January is usually the month where our best intentions are put forward and we are generally willing to live a healthier life (especially if we’ve exceeded ourselves a bit during the festive season).

In my opinion, to make a resolution last, I need to know what I am getting into and why am I doing it.

What am I getting into is important because if my goals are too demanding and I already have a busy schedule, I’m unlikely to carry it out.

Searching in my heart they ‘why’ I want to do something is also important because that reason will keep me in check and inspired to do it.

Discipline and commitment are excellent virtues to cultivate for one self!

If you are thinking of starting yoga this year, or if you are wanting to up it a notch and deepen your practice, let me describe what is involved.

There are three ingredients to a Yoga practice: Pranayama, Asana and Meditation.

Pranayama is the breathing part of the practice. The breath is one of our most powerful tools to conquer our mind and our sympathetic system.

We live lives where our minds are required to multi task all the time. Where electronic stimulants are poking for our attention at every minute. This can leave us stressed and anxious, and it can reflect on disrupted sleep patterns, difficulty on our relationships with others, etc.

Learning pranayama (vital force) and incorporating it onto our daily life is vital.

Asana, which is the exercise part of Yoga will help you improve flexibility and strength, overcome health, loose extra weight, improve balance etc.

By practicing Asanas, we are able to move the energy in our bodies, thus clearing accumulated toxins. Yoga invites us to try postures we would have never thought of getting into, but what a sense of achievement when we manage to do them! But Yoga is not about acrobatics, rather about conquering our fears and going beyond.

There are also other benefits to practicing yoga, such as help us balance the endocrine glands allowing for better hormonal functioning which will result in improved emotional and mental health.

Meditation is sometimes the most difficult part of our yoga practice, specially if we have to do it by our selves. On our weekly yoga classes I introduce you to different technique to scan your bodies, calm your mind, use visualisation and reach those deeper levels in your subconscious mind.

After describing the benefits of yoga, it won’t come as a surprise if I tell you that Ayurveda uses Yoga as one of it essential tools to regain health. This goes together with the right food combinations, amazing oil based body massage treatments and more! Come and see me for your 2018 Ayurveda health plan!

Honoured to sail into 2018 with you!

Namaste!

Geny