DYNAMIC VINYASA FLOW & POWER YOGA

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There is no denying it, getting fit feels good. It is also true that working on the body, leaving the mind out of the matter can make you feel quite bored and disconnected

 

Yoga is there to unite. When body and mind work together, we begin to feel more at ease with ourselves. We can start to relax and be more accepting of ourselves, gain more understanding of who and where we are in our lives and enjoy watching the body-mind transformation that will begin.

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I still vividly remember how I felt the day it clicked for me. I walked out of a yoga class feeling completely in charge of my life. None of those nagging and useless thoughts were fighting to get my attention. I felt that I did not need to rush home despite the fact I was late, and that I now knew better, that I should stay with my breath more often if I didn’t want to live somebody's else’s life. So I was standing there, dripping sweat and feeling as if I was one, with muscles, flesh, liver, neurological pathways and with my heart too. I was right there, right then with all of myself. Feeling alive.

 

Yes, I know, not all the times have felt that good...! But that is not Yoga's fault, it is human nature!

 

YOGA ON A PURELY PHYSICAL LEVEL

 

Firstly there is the most obvious aspect of working on our bodies through poses, 'asanas', which make our bodies strong and supple. Only a great mix of these two qualities which happens when you practise Yoga can bring about real fitness. Fitness, which improves our quality of life and as the time passes, our joints become better oiled, our internal organs oxygenated and our spines more supported.

 

YOGA ON BRIDGE LEVEL

 

Let's just add a proper sounding, awe inspiring, kind of breath, and the bridge is built. The bridge that will cover the distance between our bodies and our minds. The bridge that will make us realize that we are a delicate mix of elements, none of which can be forgotten.

 

So here is the breath, which as a proper bridge does, shows qualities from both worlds. Physically, we learn how to expand out breathing capacity and break free from old patterns of shallow breathing, which were only giving a strong hand to any anxiety that we might have had lingering. We learn how to use all the muscles implicated with the breathing process, getting our ribcage more pliable....

 

The respiratory system is the only system in the body that can be both under our voluntary control and under the autonomic nervous system control (we breath also when we don't think about it!). The moment in which we take charge, we revert  to the usual relationship between breath and emotions. In daily life when we get angry our breathing gets faster, when we relax our breathing slows down. As yoga focuses on breathing, we can harness its power and can create relaxation and wellbeing.

 

 

YOGA ON SOME OTHER LEVEL

 

Then there is that mental awareness of the breathing process. The breath also becomes our anchor to the now and present time. Listening to this sound coming from inside us, draws our attention right there...inside us. We start to grow a different sensitivity towards ourselves. We start watching ourselves with a more calm and objective eye, discovering how we really feel. We gain a bit of distance between our observing self and the things we observe. We practice this element of concentration towards the breath so that everything else is happening to us becomes a secondary show from which we gain a little detachment. We might hear a few silent poses between our loud thoughts. We might gain a little more insight and peace.