What is Yoga?
Five Points of Yoga:
- Proper exercise (Asanas) acts as a lubricating routine for the joints and muscles and other parts of the body by increasing circulation and flexibility. The asanas not only produce physical benefits, but are also mental exercises in concentration and meditation, promoting optimum good health.
- Proper Breathing (Pranayama) connects the body to the solar plexus, where tremendous potential energy is stored. Through specific breathing techniques this energy is released for physical and mental rejuvenation.
- Proper Relaxation (Savasana) is a vital part of keeping the body and mind healthy. Yoga teaches three levels of relaxation- physical, mental and spiritual.
- Proper Diet (Vegetarian) is eating with awareness. A yogi takes food which has the most positive effect on the body and mind and the least negative effect on the environment.
- Positive thinking and Meditation (Vedanta and Dhyana) relieves stress and replenishes energy. Meditation is well known to improve concentration and to bring peace of mind and spiritual strength. Meditation is beneficial for everyone, especially those with a hectic, stressful life.
“Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, yoga shows the way.”
Swami Vishnudevananda
Why Yoga?
The Benefits of Hatha Yoga
The benefits of Hatha Yoga have been well documented. It consists of a combination of physical and mental techniques which include relaxation; Pranayama breathing; flowing and static poses; positive affirmations and meditation. This ancient practice has long been known for it’s preventative and therapeutic benefits for the mind and the body.
Physical Benefits
For the body it will increase flexibility which includes joint and muscle mobility by taking the joints through their full range of mobility. Taking the joints through their full range of mobility means that areas of cartilage that aren’t normally used are replenished with nutrients, helping to keep them healthy and preventing them from wearing out.
It will also strengthen and tone the muscles, increase core strength and will help to improve posture. Poor posture can cause back, neck and other muscle and joint problems. With plenty of backbends, forward bends and twists, yoga will protect the spine from degenerative disease.
If you have tension anywhere such as in the hips, neck, shoulders, back or anywhere else in the body it will help to ease and eliminate pain. Correcting muscular imbalance and assisting the body to heal itself.
Yoga also stimulates all of the bodies major systems, including blood circulation, the endocrine system, lymphatic system and immune system. It will improve digestive metabolism to aid better absorption of nutrients from food. This in turn assists in the elimination of waste and toxins from the body. Combined with good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, yoga can also help with weight management. It has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Benefits for the Mind
For the mind, this calming and relaxing practice will relieve chronic stress patterns that create tension in the body. This will unblock and free the flow of energy throughout the body. It will bring you into your highest state of consciousness and spiritual awareness, bringing you into you your fullest alignment. It will also aid focus, concentration and memory by clearing away mental clutter, bringing you into a feeling of being centred in mind and body.