Peace Walker

Yoga classes, Alchemical products, Shakespeare

Member of Yoga Alliance, RYT 200 • REÅLEA® Rare Earth Alchemy• Shakesprints

Yoga Postures
Harmonize Body-Breath-Mind

Yoga is a beautiful moving meditation originating from classical and mystical ancient India. Overall, yoga develops the body’s flexibility, strength, coordination, and balance.  The physical and mental health benefits are profound. According to a report by Harvard Medical School in 2016:

• Yoga boosts your immunity by raising levels of natural, disease-fighting antioxidants in your body

• Yoga can help alleviate arthritis pain

• Yoga can help reduce your risk of heart disease

• A study that shows how yoga increased blood vessel flexibility by 69% and even helped shrink arterial blockages without medications

• Yoga may be the perfect way to relieve migraines and fight osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, IBS, or fibromyalgia

• Pain specialists are urging doctors to prescribe yoga for lower back pain

• Yoga can help treat Scoliosis in the spine

• Pre-natal yoga can increase the strength, flexibility and endurance of muscles needed for childbirth as well as decrease nausea and shortness of breath during pregnancy

• Yoga can help improve sleep

• Yoga can help undo the multiple harmful effects of stress on your body

• Yoga can reduce depression and anxiety

• Yoga can increase energy levels

• Yoga activates areas of the brain that increase joy

• Yoga can lower your risk for falling and may even help you regain your balance if you stumble

• Yoga can lower your risk of needing knee or shoulder surgery in your lifetime

• Yoga can help speed recovery from injuries, even serious ones

• Yoga can help lower dependence on Diabetes medications

• Yoga may even help to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and fight age-related declines in memory

• Yoga does so much for your health, studies show people who do yoga use fewer healthcare services and save money significantly on medical bills

• Yoga switches on genes that promote health (in as little as 8 weeks even if you’re a beginner)

For safety, it is important that people with arthritis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, or glaucoma consult with a doctor before practicing yoga.

Over the past 100 years, yoga has had a vast resurgence and is much loved all over the world. Fortunately, yoga is accessible to everyone at anytime in their lives. With modifications, variations, adjustments, and the use of props in the poses enables yoga to be practiced by all to some degree. Yoga is beautifully expressed uniquely by each person. Substantial progress can be made rapidly. Expression of advanced postures call on us to integrate multiple factors of our Sadhana “practice”.

Yoga Philosophy
The Path of Knowledge

Yoga is often translated from the Sanskrit as finding Union with the Universe. To Yoke the restless body and mind into Harmony. It involves intellectual and spiritual efforts as well as physical agility. The famous verse in the Yoga Sutras by the Sage Patanjali, written down at least 2,000 years ago, “Yoga citta vritti nirodhah” translates as: Yoga is stilling the fluctuations of the mind. When the body is at ease, the distractions from acessing enlightenment melt away. Everyone’s journey is unique and unlocks a treasure. Earnest concentration is necessary to see results. Development of superpowers are a pleasant byproduct and reward of diligence :-)

For guidance, you’d be wise to incorporate Yoga’s Ashtanga ‘eight limbs’ or ‘eight stages’ which are described in the ancient Yoga Sutras as:

• Yamas (Restrictions) — ahimsa, nonviolence; satya, truthfulness; asteya, non-stealing; brahamacharya, non-wasting; aparigraha, non-greedy

• Niyamas (Principles) — saucha, cleanliness; santosa, contentment; tapas, determination; svadhyaya, self-inquiry; isvara pranidhana, surrender

• Asanas (Postures)

• Pranayama (Breathwork)

• Pratyahara (Sensory Control)

• Dharana (Concentration)

• Dhyana (Meditation)

• Samadhi (Enlightenment)

Aspiring yoga students can benefit from broadening their perspective to consider the range and subtle teachings of yoga. There are three layers of the human being in yoga philosophy:

• Sthula (the physical)

• Sukshma (the energetic)

• Karana (the eternal)

There are three Gunas (qualities) of energetic forces in the Universe:

• Sattva (light)

• Rajas (active)

• Tamas (heavy)

There are seven Chakras (wheels) in the yogic energy body that can be in-balance or out-of-balance:

• Muladhara (Root - red)

• Svadhisthana (Sacral - orange)

• Manipura (Solar Plexus - yellow)

• Anahata (Heart - green)

• Vishuddha (Throat - blue)

• Ajna (Third Eye - indigo)

• Sahasrara (Crown - white)