Which Yoga Style is for me?
SIVANANDA YOGA
A traditional form of yoga practice which concentrates on breath control, stretching, and silent meditation. Sivananda yoga consists of twelve basic yoga poses, designed to increase strength and flexibility and to improve the sitting position for longer meditations. These poses are practised in a sequence, stimulating energy centres in the body from the head down to the root. The twelve basic poses are covered in a beginner’s class. As the student advances, variations of the twelve poses are covered as well as more advanced breathing techniques. Sivananda Yoga is quite a dynamic yoga giving the body a complete workout with short relaxations between poses.
HATHA YOGA
A very familiar style of yoga in the west know for balancing the body/mind. A practice that is the basis of many other styles that have come later. HA represents the Sun and THA represents the moon. Known as the Yoga of “force” or a means of attaining “a state of yoga” through force, it can be quite challenging if you are a beginner, but with the right guidance and patience, strength and stamina is acheived. It consists of asana (posture), pranayama (breathwork), mantra, shatkriyas & shatkarmas and types of visualisation. An empowering practice.
PRANA VINYASA FLOW
Vinyasa can be decoded from its root words “Nyasa” denoting “to place” and “Vi” denoting “in a special way”. It symbolises a flowing, dynamic form of yoga where postures are linked together using breath. “Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each breath and each action to the next—on the mat and in our lives”, Shiva Rea. It is important to understand that vinyasa is not just any sequence of actions, it is a sequence that awakens and sustains consciousness. Very popular for those who like to move quite a bit quicker and perhaps a doorway in to the slower practices when ready.
YIN YOGA
The essence of Yin Yoga is surrender. Basically it’s the other half of yoga, bringing balance to the heat-building, blood pumping, strengthening “Yang” side of a Vinyasa Flow Practice. Yin focuses on postures that lengthen the muscles surrounding the hips, pelvis and lower back. Students typically hold these postures from 3-10 minutes per side in order to lengthen the connective tissue that surrounds the joints and increase its elasticity. The elasticity of our connective tissue diminishes with physical activity and aging which makes yin essential for injury prevention and joint health. Since a Yin Yoga practice often includes several long, seated forward bending postures, it also restores energy and calms the nervous system.
ACTIVE 65’s+
Seniors often suffer from multiple chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, and poor sleep. Yoga has long been shown to alleviate the symptoms of many such conditions, combining physical poses with relaxation and breathing techniques, to improve overall health and well-being. You might even be able to eliminate costly medications by participating in yoga classes a few days per week. Check with your physician before beginning. It is good to remember that yoga can be practiced on a chair for those who cannot get up and down from the floor comfortably.
THERAPY YOGA
Therapeutic Yoga is a particularly effective practice for those recovering from, or living with, injury or illness. Therapeutic Yoga blends restorative yoga (supported postures), gentle yoga, breathwork and guided meditation techniques combined in such a way that it is an excellent choice for those who need something gentle yet effective for bringing the body into balance and reducing stress. Therapeutic Yoga is a deeply meditative experience – it provides the opportunity to step away from the busy-ness of the outside world and access the deeper wisdom that resides within us.
RESTORATIVE YOGA
A Yoga practice using many props so the body has ample opportunity to let go deeply with gravity. The postures are held for longer periods of time to initiate deep relaxation of body, mind and spirit. Slow restorative Yoga is beneficial to balance a more active practice or decompress after a stressful day. For anyone who needs/wants to slow down.
TEEN YOGA
Yoga is beneficial for everyone, but it is especially so for teenagers, given that these can be difficult years, both emotionally and physically, yoga can help teens find inner peace, confidence as well as ensure physical fitness.
MEDITATION
New meditation students often mention the value of learning to focus and settle the mind, but they also name something more basic. As one person put it recently, “Just having those moments to be quiet is a gift to my soul.” It is a gift to the soul.
~Tara Brach~
Meditation practice is where one would use a technique or various techniques e.g the breath to lead into a meditative state. It’s a state of profound deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert. This is just the beginning of an inner transformation that takes us to the higher level of awareness. This enables us to fulfil our true human potential.
HANNA SOMATIC EDUCATION
Hanna Somatic Education is a safe, gentle and common sense approach to eliminating chronic muscle pain, incorrect posture and many other related health issues for the long term. With Thomas Hanna’s teachings you will learn how to use simple movements to help you relax the muscles that contribute to your pain. HSE focuses on the brain, the root of most chronic pain. To understand how to reduce pain , it is important to understand what causes it in the first place. Often with chronic pain the muscles have got stuck in a contracted state either due to injuries, accidents, physical trauma or stress knows as sensory motor amnesia. HSE seeks to remind the brain of these muscles and train them to relax again.
CHAIR YOGA
Just like a regular yoga practice, Chair Yoga increases flexibility, strength and body awareness. When standing poses are included in a Chair Yoga class, the chair is used to help with and improve balance. Chair Yoga may also include pranayama breathing techniques and meditation to promote focus, mental clarity and relaxation.
Just about any standard yoga pose can be modified for Chair Yoga, including backbends, twists, hip openers and forward folds. For example, in the chair version of mountain pose, the yogi sits with the feet flat on the floor and the knees at a 90-degree angle. Sun Salutation can be practiced on a chair and standing in front of the chair. So if you are a person who sits a lot or prefers not to be getting up and down from the floor, this is an ideal class for you.