Yoga

Yoga Postures

Yoga in the west has placed most emphasis on the physical aspect, focusing on the perceptible impact on the body in terms of flexibility, strength, and balance that yoga postures (āsana) give to the practitioner. Postures help to remove toxins from the body, clearing stagnation and allowing prana to circulate efficiently through the energetic pathways. They prepare us to sit for the deeper, more introspective practices. While postures are a key aspect of Yoga, it is important to include breath-work and meditation to fully experience the benefits of a balanced practice.

Breathing Practices

The breathing practices (prānāyāma) in addition to their obvious impact on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, have been shown to have a profound beneficial effect on the nervous and endocrine systems. They have been shown to reduce cortisol and adrenaline levels and to promote the relaxation response in the body, as well as improving heart health and respiratory efficiency.

Meditation Techniques

Meditation, similarly, is known to reduce stress and relieve anxiety. Many studies have shown the beneficial effects of regular meditation practice on our emotional health. A reduction in anxiety and the increase in electrical activity in areas of the brain associated with positivity and optimism have been demonstrated in groups of meditators compared with non-meditators. Meditators also showed improvement in performance in cognitive tests, enjoyed better quality sleep and had a more positive self-image.

Our approach at YogaVeda Living

Taken together, these three types of Yoga practice can genuinely enrich our lives. In our classes at YogaVeda Living, we will teach you a balance of postures, breathwork and meditation. Some classes will focus more on certain aspects (see the class schedule for details), but over-all we provide a comprehensive class program teaching each of these key pillars of Yoga.

Yoga underscored with Ayurveda

The benefits of these techniques are truly felt if we cultivate practice supportive lifestyle, diet and behaviour, and Ayurveda provides us with the necessary tools to do this most successfully, so our classes incorporate these as well, so that you can develop a Yoga practice suited to your current needs and your constitution.

Establishing a daily routine

Yoga is not just something that we should do occasionally for an hour on our mats. Our own experience at YogaVeda Living is that we can all manage and maintain our health and well-being if we learn and use these practices on a regular basis. Ideally, they become part of our daily routine and, as we feel the positive effects of our practices, it becomes more natural to do them every day than not to. Yoga becomes more than the techniques; it becomes a way of life, a way of being, of enjoying good times with simplicity and of coping with difficult times with resilience. Yoga means balance, happiness, awareness and compassion, and all we have to do is practice.