What is TOTAL YOGA?
To understand what TOTAL YOGA is to know why it’s called TOTAL in the first place!
TOTAL YOGA was conceptualized as a complete Yoga experience – not just limited to Asanas and Pranayam. The Total Yoga Experience covers these 2 aspects and also Meditation which is intrinsic to Yoga practice.
While these 3 elements form the basis of the practice; the other elements include Kriyas & Shatkarmas – the internal Yogic cleansing practices that students are taught and encouraged to practice monthly. Keeping the internal body-mind clean and pure is essential to Health & Wellbeing. The 5th element is more lifestyle-orineted and focusses on educating students on Nutrition and Healthy Food choices (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian).
Finally the experience is completed with Karma Yoga – or offering Service to the society. The entire student community is encouraged to volunteer and help out at Old-Age homes, Orphanages, Special Schools and other such wonderful places. We believe that your Yoga experience cannot be limited to mastering something like Sarvangasana, while not helping your brethren; and so Service is emphasized!
The TOTAL YOGA Style
Total Yoga is a style that is taught 3 times a week on alternate days. Each class is of 1 hour duration – 45 mins of physical practice (Surya Namaskaars & Asanas) and 15 mins of Pranayam, Relaxation & Meditation. Each day the focus of the physical training is different. On Day 1, we train Flexibility and so we teach our version of Vinyasa-Flow yoga. On Day 2, we train Strength and so classic Hatha Yoga is used for this. On Day 3, Cardio Endurance is trained and so we teach Power Yoga.
This is the regular classes at the studio and students are encouraged to practice on their own on the 3 alternate days that we don’t have class. Apart from this 6-day routine; Total Yoga improvises quire a bit with various offerings such as:
* Yogi Trek happens once a month; wherein the student community drives to a nearby Hill. Everyone treks up the hill and then Yoga, Pranayam & Meditation is practiced at the summit! Yogi Trek challenges our studio yogis to get fit in the great outdoors just as the Yogis of yore used to trek the Himalayas!
* Yoga-in-the-Park again takes students outside the confines of the studio to experience Yoga in an outdoor environment which is great for Pranayam & Meditation.
Yogis-on-the-Run is an initiative to make students do a little running as complimentary training followed by power yoga!
* Yoga-to-Live-Music sees a Musician or Band perform live as the class moves to the classic & improvised Yoga-flow sequences. Apart from the wonderful synergy in movement; the class ends in Meditation which becomes effortless thank to the wonderful music being created.
Yoga Yatra is a Yoga festival that brings together Yoga schools and teachers, meditation & healing therapists to converge on a 2 day Yoga get-together with Music & Dance as well. www.yogayatra.co
TOTAL YOGA Studios
Total Yoga doesn’t believe in having Yoga studios on the high-street; which puts immense pressure on the studio to then cover rentals – leading to being extremely pushy about ‘getting’ students and marketing! Instead we tie up with Art venues as we feel that people who visit Art/Theatre/ Music/ Cultural centers and spaces are the people who actually would understand and appreciate Yoga. So we tie up with vibrant artistic centres.
We are located in Bangalore (Indiranagar, Whitefield, Koramangala, Jayanagar & UB City), Pune (Kalyaninagar, NIBM Rd), Delhi (GK-2, Friends Colony) and Singapore (East Coast).
TOTAL YOGA is thrilled to be a part of the modern Yoga mainstream movement whilst sticking to the most traditional of yoga practice, understanding and teachings. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to teach you soon. So, come on over and do the twist!
