ganesh

What is Yoga?

The word Yoga means “union” – to cultivate synergy between mind, body and heart. Who doesn’t want to find love, harmony and equilibrium in life? Yet it can be hard to make sense of our humanity when we are constantly trying to keep up with a complex, fast-paced and constantly changing world spinning around us. At such times, we feel we are living against ourselves, our minds and bodies out of balance, feeling stressed, anxious and ill at ease. If you are reading this still, it shows that you want to bring your life into balance – to release stress and tension, relax, boost immunity and raise energy levels, stretch out tight muscles, alleviate a painful lower back, lower back, or improve other physical and mental health conditions that may prevent you from enjoying your life as much as you want to. This is the starting point of your yoga practice: to explore who you are now, and finding out what is possible.

As relevant today, as when Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras over two thousand years ago, time on a yoga mat will help you to cultivate self-awareness, wellness, and wellbeing on many levels. As a yoga teacher, I hope to encourage you to develop a yoga practice that creates new possibilities and empowers your mind, heart and body long after you have rolled up your yoga mat. This is the living, breathing gift of yoga.

 

What kind of Yoga do you teach?

Like infinite droplets of water in the ocean, there are many diverse yoga traditions, all leading us to the same inner flow of intuitive wisdom and wellness. We all see life from different perspectives, and will be drawn to practice one or another forms of yoga that reflects our perception at this point. As such, there is always something to discover and explore in Yoga throughout our lives.

I don’t aspire to follow a prescriptive Yoga tradition or lineage, which is defined as this or that. I’d rather remain curious, child-like, and in wonder at our natural capacity to grow in understanding happiness, wholeness, and freedom, regardless of any name we put onto the path we take to get there. As you grow in understanding the infinite possibilities of growing authentic seeds of yoga in mind and body at source, you start to enjoy and feel the positive benefits of your individual, unique practice.

Can anyone do yoga?

It truly doesn’t matter whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned yogi or yogini – everyone has a first time on a yoga mat, each time you step onto a mat is like the first time – letting go of expectations about what you expect to happen or feel! My yoga classes are warm, friendly, and welcoming, with a wide range of people practicing from all walks of life. Yoga classes are open to everybody, regardless of your lifestyle, age, level of fitness, and/or physical conditions. If you do have a health concern, you may want to check with your GP, and discuss this with me beforehand so I can plan the class accordingly to meet your needs.

Different ingredients in a yoga class might include:

  • Physical postures or Asana to explore flow, emotion, stillness, stretch, tone and resilience in mind and body
  • Cleansing practices or Shatkarma to shift and release stagnant energy, detoxify, tonify, and understand and release habits of discomfort and tension held within us
  • Breathwork or Pranayama techniques to enhance life energy, boost immunity and vitality, and reset and relax the nervous system
  • Inward reflection or Pratyhara to sharpen and focus mental perception and concentration
  • Meditation to cultivate insight and awareness