Expectations

Before your first Power House Yoga class:

  • Make sure you leave enough time to find our studio as well as allow time for parking if required.
  • Please arrive 15 minutes before class starts to fill out the new student information form, meet your teacher and get acquainted with the space.
  • Hydrate – If you are planning on participating in one of our heated classes, please make sure you are well hydrated before you practice. Sipping extra water than you normally do throughout the day is recommended.
  • Do not eat a large meal within 2 hours of class. Yoga is best practiced on an empty stomach.
  • If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, please consult your doctor before participating in any physical exercise.

What you will need:

  • Firstly, we ask you to bring an open minda willing attitude, a courageous heart and a smile.
  • A yoga mat if you have one – fitness or pilates mats are not recommended for vinyasa yoga classes as they can be too bulky, slippery and move around underneath your feet too much which can become a trip/slip hazard. If you do not have your own mat, you can hire a studio mat for a small hire fee.
  • bottle of water is always good to have handy. If you forget your water, you can purchase bottled water at the studio before class starts. As we are conscious of our environment, we offer alkalized, ionized and purified water which you can use to refill your water bottle up with for $1.
  • Wear comfortable clothing that you can move and sweat in. We recommend stretchy gym gear that offers movement and breathability for your skin.
  • We practice in bare feet so please leave your shoes in the foyer of the studio or in your bag in the storage boxes. Socks may be worn for Yoga Balance classes only. 

In The room:

  • Please only take your mat, towel and water into the studio. There are strictly NO PHONES OR BAGS allowed in the studio. All personal belongings must be left in the storage boxes just outside the studio.
  • We recommend you find a space somewhere in the middle of the studio so you have other people in front, behind and beside you to follow if/when required.
  • We advise all students to rest when you need to rest and to listen to what your body is asking of you in your practice. Sometimes we are able to find energy to give a little more in our practice, sometimes we need to do a little less.
  • Yoga props are available to use during your practice and we recommend all newer students to grab a block and a strap before each class to have to use during the class for modification purposes or to find a deeper experience in a posture.

After Class:

  • If you have hired a studio mat, please use the spray bottles & cloths provided to clean the mat and hang back on the bars on the back wall.
  • If you have any questions about the class, the practice or the studio, our teachers will be in reception for you to have a chat with afterwards.
  • We recommend that you hydrate well after any physical activity but especially after our heated classes. We can lose a lot of fluids through our sweat so it is important to replenish both the fluid and the salts. You can ask our teaching staff for more information on hydration if you are interested.

Facilities:

  • Mat hire is $5 and Towel hire is $4 for a large towel, $2 for a small towel.
  • Bottled water can be purchased from reception for $2. Alternatively, bring your own water bottle and re-fill with our alkalized, ionized and purified water for $1.
  • Shower and toilet facilities are available to use.
  • Storage boxes for personal belongings are available just outside the studio doors.
  • Our studio is under video surveillance and the doors are locked once class starts.

FAQ’s

No. The only similarity Yoga Heat has with Bikram Yoga is the sweat factor!! Bikram Yoga offers 90 minutes of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises delivered in the same order of sequence using the same verbal cues by the teachers all over the world. Yoga Heat offers a variety of all the many different yoga postures and their variations in a vinyasa style format which means we flow from pose to pose. In a 60 minute Yoga Heat class, we have the opportunity to practice anywhere from 40 to 60 different postures allowing a full body work out and stretch coupled with breathing techniques, leaving you feeling balanced, detoxed and refreshed.

 

Bikram Yoga has been described by many as being quite military in its approach, and while this method is suitable for some, we believe having a compassionate approach better serves each individual. Yoga Heat offers a challenging intensity in its format whilst teaching traditional yogic philosophies of non-violence (ahimsa), self-honesty (satya), contentment (santosha) and self-study (swadhyaya) as well as modern philosophical ideas of mindfulness and presence to create a space for students to safely explore the physical practice of yoga whilst experiencing depths of the soul that may not otherwise have been attainable.

 

At Power House Yoga, our teachers guide you through the process of transformation offering their knowledge learned from trainings and wisdom learned from their own experiences on the mat. Adjustments, assists and variations are also offered so each student feels comfortable, supported and nurtured in their practice. Your yoga practice is very personal, it is all about you. Power House Yoga offers that personal space for you to have your time on your mat feeling supported with a sense of freedom.

We practice in a heated room for many reasons. Firstly, sweat factor; as BKS Iyengar said: “Penetration of our mind is our goal, but in the beginning to set things in motion, there is no substitute for sweat.” The heat offers an increase in physical intensity which then challenges the mind in a very stimulating way. The heat promotes sweating which acts as a detoxing factor due to our skin being the largest organ in our bodies. The heat also penetrates our connective tissue making it more supple allowing it to glide easier. It also increases joint mobility and flexibility offering our practice an opportunity to explore physical depths that may not be accessible in a cooler environment.

However, the heat can also act as a false sense of security therefore we must always stay mindful of our body’s capabilities and not overdo it. After a hot sweaty practice, we leave the room feeling cleansed and alive!!

Our bodies are constantly changing and each class style offers beneficial approaches to our practice. The practice of yoga is about having a conversation with our bodies and being able to tune into what our bodies require of us in that moment on that particular day, week, month, or year. We offer a variety of classes based on the five material elements (panca-bhuta). Yoga Heat being fire (agni), Yoga Power being earth (prithivi), Yoga Flow being water (ap) and Yoga Balance being air (vata). All class styles also offer the fifth element of ether or space (akasha – meaning radiance) giving our community the tools to illuminate their hearts and then in turn, their lives.

 

Mixing the classes up as a part of your practice is a great way to find balance and harmony in the body. For the majority of us who live very busy and hectic lives, Yoga Balance is a great way of slowing that very yang style of living down in a yin style of practice which we highly recommend. However, we also need to step outside our comfort zones in order to experience the magic that happens there, so we also encourage you to at least try the different class styles on offer to find what resonates with you.

 

If our classes are not what you are looking for, then we highly recommend you keep searching for the yoga style and studio that best suits your individual needs. There are so many different styles of yoga, so don’t give up if you haven’t found the style that you absolutely love… it is out there. We just have to keep on looking and experiencing. That experience turns into wisdom.

All of our classes at Power House Yoga are classified open level, suitable for beginners to advanced practitioners. Each class is challenging in its own unique way offering a space for beginners to stay and explore as well as a space for the more experienced to play. We want you to find a class style that best suits you and your practice. We wish for you to try all the different class styles and for you to find the courage to challenge yourself to grow in your practice.

Short answer: As often as you like! As mentioned above, yoga is about having a conversation with your body. It’s about quieting the mind enough to be able to listen to the sensations of the body. In doing so, your body will tell you if it needs more or less. If you participate in other sports or physical activities, it is highly recommended to practice 2 to 3 times per week for maximum benefit and performance. Committed yogis are known to practice 3 hours a day 6 days a week in a variety of ways as they are highly in tuned with their bodies energetic needs. Our advice: Start off slow and remember any practice is better than none.

As heat is not advised for pregnancy, we recommend you not attend any of the heated classes especially if you are new to yoga. For experienced yogis, variations and modifications can be given in Yoga Flow classes and Yoga Balance is suitable and ideal for pregnancy. Please advise our teaching team before class that you are pregnant and we will be more than happy to discuss the modifications required to keep your practice safe and comfortable.

Injuries and yoga:

  • Injuries can occur for many different reasons and in many different ways in and outside the yoga studio. Generally, it is when we are not being mindful and when we are placing our bodies in compromising positions/situations that injuries occur. As frustrating as injuries are, they can also act as a very powerful teacher to us. They force us to slow down and tune into our bodies on a much deeper level. They also force us to spend the time (and sometimes the money) on treating our bodies with wellness, respect and for most of us, some much needed R&R.


    Pre-existing:
    If you have a pre-existing injury, please consult your doctor or physiotherapist before starting yoga. Once you have clearance to start the yoga practice, slow and steady is the best attitude to have with your body. Maintaining a smooth and steady breath as well as awareness within your body in each posture and transition will help your body to heal. While you are recovering, we advise you to take less strenuous modifications so you don’t do too much too fast. The practice of yoga is about taking the time to listen to your body, so if you are feeling any pain or exhaustion, rest! Use props, modify, warm up appropriately, work on correct alignment and avoid allowing the ego to dictate what your body is capable of. Be mindFULL and compassionate towards yourself and your injury.


    Injuries from yoga:
    It would be nice to say that yoga does not cause injuries, but that would simply not be true. Unfortunately, the physical yoga practice when approached in an egotistical and rigid way can be very dangerous. If we mindlessly push our bodies past their capabilities or force our bodies into poses we are not yet ready for, injuries can and will occur. The key is being mindful in movements and approaching each posture and transition with respect and intelligence.


    We recommend attending at least one Yoga FUNdamentals workshop to learn the safety and basics of the practice and how your body suits it best. These workshops are also great for experienced yogi’s who would like to hone their skills or work on an area of weakness. It is always beneficial to get back to the basics of what we do and reconnect as if we were beginners again looking at our practice with a fresh set of eyes.