Why yoga?

An Ancient Antidote for Modern Life

Yoga can calm your mind and body and is also a natural energy-booster

Given its origins, it’s somewhat surprising that yoga has in Western culture. And yet these ancient teachings from the heart of the Asian subcontinent, with their combination of low-impact physical exercise consciousness, have emerged as an ideal antidote to the stressful, even manic, pace of modern life.

The philosophical and spiritual teachings of yoga date back thousands of years and can be found in the tenets of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Interestingly, the early yoga traditions did not emphasise any particular form of physical exercise.

What they did present was a pathway to personal enlightenment, i.e., an understanding of the nature of life and access to a higher consciousness.

These goals are achieved through individual practice and experience, usually under the instruction of a teacher or guru. Some of the more prominent gurus expanded on the original teachings of yoga, forming new lineages of practice and knowledge and took these out into the wider world.

It is this inherent process of evolution that goes a long way in explaining yoga’s adoption, in many forms, across the globe.

What we know as yoga here in Bermuda is a form of hatha yoga, which itself dates back to the eleventh century and has been steadily adapted during its time in the West. adaptation is the emphasis on yoga as a physical practice, where teachers lead students through a series of poses, or asanas, which stretch the body, building strength and stability in the practitioners.

But, as yoga teachers will point out, there is more going on in a yoga class than a few sun salutations and a couple of oms.

“My teacher, Sri Swami Satchidananda, told me that hatha yoga is the calling card,” says Frances Marshall of Living Yoga, which she runs from The Yoga Centre in Hamilton. “The physical practice is what gets them through the door, then the psychological and emotional

Frances has been teaching yoga for more than 40 years, and she says what keeps people coming back is the remedy yoga provides for the stress of everyday life: “I’ve had people do time I have relaxed in 10 years.’ They come in thinking its just ‘physical,’ but then they see they can let their guard down, let go of stress.”

Returning to the originations and goals of yoga, the mind, body, and spirit are not seen as separate, and health, or well-being, relies on all three being actively maintained and nourished.

Frances, who is nearing the completion of a yoga therapy International Association of Yoga Therapists, says regular practice leads to changes in the whole being.

“Yoga is appealing, and helpful, because people have lost their sense of joy; they are bogged down in their minds, especially with negative thoughts,” she says. “With regular practice, yoga becomes a lifestyle, a way of life, and eventually the whole person shows up.”

While there are variations depending on the teacher, Frances says, when the teacher is approaching yoga from a “holistic point of view,” a hatha yoga class follows a consistent routine that allows for all aspects of a person to engage.

This includes participants

What is Yoga Therapy?

The therapeutic application of yoga to help clients (one on one or in small groups) heal at the structural, mental and spiritual level, using their own internal compass to assist in the healing process. The yoga therapist aids and assists in this process, guiding the client, while keeping safety at the forefront, always.

Structural issues, head to toe, are aided using the practice of hatha yoga to realign to the body’s natural blueprint through yoga poses, breathing practices, deep relaxation, and fascia release while strengthening and toning the systems of the body, most notably, the nervous system. PTSD/Trauma, and restlessness are aided through breathing techniques, mindfulness and/or meditation practices, intentionality and deep rest, etc. to better calm and regulate the thoughts and balance the nervous system.

At a spiritual level, the goal is to help clients understand and appreciate the wellspring from which all healing occurs. Clients are taught how to integrate the tools of yoga for greater wellbeing, purpose and connection with this innermost self, where true and lasting wellness emanates.

sitting for a couple of minutes, or lying down if they can’t sit, and checking in with the body and mind to see how they feel and the types of thoughts they are having.

Warm-ups, often in the form of yoga poses, follow, and then, the part most people are familiar with, practicing a series of poses, or asanas, which stretch, strengthen, and relax the body

“We are trying to move the Frances. “Back, forward, side-toside, twisting, and extending.”

After the asanas, there is a period of deep relaxation, usually 10 to 15 minutes; this is techniques that get rid of the toxins released from the muscles during the asanas.

“The asanas squeeze toxins from the muscles, and the breathing helps to release them out of the body,” says Frances. with another check-in, to see how you feel now and to either set an intention or look at an intention and see where you are with it.”

Who is a Yoga Therapist? One who has trained beyond the Registered Yoga Teacher 500 level with specialised yoga therapy training. One who hence can be listed as a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and can use that seal behind their name.

Contact The Yoga Centre for an appointment or enquiry. Joanne Wohlmuth, Tel: 799-0108, Email: jewohlmuth@logic.bm or Frances Marshall, Tel: 535-9642, Email: francesmarshall04@gmail.com

Yoga, practiced as Frances describes, has been the subject of extensive studies for its impact on health. Overwhelmingly, the studies reduced stress and anxiety, increased strength and on life, better eating habits, and even reduction in chronic conditions like back pain, depression, and migraines. quantify but equally important goals of yoga practice.

“The results can be instant,” she says. “For example, if it is relaxed in a long time, that can be a profound experience.

“I also believe yoga should include learning something, particularly about self, an insight, or an ‘aha’ moment. It is also a chance to understand or experience a higher self, a sense of wisdom and joy.”

When the original gurus of yoga developed their practices, they could not have foretold the future we live in today; yet, their teachings have stood the test of time, slowly adapting through individual and group insight to form a practice that, thousands of years later, seeks the same goals – peace of mind, body, and spirit.

In her yoga therapy sessions, which are one-onone consultations that use the principles of yoga to help people improve well-being, Frances describes a similarly simple, yet comprehensive, approach to healing: “It is about identifying the things in your life that are causing you harm and implementing new practices that get you back into balance.”