localYOGA!

What do a cobra, triangle and downward dog have in common? They are all poses or postures in yoga, each designed to create balance, flexibility and strength.

LocalYOGA!, a new yoga studio at 5946 South 300 West, offers a variety of yoga classes to help you stretch your way back into those jeans and reach all of your fitness goals.

Murray residents Lisa Smiley and Denae Lambert joined forces in September to open localYOGA! The studio's name reflects the energy in their approach to yoga because it's important to them that the classes meet the needs of the surrounding community.

"We found Murray to have an older clientele who enjoy yoga so we also wanted to offer classes with a gentler approach by focusing on basic stretching and breathing," Lisa says.

Whether you are young or old, localYOGA! wants to make yoga more accessible by making classes affordable and less intimidating, especially for those who have never heard of a downward dog. An introduction class is held Saturday mornings and is a great way for beginners to learn not only what the basic poses are but to ask questions to learn the benefits of each pose.

"The first class is always free to allow people to feel it out," Lisa says. "All you have to do is show up in comfortable clothes and we'll provide a mat for you."

For those hardcore yoga enthusiasts, the Power KWA class should be right up your alley. It's a full hour of intense muscle working and Lisa says participants better be prepared to sweat buckets. Shake Your Shakti also gets your blood going with fun music and dance moves to feel your own rhythm.

There are also classes for every skill level in between and even classes for kids and teenagers.

"From the feedback we received, parents wanted to get their kids exposed to yoga," Lisa says. "By offering simultaneous classes, kids get the benefits of yoga in an adjacent room and the parents don't have to get a babysitter."

Lengthening muscles is just one component of yoga. With the additional focus on mind and breath, Lisa said it does a world of difference to one's temperament; this benefit is something any age level can benefit from.

"Most people only use the top one-third of their lungs when breathing which keeps them close to what is called the fight or flight syndrome," she says. "Yoga teaches you how to breathe and how to use more lung capacity so you respond better to surprising situations and not be so reactive."

All four instructors use various yoga styles to accomplish these goals. They don't follow a strict set of guidelines with a set number of poses per class. Each class is unique but what they all have in common is the final relaxation called shivasana. This is a time to relax all muscles. The lights are dimmed, the music is tranquil and the teacher talks very gently to calm the body and mind.

For more information about classes offered at localYOGA! go to wwwlocalyogaslc.com.