What is Yoga?
In Sanskrit, yoga means union; to unite. To unite the breath with the body. To unite the male and feminine energies. It’s a union of many things to find balance in ourselves and in our lives.
Yoga is a beautiful exercise that can be gentle to the body or become a physical workout. It builds muscle, detoxes the organs, assists in the alignment of our body and our posture. It increases our flexibility and improves our balance. But yoga is not only for the physical body.
It works with our mind, body, soul and breath.
Yoga teaches us patience and self love. Assists us with finding focus and clarity and holding our concentration. Yoga encourages us to look within, to connect with our emotions and therefore help us to understand and overcome blockages or pain in order to find peace and happiness. Yoga brings our attention to the present moment, leading us to discover mindfulness which we can take from our practice and into our daily lives. Yoga helps us to find a balance between our busy, rushed, stressful schedule and slowing down to look after ourselves. To release stress and bring attention to our breath; enlightening us to find calmness.
Everything we practice, learn and feel on the mat, we can practice in our day-to-day lives to allow us to lead happier and more fulfilling lives and live every moment to the fullest.
A little note to you…
Never judge yourself or your practice against anyone else. We are all on our own journey, learning different lessons and learning at our own pace. So take time for yourself and only yourself when practicing yoga.
ALSO…
Do lots of yoga. Do different types of yoga. Go to different classes with different teachers. If you can’t afford to be joining all these classes, get onto YouTube; the internet is full of free experiences. Follow blogs for inspiration. Join friends for motivation. Learn to find time and discipline to do this for yourself. And when you do, find the perfect balance between pushing yourself and being gentle with your body. Master taking notice of every part of your body, not just one part at a time, but your whole body, let yoga be a full body and mindful experience.
Yoga has a different meaning to everyone. Whether you are practicing to gain fitness, to find enlightenment or just to sus it out, I encourage you to take this time for yourself. Don’t rush it and simply find what yoga means to you!
Namaste,
Kaycie xx
What to expect in a class?
Classes often start with a moment of stillness to bring attention to the body and the breath and to settle in on your mat so you can get the fullest out of your practise ahead. You will then work through the practise; depending on the style of class you attend will determine the amount of movement and stillness through out the class as well as strength and ease. However you will always having the option to come to child’s pose and/or take a rest. Finally the class will finish with ‘Savasana’, a few moments of rest and reflection.
