What is yoga?
A simple question without a simple answer. Ask this in a room of yoga teachers and you will get many answers.
Yoga is an ancient practice, with multiple benefits for the mind, body & spirit. But the practice can be interpreted, and applied, in many different ways.
Today, we think of yoga as an hour, or two, on the mat, breathing and moving into shapes that calm the mind and support the physical body. But it is so much, much more!
“The practice of yoga is full attention to the present moment.”
What yoga Is not
Yoga is truly for every body. To practice you do not need to be fit, young and flexible. You do not need fancy clothes, or the right mat. Yoga only asks that you show up...and step onto your mat with regularity. It is the practice that must be flexible. This is what I do and what I teach.
Most of us live with a focus on the outside world. Yoga helps to turn the flow of attention and energy inward. The practice can connect you to your inner wisdom and stillness.
Yoga helps to quiet the mind…Building a steadiness and ease that lasts beyond your time on the mat.
And finally…The practice of yoga builds both physical strength and flexibility. The body becomes more open and relaxed. The core gains strength. It is possible to walk, move and sit differently. Balance is better. Through practice, you become aware of your breath and begin to breathe more fully and evenly during the day. Gradually, you feel less stressed. Or perhaps, more equipped to deal with the stressors of every day life. You come to know yourself better.
“A yogi is one who leaves a place just a little nicer than when they arrived!”
HOW IS YOGA DIFFERENT FROM Clinical SOMATIC Movement?
Somatic Movement is a tool that compliments any yoga practice or sport. In fact, Somatics benefits anyone with a body.
And while Somatics may feel like ‘body-work’ it really is nervous system & brainwork. The body is the tool to access the source and underlying cause of tension. By shifting the nervous system into a place of calm, the mind can relax and release the tension patterns, thus the body follows…
It is impossible, in today’s world, to live without experiencing mental stress or physical tension. Stress creates ‘footprints’ on the body in varying patterns. Through Somatic Movement, you learn to dissolve these stress patterns so that you move better and feel better.
Though yoga is also helpful in reducing mental & physical stress, I have found that Somatic Movement not only shortens the process but re-patterns the body so that it moves differently, as it was designed to do, without reverting back to the old stress patterns.
“I think of it like this: If yoga is like reading, then Somatic Movement is the alphabet that supports the reading process. ”
What is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga?
Ashtanga is dynamic practice based on sequences, or series, of postures. The practice combines breath, posture and focus, cultivates awareness of the body and senses, and brings about a deep internal consciousness. This is my practice and this is what I use as inspiration for the classes that I teach.
Regular practice of yoga purifies, strengthens and balances the body and mind. This produces a light and strong body with a steady and peaceful mind. The practice also works on an emotional and psychological level and offers many benefits for your mental well-being.
Yoga invites daily practice. However, even practicing once, or twice, a week in a led class can bring incredible benefits to students of all ages, body types and experience.
“Yoga is the movement from one point to another higher one.”
A Word from Denise on How to Practice
Vinyasa yoga is often practiced to too fast, without a grounding in safe technique patterns. In this way, yoga can cause injury.
However, when the practice is slowed down, when time is spent dissolving tension patterns and building strength & alignment (read more about Somatics!) and when movement is linked mindfully to the breath, then the practice can flow seamlessly and safely.
I always teach with extra breaths, and slower movement, until the right connections and techniques are developed. Props and posture modifications are encouraged when needed.
Practicing this way, it is possible to remain injury-free. (In my 15 years of daily practice, I have never had a serious injury caused by practice. I have found that any minor muscle tweaks are signposts, inviting me to look more deeply at my alignment, my bandha engagement and a how I initiate each movement.)
“Yoga is... a promise of peace.
a path of healing.
a journey to the center of yourself.
a discipline of truth.
a daily devotion, sadhana.
a prayer.
a physical practice with a spiritual intention.
an ancient science of the soul.
a reclaiming of the sacred.
a life of inner peace.
an act of faith that chooses the spiritual, the unseen, over the material and the seen.
a training of mind to turn infinitely inward.
a rock to rest upon in times of chaos and hardship.
a decision to be stronger, to change the world, one breath at a time.
a moving meditation where the answers to life’s most difficult questions are answered by the breath.
a path of love and forgiveness.”