Hi, My Name is Yoga & I Will Change Your Life

YOGA: A sanctuary where the spirit can slowly begin to truly heal.

Yoga is powerful because it is humbling,

It asks the strong to become flexible, the weak to become strong, the bored to become inspired and the excited to relax.

It is the perfect balance of yin & yang energy and the equalisation of two opposing forces of the sun & moon.

Yoga is called a 'Practice'. Simply because it is a practice that has no rules or guidelines, no right or wrong but simply a practice that when it is embodied, will transform your life... And no, you do not have to be flexible to be good at yoga!!

Here is why...

Yoga is over 5000 years old and is an ancient Indian philosophy espousing an eight-limbed approach to conscious living. Yoga in fact goes far beyond the physical practice, the physical component is just 1/8th. Yoga - is a practice based on self awareness, self-love and freedom of ego and material things. It’s about using breath with physical postures (asanas). The control of breathing shifts through different parts of the brain where thoughts and emotions are by passed and the mind can then experience focus, calm and awareness. The emotional stress, random thoughts are removed. Emotions create tension in muscles, stiffness and blockages. Awareness of breath helps manage emotional disturbances in the brain and allow energy free flowing. As air enters into the body, it affects the entire body - mind complex.

Yoga in Sanscrit means to completely know yourself and to be at peace in yourself. It is not possible to define peace except to say it is freedom from all suffering, freedom from all doubt and freedom from confusion.

A natural blessedness unfolds in as you feel this peace and you increasingly realise this as the core essence of your life.

This realisation is called yoga: a clear knowledge of the oneness of your self with the source of all life.

With understanding this knowledge, life begins to flow with a vital freshness and harmony, with clarity, mental alertness, creativity and a loving and understanding fullness. This yoga state is expansive, nourishing and life- supportive.

Yoga to me is a sensual dance with your eyes closes - exploring the body and heightening all senses.  Yoga takes me into another place, mentally, physically and spiritually.  I practice to disconnect from the material world and reconnect to my inner world. Spiritually I get lost. It allows myself to explore wildly into the unknown and challenge my mind and body and surrender to life as it is in the present moment.

Yoga for me is something I choose every day, weather it be a class, meditation, deep stretch, walk along the beach or relaxing at home. Yoga is a part of my mind and life and has completely changed my world.

The holistic system of yoga is designed so that emotional breakthroughs can occur safely.

Yoga is not merely an athletic system, it is a spiritual system. The poses are designed to affect the subtle body for the purpose of spiritual transformation enlightenment.

Any time you are working with the body, you are also working with the mind and the energy system - which is the bridge between mind and body. In yogic terms their is no separation between body, mind and spirit. What happens to the mind also happens to the body and spirit.

In other words, if something is bothering you spiritually, mentally or emotionally, it is likely to show up into your body. (As a Dis-ease )

We all hold in our bodies emotions and misguided thoughts that keep us from reaching enlightenment. Any sense of unease or dis-ease keeps us from reaching this state.

Asanas (poses) are one path to blissful contentment, working to bring us closer by focusing our minds and releasing any emotional or inner tension in our bodies.

So if you have emotional turmoil or energy that needs shifting or blockages that need to be unblocked then find a way to move, stretch and explore your body. It's not about forcing these emotional releases its about letting them come naturally.

You’re going to hit what’s stored in your body during yoga practices. Let it come and be cleansed out of your cell tissue. It’s a gift of the yoga. However, what works for one person may not work for another. You cannot demand release and expect a response, although you can certainly listen to your body and discover where it needs to untie an emotional knot.

If your heart feels heavy, if your stomach is constantly in turmoil, if your inner child needs comforting, an Asana and Pranayama program can be created specifically for you, the same way you might practice inversions or balancing poses if you want to challenge yourself physically.

True Yoga is not about the shape of your body but the shape of your life.

Yoga is not to be performed, but to be lived.

Yoga doesn't care about where you have been.

Yoga cares about the person you are becoming.

Yoga isn't about tightening your ass, it's about getting your head out of it.

Yoga is designed for a vast and and profound purpose.

And for it to truly become yoga,

It's essence must be embodied.

Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life, where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit the broken pieces of your soul together. Yoga allows you to find inner peace that is not ruffled and ruled by the endless stresses and struggles of life. Yoga allows you to find your own freedom. To a yogi, freedom implies not being battered by the dualities of life, it's ups and downs, its pleasures and its suffering.

We often get caught up in the stress and business of our everyday lives & forget the importance of taking time out to reconnect to ourselves, our mind, body & spirit. To really breathe, relax, shift our consciousness and let go of the things we hold on too so tightly that are causing us damage, grief, pain and imbalance. When doing Yoga we allow space inside our body & mind which brings peace & clarity. Our body feels alive.

Yoga is a  beautiful way to remind everyone that true yoga is practiced not for the self, but to bring peace, happiness and freedom to all beings. That by being our best selves, we benefit all others and reach our highest state of happiness/ consciousness.

"Lokah Samasthah Sukhino Bhavantu"

Namestè,

Bryony xx