"Yoga, isn't that just breathing and stretching?"

by Kat, Swift's Resident Yoga Guru

Well, yes breath is an important, in fact the most important aspect of yoga practice and indeed you will stretch, however there is much more to yoga than you may think.  Whether you feel you need to incorporate more mindfulness into your regime, want to become stronger and more flexible, want to learn more about yoga as a whole (the postures, AKA the asanas are only one aspect of what yoga is about) or you may just want to be able to find a space where you can switch off from the 'hecticness' of modern life. 

Yoga is actually a moving meditation, it is a journey and once you start to connect the breath with the body the magic starts to happen. There is no pressure here of course, everyone has their own journey, their own strengths and weaknesses.

There were many times before I did my training and even now where the ego kicks in and I am desperately trying to stay in the handstand and remain there effortlessly like the person adjacent to me before I collapse in a heap trying to keep my focus.  

​By the way guys, doing a headstand does not make you a better person, or more spiritual. It is YOUR journey and your practice, as long as you breath and let go it's all good. ​

There is a lot of scientific evidence supporting the role of meditation and yoga in reducing stress, changing the shape of our brains, increasing grey matter, reducing the size of areas which are receptive to stress along with many other benefits.

​Yes, you will become stronger, yes, you will become more flexible and better still the increase strength and flexibility on the mat eventually begins to reflect in your life off the mat. ​

There are many types of yoga around these days from Vinyasa Flow and Rocket for example being more energetic to Yin which requires you to stay in more restorative poses for up to three minutes (not as easy as it sounds as we are not used to this) and yoga is not just for women.

​There are more and more male yogi's out there now. It has also been men who have founded each school of yoga and it is highly beneficial for those who train with the industry recognising how important range of motion is and movement in varying planes. 

Yoga can benefit everyone whether it is for a spirituality, recovery, strength, meditation or simply to find a space in our crazy lives to actually listen to and feel our minds and bodies. ​

Try a Swift Yoga Session...

Come along to our Fulham Yoga haven every Monday night for your very own mini-retreat. 

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