Sivananda Yoga

This style of yoga is a good place to start if you are new to yoga or if you would like to re-establish yor practice. A Sivananda yoga class enables the practioner to have periods of relaxation between the postures which allows the practice to be absorbed so far. Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) is the spiritual strength behind Sivananda Yoga, he was a medical doctor before renouncing his worldly life for a spiritual path. He founded an ashram in Rishikesh, Northern India where disciples flocked to hear his teachings. In 1957 he sent one of his foremost disciples, Swami Vishnu-Devananda to the west to spread the ideals of yoga. Sivananda Yoga is based on the following five principles:

Proper Exercise (Asana)
The postures work systematically on parts of the body, stretching and toning the muscles and ligamants, keeping the spine and joints flexible and improving circulation.
Proper Breathing (Pranayama)
Breathing fully, making use of all of the lungs to increase the intake of oxygen. Pranayama recharges the body and regulates the flow of Prana (energy).
Proper Relaxation (Savasana)
A vital part of keeping the body and mind healthy, Savasana is used throughtout the class and each class closes with a refreshing final relaxation allowing the body to absorb the practice.
Proper Diet (Vegetarian)
Nourishing and well balanced, based on natural foods keeping the body light and supple and the mind calm.
Positive Thinking and Meditation (Vedanta and Dhyana)
Relieves stress and replenishes energy, helps to remove negative thoughts and still the mind.

Within my classes we concentrate on the first three points of asana, pranayama and savasana. It is useful to remember that the translation of the Sanskrit word 'asana' is comfortable held position. Although I am not directly teaching the fifth point; meditation, our aim within yoga is to be able to hold the asana so that we can reach a meditative state through focus on the breath. Ultimately all the yoga asana are teaching us to work towards sitting comfortably in padmasana (lotus pose) so that we can still the fluctuations of the mind; Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodhah (the second sutra in chapter one of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).

Within Sivananda Yoga there are 12 basic postures, Surya Namaskar (the Sun Salutation), two different forms of pranayama and periods of savasana throughout the class. See the Classes section to find out more about the structure of a class.