Yoga

Yoga practice and practices

A ‘Yoga practice’ is what you will do on the mat or with a chair at Synchronised Movement or yourself at home. In a Yoga practice, we move the body in all directions – forwards, backwards, inwards, outwards, upwards, downwards, sideways, diagonals and twists. We stretch, hold, balance and pause.

With Yoga on the mat, we lie on our backs and stomachs and sometimes our sides. We kneel and stand, lunge, squat, sit and turn as we work through different Yoga movements and poses.

With both Yoga on the mat or with a chair, we try to keep our spines tall to improve our posture, align our joints and activate our core to help our organs function and our bodies be well.

During all Yoga practices, we focus on the breath as a bridge to soothe the mind and as you move, this breath focus helps to slow down, calm and clear the mind, supporting you to become more centred and grounded. We call this practice ‘Yoga stillness’ as a means of experiencing ourselves as we are.

‘Yoga practices’ refers to the range of skills and techniques developed by the ancient Yoga practitioners and refined by Yoga teachers ever since. These include guidelines for ethical behaviour (personal and interpersonal), cleanses for the body, breathwork and movement, positions for the body (Asana) and hands (Mudras) for postures or meditation, as well as a range of focussing experiences for concentration and meditation, to help achieve overall integration and harmony.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a term that describes a framework of ancient practices which are intended to unify all aspects of a person’s being – the physical, energetic, emotional and mental, with the ultimate goal of harmony or ‘union’. The word Yoga is often translated as ‘union’ or ‘yoke’. The many and varied practices of Yoga work together to enhance the connection of a person to your whole self, reveal habits and enhance your potential.