Yoga is for Everybody

Anyone can do it! A yoga practice is aimed at relaxation, reducing stress, ultimately calming the mind and the nervous system. You don't have to be flexible, this comes gradually with time; this is how all of us start. You just have to roll up, get onto your mat, breathe, move and focus. Working on the basics of this ancient tradition, you will learn to breathe properly, centre and concentrate your attention as you mentally clear the way for your asana practice and meditation.

 

The Benefits of Yoga

According to Michael Townsend Williams there are 77 reasons why we benefit  from the practice of yoga; health from within, health from without, emotional health, body chemistry, exercise and the prevention of disease. Rather than list everything here, please check out the link and see for yourself!

 

77 reasons why yoga is good for you

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Five Points of Yoga

Proper Exercise (Asanas) - Yoga poses help develop a strong, healthy body by enhancing flexibility and improving circulation.

 

Proper Breathing (Pranayama) - Deep, conscious breathing reduces stress and many diseases.

 

Proper Relaxation - Helps keep the body from going into overload mode, easing worry and fatigue.

 

Proper Diet - Eating simple, healthy and vegetarian foods that are easy to digest notably have a positive effect on the mind and body, as well as the environment and other living beings.

 

Positive Thinking (Vedanta) and Meditation (Dhyana) - These are the true keys to achieving peace of mind and eliminating negativity in our lives.

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The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutras is an ancient Indian text composed of 195 aphorisms or teachings on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. It is a foundational text in the field of yoga and outlines the eight limbs of yoga practice. These eight limbs include ethical and moral guidelines, physical postures, breath control, sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and achieving a state of enlightenment. Through practicing the eight limbs of yoga, we can bring balance and harmony to our lives and cultivate greater awareness and understanding of our true selves.

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Eight Limbs of Yoga

YAMA - Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows. This first limb, Yama, refers to vows, disciplines or practices that are primarily concerned with the world around us, and our interaction with it. There are five YAMA

AHIMSA - meaning non-violence, no harm to living beings

SATYA - meaning truthfullness

ASTEYA - meaning non-stealing

BRAHMACHARYA - right use of energy

APARIGRAHA - non-greed, non-hoarding

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NIYAMA - Positive duties or observances. The second limb, Niyama, refers to duties directed towards ourselves, but can also be considered with our actions towards the outside world. There are five NIYAMA

SAUCHA - cleanliness

SANTOSHA - contentment

TAPAS - discipline

SVADHYAYA - self reflection, study of texts

ISVARAPRANIDAHA - surrender to a higher power

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The Yamas & Niyamas Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele

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ASANA - Posture. The physical practice, the third step on our path. In how many poses are we really comfortable and steady? Do you tend to choose the advanced posture offered, rather than the one your body is able to attain? Asana means to find a comfortable and sustainable posture.

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PRANAYAMA - Breathing Techniques. The word Prana refers to ‘energy’ or ‘life source’. It can be used to describe the very essence that keeps us alive, as well as the energy in the universe around us. Prana also often describes the breath, and by working with the way we breathe, we affect the mind in a very real way.

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PRATYAHARA - Sense withdrawal. Instead of actually losing the ability to hear and smell, to see and feel, the practice of pratyahara changes our state of mind so that we become so absorbed in what it is we’re focussing on, that the things outside of ourselves no longer bother us and we’re able to meditate without becoming easily distracted.

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DHARANA - Focused Concentration. In order to focus on something, the senses must withdraw so that all attention is put on that point of concentration, and in order to draw our senses in, we must focus and concentrate intently.

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DHYANA - Meditative Absorption. The seventh limb is ‘meditative absorption’ – when we become completely absorbed in the focus of our meditation, this is when we’re really meditating. All the things we learn in a class from a teacher are merely techniques offered to each person in order to help them settle, focus and concentrate, It is something that happens as a result of all the work and learning done before.

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SAMADHI - Bliss or Enlightenment. The final step; the ability to ‘see equally’ and without disturbance from the mind, without our experience being conditioned by likes, dislikes or habits, without a need to judge or become attached to any particular aspect; that is bliss.

 

The Magic of Yoga

During the practice of yoga there is a magic that occurs during a class, that is unique and accessible to everyone; I can hardly explain it but the combination of asana (poses), pranyama (breath) and meditation (dhyana) brings a sense of relaxation and mental calm. Control of the breath calms the mind, relaxing the body, enabling the body to stretch and strengthen.

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Health is Wealth, Peace of Mind is Happiness, Yoga Shows the Way