For some people, yoga is no more than the physical postures practiced on the mat in the pursuit of a healthier, more flexible body – and that is fine. But for many the practice of yoga extends way beyond the physical postures into a more mindful way of living, which becomes a life-long journey of self-discovery. At SoHo Yoga studio in north Brisbane we introduce many of the key concepts and philosophies of the ancient practice of yoga, as well as the core asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation practices that you can incorporate into a daily yoga practice.
You may not think you have time for a daily yoga practice, but your yoga practice doesn’t need to be an hour or more on a mat or in a yoga studio in north Brisbane or anywhere else. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (widely acknowledged as the source text of classical yoga) the first two limbs of yoga relate not to any physical practice, but rather to living a virtuous life. The Sutras promote non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, self-restraint, and non-attachment. They also provide guidance for living a life of purity, contentment, steadfastness, self-reflection, and spiritual devotion. This is our daily yoga practice off the mat.
The third limb of yoga is known as ‘asana’ or the physical poses that most people associate with the practice of yoga. A daily yoga asana practice can provide enormous physical benefits including improvements to strength, stamina, flexibility, and spinal health. Your daily yoga asana practice may be as little as 10 minutes of sun salutations to energise the body in the morning, or 10 minutes of gentle stretching or restorative yoga poses to relax the body at the end of the day. When you have more time, you may choose to visit our yoga studio in north Brisbane where we offer 35 yoga classes per week for all levels. Here you can learn the fundamentals of safe yoga asana practice that you can do at home alone. Or subscribe to our on-demand platform SoHo@Home for short guided sequences.
The fourth limb of yoga is ‘pranayama’, and this might just be the easiest daily yoga practice! Pranayama is simply the practice of breathing well to promote the flow of energy throughout the body. Pranayama can literally be practiced anytime, anywhere, and may be especially beneficial when you are short of time or feeling stressed or anxious. Bringing your awareness to your breath, and taking 3 long, slow, deep ‘yogic’ breaths, can have amazing physiological benefits as it activates our parasympathetic nervous system, our ‘rest & digest’ mode. Simply inhale slowly and evenly filling the low abdomen first, followed by the upper abdomen and the low ribs, and finally filling the upper chest. Then exhale slowly and evenly in reverse, releasing the breath from the upper chest first, followed by the upper abdomen and the low ribs, and finally releasing the remaining breath from the low belly. Repeat for 3 to 5 rounds. There are several other simple pranayama techniques that can be incorporated into your daily life that we teach at our regular yoga classes at SoHo Yoga studio in north Brisbane.
The final four limbs of yoga all relate to meditation techniques that improve focus and clarity and help to calm the mind. Meditation doesn’t have to be practiced sitting on a cushion for 20 minutes a day (although 20 minutes a day of mindfulness meditation is clinically proven to have many physical and psychological benefits). Mindfulness is a meditation technique that has exploded in popularity in recent decades and is simply ‘awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally’ (Jon Kabat-Zinn). Short moments of awareness of your breath, the sensations in your body, the sounds around you, or the flavours of your food, are all mindfulness techniques that can form part of your daily yoga practice in Brisbane or wherever you are in the world.
For more ideas and inspiration on how to apply yoga in your daily life (on and off the mat) visit our yoga studio in north Brisbane, follow us @sohoyogabne or subscribe to our yoga on-demand platform SoHo@Home.