WHAT IS IT? Yoga is a spiritual discipline which has been dated back over 4000 years in northern India and was first mentioned in the Rig Veda, some of the oldest sacred texts. These texts were written by Brahmans or Vedic priests. There are a lot of different types of yoga these days:
Hatha Yoga: Covers body awareness, breathing and meditation
Bikram Yoga: Is practised in a hot and humid environment which can reach over 40 degrees
Vinyasa Yoga: Also known as Flow Yoga, has a variety of yoga positions, with participants moving from one to another.
Kundalini Yoga (Awareness Yoga): Involves breathing, chanting and singing. This yoga is believed to activate the Kundalini energy which is believed to be located at base of the spine.
Anusara Yoga: Also known as Flowing or Grace Yoga, this is a modern form of yoga based on Hatha Yoga. In this style of yoga there are many different poses or postures which mainly focus on breathing and the heart.
WHAT DOES IT DO? Yoga focuses on bringing harmony between the mind, body, spirit and surroundings. It helps improve your strength, balance and flexibility. The deep breathing and slow motion of Yoga increase blood flow throughout the body and are very beneficial when done correctly.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Yoga is known to produce excellent results in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, increasing flexibility, building strength, improving posture, reducing back pain, and providing better balance and overall health and wellbeing