The essence of Yoga


"Just like we are individuals, there is Yoga for everyone - it can take time to find 'your Yoga' but when you do, the feeling is like coming home!"

Yoga to me is a way of life - it nourishes my body, calms my mind, helps me find balance in times of chaos and enables me to sustain self-awareness. As Yoga has spread far and wide throughout the world, the word itself means many things to many people. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’, meaning, to control, to yoke or to unite.

The body, mind and spirit are united as one through practicing the eight limbs of Yoga written by the great sage Patanjali, which dates back to 2nd Century CE.
These eight limbs are:

  1. Yama (Restraints)
  2. Niyama (Disciplines)
  3. Asana (Posture)
  4. Pranayama (Breath-control)
  5. Pratyahara (Sense-withdrawal)
  6. Dharana (Concentration)
  7. Dhyana (Meditation)
  8. Samadhi (Bliss)

 

Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Breath initiated movement through a sequence of asanas.

Yoga Trance Dance

A mat-less practice fusing elements of Yoga & Dance.

Thai Yoga Massage

Ancient healing practice known as Yoga for lazy people.

 


Yoga lineage

T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989)

Krishnamacharya "believed Yoga to be India’s greatest gift to the world". He was not only a yoga instructor, he was also considered a physician of Ayurvedic medicine and “possessed enormous knowledge of nutrition, herbal medicine, the use of oils, and other remedies”. In a biography Krishnamacharya says asana practise was little known about in India so he travelled to Tibet to find a guru to teach him. Like all serious yogis of this time Krishnamacharya’s training began with Patanjali’s Yoga sutras and the study of postures began with his father 1893.??Three of Krishnamacharya’s most recognised pupils and his son emerged from his years in Mysore - Pattabhi Jois, Indra Devi, BKS Iyengar and T.K.V Desikachar .

 

Pattabhi Jois (1915 - 2009)

Went on to develop the school of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Pattabhi was a young boy when he met Krishnamacharya at one of his yoga demonstrations, then studied with him for years to come. Jois became a faithful follower of Krishnamacharya's methods and credits his teacher with perfecting the Ashtanga vinyasa system. Jois and his disciples continue to teach a set sequence of poses (linked by the breath), the purpose to create tapas (heat) in the body, in order to cleans and purify. Combining the physical poses with attention to the breath brings the modern-day ashtangi steadiness and ease in the body, increased awareness in the mind and more openness in the heart.

Indra Devi (1899 - 2002)

Became known as the “first lady of Yoga” in America she has created a gentler system of Yoga from her studies with Krishnamacharya, Indra Devi still uses the breath to move within the pose and between poses but her characteristic trademark is a more devotional flavour. Indra Devi added chanting, meditation and prayer during each class and offered a central asana on which to focus on.

BKS Iyengar (1918)

Grew up in the Krishnamacharya household as his brother in law and went on to assist Krishnamacharya in his classes and other demonstrations. From this Iyengar used his body as a laboratory concentrating on precision and internal and external alignment.

 

T.K.V. Desikachar (1938)

Desikachar is Krishanamacharya's son. By the time he asked his father to teach him he had finished collage with an engineering degree. By this time Krishanamacharya’s own teachings had evolved and through this process and teachings Desikachar created Viniyoga. Viniyoga concentrates on tailoring the Yoga sequence to suite the needs of the individual. A Viniyoga class is slower then Ashtanga, though it coordinates the breath and movement. Like Iyengar Yoga it is known for its therapeutic applications, though Viniyoga concentrates less on alignment and more on varying the length and tempo of the inhalations and exhalations.