What Is Yoga?
Yoga is an ancient science which has evolved over several thousand years. Yoga can be many things to many people. Some people choose to practice advanced forms of yoga, physical and psychological, and devote large aspects of their life to their practice. Many others, myself included, choose just to incorporate simpler forms of yoga into their everyday lives.
In particular, it is the physical aspects of yoga which most interest many students as it is only when our bodies are free from discomfort and tension that we can progress to considering the needs of our minds and emotions.
Yoga has developed as a science for living, consisting of 8 main aspects:
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Asanas (physical postures): designed to free mind and body from tension and stress. They relax, rejuvenate, and energise the body; bringing the body and the mind into harmony. Asanas should be done with comfort, ease, alertness and steadiness, achieving a balance between ease and effort. Your body becomes more flexible and stronger over time and your ability to perform postures will steadily develop.
- Pranayamas (breathing practices): the breath is regulated and controlled through the practice of breathing exercises. The duration of inhalation, retention, and exhalation of breath is regulated with the aim of strengthening and cleansing the nervous system and increasing energy. Pranayama practice also makes the mind calmer and more focused.
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Prathayara (withdrawal of the senses): this occurs during relaxation, meditation, pranayama or asana when you are so focused and immersed in your practice that you become unaware of outside situations. Your focus becomes inward and you are no longer distracted by outside events.
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Dharana (concentration): training the mind to focus without any distraction. To achieve this, you simply focus your mind on one thing at a time.
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Dhyana (meditation): observation of the mind; stilling the mind in order to perceive the self and to increase self-awareness. It is an important tool to achieve mental clarity and health.
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Yamas: your attitude towards others and the world around you.
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Niyamas: your attitude towards yourself and how you treat yourself.
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Samadhi (enlightenment):the ultimate goal of yoga. It is characterised by a feeling that you and the universe are one. It is a state of peace and completion. It sounds ethereal but isn't. We have all had moments of Samadhi: watching a beautiful sunset; walking the dog; laughing with friends; playing tennis, etc. With regular practice of yoga, my experience is that those moments of Samadhi become more frequent and more constant.
Typically a yoga class will begin with a short relaxation to enable students to mentally let go of the outside world and perhaps their rush to get to class.
We then work through some warming and limbering movements designed to prepare the joints of the body for the main postures.
Depending on the experience and ability of the class, we will then practice a variety of postures designed to lengthen, strengthen and improve flexibility and function of the whole body.
A meditation or pranayama practice may follow as a separate practice or may be included within a supine relaxation practice.
Classes are always adapted to suit the experience and ability of individual students.