What is yoga? As you may’ve heard before, the word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj", which means "to join", "to yoke" or "to unite". There are plenty of scholarly texts to deepen our understanding of this word but it is primarily in the practice where our understanding will truly arrive.

Yoga asanas (poses), meditation and pranayama have been practised for thousands of years and have given great benefits to hundreds of students along the way. Flexibility is an obvious benefit of hatha yoga practice, but the benefits of yoga are not only an increase in flexibility, strength and balance, but more importantly a system which helps us connect deeper to ourselves, enabling a calmer and more peaceful mind.

Developing a more regular yoga and meditation practice helps us start to become aware of the deeper, subtle sensations which are expressing themselves to us all the time.  These energies are felt as vibrations/motions organising themselves around the midline of our spine.  Along the spine there are energetic organising centres called chakras which are "wheel-like" vortices corresponding to the neurological junctions.  Yoga practice enhances the energy flow of life entering our bodies encouraging a healthier expression of movement within our spine and chakra system. This constant flow is emerging from the stillness within, permeating and revitalizing our body, nourishing us with a continually renewed life force.

In learning to recognise these energies and staying aware of the ever emerging vibrations/motions in our body will not only bring nourishment, but will also develop a greater sense of awareness to ourselves and the surroundings we live in. As this relationship deepens we will start trusting more in what our true self is revealing to us.

I have been studying yoga now for over 15 years, having practiced in various schools such as Sivananda, Ashtanga, Bikram, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Kundalini, Scaravelli and Agama yoga.  I feel lucky to have had time to completely immerse myself in the practice of yoga, working through intense programmes of asanas, pranayamas, and meditation.  This immersion has helped me to integrate yoga and meditation into a regular part of my daily life.

Stillness can be experienced by us all when we are relaxed inside and in harmony with ourselves.