It's the most wonderful time of the year according to one famous Christmas song, and for many people the festive season is a time to relax and enjoy some quality time with friends and family. All those festive treats that are only available now, everyone making an effort with parties and celebrations, with the best food and drink - and lots of it. Let's be honest, it's the most indulgent time of the year. So it's no surprise that everyone wants to prioritise their health just as soon as the holidays are over.
The Isha Hatha Yoga we teach at Satya Hatha Yoga is perfect for melting away that holiday sluggishness, banishing the winter blues and leaving you feeling refreshed, invigorated, and ready to take one whatever the day throws at you.
Exercising and generally increasing your activity levels can help you lose weight and improve your mood. Classical Yoga does that and so much more. It's subtle practices work in rather mysterious ways that magically seem to synch with the human system, and make everything function that much better. After a lifetime of exercise, sport and activity (and other forms of yoga I never stuck with) I couldn't believe how much of a radical difference a set of specific postures could make in my life. It truly has to be experienced for yourself.
Being a balancing activity in nature, Classical Yoga has been shown to correct hormonal imbalances, improve mood, increase energy and help with clarity, focus and productivity. And since it is a physical activity it also impacts your strength, flexibility and balance positively.
It's also been shown to relieve chronic health conditions, allergies, anxiety and depression and also slow down the ageing process. That's much more than the gym. The comprehensive and complete routines can be done in the comfort of your own home, without venturing into the cold or having to worry about working specific parts of your body on certain days (unless of course you still want to, in which case it's a very complimentary addition to resistance and weight training)
Classical Yoga is a holistic practice that can benefit your life as a whole, on a physical, mental, emotional and energetic level. The traditions of Classical Yoga (rather than the more modern systems and activities now associated with the word yoga) have been preserved undistorted with meticulous care for thousands of years. They've survived because they work and they're time-tested in their safety and effectiveness when practiced responsibly and under competent guidance. They are meticulously preserved and never changed because they are powerful, transformative and subtle - much like electricity - and, just like electricity, must be handled with due care, respect and understanding, otherwise those subtle (unseen) energies may not work as you wanted with undesirable consequences. The traditional approach is more scientific, as I like to point out. Interestingly, this is a terminology and concept I never hear outside of India and I'll be writing about in subsequent posts.
My point is, you get what you put in when it comes to these practices. Results are best when a little time is set aside to do them regularly. And extra help an hour in the morning pays dividends. You may notice the change straight away with an increased sense of ease in your body, you may notice your sleep improves and your allergies clear up after a week or two, and after a few months you might find your chronic body aches and lack of flexibility have all but disappeared. This is how it was for me but only you can find out what Classical Yoga can do for you.
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