What is yoga? As you may have 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, subtler sensations which are expressing themselves to us all the time. These energies can be felt as vibrations and motions organising themselves around the midline of our spine. Along the spine there are also known to be energetic organising centres called chakras which are "wheel-like" vortices's 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.
This expression not only brings nourishment, but also helps us to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the surroundings we live in. As this relationship deepens we will find ourselves living more in accordance with our own innermost urging, acting in line with our interests, following our curiosities, and attending to our body's natural rhythms as they harmonize within the grander scale of natures seasons and cycles.
I have been studying yoga now for nearly 20 years, having practiced in various schools such as Sivananda, Ashtanga, Bikram, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Kundalini, Scaravelli and Agama yoga. I feel lucky to have had the space and time to spend years solely dedicated to working with asanas, pranayamas, and meditations - completely immersing myself in the study and practice of yoga. This immersion helped in giving me a deeper understanding of yoga and meditation practice, making it easier for it to become a more integrated part of my daily life.