Find some inner strength
Yoga is enjoying a major resurgence, but there’s a bewildering selection of classes.
From exhausting workouts to sessions offering a chance to relax, there’s something for everyone
Yoga. You know the word but how well do you actually know what it means? I too had heard of it and knew people who practised it but apart from it’s toning and stretching properties, I knew very little else. So, in the name of research, I grabbed a mat, pulled my socks up and headed for a class.
But first up: what exactly is yoga? It’s a system of physical and mental exercises designed to balance and unite the mind, body and spirit. The classical techniques of yoga date back more than 5,000 years and the word itself means ‘to join or yoke together’. It was developed and perfected over the centuries by philosophers and mystics in India. One of the philosophies of yoga is that by balancing the body, you will learn to focus the mind, which will improve health and spiritual wellbeing. In other words, a holistic and ancient excuse for not sweating it out at the gym. Or so I thought.
I arranged to take a lesson with Rebecca, instructor and manager at the Cyprus Yoga Club. I was told to wear comfortable clothing and not eat too much two to three hours prior to the class. Standing in the candlelit room preparing for a 1½ hour ‘journey’, I was accompanied by two other women and, surprisingly, two middle-aged men. “I’ve been practicing yoga for nearly 20 years,” said one man, while the other explained that in only six months yoga has benefited his other hobby: diving.
The session began with a 20-minute warm-up, which mostly consists of stretching combined with breathing. This is one of the main characteristics of yoga: breathing is vital to the exercises and must be done properly to achieve the maximum from a workout. It’s also a main part of the session as it is included after every set of postures.
In yoga language, postures are called asanas and there are over 800 of them, each of which benefits a particular part of the body, mind or soul. During my session, I practiced the cobra, the fish and the cat, while Rebecca informed me there are many more, including the dog, the peacock and others. “There’s a reason why so many asanas are named after animals and this is simply because thousands of years ago the first yogis (yoga gurus) would watch and study the moves of animals,” she explains. “They would mimic their moves as soon as they woke up, while they were eating and their general posture.”
In the 90-minute session, we carried out a total of 10 postures. Although that doesn’t sound very many, during a yoga work-out every asana should be practiced eight times. Of course, it turned out to be an impossible task for this couch potato to even achieve half of that amount and even that was tiring enough! One asana, particularly good for thyroid function, called for me to be on my back, legs up in the air and then to flip over my head with my chin to push on the throat where the thyroid is located. And to keep breathing at the same time of course! The aim isn’t simply to stretch muscles but to massage and relax every inner organ too. “This is why yoga is essentially good for you,” says Rebecca. “It’s particularly good for the endocrine system and glands. It helps with digestion, joints, muscles, illnesses, anything. You are connecting to your inner body and easing any pain or discomfort, that’s why it’s also particularly good for women with bad PMT.”
Half way through the session and despite whining and being close to tears, I already began to feel that my body was literally more relaxed. A couple of little things made me laugh, like the way I was supposed to smack my feet (more later) but with every move and body placement, I could feel my body opening up. And as I lay on my stomach doing the cobra asana, I almost laughed as I caught sight of the towel I had packed in my bag – I didn’t need it as I wasn’t even close to sweating. The effect on my body was not just physical, it was mental too and I couldn’t wait to see how I would feel once the class was completed.
Last but not least, perhaps was the famous yoga posture often seen in magazine articles: the tree. You stand on one leg, place the other on your thigh and bring your arms up over your head, in the prayer stance. I read somewhere that it’s beneficial to the straightening of the spine. “Because this asana requires balance, it can only be properly done when the body is relaxed and, most importantly, so is the mind,” Rebecca said while preparing to be a tree. I was told to focus on something ahead of me and clear my mind. Miraculously, I managed to be a still tree for over 30 seconds before losing my balance. Although this was the last posture, we were by no means ready to get up and walk away. We had to massage the body, every single part of it: this is where the feet smacking comes in. As the body relaxes, it secretes a type of oil through the palms and with this, by rubbing our hands together, we massaged our neck, ears, face, head, arms, all the way down to our breasts, stomach and legs. The feet we were to pay special attention to by massaging our toes and soles and then hitting them to get the blood flowing. “You can’t shock the body at once since it has been relaxing for an hour, so you need to massage it and get it working normally.”
We were then each handed a blanket while Rebecca changed the music and said this was the relaxing part of the session. So why the blanket? “Well, the body will be still for some time after all the stretching, so it will get cold and because we want to relax, we need to keep it warm so it won’t stiffen.” Indeed, we were completely still, relaxing our minds while at the same time relaxing our inner selves with our minds. I was calm and didn’t have a care in the world. And the best part? I left feeling more alive than ever, even though I had been on the go until 10 at night and got home feeling energetic and rejuvenated.
Cyprus Yoga Club: Tel: 99 487927
Try it out
There are so many different types of yoga it is important to choose a form that is appropriate for your level of fitness, goals and medical condition.
Hatha Yoga
In Sanskrit (an ancient classical language of India) ‘Ha’ means sun and ‘tha’ means moon. This type of yoga is relatively slow paced, more gentle and is a good place to start if you are completely new to yoga and don’t know any of the asanas (poses). Like all types of yoga, Hatha aims to unite the mind, body and spirit.
Where to go: Body Wisdom, Tel: 99 511008, Nicosia; The Life Centre, Tel: 99 413707; Radmyla Rudey, Tel: 99 550866, Limassol
Ashtanga Yoga
This type of yoga can be practised on a regular basis and it means ‘eight limbs’ in Sanskrit. It is fast-moving and intense, based on a progressive set sequence of poses that are synchronised with breathing. Ashtanga Yoga can be quite physically demanding as you constantly move from one pose in the sequence to the next, so you’ll find that it will improve your stamina as well as your flexibility and strength. Lots of flowing movements such as push-ups and lunges are part of the session.
Where to go: Athena’s Body & Soul, Tel: 22 730448; Radmyla Rudey, Tel: 99 550866, Limassol
Power Yoga
This is a Western interpretation of yoga and is based on Ashtanga yoga. A power yoga class may not necessarily stick to the exact sequence of poses like Ashtanga does but it will involve practising a series of poses without stopping and starting.
Where to go: Victoria Zachariades-Papadakis, Tel: 22 317733
Kundalini Yoga
This incorporates mantras (chanting), meditation, visualisation and guided relaxation. It focuses on healing and ‘purifying’ the mind, body and emotions and is designed to activate the kundalini energy in the spine. Kundalini is beneficial in
dealing with addictions and many people find it a natural way of releasing endorphins just by breathing and doing the poses.
Where to go: Sri Shabad Singh, Tel: 25 816232
Integral Yoga
Integral Yoga is an intelligent combination of traditional methods that harmoniously develop all aspects of the being. It is a scientific system that integrates different forms of yoga to achieve complete development of all the superior but latent aspects of man. The main objectives of Integral Yoga are a perfect body that is completely healthy and vigourous; a clear, powerful and controlled mind; a refined, awakened and sharp intellect; a will-power as hard as steel.
Where to go: Marilena Shiamma, Tel: 99 490416
Satyananda Yoga
Emerging from the Yoga Vision of Swami Satyananda and his lineage, the teachings of this type of yoga are a modern integral rendering of ancient yoga sources. Sri Swamiji has brought to light ancient yogic teachings from sacred scriptures and lost traditions. He has framed them in a modern language which incorporates both traditional and scientific understandings. Yoga practices developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and the Bihar School of Yoga aim to harmonise all levels of human life and experience through practical means.
Where to go: Satyananda School of Yoga, Tel: 25 364690, 99 517658
What we’re missing out on
Iyengar Yoga
Based on the teachings of BKS Igengar, this concentrates on the correct alignment and form of the body. Unlike Ashtanga yoga, there is an emphasis on holding each pose for a long period of time rather than moving constantly from one to the next. Iyengar yoga uses props such as blocks and straps to help align the body into the different poses. A good form of exercise for people with back or neck pains as they are likely to benefit from modification to the poses.
Bikram Yoga
Otherwise known as ‘Hot Yoga’, this is practised in a room heated to 105 degrees with a humidity of around 40 per cent. Generally, a sequence of 26 different poses is practiced during a class and the hot temperature helps to loosen muscles and stretch tissues. Obviously, due to the high temperature most people sweat a lot, helping to cleanse the body of toxins. This type of yoga is not appropriate for those with cardiovascular disease because of the strain placed on the body when vigorously exercising in the heat.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa means breath-synchronised movement and is another fast-paced type of yoga with the emphasis on breathing. A class typically starts with sun salutations and moves on to a more intense stretching. Each pose is balanced with a counter pose.
Jivamukti Yoga
Ashtanga with bells on. A Jivamukti class features chanting and meditation, sandwiched around a session of fast, energetic and athletic yoga. This was developed in New York in 1984 by Americans David Life and Sharon Gannon, who found that most Western yoga neglected the spiritual and philosophical aspects, and wanted to bring all aspects together in one class.
Yoga Nidra
A form of guided relaxation, yoga nidra is the yoga answer to the power nap. (It is claimed that a single hour of this is equivalent to four hours’ of deep sleep.) No flexibility is required and you won’t sweat; all you have to do is lie on the mat and listen to the teacher’s calming voice. The technique allows you to relax into a “threshold state”, between sleep and wakefulness. Once your body and mind have unwound, you can make contact with your subconscious mind and implant positive, calming messages that will be retained as you regain consciousness.
Yin Yoga
In Chinese culture, “yin” is the softer, feminine counterpart to the more dynamic male “yang”; hence, yin yoga is a soothing, gentle form designed to calm the adrenal system and leave you able to sleep properly. It’s quiet and passive; the postures involve very little muscle activity since the aim is to quieten the mind and body through breathing and relaxation. You won’t get a workout, but you might just learn to calm down.
YOGA SUPPLIES
www.yogamatters.com is run by yoga teachers and stocks all the latest instructional DVDs from some of the leading teachers. It also has great yoga clothing from specialist brands such as Prana and Asquith.
YOGA ONLINE
The eagerly-anticipated website glowgetter.co.uk will be available next month with contributions from many of the UK’s top yoga teachers, plus the latest on cool yoga-related products, such as the Plank yoga mats, which are printed with images of nature.
YOGA DIET
Yoga isn’t normally associated with slimming but Yoga for Weight Loss, by Celia Hawe (Kyle Cathie, £12.99), explains how to deploy yoga as a motivational technique, as well as exercise, to help you slim. There’s a simple yoga programme designed to streamline the body and a four-week detox eating plan but, more interestingly, there are meditations on working out, and letting go of self-limiting beliefs (those internal voices which say, “I can never lose weight so what’s the point” and the like).
