YOGA OF THE BODY

While postures are primarily designed to remove blockages and toxins from our body, they are beneficial in several other ways. They also help to calm our nerves, stretch and strengthen our muscles, enhance the working of all our major functional systems and improve our skeletal system by increasing mobility in the joints and strengthening our bones.

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YOGA OF THE BODY

While postures are primarily designed to remove blockages and toxins from our body, they are beneficial in several other ways. They also help to calm our nerves, stretch and strengthen our muscles, enhance the working of all our major functional systems and improve our skeletal system by increasing mobility in the joints and strengthening our bones.



YOGA OF THE BODY

While postures are primarily designed to remove blockages and toxins from our body, they are beneficial in several other ways. They also help to calm our nerves, stretch and strengthen our muscles, enhance the working of all our major functional systems and improve our skeletal system by increasing mobility in the joints and strengthening our bones.

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General guidelines are to perform the gentle postures before the more intense stretches, to follow a back bend with a countering forward bend and to balance out the stretches on both sides (eg a twist to the left should be followed by one to the right).

If you are new to yoga, then the best way to learn is by attending classes, under the guidance of a properly trained and qualified teacher. The information that is accessed through the links below assumes that you are already familiar with many of the common yoga postures. It is intended to supplement what you have learned from attending yoga classes, but does not replace it.

Caution: Please do not try out any postures or practices unless you are sure that you know what you are doing. We cannot accept any responsibility for any injury caused by attempting the practices shown on this website

IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A HEALTHY BODY THAT IS FREE FROM DISEASE AND PAIN SO THAT IT ENABLES US TO CARRY OUT OUR LIFE’S DUTIES AND TO ACHIEVE OUR LIFE’S GOALS.

LINKS TO YOGA PRACTICE DETAILS

HOME YOGA PRACTICE

While attending a yoga class once a week is much better than not doing any yoga at all, it is not really enough. Success with yoga comes from regular and sustained practice. Ideally we should practice yoga every day, even if it is for just a few minutes.

SURYA NAMASKAR SEQUENCE

The Surya Namaskar is a superbly designed orchestration of movements using twelve yoga poses. It is one of the most widely loved yoga sequences and it is easy to see why; it provides us with so many benefits for a minimal investment of time and effort.

CAT POSE

The gentle flow between Arched and Inverted Cat is a wonderful way of opening up the front and back of the spine and we often offer this vinyasa in our classes. The neutral position also provides a great base from which we can launch into other asanas.

CHILD POSE

This pose is a gentle way of opening the back of the spine and giving the body a rest. It is therefore often used as a counter-pose to back bends. Symbolically, it is a posture of humility, as we acknowledge and bow down to things that are bigger than us.

DOWNWARD FACING DOG

The Downward Facing Dog is a very popular pose and it is easy to see why: it is a position that our body is instinctively happy to get into and provides several different kinds of benefits.

EQUESTRIAN POSE (LUNGE)

The Equestrian or Lunge Pose has a number of benefits such as it stimulates the heart, solar plexus and sacral energy centers, stretches the back or front of the back leg, depending on the variation and opens up the chest, plus many more.

PLANK POSE

The Plank Pose is great for developing general upper body and core strength. It is an uncomplicated pose with simple instructions, thereby being a popular pose that is offered in most classes.

SAVASANA – THE RELAXATION POSTURE

This pose is one of the best poses for relaxing and resting the entire body. It is specifically designed to minimize sensory stimulation and encourage the yogic practice of “pratyahara”, where we draw our attention inwards, away from external distractions.

SPHINX POSE

The Sphinx Pose is a gentle back bend that helps to lengthen the spine, strengthen the upper back, open up the chest and strengthen the nervous system. It is a very good pose in its own right and can also be used as a preparatory pose before performing deeper back bends.

STANDING BACK BEND

This pose puts intense pressure on the lower back area due to the way the upper body weight is distributed and transmitted. Therefore do not go deep into the pose, especially if your lower back is feeling sensitive.

STANDING FORWARD BEND

With this pose there are a number of options available regarding the hand positions. For example, they could be on the shins, ankles or calves instead of on the floor. This pose stretches the muscles in the back of our body, all the way from our heels to the top of our head.

WARRIOR TRIANGLE

This pose gives a good stretch to the sides of the body, opens up the chest and tones the sides of our waist. One of the benefits is that is stimulates the lymphatic system and the kidneys, helping to detoxify the body.

WARRIOR 2

There are many variations of the Warrior Pose and here we describe most people’s favourite, Warrior 2. All Warrior poses are strengthening and empowering, encouraging us to take on the qualities of the spiritual warrior.