WHAT IS YOGA ?

It is thought that Yoga originated several thousand years ago in India.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning union.

Hatha Yoga is the name given to all physical forms of Yoga and is very popular in the west. It’s meaning is twofold, balance [ ha means sun, tha means moon ] and effort. It is believed that balancing and strengthening the body will in turn balance and focus the mind. There are many branches of Yoga. In the west we generally use the branch of Hatha.

Yoga is practiced in differing ways but each style has the same goal, that is to bring balance into the individual practitioner’s life. It can be equated to all the oceans of the world, they all have different temperatures and currents, and different life forms flourish within them, but they are all interconnected in one body of water. When you dip your toe in at the shoreline of the sea you are part of this body of water.

The three main components of Hatha Yoga that I concentrate on in classes are:-

· Asana [body postures]

· Pranayama [energy control, using the breath]

· Yoga Nidra [deep relaxation] 

If you are flexible it can be enjoyable to stretch your body to it’s full potential, but Yoga is adaptable to every persons needs. Everyone should work within their own capabilities. Challenge is good but pressure is not.

Two of the main rules of Yoga are:-

1.TO CAUSE NO HARM [this most importantly includes ourselves]

2.ACCEPTANCE [of what we have and haven’t got, or can or cannot do]

NB. Acceptance is a complicated issue. It is not meant to be an excuse for complacency. If it is possible to change a situation beneficially, effort should be made to do so.

All you need to practice Yoga is loose comfortable clothing and a Yoga mat .It may be useful to have a warm covering i.e. A blanket for relaxation as body temperature can drop at this stage. A cushion or block for some seated Asanas [postures] is also useful for extra comfort.