A balancing yoga class

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