Yoga
Yoga is about discovering ourselves; discovering our inner light and our
ability to connect with God, the Divine Mother, Nature or whatever we
wish to call the Oneness that is in us and around us. Much of the time
when we talk about yoga, we talk about ‘Hatha yoga’, the physical branch
of yoga. ‘Hatha’ means ‘Sun-Moon’ and is union. On a physical level,
‘hatha’ is the joining of our body, mind and breath when we do asanas,
but our understanding can be much wider than this. ‘Hatha’ is the
joining of all things: it is the darkness that dissolves in light; the
anger that becomes love. Our nature and our legacy as human beings is to
live in a sense of this oneness within ourselves and with all those
around us. More and more in this technological age, we become separated
and alone, perhaps, ever being aware of what is happening. Our practise
of yoga is our chance to find the way to become whole and to live life
with spontaneity, freedom of spirit and an open heart.
Return to the spirit of yoga...
We practise asanas to balance, open and cleanse our physical body and
the nadis, the energy channels that run throughout the body. We move
through each posture with increasing awareness of body and breath,
learning to listen and respond to what our body is telling us.
We practise pranayama (breathing exercises) to reach a state of inner
tranquillity and purify our chakras and feed the source of our dormant
kundalini energy.
We practise meditation to empty our minds of thoughts and everyday
troubles and find focus and harmony. We start to embrace the precious
moments of silence and connection with Oneness.
We practise bakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, to open our hearts through
music and song. Chanting is a celebration; an opportunity to share with
others with freedom and abandon... dance, shout, drum, sing. No rules;
no boundaries.
We practise karma yoga, the yoga of selfless service. Doing small jobs
without the expectation of reward or thanks frees us from the
egotistical thought and desire of ‘me’ coming first.
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