Awakening Vitality

Yoga

Here in the Awakening Vitality Studio, you will be guided through a yoga practice that will help you achieve mastery over your body and mind.

Yoga means the yoking, or union of mind, body and soul leading towards self-realisation.

In this small Ashtanga yoga class (no more than 8 participants), the focus is on providing an authentic, meaningful practice that is much deeper than just exercise for the body.  Here, yoga is valued as an ancient spiritual tradition, not the modernised version where focus is on business. Each student is given individual attention so they develop a strong foundation, learning postures correctly and safely.  My background and training in many different Yoga disciplines, allows me to give each student a practice that meets their needs.

Each class begins with deep relaxation exercises to prepare the body for the movements to follow.

Raja yoga, also called as Ashtanga, means “eight limbs” or “the eight-fold path.” It uses dynamic asanas (postures) and science based breathing exercises to create physical health and harmony. It leads to changes in behaviour and causes emotions to flow through meditation movements. The eight steps of Ashtanga create an orderly process of self-transformation beginning with the level of the physical body and eventually involving the subtler levels of life. The eight steps are: Yama - moral codes, Niyama –self-purification and study, Asana –posture, Pranayama –breath control,  Pratyahara –sense control, Dharana – concentration and Samadhi – contemplation.

Building up a strong, correct yoga foundation is the key to further advancing your yoga practice. You cannot do this at home by yourself. You need a good teacher who has their own practice and knowledge along with experience of yoga movements and body instruction to guide you through each class.  Knowing how to isolate the different parts of the body to relax or engage the muscles is an important part of the process. Synchronising breath and postures helps to master the ability to align the body using strength and flexibility. Each class finishes with relaxation, meditation and sound healing to dissolve all tension from the muscles, clear your mind and leave you feeling totally refreshed and calm.

Yoga will help you to step beyond the human body and live a life being fully awakened. Knowing your limits and weaknesses and pushing yourself deeper in your training will result in life long health benefits.  This requires you to recognise that the choices you make every day impact your mind, body and spirit. To compliment your yoga practice, be conscious of your food choices, your thoughts and your actions and all areas of your life will be transformed.