Welcome to SEVA Experience! You’ve heard so much about yoga, you know it’s supposed to be great for you by making make you fit, flexible, focused, and stress-free. If you don’t know where to begin, we’ll help guide you, step-by-step. The best way to

YOGA IS FOR EVERYONE: First Time to Yoga Visitor Guide

Welcome to SEVA Experience! You’ve heard so much about yoga, you know it’s supposed to be great for you by making make you fit, flexible, focused, and stress-free. If you don’t know where to begin, we’ll help guide you, step-by-step. The best way to start your practice is to show up! This guideline is suitable if you are new to yoga practice.

  • Don’t worry, everyone has to start somewhere! All our classes are suitable for beginners, as our teachers are capable of giving options to all levels during any class. We consider yoga as a way of life without prerequisites or expectations from attendees. We offer various styles of yoga and if you are not sure which one to pick please speak to anyone at our front desk for recommendation or check out our yoga classes descriptions for guidance and inspiration.

  • Comfortable clothes that allow you to move and stretch easily. Stay away from anything too baggy or too tight. Shoes and socks are not worn in class.

  • Mats, towels, blankets, cushions, and water are provided at the studio. Bring your water bottle or buy one at our shop. We also offer lockers and shower facilities so you may consider bringing a change of clothes, especially for active yoga classes. (Please do not bring bags into the class, as this takes away floor space from your fellow practitioners.)

  • We sanitize the room, mats, and props between classes, but you are welcome to bring your own mat, cushion, or towel if you feel like doing so.

  • We strongly recommend that you arrive at least 10 minutes early so you have time to sign in, change, and get settled. On your first visit, plan to come a few minutes earlier to fill out a waiver and release, and check-in for class. Web registrations, help to speed up the check-in process.

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What is Yoga

Yoga essentially is a way of life, an integrated means of synchronizing mind, spirit, and body. This system and its implementation originated thousands of years ago and are now practiced universally with no religious associations.

The word “Yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” which means to join together or unite.  We can interpret yoga as intimacy, where the more intimate with, or aware of, yourself the more universal and interconnected with your surrounding you become.

Contemporary Yoga traditions hold the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali to be one of the foundational texts of classical Yoga philosophy. Patanjali is known as the father of modern yoga thanks to his Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga. The Yoga Sutras was compiled in the early centuries CE, by the sage Patanjali in India who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from much older traditions.

The practice of this ancient and respected system certainly helps in maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health, one can be inducted here regardless of age or present physical condition. It can be done at one's own pace and there is no concept of competition with anybody else.

Why Practice Yoga

Yoga is a holistic practice that incorporates the mind-body connection. It works on your breathing pattern, concentration skills, and the ability to focus on the present moment. The philosophy of yoga is based on the belief that you cannot obtain control of the body without the control of the mind.

Physiologically, yoga practice stimulates the performance of the Central Nervous System (CNS). The autonomic nervous system is composed of two parts, the sympathetic and parasympathetic. The latter one is activated with yoga practice. Examples of parasympathetic stimulation from yoga include decreases in oxygen consumption, cardiac output, breath rate, and metabolic rate. The sympathetic system, however, has the opposite characteristics. It is your "Fight or Flight," mechanism. When you get angry or upset this is the system that gets activated. Enhancement of the CNS through yoga practice increases mind-body coordination and improves our ability to react mentally as well as physically. Enhancement of CNS also increases intelligence, decreases anxiety, and provides a more effective overall interaction with the environment. Psychological investigations suggest that yoga improves mood, and aids in the development of willpower.

Yoga postures are similar to active myofascial release. These postures, or asanas, help develop flexibility. In addition, they help balance, coordination, and proprioception, i.e., the ability of your joints to "know" where they are in relation to the ground for any given movement.

Yoga is an extremely important factor in obtaining optimal levels of health. It detoxifies your body from all of the toxins we are exposed to, from the environment and from our food. Scientific investigations concluded yoga improves mind over-body coordination by increasing physical tone and awareness while improving mind and breath control which are necessary components for peak performance of the body.

While most physical conditioning techniques emphasize the muscles, Yoga addresses every system in the body and mind, and the yogi begins to sense over time the spiritual reality of one's existence.