Mind Body Soul Spirit

When many people think about Yoga they seem to conjure up images of a bunch of lycra-clad women stretching and bending into awkward positions. It's true, Yoga does involve stretching and yielding but it has a lot more to offer than improving your flexibility and muscle tone.

Yoga originated in India thousands of years ago. It comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’, which translates as ‘unite’ The core of Yoga is to unite the mind, body and soul in order to reach a balance of perfect harmony and well-being. This balance is achieved through a combination of physical exercises (asanas), breathing practices (Pranayama) and, finally, meditation.

Practicing yoga regularly will improve your flexibility, fitness level, posture and also give you a peaceful mind. But as well as this, Yoga has been known to help with certain ailments and/or disorders. It has been used to improve digestion, lower blood pressure, rebalance hormones, improve fertility, reduce stress and help with many other health conditions. By practicing Pranayama you will achieve calmness and promote a stress-free life.

Yoga practice consists of performing a series of postures (asanas) while simultaneously practicing Pranayama. You will be instructed to move into a certain pose and then hold that pose for several yoga breaths. Pranayama involves deep, full breaths in and out of the nose.

Ideally Yoga should be practiced daily. If you’re new to yoga then joining a class to begin with so that you can learn how to do the poses and breathing exercises correctly would be ideal. If you’re on a budget or pressed for time you could then use a Yoga DVD  for home practice and attend a class as often as you can. Make sure you wear comfortable clothing and you will need a Yoga mat too. Yoga is always performed barefoot.

You should be able to find a Yoga class in your area. Almost all renowned Health Clubs run regular classes but you will have to pay a joining fee. Look out for adverts in the library or local paper for affordable classes often held in sports centres, church halls or community centres. You can also try looking in Online Classified for a class in your area. Be precise when doing an online search, i.e. Yoga for Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced, Over 50's, Over 60's, for Pregnant women, for Adults, for Children etc., so you can find the right class for you.

Classes run from an hour to 90 minutes. If you are new to Yoga be sure to join a beginner’s class as you may find the intermediate one difficult to keep up with. In all cases, be sure to inform your Yoga instructor that you are new to Yoga so that he/she is aware of your limitations.

Yoga is a non-competitive regime so ‘always’ go at your own pace. Don’t try to keep up with the rest of the class. Don’t force your body into a position when it is resisting or you will cause yourself an injury. If you can’t perform a particular ‘asana’ then just stop, sit it out and resume when you are more comfortable. If you can only reach a small percentage of the way in an asana then that’s fine, only go as far as you comfortably can. Each time you practice you will improve and in time your body will become more flexible and you will be able to reach further.

If you’d like to train as a Yoga Instructor then you may find the courses below useful:

Yoga Online Course

Yoga Teacher

British Wheel of Yoga Diploma Course