Free Yoga, Now There's Some Good Kharma

Created in India 5,000 years ago, Yoga is not simply an exercise class but a system of living. The word yoga means to unite or yoke together, the mind, body and spirit.

There are several types of yoga you may have heard of including:  Iyengar Yoga, which focuses on alignment and precise movements; Ashtanga Yoga, in which participants focus on powerful, flowing movement and is also called “power yoga,” and Bikram Yoga or “hot yoga,” which uses a very warm room with the idea being that it helps increase flexibility.

One type of yoga you may not have heard of this one: Free Yoga.

If you have driven by the bluff at Ocean Boulevard and Junipero Avenue on a Saturday or Sunday between 11 and noon, you may see a lot of people performing a Downward Facing Dog or Sun Salutation. That group is the mastermind of Darma Shakti who not only created a free yoga on the bluff program but has an entirely donation-based yoga studio called TrilogyYoga located at 3141 E. Broadway. http://www.trilogyyoga.com/Trilogy/Home.html .

Ancient Indian sages believed that to be whole and fully alive, a person must develop a vital mind, body and spirit. The practice of yoga encompasses a physical discipline (known as hatha yoga) that includes: 

• Proper relaxation which releases muscle tension and helps release worries and fears
• Proper exercise, including the use of yoga poses known as asanas which are meant to align and balance the body
• Proper breathing, which increases the intake of oxygen and recharges the body. The breath work is said to be the link between mind and body
• Proper diet, which is based on natural whole foods and is well-balanced and nutritious
• Positive thinking and meditation, which are essential in removing negative thoughts and quieting the mind

From a physiological perspective, research shows that yoga has the following benefits:

● Increased flexibility; especially in the shoulder , trunk (core) and ankle joints

● Increased muscular endurance; particularly in the chest and abdominal strength

● Improved blood pressure

● Decreased low-back pain

Yoga has also been shown to improve psychological well-being by decreasing feelings of stress, lowering incidence of depression, increasing a sense of well-being and reducing anxiety. Because of the practice of inducing the relaxation state, yoga has been helpful in many therapeutic settings, including helping those with chronic illness. 

I participated in two classes lead by Dharma Shakti (her yoga name meaning righteous strength). The first was the free one on the bluff; the other was at her studio (which is entirely donation based). Both classes were relaxing and provided a good workout with a nice mix of stretching and strength Yoga moves.

I asked Darma a few questions after taking her classes.

Patch: What type of yoga do you teach? Are there different types of yoga taught at your studio?

Darma Shakti: The style I teach is called Hatha Yoga which means sun (ha) and moon (tha) which is a practice that aims to balance these two energies in the body. My teaching style is influenced by many forms of yoga, but is founded in and for most experienced as Hatha Yoga. Some days the classes are rigorous and some days they are more mellow, it depends on who is there and what the vibe is like.

The style you experienced at the studio was more rigorous. The staff at Trilogy all have their own blend of and spice to yoga.  Our website offers class descriptions provided by the teachers themselves.

P: I noticed that you do not provide a lot of corrections which I assume is part of the underlying philosophy.  Perhaps there were no real beginners in class today. If you have beginners do you offer more corrections?

D.S.: I usually only provide a physical correction if it is absolutely necessary. I try to verbally instruct people through most of the adjustments  I would want to give (as everyone could use the information, rather than telling one person), this does many things, first, it requires you to listen, secondly it requires you to pay attention and third it encourages you to be your own teacher and become self reliant. I also notice it (giving corrections) tends to make newcomers feel as though they "don’t know what they are doing" because the teacher keeps coming over to fix them. 

P: You mentioned that you have had the studio for 9 months. Is the donation based concept working so far?

D.S.: I run the studio with Jakki Braden and the donation based concept has worked wonderfully. We couldn’t be happier to be able to offer yoga to our come-unity in this way. It makes the exchange between teacher and student feel so much more pure and loving. I feel that donation based yoga is a revolution and the solution to so many problems, especially in these economics times,people are stressed and need yoga to manage that stress but can’t afford to pay 15 -20 dollars a class. Hence my mission is to spread the Yogalution, it is a movement and I see it spreading like wild fire.

Patch:  Is there anything else that you would like to tell people about yourself, the studio etc.?

D.S.  I would just encourage folks to join the Yogalution movement, for their own peace of mind and for a much more peaceful world!

Dharma definitely encompasses the spirit of yoga and the bluff class ended with a few optimistic phrases about loving all of our relationships where as the studio class had a more definite meditation segment before the final asana or relaxation pose. During the meditation segment, Dharma’s message was that we by nature think of the negative aspects of our lives but we could choose to think of all of our blessings instead.

I felt that both classes were worth the time and, according to the Yogis, the ability to access the relaxed state in our lives will increase with practice just as the flexibility and ability to do the poses does. From a fitness standpoint, Yoga is an excellent way to fit in the flexibility component with some strength; especially for the core. If you want to add a cardiovascular workout, you can ride your bike to class which many of the participants did.