Why attend classes at a yoga studio? All instructors are Certified and attend additional anatomy and related classes to better teach the safe biomechanics that promote balance and a sense of well being. The Staff at Yoga Seva is dedicated to cultivating and enhancing your understanding of yoga postures, breath techniques, and the benefits of mental concentration and focus to ensure that you reach your fullest potential.
- Ann Waring

Yoga Seva offers classic Hatha Yoga and private instruction in a warm and supportive atmosphere. Gentle, Beginning, Multi level, Level 1 and Level 2 classes are offered in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

___________  S P E C I A L   N E E D S
Ann developed the yoga program at Wellness Place (A Cancer support Center in Palatine) in 2001 which is still operating. She has worked with recovering heart patients and NISRA (special recreation association) students, and studied with therapeutically trained yoga teachers. Yoga instructor, Betty Andrysiak, continues to study Yoga Therapeutics and assists in the class to ensure that each student is able to work at their own level of ability. A student does need to be able to come down to the floor and return to the seat unassisted to attend this class. Please call or email us to see how this class can benefit you.

___________  G E N T L E
Work at a slower pace with modifications and adaptations recommended by your instructor to provide a positive experience. A gradual improvement to your general health, flexibility, and breathing capacity will be apparent soon after learning the fundamentals of a yoga practice.

___________  B E G I N N I N G
Begin your training with a balanced program, which introduces essential poses as the foundation of a Hatha Yoga practice. Learn to improve your health and increase your energy by applying techniques for calming the nervous system and by increasing your ability to breathe deeply and comfortably.

___________  M U L T I - L E V E L
This class mixes levels for beginning and continuing students. Variations of the postures are introduced as you gain awareness of body, breath, and mental focus. The gradual development of the postures leads to increased strength, flexibility, and endurance. Some yoga experience preferred.

___________  L E V E L   1
At this level you need to be aware of your personal intensity level and are encouraged to advance at your own pace, strengthen problem areas, hold the poses longer and deepen your experience with compassion (non-harming).

___________  L E V E L   2
After a fundamental understanding of the benefits of yoga postures and transitional movements, students are encouraged to advance at their own pace by strengthening weak areas, holding the poses longer, and deepening their experience with compassion (non-harming).

Pilates is a discipline that is based on six principles: concentration, control, centering, flow, precision, and breath. The exercises are bio-mechanically safe and non-impacting. They increase flexibility, improve balance and coordination, build strength, and tone muscles connecting the body and mind.

The Pilates method, developed in the 1920’s by Joseph H. Pilates, offers a holistic path to total health for any age or fitness level. It is a unique method of whole body conditioning connecting the mind, body and breath through controlled movements. Using the six principles of Pilates-concentration control centering, breath, flow and precision, the exercises focus on core stabilization with movements originating from the inside out by working deep muscles. Pilates develops strength, increases flexibility, and body awareness, while improving postural alignment resulting in an overall sense of well-being.

Learn the fundamentals of Pilates through a wide variety of mat exercises that challenges the body and mind. Improve your core muscle strength, flexibility, balance and posture focusing on alignment and efficiency of movement.

"Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical, vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit."
- Joseph Pilates

A private instruction session can help new students who are contemplating making yoga a part of their busy lives understand the individual benefits that Yoga Seva classes can provide.

And for current yoga students, private instruction is an opportunity to further understand how yoga and breath work can support your individual goals. A personal evaluation will target problem areas and a suggested home practice regime will provide you with the tools you need to move forward safely and quickly.

Yoga therapy is an interactive manipulation of the body, using passive stretching and gentle pressure along energy lines.

These movements help to:
Adjust the skeletal structure
Increase Flexibility
Relieve muscular and joint tension
Stimulate internal organs
Balance the body"s energy system

What to expect:
The effect is uniquely relaxing as well as energizing. Receiving a Thai Yoga session is a bit like doing yoga without putting forth any effort while also getting acupressure treatments! Sessions are performed on a floor mat with the client dressed in comfortable, loose clothing. Thai Yoga Therapy uses two primary procedures - applying gentle pressure with hands and feet in a wide variety of passive stretching movements.

These techniques are applied in a quietly meditative atmosphere. Space is created in muscoskeletal structure and the body begins to open and regain flexibility and ease of movement while the mind gently returns to calm alertness. The energy body, as well as the internal organs, are stimulated by pressures on peripheral reflex points.

The work displays an inherent knowledge of the inner workings of the body, a knowledge that developed over centuries of practice. There is something in the essence of this work that appeals to a wide range of people on a core level and also assists on the physical, emotional, and perhaps spiritual level as well.

This unique body work is effective because it treats the recipient with respect while encouraging them to let go of physical and emotional restrictions and to go beyond their present limitations.

This ancient therapy is beneficial for young or old, active or inactive, healthy or not so healthy. While each person will respond to this work in terms of their own experience and present state of health, it is well to remember that Asian Bodywork has been used for countless generations to treat degenerative conditions and promote wellness.

Thai Yoga Therapy facilitates a sense of unity, wholeness, and balance. It creates a dynamic physical experience, which integrates the body, mind, emotions and spirit.

A Little Background
"When a person is sick in Siam, he begins by causing his whole body to be molded by one who is a skillful herein, who gets upon the body of the sick person and tramples him under his feet".

The observations above were recorded in 1960 by Simon de la Loubere, the French liaison to the Thai court in the capital of Ayutthaya. The "molding" and "trampling" to which he refers are the basic techniques of traditional Asian Bodywork, "one of the world´s most effective forms of physical therapy" says Daniel Reid, author of The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing, The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity, and the Shambhala Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Ancient Asian Bodywork, or nuad bo-rarn, a term which clearly distinguishes the traditional healing therapy from contemporary pretenders, has a long and venerable history dating back 2,500 years to the time of the Buddha. The technique is attributed to Shivago Komarpaj, a north Indian doctor who served as personal physician to King Bimbisara, one of the Buddha's greatest patrons. He was also good friend of the Buddha and treated his disciples. Venerated throughout Thailand as the "Father of Medicine", Shivago Komarpaj also discovered the healing powers of many herbs and minerals, which he used in conjunction with Thai therapy. When the Burmese sacked and burned Ayutthaya in 1767, most of the ancient medical texts originally brought from India were destroyed. It is due entirely to the grand Oriental tradition of oral transmission from master to disciple that the ancient art of Asian Bodywork was preserved and continues to flourish.

In Asian Bodywork, the therapist manipulates the client´s limbs into various yoga postures (asanas), while at the same time stimulating the flow of vital energy (prana or qi) by applying deep pressure to vital points and channels. Traditional Asian Bodywork is one of the greatest living treasures of Thai culture, yet it remained virtually unknown outside of Thailand until recently.

In Thai yoga therapy, it's not so much the muscles and physical body that are manipulated as the invisible channels and "energy body", also known as the "body". By applying pressure to vital points along these channels, the client's internal energy boosts, and the actual healing is performed by the energy itself. The concept of "healing and energy" is foreign to Western medical tradition, but it lies at the very heart of Chinese, Indian, Thai and other Oriental medical therapies. Energy is released, nourishing organs and glands while driving toxins from body tissue.

Please call 815-355-0010 with questions or to arrange a Northern Style session.

1½ hour - $80

Please consider expanding your experience of Asana with the help of the workshops we provide. Read about the workshops scheduled for this session.

Sujatha Perideniye chose the monastery life in Sri Lanka from age 11 to 22 to learn spiritual practice after which he began traveling to teach and share his deepest felt knowledge with others in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Sujatha has now made his home in McHenry County and will be leading Vipassana (mindful) meditations on Wednesday evenings at Yoga Seva. He leads with an understanding of East and West psychology.

The purpose of this meditation class is to give guidance on how to see clearly into the nature of the mind. Both beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

For more information about Sujatha’s meditation schedule, either visit bluelotustemple.org or call 815-444-8915.