Posts In: flexibility

Constantly flowing through day and night, breath moves in and out of the body without us even thinking about it.

Physically breath replenishes oxygen in the body and removes wastes, as well as stabilising the nervous system when we breathe consciously in pranayama practices.

There’s a more subtle aspect of breath as well, an energetic aspect called prana. There are five aspects of prana – pran, udana, vyana, samana and apana – that all have a distinct role in the body.

At times it might feel right to move focus of practice to the function of prana called udana, “the upward moving air”. Udana is our main positive energy, it governs speech and self-expression and assists in developing our consciousness.

Udana is stimulated in the body through backbends, and one asana that can cultivate this energy is Eka Pada Bhekasana (one legged frog pose) 🐸

Physically Eka Pada Bhekasana is about blending strength and flexibility in the body. Creating a shape that is your unique expression of this asana, the heart is open and courageous.

Energetically uplifting, Eka Pada Bhekasana helps to raise the body’s vibration to create lightness, creativity and inspiration ❤️

Our invitation to you is to explore this asana in practice and notice – how does this feel inside? How does my breath feel? Can I observe the upward movement of energy in your body?

In this way you can use your asana and pranayama practice as a tool to access the more subtle aspects of yoga 🙏

Life’s fluctuations can make us feel a little off-centre at times. Disconnected from ourselves and loved ones, feeling a little flat or using our precious energy in places that are not really that important.

Yoga is one of those practices you can return to time and again to reconnect with centre, that place of inner knowing and intuition. Turning inwards to quieten the noise of the outside world so you can hear your own inner wisdom speaking with clarity and truth again.

Asana is an amazing tool to consciously move the body from one plane to another, exploring the movements away from and towards centre. Parighasana, or gate pose, is a beautiful, deep side body stretch, helping to improve spine mobility, breath capacity and bring lightness to your being.

The experience of Parighasana is about coming back to centre – moving the body forward, back and side to side, and then returning to equilibrium to experience stillness within and your expansive, three-dimensional breath in the body.

And if you have Pitta dominant dosha, or a practicing within Pitta season (summer), lateral movements can also help to disperse the internal heat that has built up, helping create calm and a deep sense of centeredness mentally and physically 😌

We often hear new students share with us that they aren’t flexible enough for yoga. For many of us, being inflexible is the very reason we start yoga! To help our bodies feel freer, so we can move with ease and feel tall, strong and energised.

I didn’t practice yoga when I was in my teens, yet it would have been the best thing for me. Do you remember the sit and reach test? I did a lot of sport when I was at high school but my flexibility was terrible! So much measuring and comparing at school, and PE (physical education) was not immune from this. One of these was the was the sit and reach test – feet against the box with a ruler measuring how far you could reach. I didn’t even get to zero, to my horror I was a minus 🙁 Minus five to be precise, the only female not to touch her toes.

For some reason this day has always stayed with me. Even though my hamstrings still feel tight and I’m not the super bendy yogi in the magazine, I remember how far I’ve come. And also to bend my knees a little – it’s how it is for my practice 🙂

Everyone can enjoy a yoga practice. The simple act of being still and focusing on the breath is a great place to start. You can do this seated, standing, lying down or walking. Our Yin classes are the perfect place to experience this connection. Taking your time to melt in to the postures as you focus on your breathing. Finding softness and release as the minutes drift by.

Yoga is not only about the physical benefits (of which there are many for you to experience). One of the things I love most about yoga is that it allows us to improve our wellbeing on many different levels. Increased mental clarity, emotional balance as well as improved physical flexibility, strength and posture.

Our vision has always been to create a space where students are respected and accepted exactly as they are. Your own range of motion, whatever that is today, is all you need to start benefitting from yoga with us.

Your yoga is completely different to the student that is standing next to you, and that’s what makes it such a beautiful, individual experience.

Tell us in the comments below – what is it that you most appreciate your practice? I can’t wait to hear from you 🙂