Inspiring a Yoga Practice Pt 1

Traditional Yoga provides an opportunity for inner growth and promotes a journey of self-realisation. What does this actually mean? Isn’t yoga just moving your body into poses and being flexible and trendy? To realise oneself is to be aware of and accept the true nature of you as a ‘whole’ human being. Yoga philosophy teaches us how to let go of unhelpful (and often damaging) thought patterns, belief systems and behaviours so we can live life with a more open, kind and joyful heart. It encourages us to welcome in and get to know our authentic and intuitive self. This ‘self’ has been suppressed in many people due to cultural conditioning, societal expectations, ancestral trauma and ‘systems’ that go against our natural way of being.

Yoga is a holistic practice and the physical postures (asana) that you may have seen online or in a class are only one slice of this huge pie. When we connect with the ancient teachings of Yoga and modify the practices to suit our modern way of life, we can greatly improve our health, wellbeing and outlook on life.

Yoga encourages community, connection and a healthier way of life. It provides opportunities for us to turn inwards and practice self-enquiry. When we practice this, we learn that we have more control over our thoughts, reactions, emotions and mental and physical health than we've been led to believe. We can become our own healers. We have the power to realise our own strengths with consistent practice and determination. And the journey never ends. There’s always more to learn, more to discover and more to elevate our practice. We call it a practice because that’s exactly what it is. Practice leads to progress and day by day, week by week you can become so strong and so deeply connected to your humanness that you start to live attuned with your own personal power, seemingly with little effort.

I’ve heard many students say that even the people around them notice the subtle and profound changes that start to happen after they’ve embarked on their Yoga journey. Their newfound energy transfers and a sense of ease starts to radiate. Life’s stressors don’t seem as stressful, more attention is given to the important ‘little’ things in life, and with each conscious breath, time seems to slow down. Life is more about being rather than doing and mindfulness takes greater priority.

The only real way to explore this further is to make a start or pick back up your own Yoga practice.  

“If you can breathe, you can do yoga”. – Krishnamacharya

Here at Anglesey Wellbeing, Rebecca holds several weekly, small group classes to suit all levels. Classes are in an intimate setting in a rustic log cabin with all equipment provided. She also provides private 1-1 classes as part of her therapy offerings. The main benefit to this is that the sessions are tailored to the students specific needs and abilities. Rebecca's approach is always therapeutic and sound healing, reiki and aromatherapy compliment her classes. You can find out more or book here