What is Forrest Yoga? Forrest Yoga is a style of yoga created by Ana Forrest with the intention of helping students go deeper and feel more authentically. Forrest Yoga has a strong focus on breath, core work to help students check into their body and create heat, and an intention set for each class. 
I took my first Forrest Yoga class in 2012. It felt unlike any other yoga I had ever practiced. With each class, I became more and more convinced that there was a power in yoga that I’d never felt before. When I met Ana at my teacher training in 2014, everything I felt was not only validated, but stamped with exclamation.
Ana’s mission, and the mission she shares with each teacher, is to mend the hoop of the people. It’s a message and mission that I take seriously. In classes, you’ll have a strong intention set that encourages you to go deeper and to feel more in the poses. But I also mix in the important elements of fun and fear – fun because that is what pulls us back onto the mat and fear because when we are faced with scary points on the mat, we learn about ourselves and how to connect to our strength off the mat.
Forrest Yoga has Four Pillars. The Pillars are breath, strength, integrity, and spirit. Each of these helps us stay in body, making the journey on the mat more healing, potentially more challenging, but with both we are more aware. I like the word “purpose” to describe how I practice and how I teach. Poses are sequenced leading to an apex pose; each pose hits a place in the body that helps us work into the apex. We grow stronger in breath, in body, and in spirit.
While every Forrest Yoga teacher has their own style and approach, each Forrest Yoga class feels uniquely Forrest Yoga. And that’s where the magic happens. Are you curious for more? Come find me on the mat.
Class Schedule
MINT Dupont:
- Mondays 7:30-8:45pm, Forrest Yoga (mixed levels)
- Thursdays 7:00-8:00am, Sunrise Flow Yoga
MINT Downtown:
- Mondays and Fridays 12:00-1:00pm, Align & Flow (mixed levels)
- Wednesdays 12:00-1:00pm, Vinyasa Flow Yoga (mixed levels)
By: MINT Yoga Instructor Darin Volwiler
