Yoga, and Iyengar yoga

Yoga is a science, a spiritual; practice and is as much an art form as dance.

Yoga is one aspect of a life philosophy . It is first mentioned in ancient texts called the Vedas and evidence of yoga positions in sculptures goes back as far as 3000BC.

No single teacher can be described as the originator of yoga, however the first person believed to have produced a written systematized description of yoga was Patanjali, an academic and grammarian, who is sometimes called "the father of yoga". These aphorisms describe how we can reach our full and personal potential through the practice of yoga as a physical and lifestyle practice.Until he wrote this, yoga was taught orally to the student in an important relationship of learning.

Yoga is an espteric practice and the practice of Tantric Yoga such as Kundalini Yoga consists of working directly with the breath and the body's energy. Any tantric practice, whether it is to create more money, better business, healthier relationships or other aspects of daily life, focusses directly on the energetics of practice either through body posturers or breathing exercises. Other yoga systems use different postures in order to stimulate or placate the body's energy.

In the West, there are many styles of yoga taught and each school of yoga has been developed by the guru's own experiences. Most yoga systems are self-contained and cannot be mixed with other systems as the roots of the system will be different. There are more eclectic yoga styles.

A general yoga practice will have the same benefits when practised for prolonged periods of time and regularly, as ordinary aerobic exercise, but without the strain on the body. As with any activity- it is 99% practice that brings about most benefits. Some of the styles of yoga are as follows:

• breath and movement
• mainly breath-work
• postures and breathing
• therapeutic benefits of posture alignment
• devotional practices
• meditation
• energy-work based on the chakra system
  
  Whichever style you choose to follow, there is a shared aim - to bring about mental, emotional and physical equilibrium. For me, Yoga is a practice in'mindfulness' at whatever level we are practising and whether you choose to follow a physical yoga or meditational yoga, the essence is that of 'present-moment awareness'.

What is yoga practice?

The practice of postures requires us to be 'mindful' i.e. fully aware in the present moment as we put our body into a posture. It is easy to become distraced by thoughts, a competitive nature, a wish to avoid stretching discomfort and so using the concepts of mindfulness can help bring our mind to the practice of a posture, in the moment. When we are stronger and can hold postures for a minute or two, the practice may become meditative i.e. we focus on the body, our breathing and notice the state of our mind. ultimately, Yoga teaches us to live with awareness of ourselves as we go about our daily lives.

Each system of yoga will appeal in different ways and perhaps at different times of life. A vigorous energetic yoga style may appeal to your personality or may appeal to you when young and energetic. A quieter meditative approach may be what is needed. If you are an older person you may want something gently stretching and relaxing rather than postures that require a lot of muscle strength. The way we practice i.e. our personal disposition, has an influence on how the postures or breating benefits us or not. for example, if you are someone who is always drive' to achieve in life, you may drive yourself too hard in your postures. If you are someone who is lazy at heart, you may work lazily in your postures and not reap the full benefits.
I observe, from my own practice and teaching, that yoga practice requires 'engagement, awareness, effort and stillness'.

What are the benefits of yoga?

The 'potentia'l benefits are mental restfulness and a feeling of well-being. The physical practices can produce benefits that equate to ordinary aerobic exercise but without the strain on the body. I have heard it said that: a dynamic yoga practice of 90 minutes gives similar benefits as a 2-mile run, and without the strain on the body.

We live in an era that requires achievement, success and high use of the intellect. Yoga can help to bring focus in present time which can help with competitive sports or dance as well as in how we live and work generally. Your yoga practice is meant to be non-competitive and therefore you work at your own pace. You learn to listen to yourself rather than following the others in the class. It is a practice that contributes to self-confidence and less stress in the mind.

Unlike most forms of aerobic exercise, 'correct' yoga practice provides you with benefits to the entire bodily system i.e. inner organs are massaged, blood supply is stimulated, the heart is stimulated or rested, the nervous system is calmed, the glandular system is regulated, the brain receives a good supply of blood, appetite is regulated as the digestive system is improved. All the physical benefits that can come from correctly aligned and varied postures contribute to our good health, unless damage has already been done. Stamina develops over time due to the aerobic quality of dynamic postures, the body develops an internal and external robustness and the mind becomes steadier.
Apart from the possibility of yoga having a direct therapeutic benefit on our body, yoga is also a mindfulness practice. It is our ability to focus on the postures that can help to clear the mind of unwanted distractions. Being mindful can then extend from the yoga class to everyday life. Its practice can train us to become harmonized mentally , emotionaly, physically, psychically. Some postures will directly calm the brain, while other postures have a stimulating effect.

There is sometimes snobbery expressed about a 'physical' yoga practice and this reflects a misunderstanding of the practice of yoga. Whilst most practices induce certain states of mind, the tool to reach a state of mind can be the breath, the mind, the body, the voice/sound or devotional ritual. It is therefore the tool of choice which determines whether you are breath, body, voice or mind orientated. As people operate differently in the world, it is inevitable that some prefer the body, others the breath....and so on. An important aspect of Iyengar yoga is the emphasis on body alignment. Physical alignment induces a state of calmness and poise. I have had a student comment: "it feels as if my organs have slipped back in place".

Whilst yoga can bring about a healthier functioning of the body and mind, it is not a 'cure-all'. It is a misconception to believe that yoga will cure us of all our ailments. Yoga can help to alleviate discomfort of certain ailments and it may also aggravate some medical conditions.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga has been developed by BKS Iyengar and is based upon the teachings of Patanjali. He and Pattabhi Jois (who developed Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga) shared the same teacher - Krishnamacharya and from their studies the two men produced two different systems of yoga practice which share the same postures. Both systems are complementary and either system offers great benefits. Most people can benefit from attending regular classes in which props can be used as an aid.

Iyengar Yoga focusses on a remedial corrective aspect. More generally, it focusses on correct posture, finding good alignment and reaching a point of stillness in each pose. Iyengar created some of his own postures from helping students who had physical difficulties or injuries and has developed the use of props in order to do this. The props are a way of helping you without putting strain on your body. His system is adaptable to working with specific ailments through the use of specific equipment such as bolsters, straps, blocks, benches and more to help with such conditions as back stiffness, chronic fatigue, arthritis, headaches, migraine, menstrual problems, menopausal symptoms, joint weakness, blood pressure symptoms, pregnancy and others.

What can I expect from a class?

My classes vary in content yet the purpose is always the same i.e. I teach fom the starting point of 'mindfulness' - mind-full-ness. which is about cultivating a focussed, relaxed mind in the present moment. The gradual cultivation of mindfulness helps towards gaining clearer self-awareness on many levels and helps with everyday living and functioning in a busy world. A physical style of yoga can also help with body image issues and with building self-confidence.
I like to teach either a range of postures so that your body receives good exercise or I may focus on a certain area of the body and incorporating postures for that area. Sometimes I will teach relaxing postures for a restful class. I always include a relaxation at the start and end of a class. I aim to progress your practice by introducing new postures as we go along.
It is important to practice at your own pace so that your body and mind do not become strained. It is also important to maintain a practice everyday for more lasting benefits - it is better to do 15 minutes per day rather than 2 hours once a week.

Yoga can be considered an effective form of exercise for people of all ages and can be started at any time of life. The exception is when there are medical conditions present. These must be brought to your teacher's attention. If you are pregnant for the first time and have never attrended a yoga class, you may not be accepted into a class unless you have done regular forms of other exercise prior to your pregnancy. If you are at risk of miscarriage it is recommended that you leave physical exercise until after the first trimester or that you practice very carefully.

Some postures...
Below are some of the postures that I teach. These vary in difficulty: the Beginners' classes feature the more accessible postures.