About yoga

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Yoga is an ancient discipline that offers a broad range of tools which can be useful in promoting health, aiding in healing and refining the mind.

Yoga addresses the link between the body, the breath and the mind, recognizing that any conscious attempt to modify one of these factors can be used as an agent for comprehensive change in the entire system.

Although yoga is mainly associated today with the practice of physical postures and a few basic breathing techniques, it also offers a wide range of additional tools which include physical practices, special breathing techniques, powerful meditative practices, symbolic gestures and use of vocal sounds, guided self inquiry practices and more.

This is why, with the compassionate guidance of a skilled teacher, Yoga is as appropriate for the young as it is for the old, as appropriate for the stroke victim lying immobile in a hospital bed, as it is for the flexible, athletic dancer. This is why it may be said that Yoga is for everyone.

When appropriately administered, Yoga practices may be used in a wide variety of purposes such as

• in promoting and maintaining physical and mental health
• in serving as a complementary system of holistic health care -
  both preventative, and curative
• in relieving stress and promoting efficiency
• in aiding to face and deal with challenging life situations
• in providing and guiding us in spiritual transformation

Function over Form

Yoga is taught in three basic contexts: the context of a group class (these vary from the very general to classes with a specific goal or designated for a specific group of people), private instruction for developing a personal practice, and Yoga Therapy.

The goals of each category of class (group, private, and therapeutic) vary. However, a principle that holds true for each of them is that when applying the tools of Yoga, function is more important than form. In other words, as teachers, it is our responsibility to adapt the tool to suit the needs and abilities of the student, so that he or she may get the desired benefit from it.

Typically, improvement in "form" will come with time and effort. Improvement does not imply that a perfect forward bend or perfect chanting pitch will be achieved for certain, but perfection is not the goal: improvement in the student’s health and sense of wellbeing is . . . 

“It is not the destination but the journey which is important”

Yoga Therapy

Like private instruction, Yoga Therapy is offered on a one-to-one basis. In this case, the teacher adapts the tools of Yoga to help heal the student of a specific problem. Where general Yoga keeps us on the steady path of wellness and regular practice provides the equanimity to cope with the stresses and various stages of life, Yoga Therapy specifically targets the root cause of affliction and aims to heal by curing or appeasing the symptoms, positively enhancing quality of life and thereby reducing suffering. Because it is not chemical, Yoga Therapy is a complement to other systems of treatment.

T. Krishnamacharya and the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM)

Krishnamacharya was the only master in the modern era to have been trained in the complete art of Yoga Cikitsa (Therapy). Helping people to heal through Yoga was his life’s work, and he devoted himself to this work for seventy years. His work is now carried on through the efforts of TKV Desikachar and the KYM, a renowned centre for Yoga Therapy practice, education, and research for thirty years.

The legacy of Krishnamacharya - our legacy as students and teachers of Yoga - is not a style of Yoga, it is Yoga - past, present, and future. Visit www.khyf.net for more information

Different styes of yoga

At Lotus Health we offer a range of yoga style. The following classes are not always available, so please check with the class timetable to see the current schedule.

Yoga - Dynamic

A more dynamic, flowing practice that works on strength and flexibility and energises the system.

Restorative Yoga

A relaxing and calming practice that stills the mind and helps with stress relief whilst bringing about greater sense of wellbeing. Suitable for beginners.

Vinyasa Yoga

A flowing form of Yoga where breath and movement are utilized to link each asana (posture) to the next, creating a continuous, rhythmic quality to the practice. Balancing strength and flexibility, movement and stillness. The emphasis in these classes is on practicing a posture according to ones individual needs and capacity, as opposed to striving to achieve an ideal form.
We use regulated breathing to guide us through the postural movements. With the goal of setting ourselves up for successful meditation.

'vinyasa krama : a correctly organized course of asanas progressing appropriately toward a desired goal'
- TKV Desikachar, Heart of Yoga

This class aims at improving our health and well-being on all levels, by bringing together body, mind and spirit.

Core Strength Yoga - Dynamic

'Dynamic yoga and core strength'. It's a light hearted fusion of yoga and pilates-based movements with an emphasis on creating strength, suppleness, posture and breath awareness and stress relief. The class is pitched at a beginner/general level and is suitable for people completely new to yoga.

Back Care Yoga

Designed to overcome back pain and restore spinal fitness through yoga postures, breath techniques, relaxation, and basic Pilates. You will learn correct posture, core strength, pelvic stability, and how to stretch and strengthen the back muscles, decompress the spine and mobilise the joints. Yoga is complementary to physiotherapy and chiropractics.

Pre-natal Yoga

Eleanor's Pre-natal classes provide a safe and feminine environment where the use of asana (physical postures), breath, meditation and visualisation will assist in the relief of common discomforts associated with pregnancy and help to prepare each woman for their journey into motherhood.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga is a form of yoga known for its use of props, such as belts and blocks, as aids in performing asanas (postures). It emphasizes the development of strength, stamina, flexibility and balance, as well as concentration and meditation.

A form of Hatha Yoga, it focuses on the structural alignment of the physical body through the development of asanas. It aims to unite the body, mind and spirit for health and well-being. This discipline is considered a powerful tool to relieve the stresses of modern-day life which in turn can help promote total physical and spiritual well-being.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga is a transformational practice which uses mantra, mudra, dynamic posture, breath and meditation to relax and heal you physically, mentally and spiritually.

Kundalini yoga focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation, giving special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system in the understanding of yogic awakening. Kundalini is a concentrated form of prana or life force, lying dormant in chakras in the body.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is a powerful technique for inducing physical, mental and emotional relaxation in a conscious way. It is often called psychic sleep because it’s as though you are sleeping, yet you remain conscious (aware) at a subtle level. The main feature of Yoga Nidra is the systematic rotation of consciousness throughout different parts of the body. It may also involve visualisations, awareness of feelings, and awareness of breath.

Mentoring Programs for Yoga Teachers

This program is designed to support Yoga teachers in their practice. Sindar is a widely respected and excellent teacher experienced in mentoring teachers.

Teenage Program

These are to help teenagers de-stress and clear their mind so that they can think more clearly during the changes and demands of being a teenager. A dynamic program that also helps keep them mentally, emotionally and physically healthy.