Prana Yoga and Healing Center
941.928.2137
Prana studio focuses on alignment based classes in Iyengar and Anusara styles of Yoga. Various levels are offered to appeal to the raw beginner as well as the seasoned practitioner.
Many of the instructors at Prana are cross-trained in other healing modalities as well. The intention of the yoga instruction at Prana is to empower each student by giving them anatomical instruction of the body and poses. This knowledge will transform the yoga practice to be therapeutic, helping to heal injury and reduce pain for chronic conditions.
Join us at 3840 Osprey Ave in beautiful Sarasota, Florida.
~ Regina DeWitt, Owner
Experience alignment of
mind, body & breath at
Prana Yoga and Healing Center.
We are a true community center dedicated to health and well being.
Welcome to Our Center!
Upcoming Events
Donations & Scholarships
Your donations can help others experience the many of benefits of Yoga.
Prana Yoga and Healing Center has established a 501c3. With your tax free donations, we will offer a Scholarship and Outreach Program.
If you are interested in making a donation to this much needed program, please contact Regina at 941.928.2137. All donations are greatly appreciated and will go to great use. No amount is too great or too small.
Prana Yoga and Healing Center
3840 Osprey Ave., Sarasota, Florida 941.928.2137
Feature Student
Ann is our
feature
student !
Ann writes her story:
I joined the ranks of the disabled 30 years ago following a car accident that left me paralyzed from the mid chest down. In dealing with this trauma, one of my main worries was becoming dependent on family or worse the medical community. I quickly realized that avoiding the common pitfalls of Spinal Cord Injury, such as pressure sores, rotator cuff injury and repeated infections, was the key to remaining independent. To stay healthy, I immersed myself in a number of disability friendly sports. Although these activities were beneficial, all focused on upper body and after 20 years I began to notice sign of deteriation. This was unsettling
A friend of mine, who is a yoga teacher, suggested yoga as an alternative to demanding exercise. At the time, I could not imagine how I would be able to participate but once convinced I transferred to the floor and we positioned my body into my first official pose “Virasana” or “Hero’s Pose”. She instructed me to feel the bend of my legs, ground myself through the sits bones and elongate my spine; this was the first time I had thought about my body below the chest. The experience was exhilarating and I wanted more. Initially, I was too self-conscious to try a yoga class so I developed a practice from books, DVDs and an occasion private session. This home practice was fine t but I felt isolated craved the experiencing a real yoga class. I tried a variety of studios and teachers but found a home at Prana Yoga.
My teacher Regina has been a godsend, her background in Healthcare and her sound knowledge of anatomy as it pertains to alignment allows me to safely challenge myself and experience a wide variety of poses. She instinctively knows when to step in providing instruction and props for a posture or when to step back encouraging me to find the pose through trial/error and sensation. She is not intimidated by my limitation. This confidence allows me to feel safe enough to transfer onto the floor so that I might experience the pose as a body not a body in a chair.
In addition to the Yoga classes, I am working with Jeff Cohen, a Structural Integrated (SI) practitioner. SI is a type of bodywork, which goes beyond muscles massage and focuses on the protective layer of tissue around the muscles or fascia. Jeff explained to me that the limited mobility of my lower extremities combined with the over use of upper body was shortening and tightening the facial resulting in misalignment. His treatments release these restrictions, which promotes more suppleness in the muscles. After one of Jeff’s session, my body feels free from the sensation of being wrapped in plastic and I can move more fluidly. For me, SI is the perfect complement to my yoga practice as it provides the space in and between muscles, as I increase strength and flexibility through the yoga poses. This powerful combination encourages alignment.
After a year at Prana Yoga, I noticed I am taking the principals of alignment off the matt and into my daily life. Physically, I am more aware of how I am using my shoulders, and position my lower extremities. Mentally, I have shifted my awareness to my whole body and spiritually, I am practicing Ahisma, letting go of my resentment and frustration of my body’s limitations.
Namaste
www.facebook.com/pranayogasarasota
Greetings!
It is always wonderful to have our "snowbirds" return to us at this time every year. It's like having everyone home for the holidays!
As we mark the ending of the Old Year and move into a new one, it is a time to look within and reflect on what has served us well in the past and what we need to let go. Although there can be considerable commotion as we celebrate, let's not forget to contemplate our intentions.
This month at the studio we are offering a Restorative Workshop on December 14, to help us get through the hustle and bustle of the holidays with serenity and sanity!
On January 1, we will have a very special New Years Day Class, with asana, pranayama, and meditation. Join us in letting go, and moving mindfully into 2012. Afterwards, we will have food and frolic, with live music and lots of love! See below for details.
Prana is about energy movement. Yoga opens us up to keep us in the movement with a sense of grace. Grace is a place of balance. Your yoga practice can help keep you in the flow through this busy month and into the New Year!
Blessings to all, with gratitude,
Regina
Gong Meditation
2nd and 4th Friday
of every month
5:30-6:30pm
The gong has been
used for thousands of
years as an important tool for healing and meditation. As you begin to focus on your breath and open the body's chakras (energy centers), the waves of sound carry your body and mind to a place of inner peace and connection.
~~~
Yoga For A Healthier Back
A four-part series of 90-minute classes
Each Saturday, Jan. 21 - Feb. 11, 2012
(Jan. 21, 28, Feb. 4, 11)
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
$85 for the entire series
Register before Jan. 14th and pay only $75!
From doctors and nurses to lab techs and insurance processors, back pain is one of the most common complaints. Bending, twisting, lifting, long hours of standing or sitting- all can cause chronic and persistent back pain.
The origin of many approaches to back pain and injury are rooted in the ancient principles of yoga. When practiced with today’s understanding of anatomy and precise alignment, yoga is a safe, empowering and affective approach to the rehabilitation and recovery of chronic back conditions.
Join us as we learn to apply simple postures and self-corrections in body alignment that strengthen and stabilize the back while helping to restore its natural flexibility.
Taught by:
Regina DeWitt, RN, RYT Steven Weiss, MS, DC, RYT
~~~
Anatomy and Alignment for the Practice of Yoga (click for more info)
March 24-25, 2012
~~~
Sat, March 31, 2012
~~~
Yoga Teacher Training
beginning in March!
~~~
Raw Vegan Meetups w/ Pam Dix
join meetup site for times & locations
Learn more about Raw Vegan food by joining the Community Raw Sarasota Meetup group! Lectures by top raw food authorities, cleanses and classes. No need to be all raw to join, just an interest in adding more raw vegan healthy foods into your lifestyle! Potlucks, lectures, classes, etc.
