction to help you warm up your body for the day, or to begin a longer practice.

Led by Valerie D' Ambrosio

The third chakra is our power center; our self-esteem and confidence. When we become aware of, honor, and strengthen this area of our body from a conscious place, we are able to show up in greater alignment to our core essence off of the mat.
Through twists and core strengthening, this class with invigorate, you as well as challenge you, to stay fully present and commit to yourself physically, emotionally and mentally.

Led by Sibyl Buck

The perfect practice to take with you anywhere you might need a brief detox and clarifying practice. With attention to breath and the senses, you'll be guided to ground yourself in the moment and in your body. Techniques for lymphatic drainage, joint therapy, improving circulation, and calming the nervous system are introduced to achieve optimal function of the brain, digestion, cleansing and rebuilding systems in your body. After this practice you'll be prepared to speak connected to your intuition, protect yourself against environmental pathogens, and be present to the moment and any opportunities that may arise. This sequence can be used as a simple morning practice, to wind down at the end of the day, or to prepare for air travel or any pressured situation, like an important meeting. Enjoy, and namaste!

Led by Brady Wilson

This Alignment-based practice with Brady Wilson is designed to set you up for success in your Sun Salutation experience. Elaborating upon a traditional sun salutation sequence, we discover new and fun variations to break away from the normal mechanical routine. Building from the ground up, we explore a safe and supportive foundation from which to move through our asanas. This class will provide you with the tools necessary to practice your yoga with confidence and clarity.

This energizing and flowing vinyasa class with Bee Bosnak will allow you to greet your day, get strong in your body, welcome your breath, check in, and set an intention that will be an anchor for your practice on the mat and off. You will learn that becoming soft, spacious and full of ease is a great way to claim back your power within. This class will give you the freedom to explore and nourish, as well as honor your present condition of where you are.

Remember to allow each pose to empower you rather than defeat you. Create a strong connection with your breath to give life to your practice.

Samy Mattei designed this class for yogis with limited physical mobility - Utilize Props to Adapt Traditional Poses. An amazing way to experience the delights and benefits of yoga practice, is with the connection and assistance of a partner or assistant. The class is by no means a "passive" one; it consistently asks students to check in with their bodies and be aware of what works and what needs to change. This is the most unique of classes to create space to transcend perceived barriers, and realize we are all connected and couldn't do "this" without one another.

Class #1 - Cleansing and Purification - This class provides a way for the viewer to use a visualization meditation to clear stale or stagnant energy from one's bone marrow - a classic Qi Gong process to clear the way for energy cultivation.

Class #2 - Build Internal Vitality - This "Swimming Dragon" Qi Gong exercise is said to add 10 years of vitality to one's life force, if practiced on a regular basis.

This is a single posture restorative relaxation for the body, with a led meditation that's designed to cultivate your body's natural healing power. Specific breathing and visualization techniques are taught in order to go inward past the more superficial layers of self, which are bound by the slow movement of the physical realm. Working via the deeper layers of your self, you can access the quicker movement of the energy and spiritual planes, which has been shown to speed healing and recovery. Meditation techniques which you can use in your own practice are introduced, as well as a led meditation. This teaching will start you on a fulfilling journey of health and healing!

Led by Life Force instructor Sibyl Buck, this slow-moving basic class covers all of the major joints and muscles in the body. This class is perfect for anyone who is seeking increased comfort and ease in their bodies, but needs to move slowly. Beginning with a brief drop-in while in savasana, progressing slowly and gently into leg stretches and strengthening, with a focus on deep core muscles and spine stabilizers. Breathing techniques are introduced for calming the nervous system, and physical techniques that invite the natural healing system of the body into action, including a restorative inversion. Backbending, forward folding and twisting are covered, with a led meditation during savasana at the end. This sequence is beneficial for anyone, but especially for those who are in the prime of life, or recovering from an injury, illness or medical procedure. Rejoin with the peaceful part of yourself that's most closely connected to the source of all life itself, and invite in the energy you'd most like to add to your experience, shaping the new season of your life out of the limitless field of potential.

This FREE short practice led by Life Force Project instructor Sibyl Buck is appropriate for anyone who wants more comfort and ease in the neck and shoulders, and is useful for those who are not sure how to have neutral posture with the head directly above the spine. Neck and Shoulder Relief is an easy and quick sequence to balance the posture, relieve tension, and build strength in the neck and shoulders, focusing on easy stretches for the muscles that hold the head up; an appropriate regime for daily relief. These techniques are derived from the Yoga Therapy program at Loyola Marymount University, where Sibyl studied for one year.The sequence ends with self-led savasana.

Jeff Bailey created a yoga video for every body. Whether it is your first time, or you have been doing yoga for a while, this class will offer poses and insights that will noticeably increase mobility in your body.

The video is divided into thirds. The first third will be Yin quality stretches to open the hip joints, knees and ankles. The next section will take you through a therapeutic Sun Salutation that culminates in therapeutic version of Vriksasana (Tree Pose) as a way to further open hips. The final third will wind down with fundamental floor poses to leave you deeply relaxed and open for Savasana and a seated close to the class.

Samy Mattei brings us this class to find your asana - your seat. It is designed for individuals that are unable to stand or sit without spinal support for long periods of time, or use wheelchairs. It is important that your feet are rooted and stacked underneath your knees, finding proper alignment in the spine. We will do seated breath work, sun salutations, twists, arm work, leg work, a little core strengthening, and then cool it back down

Bud Wilson's class provides the viewer with a way to connect to his/her environment with reverence and appreciation.

Roger Martin-Pressman's class focuses on using the breath to make your practice lighter, and less effortful. Poses include a Sridaiva-inspired take on basic and familiar asana, with an emphasis on balancing poses and hip openers.

This well-rounded class will work the kinks out of all your body parts and leave you feeling more connected, enlivened and centered.

The full class inculdes a short meditation that focuses on connecting the breath to a more balanced awareness of your physical body. The meditation is also offered as a FREE stand-alone class.

Paris Latka came up with this gentle asana sequence to nourish your digestive system. Practice this before, during, and after meals. This will enhance your body's ability to break down food, assimilate nutrients from it, and eliminate what is not needed. The asana flow is to be practiced about fifteen minutes after a meal and light walk.

Here is a quick and fun recipe from Paris Latka. It's full of vital nutrients to assist you in creating and maintaining healthy digestion and feeling peaceful throughout your day. Because this recipe is raw, the food contains all of its natural enzymes to assist the digestive process. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, raw and delicious.



NOTE: As a culture when we talk about health and digestion often the conversation is about what to eat and what to avoid. I want to bring an awareness to 'who we are as eaters' and how this impacts our ability to digest and metabolize our meals. We have the power to significantly impact our ability to digest and metabolize our meals, no matter what we are eating, when we show up to the plate in a relaxed and peaceful state.

Energy Soup Recipe:

Equipment needed: VitaMix or high speed blender
Yields: about 3 cups

Ingredients:
2 carrots
2 individual stalks of celery
3 cloves garlic
1 big handful of romaine lettuce
1 avocado
1 small zucchini
a few sprigs of parsley
1 Tablespoon olive Oil
1.5 Tablespoons gluten-free tamari
3-4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-3 inches of fresh turmeric root
2 dates
1 cup of filtered water
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup dried cranberries
*optional sprinkle of dulse

Directions:
1) Cut celery, carrots, and zucchini into pieces and place in blender. Depit avocado and place half of it in blender and cut other half into small pieces and set aside.
2) Add everything else from the ingredients to blender except pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and dulse
3) Blend until contents are smooth and creamy
4) Pour soup into bowl and scoop the remainder of avocado into soup and then add pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and dulse to garnish
5) Serve chilled and enjoy!

Shamata means "tranquil abiding." In this class led by Life Force instructor J.Yochanan Russell, we employ the art of being the objective observer of our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without identifying or getting engaged with them in order to establish the natural state of the tranquil heart for the next stage of meditation practice: Vipashyana & Tantric Mind-Transformation.

This gentle class led by Life Force instructor Silvia Neri combines breath and movement to cleanse and recharge the body while providing an energizing opportunity to re-connect to the present moment. Unlock the tension in your body and relieve stress while building strength with a mindful focus.

This class is meant to establish the foundation of the yoga practice with an emphasis on breathing and healthy pose alignment. It's open to all fitness levels and has a meditative approach but will still involve a good amount of movement and some sweat. Connect to your breath, Expand beyond perceived limitations, Evolve to a higher level of awareness!