MAY 2015 SUNRAYS | 35
ONLINE:
SCTEXAS.ORG
Integral Yoga
By Jaime Calder
Integral Yoga
Tuesday
4:30 p.m.
Texas Drive Fitness Center
Integral Yoga stretches and
strengthens the body and improves
balance and flexibility. Meditation
promotes relaxation and composure.
Questions?
For more information about In-
tegral Yoga and other group
fitness classes, email Whitney
Alexander at whitney.alexander@
sctexas.org or call 512-948-7753.
I
n a dimly lit room within the Fitness
Center on Texas Drive, a shoeless
group of Sun City Texas residents sit
cross-legged on mats. At the front of the
room sat Sevika Linda Ward, registered
yoga teacher. Bringing her hands to her
chest and placing her palms together, she
nods a greeting to her class. After nod-
ding in return, the group begins with a
chant.
“Om Shanti. Om Shanti. Om Shanti.”
The mantra – which means “peace” – is
repeated in unison as part of the group’s
meditation process, during which par-
ticipants turn their thoughts away from
events outside of the room and focus in-
stead on the activity at hand.
Appropriately titled Integral Yoga, Linda
aims to help her students make yoga a
daily part of their everyday lives. With
an emphasis on breathing techniques,
mindfulness and physical well-being,
students of Integral Yoga engage in sus-
tained poses which gently stretch and
strengthen the body, improve balance and
flexibility, and cultivate a lasting sense
of composure and relaxation.
Following their brief meditation session
at the top of the class, Linda leads the
group in their first series of asanas – or
poses. Participants move at a comfort-
able pace, transitioning from seated to
standing to bending positions in gradual
yet uninterrupted motions. As she guides
the class, Linda alternates between dem-
onstrating instructed asanas and gently
assisting those students needing a little
extra support inmoving from one position
to the next. Participants breathe slowly
and deliberately as they move in to and
out of each stance, taking time to note
points of tension or weakness they may
encounter and allowing themselves to
take pause and acknowledge how their
bodies feel.
You may have heard that yoga is the
Sanskrit word for union – however, an
alternate translation defines yoga as “to
yoke,” the way one would yoke a powerful
creature to better serve a useful purpose.
As Integral Yoga participants harness to-
gether their minds, bodies and emotional
health, they may find this definition is the
one best suited for a practice that guides
them in healthy, positive ways long after
they’ve left their mats.
Integral Yoga takes place every Tuesday
at 4:30 p.m. in the Texas Drive Fitness
Center. This class is ongoing and requires
just one class ticket. No preregistration
required.
