What is a balancing yoga class?
For a
yoga class to be as holistic as possible we need practices in all
different angles that together make up a sequences for maximum
balance for the body and mind.
To
take for instance all the 4 (plus 1, which is the space that we exist
in) elements into account, that make up the life that we are living,
we need to balance the mix of fire, wind, water and earth. That is
why being in the nature feels so relaxing and balancing, since it has
the natural flow of all the elements. In other words, we need heat,
energy, movement, expression, coolness, flow of energy, flexibility,
stretching, grounding, relaxation, concentration and letting go of
tensions in order to find balance.
For
finding balance we need the counter-effects as well and there are
certain orders to practice them which we can even feel intuitively
that makes sense. Each asana (position) is important to observe how
to move into as well as out from and how to stay in it. Taking long
breathes for example down to the stomach, in a calm way with
lengthening the exhalation to about the same length as the
inhalation, is beneficial for strengthening asanas and for practices
with flows. In relaxing postures it is important to not to make any
effort with the breathing but rather just relaxing it and letting it
flow in its own way. During stretching it is good to breathe deeper,
but in contrary from the strenghtening postures it is better to relax
more the exhalation in order to come deeper into the posture in a
relaxing way. This is the technique used in for example Yin yoga, but
only practicing stretching without strengthening asanas can strain
the joints in a long term.
Another
way of explaining how to find balance from yoga classes is that the
more heat and movement of energy we produce, the more coolness and
relaxation we need after it. Practicing deep-relaxation after the
practices of asanas, where you relax carefully each part of your body
with the power of the mind, is the best possible way to finnish the
class. The reason for this is that the more you relax in the end of
the class, the more the body will process the effects from the asana-
and breathing practices. In the same time it helps us to let go of
subtle tensions in the body that are affected from stress and other
negative aspect of the mind. For a better effect of letting go of
tensions caused by the mind, it is important to first practice asanas
or at least some kind of physical activity as well. The more you
relax the body, the more your mind will relax after practicing
asanas!
For more information about Ada's yoga classes and treatments, see her website: www.adayoga.fi
