Class Atmosphere
- Lighting & Ambiance: Soft, warm lighting with calming music or silence to encourage relaxation.
- Pace: Slow, mindful transitions with long holds to allow the body to settle.
- Focus: Creating comfort, stability, and spaciousness in each posture.
Props & Supports
- Bolsters & Pillows: Used to support the spine or to cushion knees in seated poses.
- Blankets: Folded for extra padding under joints or rolled to elevate hips.
- Blocks: Provide height and stability in standing poses or gentle forward folds.
- Straps: Assist in reaching without strain, especially in hamstring stretches or shoulder openers.
- Chairs: Offer support for balance postures or seated variations.
Flow of the Class
- Centering: Begin by focusing on breath awareness.
- Gentle Warm-Up
- Ananda Poses: supported standing poses like warrior variations with a chair or block.
- Relaxation: Savasana with props.
- Guided meditation with visualization
Benefits
- Physical: Relieves tension, supports joints, encourages gentle mobility.
- Mental: Reduces stress, cultivates mindfulness, enhances body awareness.
- Emotional: Creates a safe, nurturing environment for release and renewal.
Ananda Yoga® is inherently gentle and our instructors encourage and support appropriate modifications so all bodies can participate safely. Come early to class and speak with the instructor about your needs.
$15.00 per class
$10.00 per class: Senior discount for 60 years old +
Drop-ins welcome. Preregister and prepayment optional.
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Purchase a 10 class package and save!
(packages must be purchased on site)
$15 per drop-in / 10 class package $135, get 1 class free/$13.50 per class) good for 1 year.
$10 Senior rate (10 class package $90, get 1 class free/ $9.00 per class) good for 1 year.
Melissa Heart has been teaching Ananda Yoga since 2012 as a certified Ananda Yoga instructor. She’s been with Ananda Portland since 2007 and has served in many capacities at the temple. Currently she serves as a member of the ministry team, manager of the temple and coordinator for Education for Life Outreach Programs.
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Testimonial from Lori Arveson, student:
“I have been practicing Ananda Yoga for several years, and it has become a deeply inward and centering experience for me. The postures are held with mindful awareness, each accompanied by a silent affirmation that gently guides my attention within. As I move through the poses, my mind settles and the practice becomes a form of moving meditation.
Melissa brings a soft, grounded presence to each class. She begins by inviting us into stillness, seated in meditation with uplifting Ananda music, and gently leads us through pranayama. The class closes with a few moments of silent meditation, allowing everything to integrate. By the end of each session, I feel both deeply relaxed and quietly energized, carrying a sense of calm with me beyond the mat.”
Review of Ananda Yoga – Beaverton OR.
From: Rick Cady – Tualatin, OR.
“As a current student of Ayurveda, I had been looking to complement my studies with a Yoga tradition that would support the ideals espoused by the ancients related to the Yoga sciences. Given that the Western model of Yoga tends toward only a focus on the physical aspects of the practice, I was happy to find a more traditional practice of Hatha Yoga through the Ananda Temple here in Beaverton, OR. Teacher Melissa Heart brings this practice to life with her unique and effective teaching style with an emphasis on being conscious and still as we move into poses, hold the pose, and come out of the pose. This practice emphasizes utilizing the poses to relax the body and be aware of our state of mind to ultimately prepare for meditation. Melissa is a gem that I am grateful to have met, as you can feel her love for the practice and desire to share it with others. On a physical level, I had been diagnosed many years ago with a Lumbar spine defect that had given me significant pain and limitations for several decades, and this practice has made me virtually pain free in about 3 months. A true miracle. I am forever grateful and will be a lifetime supporter of Melissa and Ananda Yoga.”
Registration
