Many people have a picture of Yoga that can often be totally different from what Yoga actually is and, have limited knowledge about the power yoga has, to make changes in your life without needing too much time from your day. When I tell people I’m a Yoga teacher, I generally have 2 different responses. The first one is ‘Oh I should do yoga, I know it would be so good for me’ and I wonder here, what is it that stops people from trying something they know would be really beneficial. The second is ‘Oh I should do yoga but I’m not flexible enough’, what pictures are in the minds of people who think they are not flexible enough, what poses and pain are they imagining themselves in!!
If you prefer watching videos click on our video link below.
The issue is often that most images of yoga show really fit, strong people, usually in gym wear, performing incredibly difficult poses. There are valid reasons for this and often it is to do with showing people where they could be if they practiced regularly, in a few years time, with a specific type of yoga which is usually purely physical. The difficulty is that it turns a lot of people off yoga and sadly creates a picture that Yoga is difficult, inaccessible for most people and painful. And this simply isn’t true.
So my video blog today is talking about four ways yoga can easily help you regain a sense of calm and a stress reduced daily life whilst keeping you strong, flexible and healthy.
So what can help with stress?
1. Mindset
This has to be said first as it is the greatest block to you allowing yourself to feel confident about your health, your physical wellness, emotional balance and having more energy to do what you want to do in your daily life. My job as a yoga teacher is to guide people to a space where they can see for themselves that they are capable of practising yoga (if they wish too of course) and how our classes are safe, have options for different levels and have short and longer classes depending on the time you have.
2. Physical strength and flexibility
Whenever you see a yoga advertisement you will usually see these words associated with the class. This is because Yoga is an incredibly clever system which when taught well will create a balance of strengthening your muscles and lengthening (stretching) your muscles. When you strengthen and stretch your muscles you are removing the tension and tightness from your muscles.
You will feel a sense of lightness in your body, maybe feel a bit taller and what’s best described as a sense of ‘aahhh” that feels better. You will also develop confidence knowing that you have both the ability and knowledge to do this for yourself whenever you need it.
3. Breathwork
I can’t tell you how immensely useful and efficient it is to use your breath in particular ways as you move your physical body. So you know you are removing tension from the muscles.
When you begin to use your breath as well you connect into the ‘Lifeforce’ or the ‘prana’ within your body. In very general terms you use your inhalation to lift and open your body so the movement is so much easier and your exhalation to guide your body into the stretch, again making the movement much easier.
The breath starts to activate your nervous system and send messages to your body’s relaxation system to activate, leaving you feeling calmer and more relaxed.
4. Relaxation
This is a very large part of our classes at Soul Harmony Yoga and for very good reason. For those who are already practising my classes, you’ll hear me say- and don’t forget the relaxation, it’s so important. Some people would never dream of missing it by the way and usually, it’s the favourite part of the class. There are 3 key things happening in the relaxation.
Firstly, the relaxation is designed to help your physical body integrate all of the movements that you have done in the class. Your Yoga class is actually preparing your body and mind for relaxation and meditation and your body will be better prepped this and you’ll find it much easier than just doing a relaxation without any yoga. Our bodies are designed to re-balance themselves and bring us back to being healthy. This is exactly what happens in the relaxation.
Secondly, you again are giving your body messages to move into your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of us that creates our ‘relaxation response’ thus helping us to feel calm and relaxed.
Thirdly relaxation helps our energy levels to be replenished. As you stop and relax it gives your energy levels time to recharge which leaves you feeling more energised in your day to day living.
So can you now see how our yoga classes are made up of a system which works together?
The Mindset, the movement, the breath work and the relaxation. All have their place and they gently guide you through a class to allow you to:
Feel confident in your practice- I can do yoga! -Mindset
Get to know your body and how you can move to strengthen and stretch it– helping you stay fit for the long term- Physical strength and flexibility
Experience the benefits of calmness and clarity when using your breath in time with your movements- Breath work
Feel calm, relaxed and at ease with the relaxation– Explore the profound effects of relaxation at the end of the class. So many people when they first come and experience relaxation say to me, “I didn’t realise how stressed I actually was’.
So I invite you to get back to your classes if you are already signed up. Our classes are organised into different courses so you can choose which one is right for you on a given day. We also have some Short on Time Classes and An Introduction to Soul Harmony Yoga which are great classes if you haven’t practised yoga before or of you want a 30-minute class.
If you are one of the people who say I know Yoga would be good for me or consider yourself not flexible enough, I urge you to re-consider. Sign up for your 1st month for just US$1 and see for yourself, completely obligation free, then you make the decision as to whether it suits you.
Thanks for joining me,