yogo lessons cochrane
melanie yoga cochrane ab

About Melanie
Anderson

Why Free Spirit Yoga?

I am a fully-certified Hatha Yoga teacher, trained in 2013. I began teaching in 2014 and in 2022 I also received certification to teach chair yoga.
 
My very first teaching experience was teaching in a very small rural school for a full day as part of a health and fitness week. I taught all grades from 1 – 12 and taught 5 of my granddaughters – a truly awesome experience and all the encouragement I needed to pursue other opportunities.
 
I specialize in teaching yoga
for people who are 50+ or for those who may have mobility issues or just want a more gentle yoga practice. This doesn’t mean we don’t work in our classes to ensure we keep our joints healthy and our core and legs strong. As I remind my students – MOTION IS LIKE LOTION FOR OUR JOINTS.
 
I am very aware of the health challenges many of us may experience as we get older. I was 63 when I travelled to Brazil for my yoga teacher and I was the oldest in my class of 15 with the vast majority of my fellow students being in their 20’s and 30’s. I realized that most younger people simply don’t recognize the physical challenges we may encounter as we age. Things like our balance, strength, flexibility and agility start to naturally decrease as we get older so in each class we work on these 4 physical skills to ensure we remain healthy, active and independent as we age.
 
We practice the three main components of yoga: breathing (pranayama), poses (asanas) and meditation, all of which have been proven to improve our health and wellness and slow our aging process. 

Where are the lessons held?

My home based yoga studio is located in Cochrane, AB but all classes are on Zoom allowing yoga students to join us from anywhere. We have students from Montreal,  Toronto, Victoria and Edmonton and we’ve had students join us from Mexico and South Africa. When the weather allows it, I prefer to move outside to a sunny location as well and I have taught on beaches in Vancouver and Kelowna, parks in Calgary and on my daughters’ sundecks in northeastern Alberta.  

All you need is an internet connection, a computer, iPad/tablet or you can connect on your phone. As long as you have Zoom you can join the class.

For class participants who may have to miss a class, all classes are recorded and a link will be sent after the class to allow you to practice at your convenience.  

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are new to yoga you must have a lot of questions. For your convenience, we have gathered the most frequently asked questions about our studio and the yoga experience.

If you are doing Chair yoga on Wednesday’s you will need a sturdy chair, a strap (you can use a belt, an old tie or a long scarf) and two blocks (you can use books) if your feet are not flat on the floor and your ankles directly under your knees.
 
If you are doing any of the other classes you will need a yoga mat, a strap (you can use a belt, an old tie or a long scarf), a block (you can use a book) and I highly recommend a bolster (you can use a rolled up pillow or blanket).

There are many benefits of yoga and the list continues to grow as medical and scientific research discovers additional benefits. More and more doctors are prescribing yoga for their patients to address an increasing number of conditions.

In the book, Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, Baxter Bell and Nina Zolotow write “When we talk about healthy aging, we don’t mean increasing your life span or your longevity. Instead, we mean doing what you can to keep your health span as long as possible (and the period of time you spend in ill health near the end of your life as short as possible).” They go on to address the 4 essential physical skills we need to remain healthy as we grow older. They are strength, flexibility, balance, and agility.

Each of our classes features a sequence of poses that increase those 4 physical skills. Even chair yoga will be working on our balance as we progress. 

Yoga is absolutely right for you. We work on increasing our flexibility throughout each class. I started practicing yoga about 15 years ago because of my lack of flexibility – I couldn’t get my leg over my bike. Now, after teaching yoga for the past 8+ years I can say confidently that I have never been more flexible and my core muscles are stronger now than when I was in my 40’s. 

Since you are online you don’t have to worry about what you wear as long as it is comfortable and stretches. You can even practice in your pajamas. The only person on view is Melanie and although you will be invited to turn on your audio and video at the end of the class to say hi to everyone, to build our little community of yogis, you don’t have to turn on your video.

If you are just starting yoga and have not been physically active or minimally physically active, I would suggest you start with chair yoga or our Saturday floor stretching class. If you are physically active I would suggest you join our Tuesday or Thursday hatha yoga class where we stretch, strengthen and balance through a number of dynamic and static sequences and hold some of the poses for up to 30 seconds to build muscle and bone. If you are more active I would suggest you join our Saturday morning flow class where we move through a number of dynamic sequences. 

Every class starts with a breathing practice, setting our intention and then we move into our warm-ups working every joint including our spine. Then we move into more dynamic poses and end with resting poses including meditation. 

A quote from LIVESCIENCE states “While yoga in itself may not be the most efficient way to burn fat, the research shows that those who practice yoga are more likely to be motivated to exercise, be in tune with their body and be more aware of hunger signals. This means that, over time, fat loss can occur through increased muscle tone and mindfulness.”

No, the only one who will be on your screen when you log in is Melanie. You will be invited to turn on your audio and video at the end of the class for our closing and to say hello to everyone, but, that is completely optional.