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www.essexyogaclasses.co.uk

In our modern society we all appear to be under considerable pressure in our daily lives, most notably, the experience and symptoms of stress are apparent in many individuals.

On a superficial level the experience of stress can manifest in many different symptoms but can include hand tapping, tight or upset stomach, breathing and or sleeping difficulties.  Stress can also have a negative impact on our general health and well-being in ways that may take years to develop but can ulitmately become life threatening.

We usually assume that the causes of stress are external.  Yet, according to Yogic thought, the basic problem lies within our own mind.  If the mind perceives an obstacle as a threat, the body reacts with the fight or flight response, although in most casesour social conditioning prevent us from actually doing one or the other! Instead adrenalin is pumped into the system, digestion may be impaired, muscles may tighten, and so the cycle begins.

In order to bring ourselves back to an integrated state, the simplest way would be to deal with the basic cause of our distress-the root of the problem.  Yoga aims to remove the obstacles within the mind and to clear perception, thereby achieving clarity of mind.  Yoga is the means for removing these obstacles, or what are referred to as "impurities" (kleshas).  In fact, a practice that does not include this cannot truly be called Yoga.

Yoga addresses the immutable link between the body, the breath and the mind, recognizing that any conscious attempt to modify one of these factors can be used as an agent for comprehensive change in the entire system.

The ideal form of asana - the physical poses we practice is Yoga - come from ancient texts that reflect a manner of teaching quite different from what we frequently encounter in the Western World.

The main aim of Yoga practice is to bring about a state of personal reintegration.  This kind of practice must grow out of a specific condition or circumstance in the individual.

The word Yoga has been given many definitions but the defintion most generally used is "union" meaning the union of mind, body and breath.

Students attending a Yoga session can expect to learn how to relax, meditate, breath and will also be asked to look at the physical condition of the body by practicing Asana to a level that is appropriate for the individual.  An emphasis is placed on working with the body without force or strain observing non-violence to oneselves as well as to others.