Why do yoga?

Yoga has been practiced for over 1000 years, originating in India, and formed the foundation for an ever expanding practice now found globally. Originally, yoga was practiced as a pathway to Self Realization, to understand the workings of our ego, spiritual, emotional, mental and physical bodies and find balance and alignment between these different aspects of ourselves. The word Asana is the term used to describe the set of postures practiced in yoga, and this word translates to mean “comfortable seat”.

What we are offering is a return to the origins of yoga, where we truly listen to our body and provide it will the support it needs to function at it’s best. In these classes we explore ways in which we can move with greater ease and comfort, through a greater awareness of our breath, our whole body and the alignment of our mind, body and spirit. We cannot have perfect alignment in our body, without involving the mind and spirit.

Try standing with your shoulders slumped and feel happy. Now try standing up nice and tall and try to feel sad. It is very difficult isn’t it?! As B.K.S Iyengar said – “the posture of the body, reflects the posture of the mind“. And he was right. Through balancing the ecology of these fundamental aspects of ourselves, we can find peace within our mind (mental health), body (physical health) and spirit (emotional health).

What happens in a Yoga class?

Progression of learning – Yoga classes are always in block courses of between 6 and 10 weeks. This is to enable the class to progress as a whole, as we explore and integrate different tools into our practice and build upon our skill set. It also enables everyone’s needs to be met. No casual attendance for this reason.

Focus – Yoga Classes begin with a restorative posture, aimed at calming the mind and relaxing the body. This puts us in a focused and centered mindset for our practice. Each Yoga class has a primary focus or tool that we will explore during that session.

Movements and postures – we will explore ways of implementing the primary focus or tool of the session, while carrying out a range of different movements and postures. The sequence is specifically designed to aid you in embodying the tool of that session, and will be adjusted according to the needs of the group. Alternatives are always offered if you are not comfortable with any of these Yoga postures.

Relaxation – Yoga class will always finish with a final relaxation, either lying down or in a restorative posture. This is the most important part of class, where all the information gathered on a sensory level can be integrated into the body. It’s like hitting the “save as” button.