The main philosophy of yoga is simple: body, mind and spirit are all one and cannot be clearly separated. The basic idea is to unite the “atma”, or individual soul, with the “paramatma”, or the universal soul, but a multitude of philosophical ideas developed by looking into the deeper dimensions of body, mind and spirit. Yoga is one of the well-known stress relief techniques.
According to yoga philosophy, by cleansing one’s mind and controlling one’s thought processes, one can return to that primeval state, when the individual self was nothing but a part of the divine self. The aim is to be able to perceive the world in its true light and to accept that truth in its entirety.
In all yoga schools of thought there is an emphasis on the mind remaining calm because as the saying goes: “only when the water is still, you can see through it”. That is why yoga also uses meditation as a basis for clearing the mind.
Meditation is a focusing of the mind on a single object, ideally ceasing all other thoughts. As thoughts disappear, the mind becomes quiet and we are able to be fully in the present moment. The techniques and theory of meditation are simple and easy to learn, but the ability to keep the mind focused takes practice, patience and time. If you need assistance ask for professional help or contact me so I can refer you to my personal contacts in London.
Yoga posture sequences are a series of postures arranged to flow together one after the other and works well as a stress relief. Normally you will start with a warm-up sequence before continuing onto the basic-, beginning-, intermediate-; or special sequences depending on your level and capabilities.
Some of the more well-known postures in yoga, are as follow:
- Sit / Easy position – Sukhasana
- Dog and cat
- Mountain – Tadasana
- Forward bend or extension – Uttanasana II
- Triangle – Trikonasana
- Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II
- Cobra – Bhujangasana
- Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Head to Knee – Janu Shirshasana
- Half Shoulderstand — Ardha Sarvangasana
- The Bridge – Sethu Bandhasa
- The Corpse – Savasana
Meditation for stress is often enquired about and Yoga is one of the great stress relief techniques where the emphasis is on the mind remaining calm while getting a great workout.