Welcome to Sun Salute Yoga in the heart of Hamilton East. We are a small, friendly studio dedicated to teaching the art of traditional Ashtanga yoga. Alongside we also offer other options and complimentary practices to suit the individual. On this Home page you’ll find updates, announcements and general news.
Beginners may come to any class and will be shown a suitable programme to work on, though some classes may be better than others, so please send us an email or give us a call first so we can first have a chat about any needs or concerns.
About Us
Yoga practice involves discipline – a sustained effort to still and relieve tensions of the mind and body. Via the awareness that meditation brings and by touching your toes, bending your spine and so forth, one starts to unwind the years that have wrapped or bound us to things that no longer matter. Somehow in the stillness of making these physical shapes and the quiet of listening only to your breath and how you feel, things start to look a little differently. The process is meditation. The result is discipline and grace.
Your teachers at Sun Salute:
Katie Pervan
Has led Sun Salute since February 2007, formally based at St Johns Methodist Church Hall, Hamilton East. She has a background in dance and movement and many interests in outdoor pursuits. Ashtanga Yoga has been a part of her life since the beginning of 2006 where she commenced a year long YA200 course at the Yoga Academy in Auckland. Previous to this Katie had practiced and taught general yoga in Australia for 10 years. Katie is also a Cook.
Peter McNaughton
Started practicing Ashtanga yoga 15 years ago under the guidance of Peter Sanson. He has been teaching in Hamilton for the last 12, first starting at the North City Yoga Club and more recently in his private studio at home. He is excited to now be teaching alongside Katie at Sun Salute Yoga. Peter is also an architectural draughtsman and gardener.
Dee Lilly
Dee also has studied at the Yoga Academy and holds a YA200 certificate in teaching. She resides in Raglan where she teaches Ashtanga yoga, childrens yoga and holiday-gym programmes and is an ardent supporter of any creative, physical pursuits that support people to stay active and positive thinking. Dee is a dedicated horse woman and resides her horses half-way between Raglan and Hamilton. Yoga for/with horses? Watch this site.
Tony ter Ellen
With a background in sports Tony took up Yoga in 1984 as a cross training technique - before ‘cross training’ was a word. He studied Iyengar yoga in 1984 with Wendy Brown and then with Dianne Curry in Sydney. While there Tony also studied Ashtanga yoga with Rob Lucas. He began teaching in 1986 at The Australian School of Yoga in Bondi Junction as well as studying massage and Feldenkrais. Tony has continued to teach since then and has more than 25 years yoga teaching experience. Tony has been a professional massage therapist for many years in Tauranga and has been a tutor in massage at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. If you are keen to receive a massage from Tony you can find him at the Uni Rec Centre where he has a treatment room.
CLASSES
At Sun Salute you can attend a variety of classes:
Hatha
Often given in a slow and steady manner, tailored to the needs of the class. The postures and breath work are all given to assist in mindfulness and peace. A Hatha class at Sun Salute may also involve strength based asana, workshopping poses, chanting, mudra work, self-evaluation, meditation and good rest. Complete beginners may come to these class or those with limited mobility (please check first).
Ashtanga
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a structured practice performed as a set series of postures. Its power is in its meditative flow of Vinyasa – closely linking the breath with movement. It can be a strong workout, deeply detoxifying and reviving to the body on all levels. The practice becomes meditative as the breath, the eye gaze and the movements all become focused. Steeped in tradition, Ashtanga yoga comes unwavering from Mysore India via the late yoga master Sri K Patabois Jois (Ashtanga Yoga India).
As with all yoga practice Ashtanga’s benefits and transformational effects are felt when there is a daily, or almost daily practice. And given it’s physically challenging format the more often you can practice the easier you’ll find things….
The practice can these days be taken in a group led class where all practice in unison. Beginners may come to this class though should be aware that at first one does not necessarily perform all of the poses in the primary series and a led class can seem daunting. The more traditional way of proceeding with Ashtanga is the self-practice method of Mysore style. In this method the nuances of your practice are revealed as you work (supported by your teacher) on your own. The process is steady and you only practice what you are safely able to do. It is a great system and the ability to work on ones own gives a sense of ownership and commitment to a personal practice.
Attending a Mysore style class requires some knowledge of the sun salutes and the first 4 – 5 standing poses. Beginners are most welcome to come but please note your start time is either 5:30pm for evening class or 6:30am for early morning. Beginners will start and work together.
Ashtanga can be taken by anyone with an inclination for its disciplined nature and the desire to work!
Lunch Class
In the tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga comes a short led class comprising the essential element of focused flowing movement, relieving tension and offering energy and clarity. Class composition: 5 mins of tune-in and warm-up, 15 mins of energetic yoga moves, 15 mins of stretching, 15 mins of seated meditation, breath work and complete rest. Great class for those of you confined to desk work 9 – 5 if you slip out at lunch and good also for busy parents early morning or evening. This class is also good for people still learning the sequence as it is led and is not so long in duration.
Kids
Kids Club Yoga. We offer all aspects of yoga to the little people too, including postures to bring strength, flexibility and balance, and breathing exercises and sitting quietly to aid meditation. Concepts like positive affirmation, listening in, gratitude, healthy eating, kindness and good rest are all peppered in. The kids learn the traditional Sanskrit names of poses (as well as their more funky Hamilton ones), the discipline of following a class and working together and lots of opportunity for creating. They are a joy to be with and you will find Sun Salute’s teacher’s love taking kids classes. Classes are on offer from 3 years old through to young teens.
Service Categories
Ashtanga Yoga, Yoga
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