Yoga with Jim Gallas

Do Yoga! 

It was Thursday morning and I was at Don Pedro’s Palapa in Sayulita, which offers an amazing view of the bay, excitedly awaiting an alignment oriented yoga class by Jim Gallas. The air was crisp, a subtle breeze blew, and I could hear birds chirping nearby and the soft crash of waves below.

The class began with a gentle warm up, with Jim stressing the importance of how breathing through both nostrils enables our mind and breath to become one. He reminded us to relax our face, our eyes, focus on our breath, be in the moment, and gaze over the ocean. Jim explained how the neck stretches, shoulder rolls, slight back bends, and hip rotations we were doing are beneficial for our body and aid in lubricating our joints.

Personally, I tend to gravitate towards high intensity workouts and neglect more gentle practices, but as I warmed up in the yoga class by Jim Gallas in Sayulita, I marveled in amazement how good it made my body feel. Camilla Fuchs with Camilla Fuchs Photography, who came to take photos and generally doesn’t like to workout, whispered to me, “I don’t know how I’m going to stop and take photographs, this feels too good!”

With each new pose, Jim, who has over 20 years of experience teaching yoga, explained the pose. I found his voice soothing, and if I so desired, could have easily closed my eyes and been led through each pose by simply listening to his instruction. We did Child’s Pose, with Jim encouraging us to utilize our breath, breathing into our backs and feeling them expand. We did Downward Facing Dog, Planks, Pigeon Pose, Tree Pose, and more.

We also did two partner yoga poses, which I could have stayed in all day, it felt so wonderful. In the first pose, one person did Downward Facing Dog, while the other positioned him or herself in an “L” position, with their hands pressed on both sides of the other person’s sacrum. With the second partner pose, one person took Child’s Pose and the other person bent down over them and pressed on both sides of their sacrum with their fists.

Throughout the entire yoga class, Jim offered encouragement, modifications, and adjustments. I tend to have mid-back pain, due to a car accident when I was a teenager, and I could feel my back start to release and loosen. By the time the hour and a half yoga class by Jim Gallas ended, I felt relaxed and rejuvenated, my posture felt better, and I was ready to tackle the day.

Try It Yourself!

If you’d like to take this yoga class, another of Jim’s yoga classes, or QiGong, please contact Jim Gallas here. Classes are held at several locations, including Don Pedro’s Palapa, Casa Corazon, and Los Muertos Beach. Jim also offers private yoga classes, and will be offering 3 seven day Yoga workshops, a day long silent workshop  and Reiki 1. Please contact him for more information.

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