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Join Bikram Method Teacher Trainer, Helena Monica for Yogamaya’s 8:00 am Bikram/Hot Hatha class, with a 30 minute information session to follow.

The True You, 12 weekend training program provides a professional and supportive training atmosphere that will help you evolve your yoga practice, on and off the mat.

This program will effectively prepare you to teach the Bikram method (aka, Hot Hatha 26+2). Transform your practice, your professional skills, and your life.

True You Hot Yoga is a Registered Yoga Alliance Yoga School.

LOCATION FOR THIS EVENT: Yogamaya Hot Yoga + Wellness Studio 373 Merchant St. Vacaville, CA 95688

Sept 2019 – Vacaville, California Yogamaya Studio Class Schedule

About Yogamaya

May 11, 2019

YogaMaya offers a variety of yoga class styles for all-level students. Our Hot Hatha and Vinyasa classes are heated. The heat has many benefits including increased muscle elasticity, improved circulation, and enhanced detoxification. All of our classes are All-Levels and we have beginning students and well as experience students in every class. Remember, it is not about executing a posture ideally or looking like your neighbor. Instead, it is about going within, becoming aware of sensation and moving with your breath. Pace yourself and honor your body…take rest when needed.


About the Owner

Carmen Isais is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and wellness entrepreneur whose work includes traditional psychotherapy, wellness retreats, coaching, and other mental health endeavors.  She now has the honor of creating and maintaining the space for your Yoga practice and encourage you to stay steadfast on the path towards your physical, mental and/or spiritual growth– however Yoga fits into your philosophy of those areas, we hope to support you.

Manage Your Account

May 11, 2019

Log into your account to:

  • Schedule a class
  • Register for a workshop
  • Purchase class cards
  • Change your credit card on file
  • Update your contact information

Preparation for Your First Class

Come Early

For your first class, come 15 to 20 minutes before your class starts. This is one of the best things you, as a new student, can do for yourself.

Besides filling out a short application, we like to have some time to ask you about injuries and surgeries, old or recent, including any conditions, temporary or permanent, that might preclude you from executing the postures. We need to know if you are currently taking any medication for any reason.

With all this information, we can offer suggestions about some postures, pick a good spot for you in the room, and put you at ease.

Fluids

We recommend plain water in class. In some of the practices we offer, we don’t drink water for the first 20 minutes or so to warm up the body inside out. After that, there are some spots, every 3 or 4 postures, where the teacher will encourage students to drink. If you can, wait with everybody else, great. Otherwise for the first class, drink as you need but only between postures.

A feeling of dizziness is normal here and there during the first few classes. It will go away later on. If you feel at some point that it is absolutely necessary for you to leave the room, please do it at the end of the posture. Same as you re-enter the class. please do it between postures. Take it easy, don’t push too much and talk to the teacher after class about how it went.

Sipping water throughout the day is a great way to hydrate your body in preparation for yoga class.

Coconut water seems to be still the best way to replenish the minerals lost through the profuse sweating. Some students drink it before and some others after class.

Hydration is obviously an important element of practicing hot yoga. The New Students Seminar will cover this issue and much more.

Don’t Eat

Come on an empty stomach.

In any type of yoga, you will find postures in which a mild to vigorous massage of the internal organs occurs. Some postures are specifically designed to work on the digestive and elimination systems. For this reason, you should not go through the digestive process during a yoga class.

A regular meal should be consumed at least 3 to 4 hours prior to class to allow for full digestion. A banana or a power bar might be OK an hour before class, depending on your body.

What to Wear

If you take a class in the heated room, what you wear should not be too heavy or too loose either.

For men: Running trunks or swimming trunks will do it. You don’t really need a t-shirt, but if you don’t feel comfortable without one, wear it. Keep in mind that cotton t-shirts get soaked pretty quickly.

For women: A sports bra or tank top is fine. As with men, t-shirts may get in the way, but wear one if you feel more comfortable. For the legs, we see anything from short, to mid-thigh, to below-the-knee exercise pants. Sweat pants are not recommended. Pants down to your feet will get in the way of several postures.

If you don’t have yoga clothing, don’t worry. Come with what you have, look at what other students are wearing during the practice and ask for suggestions after class. Make some adjustments or purchases only when you know you want to continue with hot yoga.

 

What to Bring

Three things you need for class:

  • yoga mat

  • large towel

  • bottle of water

If you are without a yoga mat, or towel, rentals are available at the front desk. Water is available, refrigerated, for purchase at the front desk.

***We are accepting credit, debit or Venmo as payment.

How to Approach Your First Class

Take it easy. It is as simple as that. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The first class is not the one you want to push. In fact, we suggest you to go through the first five to 10 classes with the idea of slowly familiarizing yourself with the practice and the heat.

Give some time to your body and your mind to connect, get in sync, and have a feeling of, “I have been here before, I can do this”.

Try to do the postures with everybody else to the best of your ability. If, at any time, you feel overwhelmed or overheated or overexerted, lay down in Savasana to rest your body and calm your mind. When you feel better, get up, and do the next posture with everybody else.

 

 

So far, 2019 has ushered in ongoing changes for us at the studio. Being new owners since just November 2018, we have made an effort to increase our social media presence, and overall reach in our local community. The result is new energy in the studio, and also online.

With Akasha Davis sometimes being mistaken with our Vacaville studio on the web, we’ve decided to eliminate any potential future confusion and change the name of what, to date, has been known as Akasha in Vacaville. In our search for a new name Lee and I were inspired by our daily work with trauma, grief, and psychotherapy clients— From the world of Yoga, a term comes to mind, one that identifies “the energy that remains when all else ceases to exist”. That word is YogaMaya.

In daily life YogaMaya might be the energy that brings individuals to move towards hope, healing and vitality– despite challenges. It is that last bit of instinct towards life that helps us show up for ourselves.In your daily yoga practice and on the mat, YogaMaya might be that unexpected surge of energy that gives you just enough push to move into the next posture, finish your class, stay in the room. Just when you think you have nothing left to give your practice, you find there is more.

YogaMaya shows up in our lives in dozens of other ways. We tap into it every time we push through physically, mentally, or emotionally. It makes up the best parts of our strength and resiliency. And we can use more of it.And so we hope you come visit us, show up for yourself, and tap in. So, in the coming weeks we will make the transition to your studio’s new name, YogaMaya. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. As always, thank you each for your ongoing support.

Gratefully, Carmen & Lee

YOGA CLASSES

April 3, 2019

Akasha 3.0

November 1, 2018

November 1, 2018

Dear Akasha Yoga Clients, Students, and Friends,

You may have already met us at Akasha as the new owners of your yoga studio in Vacaville. If not, we look forward to meeting and getting to know each of you.

We are Carmen Isais and Lee Ockenden — husband and wife team, plus a bunch of our kids (who are sure to be around, checking you in or with mop in hand). This is a big adventure for us all that developed into a possibility less than 90 days ago when the opportunity to become the 3rd owners of Akasha presented itself. The choice, immediately, was a simple, “yes”.

Back in 2012 we first began to visit Akasha in Vacaville, choosing to drive from our offices in Davis, just to enjoy the studio, teachers and amenities as Jami Testa first created the space. We found the studio welcoming, calming and a retreat from outside stressors. Later, and for the last four years, owners Sharon and Bob Scott continued to grow and nurture the Akasha Yoga community. The Scotts have been steadfast and thoughtful caretakers, leaders and teachers. To both Jamie and the Scotts we are grateful. Thanks to all of them, the Akasha community is a thriving one.

Our continued vision for the studio is to, first, always maintain the Hot Hatha and Hot Vinyasa traditions your practice has been built on, and second, to introduce Restorative, (more) Yin and Hatha Alignment classes to offer diversity to your practice.

As psychotherapists, both Lee and I have found that a focus on wellness and self-care is difficult to maintain in our over-worked, fast-paced and stress-filled society. We have to be intentional, then in our self-care. To that end, workshops and opportunities for group meditation, Yoga Nidra, and Trauma-informed approaches will be offered at Akasha in the near future.

Akasha exists to provide clients/students, of all abilities, tools that enable them to enjoy the experience of being fully alive. We practice not to become perfect— but perfectly imperfect, physically resilient, emotionally intact, intelligently engaged, and absolutely present.

Reaching these goals may sometimes be a struggle for you. It is a struggle for Lee and I, too— so you will find us on the mat, often, and sometimes right alongside you.In the spirit of transparency, know that our dedication to facilitating and empowering your Yoga and Wellness practice is part of our personal life’s work and Dharma.

And for allowing us a space for this work, we are … Gratefully Yours, Carmen & Lee

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