What is yoga?

Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The main components of yoga are postures, or asanas, which are a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility, and breathing.

Originating in India about 5,000 years ago, yoga has been adapted in other countries in a variety of ways. Yoga is now commonplace in studios and online classes all over the world.

Yoga can help to increase physical activity, especially strength, flexibility and balance and help alleviate stress and depression.

I aim to find a way to bring yoga into every area of your life using a variety of the schools of yoga, meditation & philosophy. Yoga is an amazing tool for self-development, physically and mentally and can help strengthen the body and mind.

My yoga practice offers a variety of options, allowing you to find what works for you. These include working with mudras and chakras, heart practice, yin yoga and yoga nidra and chair yoga for anyone who has limited movement or injuries. A little more information on these yogic elements is below.

Chakras

Chakras are energy points in our bodies, and there are seven main chakras, each of a different colour and relating to a different part of our body, which are rotating or spinning points of energy located up and down the spine. These energy centres can become blocked and out of alignment, which can manifest as ill health or a lack of energy. Working with the chakras, we can open the door to the energy which they bring and realign ourselves.

Mudras

Mudras are specific hand gestures that are often used when practicing certain yoga asanas, or meditations. They can also be used to bring about a sense of calm in times of stress and worry. They can help focus subtle energy during meditation or yoga nidra.

Yin yoga

Yin Yoga is very much like any other form of yoga practice, however, it is designed to go deeper than the experience normally found in the asana portion of yoga practice, it is less active but targets the deeper connective tissue and muscles in the body by spending longer in asanas and moving at a slower, and more mindful, pace.

Yoga nidra

Yoga Nidra translates as yogic sleep.  It is a yoga practice where one enters a deep state of conscious relaxation and shifts awareness from the external world to our inner world. Our brain activity reduces during yoga nidra and the body fully relaxes. Some say that one hour of yoga Nidra can give the same benefit of a four-hour sleep. 

Chair yoga

Chair yoga is exactly what you think! It is a more gentle practice, done using a chair, usually seated. Chair yoga is often used by those with physical disabilities or limited movement who may find a typical yoga session too challenging. It is also useful for beginners or anyone who wants a gentle practice.

Heart practice

Heart Of Living Yoga is a way of bringing yoga into every area of life and living in the heart – a very practical way of bringing heaven to earth. Using the traditional yogic tools of hatha yoga, meditation & philosophy, it is a path of love and service through self-development and direct experience of the present and true.

Heart Of Living Yoga is a harmonious combination of the main traditional schools of Yoga, which are:

Heart of Living Yoga is based on the Heart Practice which offers a simple and direct way to share the experience of oneness. The Heart Practice gives us full permission to re-connect with the home that is the heart. It gives us permission to reconnect with ourselves – and as well as giving permission it also gives us the means of connecting – through the heart space – it is Heart Mindfulness.