Maria's approach to yoga
Demonstrating Warrior (Virabhradasana) I
Making time to practice yoga can be an antidote to dealing with the hectic busy-ness of day to day life. Body and soul will thank you! Some of our classes are friendly and small, with a warm atmosphere where a bit of humour does not go amiss.
Each class begins with a moment of tuning inwards to allow ourselves to consciously leave behind the ‘to do’ list and the stresses of day-to-day life as we focus our attention to the session to come.
People often feel better even after their first class, but the benefits will increase over time if yoga is practiced on a regular basis.
Physical benefits
* Improves posture
* Increases flexibility
* Reduces stiffness
* Better muscle tone
* Increases strength
* Strengthens bones
* Relaxes the nervous system
* Strengthens the core
* Improves balance
* Deeper and more enriched breathing
These are the highlights of the physical benefits to practicing yoga; there are so many and improvements will also differ amongst individuals. In a class, I will help you find and become conscious of good postural alignment which can help existing musculoskeletal problems or to prevent future ones. We often have physical habits of mis-alignment that we are not aware of. I will also help you in a class to work a bit harder if that’s what you need – or to ease up a bit if that's what you need help with!
Deeper benefits
* Better focus, concentration, equanimity, inner balance, calm
* Helps reduce anxiety, tension, tightness
* Increases self-awareness and confidence
* Can help relieve pain
* Finding a sense of stillness
*Ooooh, it just feels so good!
In a yoga class, you might find it’s almost like getting to know yourself in a way you haven’t noticed before. Yoga can give you a good feeling of the blood moving through the body, giving a new energy and sense of flow and openness. Besides all these benefits, yoga is also a good way to prepare body and soul for meditation. It can quieten the mind, and open and relax the body.
You will have the space to improve at your own pace in class. There are no targets or goals to achieve. You go as far as you feel comfortable with which might also vary from day to day/week to week depending on how you feel. There are modifications and extra challenges for most postures so you can go slowly or take it right to your edge, as you need.
At the end of a class I hope everyone will walk out feeling better than they did when they came in.