Yoga & Meditation

“Establish in yourself a temple of beauty & peace; there you will find Him, on the altar of your soul.” — Yogananda

Yoga means union, with the Divine within.

On a daily basis, it’s about connecting to our heart/soul – he eternal, blissful, expansive, wise & centered part of us. Our true north. You know you have reached it when you begin to feel peace. Then, through our soul, we feel our connection to All.

Withdrawing from the senses and focusing our life-force inwardly, we discover directly that our own life-force is but a small part of a blissful sea of Divine energy.

The safest place is inside our body. But this does not always feel the case. So we liberate the stress, distortions and trapped emotions. In time we see that it’s safe to be with these parts too and that surrender leads to freedom.

Our practice utilises postures, pranayama, meditation, mantra, mudra (hand gestures) and eye-focus to move energy in the body and help improve & balance all parts of our being. The nervous system calms, vitality increases, mind becomes clear and energetic blocks release. Sometimes a powerful transformational practice, it creates space to connect to ourselves, empowering us as we begin to live in a more guided and intentional way.

This practice is for everyone, regardless of age, physical ability or walk of life.

  • A class usually begins with a moment to center, some warm-ups followed by a set of asanas (postures), a period of relaxation and a meditation. Each features different postures/meditations.



    We often hold static/dynamic postures for 1–few min, and close our eyes throughout the class. In so doing each asana becomes a mini meditation.

    
I sometimes incorporate plant essences into the practice. 



  • Sitting — Feel free to sit in any position that allows for a straight spine. If crosslegged, then sitting on a hard cushion can help you ensure the spine is straight by elevating the sitting bones - check that your knees are either inline or slightly lower than you hips.

    Eye focus — Our eyes are often closed and focused up between the eyebrows (shambhavi mudra) unless otherwise specified. Our eyes take in so much information and closing them allows us to go inward. Focusing between the eyebrows awakens the anja (third eye centre).

    Mudras — are positions/gestures/poses of the hands or the whole body which channelizes the energy in the body.

    Bandhas — are body locks (or internal mudras) that generate, accumulate and guide prana (energy/life force) in specific parts of the physical and subtle bodies.

    • mula bandha (root lock) - squeeze the perineum/cervix up towards the spine. When the muscles of the perineum are contracted the whole pelvic floor is pulled up.

    • jalandhara bandha (throat lock) - contracting the throat by bringing the chin to the chest

    • uddiyana bandha (the abdominal lock) - pulling the abdomen in and up

    It’s best not to eat 1–2h before the class.
    Feel free to drink water during a class.

  • Pranayama (life-force control) is composed of two Sanskrit words: prana (life-force) and ayama (to restrain or control the prana), implying a set of breathing techniques where the breath is intentionally altered in order to produce specific results.

    
The breath is intimately connected to our heart rate as well as our mind. If you can regulate your breath, your heart rate and mind will follow. Integrating these practices into our daily routines can help to dramatically improve the state of our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

    Pranayama is one of the most effective methods to clear our inner being on all levels and lead to inner union of soul & spirit.

    Common types of breath

    3 part breath — is simply a way to consciously breath more deeply. On the inhale expanding the stomach, then ribcage, then the lungs. Exhaling collapsing the lungs, ribcage and brining the belly back in.

    Energising breath:

    • Bhastrika / Breath of fire — oxygenating, energising, cleansing, stimulating circulation. 
Through the nose, expanding the belly on inhale, contracting on exhale. It becomes a pumping motion. The intention is for it to be rhythmic (does not need to be very fast). The belly motion makes space for the diaphragm to also begin to move.

      Slightly different to Kapalbhati, which focuses only on the exhale, inhale is passive.
      Try it for 1–3min, then hold the inhale for a few seconds.

    • Lengthening the inhale

    • Breathing through the right nostril.

    Calming breath:

    Balancing breath:

    • Box breath — eg. Inhale for 4 counts, holding for 4 counts, exhaling for 4 counts, holding for 4 counts (can be increased proportionally)

      Or inhale 4 counts, hold 2 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 2 counts.

    • Nadi shodhana / alternate nostril breathing: inhale right nostril (closing off the left), exhale left nostril, inhale left nostril, exhale right, inhale right etc.

    Breath retention is where the magic lies. However, it should come naturally through a calm heart. If practiced intentionally do so with caution – not overfilling the lungs on inhale nor holding so long that you gasp for the next breath.

  • An integral part of yoga, meditation utilises practical tools (pranayama, mantra, mudra and focus) which carefully and precisely support and guide the mind and body to a focused state of concentration and connection with soul & spirit.

    There are various meditations, each tailored to a specific purpose, such as stabilising the mind, directing our intention or increasing vitality.

    Many people find it easier to sit in stillness after physical exercise and this is why meditations often follow after the asanas (postures). It is said that, to a large degree, the goal of asana is to prepare the body for meditation. If you are jumping straight into meditation, you may find it helpful to do a few stretches / tense and relax the body a few times / dance to move the energy and release tension in your body beforehand.

    When choosing a meditation, you can take a look at the breath pattern (more in pranayama section) to determine the effect it aims to bring and meaning of the mantra (if present). If in doubt, simply sit and put your focus on that which is wonderful for you — a place, an idea, anything that will concentrate the mind. Ultimately your intention is the most important and will drive the practice.

    (It is a great place to bring any of our life challenges. Not to think more about them, but to make space to listen to our wise inner guidance.)

  • Kriya means activity; dynamic yogic practice.

    ‘Kriya yoga is the combination of the asanas, pranayama, mudras and bandhas, which specifically induce pratyahara’ — Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses which leads to concentration > expansion of consciousness > oneness with soul & spirit (samadhi).

    Kriya yoga also refers to a path of meditation, a scientific technique of God-realisation, brought to the West by Paramahansa Yogananda and taught by SRF.

    A Kriya can refer to 1 or more postures (asanas) designed for a specific purpose e.g. strengthening the solar plexus (healthy ego/self-worth), cleansing the liver or balancing the mind, to name a few. There are thousands of different kriyas, each with its own particular focus and unique structure. The sets work on all levels of our being (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) and similar to meditation, your intention plays a key role in driving the practice.

    If there is a posture you struggle to do, visualising yourself doing it is the next best thing.

  • Mantra is a powerful way of directing our mind and intention. Our words and thoughts hold our creative power. Therefor not only is mantra a wonderful way to organize a scattered mind, bringing balance and connection with the divine, but also to manifest our soul’s desires and a higher vibration in our field.

    Focus on the intention behind the words and feel free to bring in your own prayers or affirmations.

    The mantras we use are mostly in Gurmukhi or Sanskrit. You will find that their meaning mostly points to honoring and surrendering to the divine / universal intelligence / God in some way.

    Most Gurmukhi mantras come from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the energy of which is said to be alive in leading those who connect with it from darkness to light. The text contains compositions from 36 contributors - 6 Sikh Gurus, as well as 30 saints of various religions.

    Sanskrit is considered to be one of the most complete and internally consistent language on earth. Its grammar, structure, syntax and approach are incredibly advanced.

    Beginning and ending the practice with a mantra is a beautiful way to direct our focus, connect to ourselves and our practice.

    Ong namo gurudev namo - connects us to the divine within

    Ong/Om — The creative energy of the cosmos; God manifested through sound
    Namo — to salute or bow
    Guru — darkness to light
    Dev — transparent, divine, subtle, etheric
    Namo — to salute or bow

    One can also meditate on/chant the sound Aum (Sanskrit - God manifested through sound) or set an intention of choice.

    Mangala Charan Mantra (from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib) - sets a protective light space around us. You can visualise light in each of the 4 directions as you hear/say the 4 verses.

    aad gur-ay namah — I bow to the Primal Guru
    jugaad gur-ay namah — I bow to the Guru of the ages
    sat gur-ay namah — I bow to the True Guru
    saree gurdayv-ay namah — I bow to the Great, Divine Guru

    Sat Naam (from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib) - connects us with Truth.

    Sat — Truth
    Nam — to salute or bow

    One can also end off with Aum/Amen or a moment of gratitude.

  • Relaxation is an important part of the yoga class. When we relax in stillness after some movement, our sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight) hands the reigns over to the parasympathetic nervous system (rest/digest). More on this here. This allows us to relax in a deep way, giving the body time to heal and restore itself. These days many people tend to be stuck in the fight/flight state, struggling to sufficiently relax, leading to a large number of disease and burn out.

    
A note:
    always leave a bit of energy for the relaxation and integration phase

  • It is a good idea to do a chosen set for a number of consecutive days (the classics are 11, 40 or more). It allows for the nurturing of the intention the set addressed. From a stable structure one can observe ones daily changing ways.

    When choosing a practice / mediation, go with what pulls you the most at a given time.

    Do what you can. Harsh disciple can cause splits within the self (one part wants this, other doesn’t), causing more problems. So, be kind to yourself, it’s how we build self-trust

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  • Neutral Mind Med:.png

    Meditation for the Neutral Mind

    This meditation aims to bring peace and calm to our mind and inner being. Pausing to connect to our heart & inner guidance - where all simplifies and returns to joy - we begin to feel unity with the Divine.