Class Descriptions

Lila’s classes are offered in a supportive and creative environment that combines clear and refined instructions with an upbeat, balanced, and safely challenging vinyasa flow. The key term vinyasa literally means to intentionally place oneself in a special way through the linking of movement with breath. We welcome and encourage all levels of students to listen to their own inner voice and practice at their own pace.

Our teachers instruct with authenticity and come with a variety of rich yoga traditions. The classes offer intelligent alignment for a safe, playful, and empowering practice; we believe optimal foundation leads to optimal expansion.

Foundations ^ back to top

Our Foundations class is for beginner and ongoing students who would like to focus on refining basic postures and breath work while building strength, flexibility, and awareness. In this class you will learn proper and intelligent alignment in the basic foundation of postures. From this foundation, you will learn to cultivate both inner and outer expansiveness, and find the joy in movement. We believe everyone can benefit from learning proper alignment as it leads to ultimate expansion.

Mixed Flow ^ back to top

This upbeat practice allows a fluid flow of movement linked with breath. The vinyasa practice becomes a moving meditation that creates strength, freedom and fluidity in the body and mind. All levels are welcome to join this vigorous, playful, and reflective practice. Some prior yoga experience is recommended, though options for modifying postures are given to allow everyone to work at their own ability level.

Open^ back to top

All levels are welcome to join in this open level class. Yogis will build strength, flexibility, and awareness while moving through their practice with intelligent alignment cues and various options to modify or move deeper in each asana.

Expanding ^ back to top

Students in this class will dive deeper into the bliss of practice with more advanced poses that require more strength, focus, control of breath, and flexibility. Postures may include: backbends, inversions, arm balances, and deeper twists. For your safety, we encourage you to check in with the teacher if you are new to joining us in this practice.

Community Class ^ back to top

Our Community Class offers the Lila community a class at a discounted rate as well as provides new teachers a venue to practice their teaching skills. All levels are welcome.

Yin Yoga ^ back to top

The yin yoga practice is a perfect complement to a more active (yang) yoga practice and a busy life. This style of yoga goes beyond working with the muscles and moves into the deeper layers of connective tissue, joints, and ligaments to release chronic held tension and to restore vitality and health to these important tissues. Similar to acupuncture/chinese medicine, yin yoga also works with the meridians of the body, enhancing the body's immunity and creating emotional equilibrium. Postures are practiced primarily on the ground and held for longer. This is a gentle yet intense practice which will challenge you physically and mentally. Also great for athletes and cross-training. The feeling of coming out of a yin class is comparable to receiving a massage or acupuncture. Try this deeply therapeutic practice and experience the healing effects for yourself.

Inner Beat ^ back to top

This special all levels class combines dynamic asana, instructed by David Vaughan, with Bill Mead's captivating percussion, a 90 minute class where the rhythmic soundscape reflects and enhances the asana experience. Let your breath and the beats guide you. Come practice on your mat and feel the power of moving with sound.

Prenatal Yoga^ back to top

THURSDAYS 4:00-5:00pm. Click HERE to register and to find out the dates of the current series.
Prenatal Yoga is specifically designed with your changing body and baby in mind. It is a more gentle form of yoga that assists women with relieving stress, improving overall strength, flexibility, and health. It works by creating openness throughout the body and mind. You will learn breath exercises that can help focus and calm the mind in preparation for childbirth. Open your hips and learn techniques to help improve labor and delivery. Prenatal yoga offers many health benefits including improvements in blood pressure, circulation, relief of aches and pains, and encourage deep states of relaxation. Learn the age-old techniques to have the best pregnancy possible thru yoga! This series will be taught by Tisha Bremner.

"I wanted to thank you for the wonderful prenatal classes. I took two sessions up to a few weeks before the delivery and I think it was one of the best things I did for myself and my baby during my pregnancy. Tish, you are incredible! Thank you so much... My pregnancy was really easy and I attribute that to the classes and other steps I took to take care of myself. Thank you again!" - Emily from Portland

Little One Yoga^ back to top

SATURDAYS 11:30-12:30pm - First & Last Saturday of every month (there are a few exceptions to this schedule. See below). Click here to see current series and offerings and to register.

Little One Yoga (aka Itsy Bitsy Yoga) - (Ages: 3 weeks to 12 months) Offers a developmentally- centered yoga class designed to nurture babies. Parents (moms & dads), grandparents, aunts, and/or uncles learn dozens of poses to soothe and support their babies’ development. Each session, parents (or relatives) lovingly engage their babies in poses that introduce cross lateral patterns for whole brain function, promote tummy time to build a strong core needed for sitting and later crawling, help baby sleep longer, and aid in digestion. Little One Yoga is a great way to bond with your baby, get some exercise, and meet moms in your community! This series is taught by Maxeen Wyatt. We encourage you to sign up for the whole series. In order to run, we will need a minimum of 5 registrants. If that is reached, then once up and running if you are not signed in for the full series you can drop in.

The sessions will be broken down into the following themes:

Happy Baby Series - February 4
Developmental Play series - Feb 25
Daddy series - March 10 **NOTE - schedule change to 2nd Sat for this month.
Sleep well series - March 31
Amazing anatomy series - April 7
Protecting the back series - April 28
Tummy time Series - May 12 **NOTE - schedule change to 2nd Sat for this month.

Mommy & Me Yoga^ back to top

Currently we are not offering this series. We hope to begin offering it again in the Fall of 2012.
Mommy & Me Yoga is open to parents with children ages 6 weeks to 12 months. Bond with your baby and meet other moms with children the same age. This is an opportunity to connect back in with your yoga practice in a fun, new way or to try yoga for the first time as a new practitioner. In this series you will learn fun yoga poses to do with your baby, gentle stretches to regain mobility in your body, start to strengthen your core after childbirth, and develop a practice that includes deep relaxation. Refresh, relax, and renew with your little one! *In order for this series to run we will need a minimum of 5 moms enrolled.

Within the vinyasa classes, we promote the teachings of Anusara Yoga. Anusara Yoga is a hatha yoga system that unifies Universal Principles of Alignment with a philosophy that embodies a celebration of the heart. It encompasses a vision of totality in which each person is seen as equally divine in every part - body, mind, and spirit. The practice offers structural awareness and heart-centered movement.

Ashtanga Inspired ^ back to top

This focused vinyasa practice inspires students to move and breathe together as the class flows though a sequence of poses grounded in the primary series of Ashtanga yoga. Modification and hands on adjustments are offered throughout to make the practice accessible to all levels. It is important to note that this is not a traditionally led Ashtanga practice. It is an energizing class, however, and some experience recommended.

Lila East End Yoga, Portland, Maine