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Fit Agoura: Tara Kamath's 'Prime of Life' Yoga

Need a little Zen in your life? This Agoura Hills Dance class should do the trick.

If you are tired of competitive gym yoga, it might be time to take Tara Kamath's "Prime of Life," a Vinyasa Krama-inspired class offered at the Agoura Hills Dance & Performing Arts Center every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. It doesn't matter how much yoga you've taken, Kamath only cares about "where you are right now."

Kamath has been teaching wellness healing for 15 years and has been studying yoga since 1998. The application of her studies in Srivatsa Ramaswami's "Vinyasa Krama" and Larry Payne's "Prime of Life Yoga" are evident in the progression of her own class. 

Vinyasa means "a joining or linking mechanism." Krama means "the process." In a nutshell, as described by Kamath, this particular yoga style focuses on the consciousness behind the progression. "It is all about emphasizing deep slow stretches, breathing, and really connecting the mind and body to the movement," said Kamath.

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Geared toward gym goers who want to relax and relieve stress while building strength through yoga, Kamath launched her class in the spring. The dozen or so people who attend the class regularly for a low impact workout are between the ages of 38 and 88.

On arrival, lights are dim and light meditation music plays. Students take their place lying on their backs on their mats, awaiting direction from their soft-voiced Zen master.

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The class begins with about 15 minutes of floor stretches and breathing exercises that are designed to stretch the lower back, hips and pelvic area. There are multiple cycles of each repetition.

Next, there is a transition into standing stretches of the arms and back, with several sequences of Warrior II poses and movement sequences.

Kamath consistently offers alternatives to the proposed tasks, either increasing or decreasing the challenge. She also walks around during the cycles and sequences to adjust form, improve stretch and heighten resistance.

After about 30 minutes of standing stretches, students return to their mats for the final phase of class. For approximately 15 minutes, Kamath leads her students in Cobra stretches, deep hip stretches, and core strength exercises, using muscles deep along the center of the body to lengthen the spine and truly stretch.

If you are looking for high heat Bikram Yoga or Power Yoga of a higher impact, Kamath's class is probably not what you are looking for. But if you seek a midweek hour of stretching that allows all the material and mind chatter to leave your body, this is the perfect lunch break. You will leave purely relaxed and connected with your body.

Namaste!

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