Morning Yoga Classes Come To Farragut, Tn Area Twice A Week

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 23, 2007 -
Fall Yoga classes started this week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:00-11:30 at Westside Unitarian Universalist Church, 616 Fretz Rd., Knoxville, TN 37934.

David Morgan, owner of http://www.yogaknoxville.com and a certified teacher of Kripalu Yoga registered with the Yoga Alliance, teaches the course. The classes have a particular emphasis on weight management, though anyone is welcome whether struggling with weight issues or not.

“So often when people try to lose weight, they torture their bodies with overexercise, starvation diets, or both,” states Morgan. “Not only is this approach untenable, it is an act of violence against oneself.”

Kripalu Yoga, often called the “yoga of consciousness” and the “yoga of compassion,” stresses not only physical postures and alignment, but also the nurturing of mental and emotional states to foster self-acceptance and overall wellbeing.

“We will certainly burn some calories, but our priority in class is to reduce stress and be less critical of ourselves and others,” says Morgan. “With increased flexibility of both body and mind we'll open to new possibilities, including the possibility of self-acceptance. When you have that, profound and lasting change is available in any area of life.”

Though the classes are oriented towards weight management, weight loss is a complex topic. “There are simply too many factors – body type, lifestyle, and genetics just for starters  – to make any concrete weight loss claims. But yoga can certainly be a fun and fulfilling part of an overall weight-management strategy,” Morgan says.

Tuesday classes are gentle, Thursday classes are moderate in exertion. Classes cost $10 each ($8 for seniors and students with valid i.d.). Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mat. Mats are available for purchase for $10 in class.

“Come prepared to chant, breathe, move, relax, integrate and meditate.” Morgan asks that participants have their physician's clearance for moderate exercise.

David Morgan is a full-time yoga teacher who first encountered yoga 15 years ago while pursuing a Religion degree at Middlebury College in Vermont. He later studied meditation while residing in India and Nepal, where he volunteered for the Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile and at two of Mother Teresa's missions.