Yoga is an ancient practice that involves physical postures (asanas), concentration and deep breathing (pranayama).
Yoga not only helps improve your physical health by increasing flexibility and strength but it also has a profound impact on your mental well-being.
Yoga is a mind body practice. Yoga uses deep conscious breathing, activating your body’s relaxation response, helping to reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol, which is the major culprit of anxiety, insomnia and of stress. The physical asanas (postures) help release pent up tension in your muscles signalling your brain to relax.
Yoga helps with emotional regulation, giving you more control over your response to stressors.
“According to the journal of Clinical Psychology, practising yoga regularly can lead to a 35% reduction in stress levels”.
At ClubFit we offer three types of yoga classes: Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga.
Vinyasa yoga is a creative form of yoga where poses are linked together with the breath in a flowing sequence.
A vinyasa class is often more active and dynamic than hatha yoga with a focus on strengthening postures, or it may be a slower flow with an emphasis on mobility and flexibility in the spine or the hips.
The term vinyasa refers to the alignment of movement with the breath, so although you may also hold poses for a few breaths, you’ll move from one pose to the next using the inhalation and exhalation. It is about the journey, moving with intention, intuition and feeling.
Ujjayi breathing may be practised during Vinyasa classes, this is where the back of the throat is slightly constricted to create a whispering sound like the waves coming to shore. This helps to keep the focus on the breath and the present moment during the practice.
Benefits of a regular Vinyasa yoga practice:
Hatha yoga is a complete discipline which has you working on your body mind and spirit. ‘Hatha’ means ‘force’ and alludes to the balance between forces and the alignment of these forces. Similar to ‘yin and yang’ in traditional Chinese medicine. Specialists agree that all forms of yoga are derived from Hatha Yoga and that the practice of yoga arose from the pillars set out in this discipline. The pillars were described by the Indian sage Patanjali, who outlined the eight pillars of yoga.
These eight pillars include:
The last two pillars form the foundation of Hatha Yoga, which you’ll see if you attend a taster session. Hatha yoga is a series of postures/asanas and focuses on the breath and being in the present moment. It is suitable for everyone.
It is beginner friendly as it is the most basic form of yoga. Everyone works to their own ability and use blocks or straps to assist with the asanas.
Yin Yoga is a beautiful calm and meditative practice, based on the 5 elements of traditional Chinese medicine. In Yin Yoga we practice mindfulness and we gain a deep understanding and trust of our body by coming back to feeling and experiencing our own body and our own emotions. In Yin Yoga the positions are held for longer (3-5 minutes), by practising with relaxation and letting go. In this way we reach the deep connective tissue, fascia, and our body is getting gently stretched.
Fascia and lymph act in tandem to improve our mobility, reduce pain and flush out toxins. By activating this essential system, your able to improve your lymphatic flow, fully nourish your body, and prevent illness and inflammation and free yourself from aches and pains. Fascia is a network that connects and holds together everything in our body. If fasciae is not moved, they stick together or become matted. Our body has to be challenged, used and stressed. We want to stress the connective tissue in a YIN way (slowly).
In this class you will be guided into the postures and use props to support the body. This helps us to let go of the muscle tension and the body receives the signal of security to let go more and more.
Props can be yoga blocks, bolsters, cushions or blankets (if you have any of your own props please bring them along).
We will also create a nice meditative environment with the use of candles, music and essential oils.
