North West Pilates promotes a healthy lifestyle by offering a range of Hatha yoga courses for the urban practitioner. Through the use of physical poses (asana) and breath control (pranayama), Hatha yoga provides a framework for the experience of physical, mental and spiritual wholeness. Each pose is a means to discover the vitality, flexibility and strength within yourself. Through a committed involvement and receptive mind, you will experience first hand the profound aspects of yoga practice.

Our instructors are among the most highly trained and committed teachers in the region. North West Pilates reputation is built upon providing the highest quality yoga. When attending classes taught by any of our instructors, you can be secure in the knowledge that the instruction comes from a solid education of ‘The British wheel of yoga’ fused with a personal passion for yoga.

HATHA YOGA
Hatha Yoga uses postures (asanas) and stretches in combination with the breath to develop flexibility and relaxation. There are many styles of Hatha Yoga. Some use a specific series of postures; others use a flow of movements, while some may use props such as blocks or belts to assist a posture or maximize a stretch. All styles of Hatha Yoga, however, encourage proper alignment of the body and bring balance, strength, and calmness to the practitioner. Our Hatha Yoga classes are based on the classic and ancient practices with a strong ashtanga influence.

Ashtanga
Ashtanga means eight limbs, it is a style of practice introduced by Patabhi Jois. This style is a dynamic form of Hatha yoga in that there is a vigorous flow as one moves from one posture to another. There are traditionally six series or combinations, however usually only the first and second series are taught.

Lyengar
B K S Iyengar created a style of hatha yoga in the early 20th century that focuses on the importance of precise physical alignment during the execution of poses. At times Iyengar has been compared to a drill sergeant because his teaching style is somewhat strict with its extreme attention to positioning. Iyengar students have many different types of props, which enable people at all levels to proficiency to go deeper or stay longer in postures with more accurate physical alignment.

Vinyasa
Another style of hatha yoga is the practice of linking surya namaskaras (sun salutations) or similar postures between poses. Practioners repeat each pose in sequence before going on to the next one, and after adding a new pose they do a Vinyasa (a flowing movement linked with breath). The use of variations creates a flowing from pose to pose as opposed to stopping one posture and starting again.

Bikram
Once known mainly as “the yoga of the stars”, this style of hatha spread throughout the united states via Beverly hills. Bikram is better known today as “hot yoga” because it is taught in a room kept at 41 degrees Celsius.