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Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self
- The Bhagavad Gita
What is Yoga?
When you think of yoga, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the poses? The idea of being so flexible that you can bind yourself into some strange pretzel shape?
What if I told you that the only yoga pose that you needed to master in order to do yoga was to sit still, and even that sitting position can be in a chair.....
It's a far reach from many people's perception of yoga, right?
The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means "to join". Therefore, the word yoga can be translated to mean "union", "unity" or "oneness".
When we practice yoga, we are attempting to unite the body, mind and soul and yoga poses or asana are just one of the ways that we can practice bringing ourselves into that space and into that stilness. We are practicing to bring together our individual consciousness and the universal consciousness as well as bringing balance back to the body, the mind and our emotions.
For most of us, the practice of yoga begins with the physical body and therefore we begin our journey on a yoga mat practicing yoga asana. This often feels most familiar to us as we live in a fast paced world, where our senses are constantly stimulated, so moving the body can help us to start to turn inwards.
Our yoga practice can begin to bring all the functions of the body back into balance so they work together in harmony and from that space, when we feel the physical benefits, we may begin to explore different facets of a yoga practice which begins to move from just the physical into the mental and emotional levels.
Yoga as a practice is meant to be lived on and off the mat, to be integrated into our daily lives.
The 8 Limbs of Yoga
1. Yamas - Moral Restraints
1. Ahimsa - Non Violence
2. Satya - Truth
3. Asteya - Non-stealing
4. Brahmacharya - Moderation
5. Aparigraha - Non-hoarding
2. Niyamas - Observances
1. Saucha - Cleanliness
2. Santosha - Contentment
3. Tapas - Self-discipline
4. Svadhyaya - Self-study
5. Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender to the Divine
3. Asanas - Physical Postures
4. Pranayama - Mindful Breathing
5. Pratyahara - Turning Inward
6. Dharana - Concentration
7. Dhyana - Meditation
8. Samadhi - Pure Bliss
Yoga is for everyBODY?
Have you heard this? I know often that us as yoga teachers want to tell you this, that yoga is literally for everyone especially when we are talking to beginners.
So, here is what we mean..... because not all yoga is for all bodies, personalities, and abilities.
The truth is that for some of us, no amount of practice is going to change our internal structure enough to physically be able to do the splits, right?
What we as teachers of this wonderful and rich practice want you to do is meet us where you are. Together, we can discover the practices that are right for you. You might want to sweat it out in asana on the mat, you might want to explore deeper into the postures. Maybe you want to learn to meditate and find stillness, it might be that practicing a yoga nidra every few days is all the spiritual yogic practice that you need in your life right now.
We can find the adjustments in poses to make them more accessible in your body shape, type and mobility, from using props or learning how to get the same stretch in chair.
This is where it's down to you to explore. My classes remain open to all abilities, as although I lead you through a sequence of poses, I want to empower and encourage you as much as possible to find the expression of a pose that works for you on any given day.
My vision is that you learn how to move the body as well as listen to it, to find some stillness in a busy world and to learn about the history and philsophy of yoga as we journey together towards you building your own spiritual practices that work in your body and in your life.
5 Benefits of Yoga
1. Improved strength and flexibility
Many yoga poses will increase strength and flexibility in the body. While we tend to think of yoga as a practice that makes us flexible, lots of yoga poses increase strength too.
2. Straightens up posture
While we are strengthening the stomach and back muscles, they will naturally help you to straighten your posture which in turn can help to reduce back and neck problems.
3. Helps to ease stress and anxiety
Focusing on the breath during pranayama practices can help us anchor into the present moment. These practices can help us to relax, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
4. Reduces back pain
A regular yoga practice can help to strengthen and stretch the muscles in the back, hips and legs which can ease back pain.
5. Improves sleep
Yoga has been shown to improve our quality of sleep, while we experience less stress and anxiety and therefore more rest and relaxation.
My Style Of Yoga
Class Schedule
Dec 11 - Dec 17
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Join us at our next event
GAYNOR
I've been to Emma's class and took my neighbour with me. Emma is lovely, and all the ladies there were very welcoming and friendly. Would totally recommend
ROB
I cannot express the thanks to Emma for not only improving my body, but also my mind and view on life. It is a positive energy that not only improves me but also other people I interact with.
DENISE
Coming to yoga later in life I find Emma's style of teaching very enjoyable, a friendly, calm and relaxed atmosphere. Explaining and demonstrating all the poses with alternatives