Skanda Yoga
π skandayoga.com
π 1800 SW 1st Ave #102, Miami, FL 33129
π 786-567-8124
π skandayogastudio@gmail.com
π± Instagram / Facebook / Twitter
POWER FLOW
with Darren Weissman βΆ 1/15/2024
This place is top-notch. I haven't experienced this level of precision and expertise balanced with a beautiful level of playfulness and curiosity at a studio in Miami before.
Darren was so calm and collected. His cooling energy balanced me through the hottest, toughest parts of the flow. He has a soothing voice that brings a zen-like quality to the class. But he also uses very playful and quirky tones to keep you uplifted. I love his use of sound effects when heβs doing pose demonstrations. His pose demonstrations were gorgeous. He pulls Superman strength out of himself without seeming to expend much effort and raises himself into wild arm-variated inversions that I havenβt seen demonstrated before. His energy is so lighthearted you canβt help but be filled with positive vibrations after a class with him.
We jumped right into the asanas without hesitation. I enjoyed getting right to work. Usually, there is a slow stretching section to a sequence before you start getting into the powerful asanas. Darren used long holds to warm us up but got us right into poses I generally get into after a 15-minute warm-up. It was an enjoyable new challenge.
I loved the long, powerful holds alongside incredibly particular alignment cues. Darren is so damn knowledgeable when it comes to alignment. Heβs so happy-go-lucky in delivering his cues that I canβt help but smile. I loved how relaxed Darren was in delivering cues for some of the most intense inversion asanas back to back. I have generally only done handstand, or headstand, or forearm stand in a sequence. Not all three. His ability to maintain absolute tranquility in his delivery of the cues made me able to participate in all the inversions back to back. I was able to hold these poses off the wall for the longest moments of time thus far in my life. I felt so accomplished under his guidance. His zen vibration gave me the courage to stay upside down longer than I ever had before. I was able to hold a forearm stand for the first time under his instruction because his flow was so well choreographed.
It is impressive how deep Darrenβs knowledge of yoga extended. He offered amplification cues I've never even seen hinted at in any class. So many arm variations that Iβve never even imagined existed in inversions. I've never been cued to try hand variations during vinyasas. Holding a basketweave of my fingers while doing a chaturanga is a new challenge Iβve never encountered before. I enjoyed the ability to feel the burn in new muscle groups. Darren is a wealth of knowledge. His class opened my eyes to how large the world of asanas truly is when you are familiar with the variations of arm positions in each basic pose. His class was an explorative journey - I felt incredibly present and intrigued the entire time.
Instead of a long stretching period prior to practice, I thoroughly enjoyed the breathwork. It was nice to sit in silence and hear the yogis surrounding me all breathing in unison. It filled me with such a nice sense of love and community. Everyone at this studio has such incredibly strong, focused intention when practicing. I had a wonderful time here.
His attention to mudras throughout the practice was new to me. This studio bases its practice around the Mayan Calendar. I thoroughly enjoyed this concept. This studio truly stands out amongst the others that I have visited in Miami.
It was an incredible class. The studio has a gorgeous mandala mural. The positive vibrations from fellow yogis were intense in this space. I sweat myself silly without artificial heat. You will burn with fire from the poses alone here. I am in love with Skanda Yoga.
POWER FLOW
with Darren Weissman βΆ 1/19/2024
Darren pushes me to my limit and then helps me find the laughter and strength to put me over the edge into new territory. He is a joyful explorer. He is a fantastic teacher, and his energy is so healing. I loved the Kirtan he played during class, honoring Hanuman while telling us the myths of Hanuman while centering his sequence on Hanuman. This studio uses the Mayan calendar to set their intentions, and this date happened to be the Blue Monkey Day on the Mayan calendar, hence all the centering on Hanuman. It was such a transcending experience to practice with him.
FLOW
with April Pullo βΆ 1/23/2024
April was a wonderful instructor. She was so warm and welcoming to me. She catered to my hyperflexibility and made me feel as if I was receiving private instruction. I am able to open my legs up into a 180-degree angle when practicing Big Toe Pose B. In the supinated version, she taught me such an incredible arm variation that no one has ever thought to share with me before. I finally feel aligned in Supinated Big Toe Pose B. My back and shoulders were finally squared and hitting the mat just right. She has such a nurturing energy, and I felt so protected and positive during her class. I loved that she played Kirtan during the sequence. It makes so much sense to be able to practice Bhakti yoga while practicing Asanas, I feel charged with intense spirituality when the two are combined. I canβt help but hum to myself or chant to myself during the poses - it truly brings me centered and present in a way that nothing has before. Her sequence was powerful but also very restorative. I felt opened up, elongated, and ready for my day after practicing with April.
