About Yoga
The Five Points of Yoga are taught at the center through yoga classes, workshops, and retreats. The Five points of yoga are: Proper exercise, breathing, nutrition, meditation/relaxation, and positive thinking. Yoga teaches healthy living and wellness of the whole person through techniques that allow you to feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually balanced.
Yoga and its cleansing practices have proven to be extremely effective for various disorders and it is effective in:
Flexibility- yoga has positions that act upon the various joints, ligaments, and tendons to increase lubrication . Stretching maintains mobility, range of movement, promotes blood flow, and facilitates proper healing.
Excellent Toning of the muscles-Yoga builds strong muscles and bones along with improving circulation, and neurological activity. Muscles that become flaccid or weak are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.
Complete Detoxification-By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment to vital cells and tissue. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, increased energy, and remarkable zest for life.
Massaging Vital Organs-Yoga is one of the few exercises that massages internal glands and organs in a thorough manner. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible sign of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
Maximizes Mental Clarity-Our brains clearly is one of the most important muscle of our body and it can be strengthen through regular physical exercise, meditation, relaxation, and positive thinking. The brain is pliable, flexible and able to develop new neural connections throughout our lives and exercise promotes increased blood flow and oxygen which is a direct result to feeling more energy, clarity, and a sharper mind.
Balances Emotions-Yoga releases stress hormones which indirectly enhances mood, promotes sleep, decreases fatigue, and combats depression.
Boost Immunity- Yoga support the immune system by removing stress hormones, toxins, and bacteria from the body. By detoxify the body of these pollutants you will significantly reduce your chances of getting sick. The entire nervous-system is stimulated and nourished.
Recover well-heal more easily, combat disease, improve immunity, strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, balance hormones, and allow the body to detoxify and to cleanse all with the practice of yoga.
" There is no medication or nutritional supplement that even comes close to having all of the effects exercise does," says David C. Nieman, PhD, author of The Exercise-Health Connections: Kinetics, 1998). " Its truly the best medicine we know of."
"Yes exercise builds muscles and bone," says Michael Roizen, MD, coauthor of You: The owner's Manual (HarperCollins, 2005). "But it also changes the way your genes function, making it less likely that you'll get cancer, that arteries will harden or that you'll suffer from depression."
Yoga Etiquette and Class Introduction
Commit to practice yoga -Give your body and mind time to register the process by doing classes at least twice of week to receive optimal health benefits. Practicing two days or more helps prevent injury, encourages muscle memory, and restore balance, strength, and wellness.
Eat at least 2 hours before doing yoga.
Wear comfortable stretchy clothing
Take modifications when needed, always feel comfortable to rest any time during class and take your time to transition into postures.
Come out of any poses that causes strain, pressure, or shortness of breath.
Experienced yoga students can feel encouraged to deepen their practiced by holding longer, or doing the full posture with variations that strengthen and engage.
Come to Yoga 5 to 10 minutes early to settle in, get props, and settle in. A nice way to prepare for yoga is to sit in a cross legged posture or go down on your back to start breathing and to relaxing.
If you must leave early, leave before final relaxation so it is less distracting and to honor the other students quiet space.
Feel free to ask questions before or after class to gain more understanding.
Let your teacher know if you are experiencing any difficulties. There are many ways to overcome obstacles that may arrive in your practice.
Often beginners may feel an array of feelings, from tight hips, to a cluttered mind, nausea, and a flood of unaddressed emotions, all of which are apart of the cleansing and detoxification process of yoga.
Practice patience, acceptance, and contentment in the postures, and take to to reflect, let go of inner dialog and focus of the internal perspective of the posture rather than the external.
Remember to move slowly and listen closely to what your body is telling you. Your body will always let you know what it needs for that particular day, which may require that you personalize by modifying, engaging, deepening, and or resting.
Individuality- we encourage you to personalize your practice, stop when it causes strain or shortness of breath. Feel free to re-adjust, align and come in and out of the postures.
Avoid wearing heavy scents and perfumes.
Private yoga is available for specific needs: It can be used for weight-loss, personal training, recovery, and prevention.
Yoga Integration
Here are a few helpful points to alleviate common complaints and to maintain a healthy spine outside of class
Proper Posture- apply proper posture into your daily life and you will truly feel optimal results. Most of our compliant are due to poor habits such as improper lifting, carrying, alignment, holding the breath, and posture. Proper posture engages the core muscles, promotes an aligned spine which is a direct result to alleviating tight hips, and relieving back, shoulder, and neck pain.
Helpful tips:
Sit on a yoga ball at the table, desk, or in front of the TV. (This will engage your abdominal muscles and promote proper alignment)
Walk and move consciously through the day. Notice your breath, engage muscles, and carry weight evenly from your right to left side.
Roll up a blanket or use a bolster to lye down on. Place the bolster or blanket long ways down the spine. This promotes proper alignment and relieves common pressure in the back and spine.
Legs on wall pose- practice at the end of the day to release stress, promote relaxation, and to energizes. Possibly use an eye pillow to promote relaxation of the mind and an intention on the breath. You can also use a blanket under your upper back, shoulders, and neck.
Body Awareness-The practice of awareness is the first step to health and wellness. Notice your body, mind, and breath daily. As you apply this simple exercise you will feel the benefits of yoga more fully integrated and you will
feel less stress, anxiety, tension, and fatigue.
Yoga is an ancient, comprehensive system
Yoga is for .........
Stress Reduction
Strength, Flexibility & Endurance
Metabolism Booster
Enhance Your Immune System
Repairs and Prevents Injuries
Internal Purification
Mood Enhancer, stabilizes emotions balances hormones
Increases Concentration
Even and Balanced Intellect
The postures reverse stiff and joints and muscles while eliminating stress and increasing blood flow so that all parts are nourished. This in turn keeps the spine flexible and supple, stimulates the digestive system, alleviates internal congestion while promoting good assimilation, cleanses the intestinal tract, and keeps other body functions in good working order.
Various breathing techniques teach how to breath properly through the nose. They use the entire breathing apparatus of diaphragm, thorax and clavicle by which the lungs are properly ventilated, the heart is well massaged, and the nervous system and the para-nervous system are cleansed and toned. A cleansed and toned nervous system is less likely to be agitated and thus affects the thoughts and emotions positively. The regulation of breathing not only encourages proper technique, but also shows how to store large amounts of energy within.
For questions call us at 805-434-1924 or email at serenitynaturalliving@gmail.com