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Vancouver Island Yoga School

Building Community, Well-being, & Spiritual Growth

Class Descriptions

We have many different class styles to try, so you can find the yoga that works for you. Please be sure to attend a class based on your level of experience and build from there – reach out if you have any questions.

Morning Practice (Mysore) – Self-guided studio time. A teacher is present to teach the postures of the Ashtanga series, answer questions and perform alignment adjustments. Students are invited to practice at their own pace and ask for assistance at any time. The room is open for a set amount of time from 6am – 8:00am, and you are welcome to enter and exit as you please. Open to everyone. Note: Ashtanga and Moon Days.

Beginner/Gentle Classes (Level 0-1 and 1)

Gentle Foundations – A slow, supportive introduction to yoga and also ideal for those seeking a more easeful, steady approach. this class is designed to help you gently build strength, stability, and confidence, one mindful step at a time. With the use of props, you’ll be guided to move with ease, explore alignment, and develop a sustainable practice.

This workshop-style class focuses on foundational postures, including gentle half sun salutations, as well as standing and floor postures, all offered at an accessible pace – seated and on your back. Emphasis is placed on breath awareness, mobility, and feeling supported in your body.

Limited to 10 students to allow for individual guidance and a comfortable learning environment.

Perfect for those new to yoga, returning after time away, or anyone looking to move more gently and with greater awareness. Some mobility is helpful—please reach out if you’d like to discuss your needs.

Experience your body and mind becoming steadier, stronger, and more at ease over time.

Start Slow & Strong – A slow, but empowering introduction to yoga that helps you develop strength, stability, and confidence—one mindful step at a time. Develop the foundations for a lifelong yoga journey. In this workshop-style class expect sun salutations, standing and seated postures – the use of props is encouraged.

Our Start Slow & Strong class is designed to help you to have a strong start to building a solid foundation in classical yoga. Move at a steady, accessible pace while developing strength, mobility, breath awareness, and confidence on the mat. Perfect for brand-new students or anyone looking to return to their practice with clarity and confidence. Please note: some mobility is required – please contact us to discuss if needed. 

Chair Yoga – Experience our chair yoga class where we provide a supportive environment for safe movement. Within these classes we help to strengthen ourselves through energizing the heart and body.

We look forward to meeting you, and sharing this mindful chair yoga practice together.

Chair yoga is beneficial to students of all levels. The chair supports arriving safely in yoga poses, moving, breathing, and feeling good. You will also develop strength and balance, creating energy and stretching through the entire body. Enjoy the body’s movement, reduce pain, and have a clear mind. 

Gentle Yoga –  This mindful class is excellent for beginners. Learn to connect with your breath and your body. Brighten your day. 

Slow Flow & Yin – Balance between movement and stillness, strength and softness. Starting with slow movement paired with breath to warm and open the body. Class will move towards our yin poses as we settle into deeper tissue, stillness and breath. Leave feeling relaxed and at ease. 
 
Regular Classes – some yoga experience required – Level 1 and 1-2
 
Happy Hips – A practice emphasizing opening and strengthening the hips. The hips are at the pelvic hub of our skeletal system and affect the way we walk, sit, move, and sleep. Creating harmony in the hips often leads to harmony in the entire body/mind. Level 1-2
 
Hatha Yoga – Hatha yoga classes involve asanas, meditation, mudras, mantras, and pranayama. The classes offer the opportunity to connect and explore the subtler aspects of ourselves. Postures may be held for longer periods of time and include both standing and seated variations. Focusing on grounding oneself and nourishing the breath. Level 1-2
 
Harmony Flow – Flow through a gently warming sequence, creatively designed to develop strength, flexibility and balance, and to connect you to your body, breath and heart. Sun salutations, standing and balancing postures, seated poses, and a grounding closing sequence. Level 1-2

Sunday Flow – Ease into your Sunday with a mindful and nourishing flow. This slower-paced yoga class invites you to flow through a gently warming sequence, creatively designed to develop strength, flexibility, and balance while fostering a deep connection to your body, breath, and heart. Expect a thoughtful blend of sun salutations, standing and balancing postures, soothing seated poses, and a grounding closing sequence to leave you centered and refreshed. Level 1-2

Core, Hips & Hammies – This class focuses on building a strong core while releasing tension in the hips and legs. You’ll explore fundamental movement patterns to support healthy mobility in the lower body and spine. Expect a strong, steady practice that’s accessible for students with some yoga experience and general ease of movement. A slower-paced yet powerful class that emphasizes longer-held postures to deepen strength, stability, and awareness. Level 1-2
 
Morning Strength & Flow – Move your body, stay active, and feel vibrant! This strong, but accessible yoga practice focuses on simple postures to help you maintain an active lifestyle. It’s also an excellent complement to any sport—enhancing flexibility while supporting your natural body type. Through mindful movement and breath, this series helps improve coordination, focus, and concentration—keeping both body and mind strong, steady, and clear. With a consistent, easy-to-follow sequence, you’ll build confidence and proficiency, making it an accessible series to develop into a regular yoga practice.

This steady, active practice is perfect for those who are comfortable with sun salutations and standing poses. Level 1-2

Regular Faster-Paced Classes (Level 2 – students are recommended to have ease in Standing Postures & Sun Salutations)
 
(Warm) Vinyasa Flow – A strong practice consisting of poses to strengthen and open the body, linked by the breath. This class includes sun salutations, strong standing poses, and mat work. When listed as warm the room is heated using infrared heaters to approximately 28-30 degrees — a warm, strong practice. Level 2
 
Advanced Ashtanga Classes (Level 2-3)
 
Primary Series – A traditional ashtanga practice as offered by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India, composed of a fixed series of postures linked by vinyasa (flowing, connecting movements). Designed to realign the spine, cleanse and tone the body, and cultivate focus. This strong class includes inversions. Note: Ashtanga and Moon Days.
 
Primary Plus – This class integrates and diversifies poses from the Ashtanga Primary series, Intemediate and Advanced A series. Well-balanced and strong. Accessible to regular yoga practitioners. You will build strength and capacity to explore more complex postures with confidence and precision. Note: Ashtanga and Moon Days.
 

Intermediate Series –

The intermediate series is the second set of yoga postures, that are taught in traditional Ashtanga yoga. This modified version of the practice helps practitioners deepen focus inward, learn to extend breath, and is meant to help detoxify and purify the body.

Familiarity with the Primary Series is a prerequisite – Level 3

 
Somatics and Yin Classes – All levels 
 
Somatics (in-studio or  online) – Somatics is not a different style of yoga, but rather a movement therapy: a way of re-educating the way our brain senses and moves the muscles. Small, slow, and gentle movements re-educate the brain to allow changes in our habitual patterns so that tight and restricted areas of the body relax and move more functionally. All levels
 
Somatics & Yin (in-studio or online) – Combining the movement therapy of Somatics with the mindfulness of longer held yin postures creating a mindful, meditative and healing experience. All levels
 
Mindful Yin – Yin yoga is a practice working with soft muscles and connective tissue. Poses are held for 4-10 minutes with the help of props. Connective tissue can shrink-wrap the body – these slow, long holds stimulates and opens the fascia. The emphasis is on relaxing and finding inner solace. A mindful, meditative practice that gives you space to breathe, connect, reset, and rest. All levels are welcome.
Prasarita Padottanasana B - VI Yoga School