Soraya Yoga

Having ran four marathons, Soraya understands the importance of yoga for the runner.

She has runner specific yoga classes to balance the muscle groups and keep the spine long and flexible avoiding injury, shin splits, tight hamstrings, lower back and knee pain.

Yoga is essential for runners. If you are training for any running event, allow Soraya's Yoga to take you to the next level, lengthening your stride, allowing for ease of motion and lightness in your step, muscle strengthening and balancing. Depending on class size Ayurvedic Yoga Bodywork techniques will be applied. (55 minute session)

Ailment specific yoga to alleviate discomfort and accelerate healing and recovery. Emphasis in this class will be gentle stretching and strengthening of the joints and muscles. The instructor will use props to adapt the poses to the ability of each student. Ayurvedic yoga massage techniques may be used. Classes will focus on issues such as back pain, arthritis, tight shoulders, inflexibility, and injuries or recuperation from illness and/or on the following areas:

Hip & Pelvic Area
Lower Back
Thighs
Knees
Feet & Shins
Shoulders & Upper Back
Elbows & Forearms
Hands & Wrists
Neck & Jaw

(55 minute session)

Enjoy the benefits of yoga and Ayurvedic Yoga Bodywork in one session. Move deeper and faster into the poses with assisted stretching. Emotional and physical stress melts away as you are guided and/or assisted into yoga poses. Toxins are released and blocked energy begins to flow. (55 minute session)

This gentle class is designed to support the changes to your body through all stages of pregnancy. Improve your posture, relax, and reduce the aches and pains in a nurturing and supportive environment. Poses and breathing in preparation for labor and birth are practiced. (55 minute session)

This Postnatal program teaches yoga moves to restore muscle tone and strength, ease strain from carrying baby and help mom and child bond with yoga that includes baby.

(40-55 minute classes)

 A class designed for kids with interactive asanas balanced with calming practices. Yoga essentials are incorporated to encourage healthy habits, concentration and memory, flexible bodies, and sleep-filled nights. This is a class that offers children a freedom from curriculum and competition. Here creativity, confidence, and courage flourish. Yoga encourages them to explore their own emotional and physical capabilities and enjoy the peacefulness of relaxation.

Designed for students with or without previous yoga experience, this class helps promote self-esteem, cultivate self-discipline, and maintain physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This class focuses on strengthening, toning and relaxation providing teenagers with an alternative way to redirect their energy. Stretching reduces growing pains, and adolescents feel more comfortable within their own skin. It is a healthy, loving, and challenging way to experiment, play, push boundaries, and gain a sense of achievement. (55 minute session)

A moving meditation of flow yoga sequences that are fluid, challenging, and rejuvenating all while riding the wave of the breath. Vinyasa yoga connects movement and breath. The word Vinyasa means "breath-synchronized movement." The participant will move from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale. The poses run smoothly together and become like a dance. (55 minute session)

Active Meditations are a new way of taking care of both the outer and the inner you.

Many meditative techniques require one to sit still and silent. But for most of us accumulated stress in our body/mind makes that difficult. Before we can hope to access our inner powerhouse of consciousness, we need to let go of our tensions.

The practice of Active Meditations over a period of time enables us to consciously express and experience repressed feelings and emotions, and learn the knack of watching our habitual patterns in a new way.

Each program starts with a physical activity such as shaking, dancing or humming, and is followed by relaxation and stillness. This is when meditation can happen - a time to just be aware of your bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings in a self-accepting way without judgment. (60 – 75 minute sessions)

Pranayama is the process of inner cleansing that opens the participant to experience meditation. A style of breath control, pranayama helps purify the body and calm the mind. Basic relaxation techniques to release tension from the body will be taught. (55 minute sessions, 15-30 minute can be combined with other sessions)

Explore and renew the possibilities in your life. Increase creativity. Feel younger, more beautiful and loving. Attract prosperity and abundance. Cultivate balance, inner wisdom, and compassion. Allow your mind to work for you, not against you. It is all possible through the simply practice of Meditation. Guided and Silent meditations will be practiced.

Treat your body and spirit to a restorative class, a journey to stillness. The ancients said 20 minutes of conscious relaxation is equal to two hours of sleep. Come and feel it!

With the intent to relax, the body is placed in various postures, similar to classical Hatha Yoga Poses. Usually the body is held for a prolonged period of time, and props are used to support the body. While externally there is apparent stillness, internally the practitioner brings awareness to the breath and the experience of relaxation.

Connect with your divine feminine spirit and walk away feeling beautiful, confident and grounded. Come and play and dance in an inviting environment to freely express your feminine beauty, strength and power. Connect with others in invigorating, refreshing and uplifting dance.

Yoga exercises performed in a chair. Gentle and effective.

Soraya has taught Chair Yoga for Sunrise Assisted Living of Naperville North and Willowbrook.

Yoga classes on site offer a low-cost and forward looking solution for companies wanting to reduce health care expenses, relieve workplace stress and promote employee well-being. A corporation's performance depends on the performance of its key assets, its employees. Healthy and centered employees are more productive and more cost effective.

• "Recent research indicates that companies who offer yoga and wellness programs to their employees reduce their annual health insurance premiums, and thereby improve their bottom line.
• According to a recent study on worksite health programs, corporations realized $3-$6 in savings for every $1 invested in wellness programs.
• The same study showed more than a 25% average reduction in health-care costs for well-designed programs (American Journal of Health Promotion).

Additional Direct Employee Workplace Benefits Include:

• Improves concentration, decision-making skills and ability to multi-task;
• Reduces multiple costs of stress-related illnesses and absenteeism;                 
• Improves employee alertness and productivity and ability to react more calmly in demanding situations

• Relieves head, neck and back strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, insomnia, high blood pressure and work-related injuries from repetitive motion and/or lifting and moving objects;
• Creates better customer service;
• Enhances employee attitude and outlook; and
• Promotes well-being in the workplace and reduces employee turnover."

“The opportunity to do yoga at work has made an amazing impact on how I function during the rest of the week. It helps me remain calm, attentive and centered throughout the busy workday.”-

- Mark Naficy – Manager of Treasury/Finance, HSBC

On-site corporate classes are tailored to meet the corporate client’s needs. They may be held in the morning, before work, at lunch time, early evening, and/or after work, at the company’s request. . Classes are offered in 4 to 8 weeks duration which can be held once or twice a week.

Benefits and data from http://www.innervisionyoga.com/schedule/specialty-classes/outreach-corporate-yoga/