Blaze Soul Yoga with Andrea Bates

Align Your Body.

Get ready — you’re about to embark on a journey. Andrea conducts her Blaze class at Soul Yoga like an epic story. So roll up, ya’ll. Get out your mat and pay attention because you’re about to head out.

There’s a few things that make Andrea’s class unique — a carefully curated, moody playlist, a target area and/or peak pose, and a narrative that serves as the basis for cueing.

Don’t expect Sun As, Bs or any classic vinyasa flows. But don’t worry — you’re going to move and you’re going to sweat. For the next hour, she talks you through every movement with grace and intention focusing on proper alignment and body awareness. Her cues are so precise and succinct, you can literally close your eyes the entire class and know where you are.

Andrea takes on the role of a subtle storyteller. She often begins with something grounding – an image or emotion – and guides you deeper into the narrative she weaves. It's like a gentle nudge to help you lose yourself in your practice. She maintains the narrative thread throughout, adjusting the studio's ambiance as the sequence evolves. She uses silence as a tool, modulates the music perfectly, and dims the lights at just the right moments, creating an experience that caters to your body's needs, regardless of your capabilities.

Align Your Soul.

Andrea’s natural soul power of alignment isn’t a surprise to anyone that knows her. She spent many years as a dancer, so alignment is natural, and it’s necessary to build a practice and to grow a practice.

Andrea's innate ability to align goes beyond her background as a dancer. Her focus extends beyond physical alignment to a more profound sense of connection.

Imagine your joints neatly stacking upon one another, providing stability and strength, while creating space within your body. You'll feel elongated, as if you're growing.

Andrea's class follows a similar principle. From the very beginning, her sequencing builds, steadily creating space in your body and aligning not only your physical self but also your mind and soul.

She crafts an experience from the very first moment to the last, but something magical happens along the way. When the journey comes to a close, you’re going to be amazed by what your body just accomplished and how she just talked you through an incredibly complex and unique sequence of poses. You’re going to leave feeling taller.