Yoga and Mediation

So much gets said about yoga and meditation, and rightfully so. They are deeply beneficial ancient systems for health and wellbeing.

Yoga is beneficial for the body and mind, and importantly, it can be an essential lens into our personal attitudes, behaviours, and patterns.
Getting into posture is a journey, much like life is. I like the adage: "How we do anything is how we do everthing".
 

What is yoga? 

A big question. I like to keep it simple by focusing on the basic principles. I find this attitude sets me on the path of self-discovery in a deep and meaningful way. 

Yoga means to unite, to yoke. What unites? And how?

Let’s look at the ‘what’ first…while there are many valid views and opinions out there, I like to see it as union of the conscious and unconscious minds; or simpler even, union of the mind and body. 

Now the ‘how’…as I see it there are two considerations, the impact yoga has on the body and the impact it has the mind.  

The posture aspect of the practice is rich and deeply important as it helps develop and cultivate flexibility in the body, a vital aspect of youthfulness and vitality.

The invitation is to be where you are with it. Those who are advanced in their practice and knowledge of yoga move from there, and those who are new proceed from that place. 

Yoga is also a journey in self-awareness.  We can remain curious and interested by asking: how/who am I as I go from one posture to the next? How/who am I while in that posture? What do I have to let go of to remain in this posture? 

It is deeply informative to watch ourselves approach the postures on the mat in a similiar way we approach life.

There is so much to discover. Each posture is an adventure.

The idea is to remain willing and open for all that occurs along the way, in acceptance while allowing our awareness and innate knowing to keep us on the best possible track with each posture, for growth and transformation. 

In other words, yoga and meditation create a unique perspectice, a unique experience of what is means to be alive.

What I find the most exciting is the mental aspect of yoga. 

While it can be challenging for some, most people can relax the body fairly easily. Relaxing the mind however is another story. 

Yoga is dubbed the king of relaxation systems. 

Interestingly, the more relaxed we become the more flexibility and balance increase, physically and mentally. Meaning, relaxation leads to pain and stress relief, a deeply beneficial outcome especially with our fast pace living.

Physical and mental relaxation lead to increased awareness - awareness of life. And as this happens, we can experience states of happiness, bliss even euphoria. We can experience higher levels of consciousness. That, is the true aim and benefit of yoga. 

In a nut shell…it is the conscious commitment to return to a point of focus (breath, mantra, gesture…) and to experience a state of presence and increased attention. 

It can be practiced while sat on a meditation cushion or in every day situations (walking, cooking, at work...).

On the outside the meditator may look calm and peaceful, however the experience can be very different on the inside. The idea is to learn to sit with and through whatever arises in our thinking space.

It is both simple and complex. It requires practice, which refers to a committed willingness to use this wonder-filled tool as well as experiencing it.  And with good and simple direction many benefits can be experienced fairly quickly.

When practicing yoga and meditation, combined or separately, we become more aware of our mental chatter - its quality and impact. We can experience this quality of relationship we have with ourselves directly. 

We can start adjusting this chatter to a more supportive ally rather than allowing it to remain a negative and tiresome energy sapping adversary, and optimaly, we can even learn to focus our attention on observing the thinking rather than engage with it.

Imagine how it could be to live life unlimited!

These practices help us define our edges and limits, and grow inside the boundaries that make us, and learn to go beyond them in a natural and sustainable way.
I love teaching yoga and meditation practices. I see the yoga mat as a place where we come into contact with many aspects of ourselves we couldn’t see anywhere else.
And the beauty of it is that the learning, the growth and transformation translates in every area of life!

Yoga and meditation teach us to be present in the moment, living according to what is rather than what we think is.

Living life on life’s terms means presence, acceptance, participation, engagement, and all that is required of us is a letting go, a surrender - which some may see as the biggest challenge in our life!

It can be difficult to let go and release when we don’t know that we are holding on in the first place, and what we are holding on to. Yoga and meditation are great practices to discover our bodies and see all the places where there is holding and tension, insecurity and held energy, and witnessing how it affects us in our body and mind, and indeed in our life too.

So, don’t wait to be flexible to take classes. The class level is perfectly aligned to your level because you do every posture from where you are on your journey, even as a newcomer you can benefit immensely. 

If you are looking to improve balance, coordination, or relief from stress, anxiety and depression, or generally looking for relaxation and flexibility in your being and your life, yoga and meditation could be good practices for you.

By this I mean, practicing regularly can bring about those benefits. You don’t need to arrive in class with them, you grow into them. They grow into you.

In any of my classes, whether private or as part of a group, you will be encouraged to listen to your body and learn to understand its communication; to develop a relationship with yourself - that is, a nourishing and sustaining relationship with yourself.

Why not go for it?! Come and experience that for yourself, that's the best way to find out!

I look forward to sharing with you parts of this unique journey that is life.

Live sessions venue: 

Moon Women's Health - 63 Chetwynd Road, London NW5 1BX

Weekly Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Class
Wednesdays (women only) 10:30-11:30 - £20

Sundays (open to all) 10:30-11:30 - £20
Book 6 classes in advance: pay £90 (to be used over 8 weeks max) 

Monthly Workshop  

Sundays at 10:00 to 12:30 - £45 

date and venue will be announced

Yoga and Meditation Class - online and live for private tuition 

Classes tailored to your specific levels and needs.

Please contact me for a free consultation to discuss your needs and goals.

Weekly online meditation class 

Join details emailed when requested via the booking form below.