This Year will be the Year of Yoga

It is time to step onto the yoga mat and experience the physical and mental benefits of yoga.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of yoga is that it is available and accessible to all. Yoga is for the young and old. It is for the fit and those on the heavier side. It is for those who seek peace and calm and those who look for flexibility and strength.

Yoga is a combination of breathing exercises, meditation and poses that can invite relaxation and reduce stress levels.

Breathing exercises

Pranayama, which means to ‘extent the vital life force’ or prana, is made up of a series of breathing techniques. These can range from simple breathing exercises for beginners to complex variations for more advanced practitioners.

Pranayama practise can reduce stress and anxiety in practitioners and invite a sense of calm and peace within the body.

Many pranayama techniques involve a long, even exhale. It can help support the parasympathetic nervous system and trigger the relaxation response in the brain. When this happens, the stress levels in your body and mind lower. Another benefit of pranayama includes building resilience in the body and also training your mind to become focused and still.

Meditation

“Meditations refer to a family of self-regulation practices that focuses on training attention and awareness to bring mental processes under greater voluntary control. It is to foster general mental well-being and development and/or specific capacities such as calm, clarity, and concentration” (Walsh and Shapiro, 2006, p. 228). In other words, it trains the mind to be more self-aware and gain a healthy sense of perspective.

Poses

Asana is the physical practices of yoga poses. It is also the name of each pose within yoga.

Asana is one of the eight limbs of yoga. The other seven limbs include; pranayama, dhyana, yamas, niyamas, pratyahara, Dharana and samadhi. Keep an eye out. We will be delving into each of these eight limbs in another blog very soon.

Training in The elbowroom:

In our upcoming 250-hour foundation yoga teacher training, we will be exploring topics such as; pranayama, relaxation, meditations, the human system, asana, yoga philosophy and ethics.

It will be online Practice & discussion with the teacher trainers Bev Porrino & Mary Williams.

If you would like to find out more, there will be a free online open day event at 11 AM on the 27th of March 2021.

Sign up here to attend the online open day event.

For any enquires email training@the-elbowroom.com