Benefits of Yoga
Strength
When you put good stress on your bones, joints, and muscles they become stronger and more stable. Finding your physical strength will help you understand your body's capabilities. Let's not forget mental strength. Yoga has been shown to have a positive effect on mental health. The physiological effect that occurs stimulates the mind, often replacing stress and anxiety with feelings of positivity and engagement in life. The feel-goods.
Mobility
Moving your body in a variety of ways opens up areas that might feel tight or stuck. You'll gain more strength, control and freedom to move fluidly. Good mobility is excellent protection for times when we may fall out of alignment, thus preventing aches and pains in the muscles and joints.
Awareness
Movement and breathing are powerful tools. They can help calm you down and deepen your self-awareness. They help you engage in the here and now, a great alternative to a racing mind, which can be stressful and unproductive. Each class starts with relaxed breathing to help you slow down and transition to your physical practice. We aim to incorporate the breath throughout the practise.
Mind Body Connection
Pranayama is an ancient practice of breath control. Prana, in Sanskrit, means 'Life Force'. Pranayama, yoga, and mindfulness can lower your heart rate and decrease your stress levels. The mind and body are powerful allies. As a result, there's a shift in balance whereby the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, sending us from 'fight or flight mode, to one of ease, 'rest and digest'.
Unity
In Sanskrit the word ‘yoga’ translates to ‘union’ or ‘connection’. The practice of yoga is a uniting of mind and body, mind and soul, and ultimately a union of the individual soul with the universal soul.
Adaptability
Functional movement has a huge impact on the well-being of your joints. When patterns of movement are repeated they become reinforced in the brain, (pathways get created) giving your body a solid roadmap. Once these pathways are formed, you'll have the awareness to perform safe, functional actions. This readiness is called adaptability.