What are the benefits of practicing yoga?

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​Physical Benefits

• ​Increasing Flexibility: Yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.

• ​​Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons: likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body. Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.​

• Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body: Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.​

• Complete Detoxification: By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.​

• Excellent toning of the muscles: Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity. 

• ​​Better Breathing: Most of us breathe very shallowly into the lung and don't give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga breathing exercises, called Pranayama, focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body. Certain types of breath can also help clear nasal passages and even calm the central nervous system, which has both physical and mental benefits.

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Mental Benefits

Mental Calmness: Yoga practice is intensely physical. Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing a calmness to the mind. Yoga also introduces you to meditation techniques, such as watching how you breathe and disengagement from your thoughts, which help calm the mind.

Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of yoga. Because of the concentration required, your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away during the time you are doing yoga. This provides a much-needed break from your stressors, as well as helping put things into perspective. The emphasis yoga places on being in the moment can also help relieve stress, as you learn not to dwell on past events or anticipate the future. You will leave a yoga class feeling less stressed than when you started.

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Body Awareness

Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body. You are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body. This can lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence.

What are the benefits of practicing yoga with heat?

• ​Your body burns fat more effectively. Fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to lose centimeters of shape in a very short time.​

• The heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body​​.

• Capillaries dilate in the heat; more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products.

• ​Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids.

• You benefit from a strengthening of willpower, self control, concentration and determination in this challenging environment.

• Your cardiovascular system gets a thorough workout.

• Your muscles and connective tissue become more elastic and allow for greater flexibility with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury​​.​​

Which class is right for me?

If you are new to yoga we recommend that you attend 5 to 10 Beginner Basics Yoga classes.  Our Beginner Basics Yoga classes allows the yoga student the opportunity to learn the yoga poses in a slower moving environment. The yoga poses will be broken down to their basic elements and will include modification so any student can safety practice. This class is suitable for all body types and ages and will benefit students new to yoga as well as experienced students looking for an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the poses. ​Once you have mastered the breath and you enjoy the heat, you are ready to try our Moderate or Power classes. 

Our instructors are here to help you choose the right class for you so please feel free to approach them after class. Visit our class descriptions page for further details.

Is yoga serious? Who practices yoga?

Many students avoid yoga classes because they believe yoga is only for certain types of people. The truth is yoga is such a broad experience that it is for everyone. Yoga students are all ages and body types. They come from all walks of life, backgrounds, and spiritual beliefs. Although the practice of yoga requires attention and focus it is also fun and light hearted.

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A yoga practice can range from intense strength and flexibility building to calm relaxing stretches, depending upon the style and level of class. Students take class to simply get in shape, others find it quiets the mind and soothes the emotions, while others use it as part of a spiritual practice. Once you take your first yoga class you will know immediately if it is for you. Come with an open mind and a playful spirit.

Why do we Om?

To answer this seemingly simple questions, we must first understand what Om is. Like most things in yoga, there is no simple answer, and Om can have a secular and non-secular meaning. In secular terms, it is a way to calm and prepare the mind before and after class. In non-secular terms, the four individual sounds of Om (AH, Oh, MMM, and silence) represent the four separate states of consciousness and use a human voice to represent a sound which is continuously being produced by the universe. Om is a sound that represents you understanding of a higher power and that higher power's connection to you. Teachers bring their own understanding of Om to their classes and if included in their teaching will give their own secular or non-secular spin.​​

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