Sheffield Yoga School
About Yoga
Yoga in its’ true form is the science of living.
It is an holistic system which gives us tools for living and enables human beings to achieve their full potential.
The word ‘yoga’ means ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’.
The aim of yoga is to achieve unity / balance / harmony in all aspects of our being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
The main Yoga ‘tools’ involved in a general class are:
- Asana (postures)
- Pranayama (breathing techniques)
- Relaxation
- Meditation
Asana / Posture work
Yoga postures (known as asanas) are physical movements practiced in conjunction with breathing and with full awareness.
They develop the strength and flexibility of muscles and joints in the whole body, particularly around the spine. They help to keep the body as healthy as possible.
Asana differs from other forms of exercise in that it is specifically designed to improve the functioning of glands, internal organs and the nervous system.
Yoga postures help remove muscular tension and are therefore especially useful in countering the negative effects of stress.
According to the science of Yoga, health and flexibility is dependant on the flow of energy (known as ‘prana’) around the body. Prana can become blocked for a variety of reasons, including stress, injury and illness.
Asana is designed to remove blockages so that prana can flow freely.
Pranayama / Breathing Practices
Breathing keeps us alive. We breathe over 20,000 times every day and yet we pay little attention to how we breathe.
A lot of the health problems we face today, such as high blood pressure, anxiety, heart problems and digestive problems, stem from poor breathing habits.
Yoga develops correct and efficient breathing, making full use of all the muscles involved in respiration.
Proper breathing profoundly improves our whole physical and mental well being.
Yoga breathing practices are also powerful techniques for physical and mental relaxation. They help to calm the mind and balance the emotions.
Relaxation
An inability to cope with stress can cause illness, chronic tiredness and a weakening of the immune system. In the long term it can lead to physical or mental breakdown.
If we are overstressed we continue to hold onto mental and physical tension even during sleep. It becomes increasingly difficult to ‘let go’.
Relaxation is a skill which can be learned and which can be used for the management of stress in daily life. In Yoga there are proven, simple and effective techniques which provide deep relaxation.
In the Satyananda tradition we have the practice of Yoga Nidra, which is a particularly powerful system of relaxation. Yoga Nidra has become recognised as an invaluable gift by Yoga practitioners throughout the world.
Learning how to relax helps to release both physical and mental tension. When the mind and body are relaxed we become more efficient and energetic in everything we do.
Meditation / Concentration
Concentration practices develop the power of the mind.
Often, our minds are very busy and our thought processes random and cluttered.
Swami Niranjan compares the power of the mind to a light bulb.
The rays from a light bulb are dissipated, going out in all directions. If you stand five feet away you can see the light, but you cannot feel the heat from the bulb.
A concentrated mind is like a laser beam. In a laser beam the rays of light all go in the same direction and are in unison. The source of light need not be any greater than a light bulb, but if you stood five feet away from a laser beam, the beam would burn a hole through your body.
"Concentrated thought has great power. It has the ability to achieve great things
and to do unimaginable amounts of work.
Concentration is vital for everything that you do in life, because it
prevents the mind from wandering aimlessly in all directions.
Without concentration you can achieve nothing"
- Swami Niranjanananda
With regular practice, meditation leads to clarity of thought, mental strength and true peace of mind.
What is Satyananda yoga?
Satyananda Yoga is a system of Yoga developed by Swami Satyananda and his successor, Swami Niranjanananda of the Bihar School of Yoga.
It is a complete and comprehensive system, ranging from the Hatha Yoga cleansing practices, through asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha to Yoga Nidra and a broad spectrum of meditation practices.