The Practice of Yoga

Yoga is a practice of uniting the mind, body and spirit through awareness and precision. When we practice yoga we train the muscles to strengthen and lengthen, the joints to be stable yet mobile, and the mind to be present and at ease.  By repeating a movement pattern in sequence, we enhance the body’s capacity to truly hear what it’s being asked to do. We do this with a delicate touch, signaling to the body and mind where to relax and how to be alert. This continual interweaving of motion, breath, alignment, and awareness becomes deeply rooted in the body. As a result, we can achieve poses that are grounded in a well-informed and unified system.

Understanding movement is a journey. The journey begins from a rudimentary level of awareness, then slowly delving into subtly of mind/body. This natural progression unfolds in it’s own rhythm, teaching patience, honesty and wisdom. During the process we discover how to embody mindfulness. The process requires individuals to move within their own abilities. It is not the pose that makes a successful Yoga practice, but how we practice. Starting with basic movements first, watching how these are translated in the body and adapt from there. This integrity of muscular training through mindful attention results in rebalancing movement patterns, gaining pure movement.

The Benefits of Yoga

The benefit of continual practice is a body that is stronger, with improved flexibility, and a mind that is steady and calmer. Yoga is more than aligned, challenging poses. Over time yoga becomes your lifestyle – it is not only what you do on the mat that counts, it is who you are in the world that truly matters. Yoga becomes who we are, not what we do. It is how we live and what we value. We learn to live from a state of evenness and wonderment as life unfolds with mystery and unavoidable difficulties.