The natural potential of our breath has long been restricted. Few of us ever know what it means to use the full capacity of our lungs. Fewer still to use it freely, effortlessly and regularly. Tension in the throat, tension in the chest, tension in our diaphragm, tension in our abdomen all conspire to inhibit our breathing. Pranayama is a process of releasing our breath from these tensions.
Our breath is intimately connected to our minds, feelings and our thoughts. This relationship works both ways. The quality of our breathing affects our minds, feelings and thoughts; and the quality of our thoughts, minds and feelings will impact upon our breath. Freeing our breath through subtle practices of Pranayama will release a lot of negative pressure in our minds, feelings and thought, and also prepare us to deal with the necessary ups and downs that life naturally brings upon us.
Pranayama is one of the most central yoga practices, marking the fourth of the eight limbs of classical yoga.
Last updated Oct. 20, 2015, 10:45 p.m. UTC
Hi! I teach all eight limbs of Yoga. Please feel free to explore my website for further details of classes and workshops. Love.... Lea
Yoga asana
I teach a form of Vinyasa Flow Yoga (Dynamic Method) which is suitable for everyone. It is a blend of the yoga styles I’ve explored over the years, incorporating movement, breath and focused meditation. Dynamic yoga clarifies each of the technical aspects of Hatha Yoga - safety and subtlety (Iyengar Yoga),softness and sensitivity (Vinniyoga), continuity and heat (Ashtanga Yoga) and concentration and internalization (Power Yoga) - integrates them all in the Classical way, but in a modified format. Hatha Yoga is like a diamond. Although its different facets face in different directions, they support each other, while both containing and leading to its inner sanctum: self-realization.
In Dynamic method of training, the emphasis is on inviting the integration of functional, structural and energetic integrity. Here the mind focused with sensitivity on sensation becomes quiet, and the breath is softened and deepened with rhythmic movement. Together, they use the existing mobility of the body to awaken it more deeply and fully, allowing it to soften and open to new possibilities, released from the patterns of habitual tension and holding on. The ‘end result’ is feeling good, not just on the surface, but deep down within. Not just while you are doing it, but afterwards too.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra Meditation is simple, easy and convenient.
You don’t have to meditate for 20 years to experience the benefits immediately.
You don’t have to sit still and quiet the mind.
You do Yoga Nidra meditation lying down and just follow the guided meditation.
Yoga Nidra is an ancient meditation practice originating in India about 3000 years ago.
Intimacy, truth, authenticity, love, right action and freedom are always knocking from the inside, longing for expression. These are natural expressions of our true nature and blossom when we realize and embody our native ground of Being.
Yoga Nidra, lucid sleeping is among the deepest possible states of relaxation while still maintaining full consciousness. The practice of yoga relaxation has been found to reduce tension and anxiety. The autonomic symptoms of high anxiety such as headache, giddiness, chest pain, palpitations, sweating and abdominal pain respond well. It has been used to help soldiers from war cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
One of the most enjoyable parts of a yoga class comes when we rest in savasana – the ‘corpse’ pose – and realize deep serenity, a sense of effortless joy, and a glimpse into our true nature as unqualified presence. Rather than sitting with an erect spine and no support, Yoga Nidra offers you the option of practicing in any comfortable position. Practicing meditation while you are physically comfortable and supported makes it accessible for anyone in a wide range of health conditions and injuries. Once you are arranged in your comfortable position, the teacher begins offering suggestions about where and how to use your attention. For example, imagining yourself in a place that feels safe, comfortable and where you are at ease. Another example would be systematically scanning the entire body, part by part, by noticing the physical sensations that are present for you. The instructions are simple, they focus primarily on your felt experiences in the body. It is easy and accessible for nearly everyone, even those that thought they could never meditate.
Fridays 7-8pm
Gayatri Mudra/Mantra Meditation
When we study Eastern philosophies, culture, and the pragmatic yogic methods of Hinduism and Buddhism, we often come across practices of systematic hand gestures. The rites, rituals, initiations, dances, and spiritual disciplines of these traditions are replete with multifold forms of hand gestures with symbolic meanings and empowering virtues. In Sanskrit these gestures are called Mudra. Mudra in this context means ‘seal’ or ‘lock’
This elaborate system has been called Yoga Tattva Mudra Vijnana
Yoga = union
Tattva = principle/element
Mudra = hand position
Vijnana = science/knowledge
In other words, the science and the discipline of maintaining harmony by using finger positions related to the elements (earth, fire, water, air, space).
In this respect, it is considered that every area of the hand forms a reflex zone for an associated part of the body and the brain, in other words they are considered to be a mirror for our body and our mind, and in particular affecting the autonomic nervous system as well as our energetic bodies.
Gayatri Mudra/Mantra practice enhances the welbeing of the mind, body and spirit.
Mondays 7-8pm
