Half & Half Yoga Classes at the JCC Indianapolis
This class at the JCC Indianapolis spends equal time engaged in yoga exercises that provide deep stretching and strength-building.
Benefits of Stretching
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Decreases muscle stiffness and increases range of motion
Stretching helps improve your range of motion, which may also slow the degeneration of your joints.
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May reduce your risk of injury
A flexible muscle is less likely to become injured if you have to make a sudden move. By increasing the range of motion in a particular joint through stretching, you can decrease the resistance on your body’s muscles during various activities.
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Helps relieve post-exercise aches and pains
After a hard workout, stretching your muscles helps keep them loose and lessens the shortening and tightening effect that can lead to post-workout aches and pains.
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Improves posture
Stretching the muscles of the lower back, shoulders, and chest helps keep your back in better alignment and improves your posture. As well, flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, and muscles attached to the pelvis relieves stress on the lumbar spine, which in turn reduces your risk of low-back pain.
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Promotes circulation
Stretching increases blood supply to your muscles and joints, which allows for greater nutrient transportation and improves the circulation of blood through your entire body.
Benefits of Strengthening Exercises
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Increased muscle mass
Muscle mass naturally decreases with age, but strength training can help reverse the trend.
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Stronger bones
Strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of fractures.
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Joint flexibility
Strength training helps joints stay flexible and can reduce the symptoms of arthritis.
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Weight control
As you gain muscle, your body begins to burn calories more easily, making it easier to control your weight.
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Balance
Strengthening exercises can increase flexibility and balance as people age, reducing falls and injuries.
Who Can Benefit from This Class?
Yoga classes appeal to all ages and abilities. This class in particular is best suited for:
- Baby boomers, men and women ages 55-73, who in the early stages of aging, benefit most from increased balance and decreased risk of injury.
- Mothers, women ages 25-38 looking for weight control.
What to Expect in Half & Half Yoga
The Group Ex Studio is located inside the Mordoh Fitness Center.
Dress comfortably. The J has yoga mats available, but many people prefer to bring their own. We have a bottle-filler available at the entrance to the Mordoh Fitness Center.
Visit our Schedules page for a schedule of group exercise classes. Or download our mobile app for iOS or Android devices.
$12 per class (purchase at Welcome Desk) or $42/month (as of Jan 1, 2024) for unlimited access to this and all yoga/Pilates classes.
Please note that Yoga/Pilates is a benefit of membership and is for JCC members only.
About the Instructor
In addition to teaching yoga, Ashley Kay Zeller teaches Pilates Reformer and is a Reiki Master. She is a certified yoga instructor (E-RYT® 200) with over 20 years of teaching experience. She formerly managed two wellness studios and was the Wellness School Manager at the JCC of Indianapolis for four years.
Her personal testimony of using the healing arts to ease anxiety, depression, and physical pain brings raw authenticity to her teaching style. Whether teaching Power Vinyasa or Restorative Yoga, Ashley’s classes always have a basis of healing, freedom, and play. Ashley’s students are often reminded to truly be still. She encourages students not to pass judgment on any challenges within or around the body—it is essential to accept contrast by asking what can be learned. Participants are encouraged to set their own pace and listen to their own bodies. All levels are welcome in every yoga class.
Ashley’s first formal training was with the founder of All People Yoga Center and creator of Heartland Yoga Therapy, Nancy Schalk in 2005. She spent the next seven years mentoring and training with Master Yoga Teacher, Linda Marques and Grand Master Yoga Teacher, Jean Pierre Marques at Coronado Yoga and Wellness Center in Coronado, California. She later studied Reiki with Christine Eartheart in Bloomington, Indiana. Ashley also studied PHI Pilates with Susan Holewinski in Indianapolis, IN, and with Christine Romani-Ruby in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ashley not only offers services onsite but can provide a yoga class, workshop, or Reiki session to your workplace, home, retreat, or event.
Fitness Is a Core Jewish Value
At the JCC, fitness isn’t just something we do; it’s who we are. Although exercise is not mentioned in the Torah, taking care of one’s health is. In fact, while other belief systems advocate for the healing power of prayer, Judaism encourages people to look after their health and seek counsel from medical experts. In Judaism, good health is not a goal in itself. Rather, it is a means to an end – to serve the Creator.