Yoga Therapy

The regular practice of yoga is an ancient science of healing and rejuvenation for the body, mind and spirit. While specific postures or asanas, relaxation and breathing techniques are designed to assist certain systems within the body towards optimum health, none are independent. This is how yoga must be regarded - holistically in its interrelation of all synergistic parts.

The healthcare that is yoga practice offers fundamental prevention against many serious ailments such as coronary disease, diabetes, impaired immunity, stress, respiratory problems, arthritis and cancer. Yoga has also proven its value to healing injuries and relieving chronic pain.

Yoga is not simply an excellent form of physical exercise; it becomes a way of life, offering sanctuary to the mind from daily strife, instilling calm and quiet to enhance clarity of thought and, at day’s end, to induce restful, restorative sleep.

Yoga asana can be described aesthetically or functionally.  An aesthetic description focuses on how the pose should look and a functional description focuses on which tissue should be stressed in this particular posture.

At Yogatree, we use both approaches but favour giving students an understanding of anatomy and physiology so everyone can experience exactly what areas of the body we are targeting with each posture. That way, students can build confidence in their own practice and deal with minor health challenges at home. e.g. twists to relieve stress and active prone postures like the salabasana (locust), to relieve back pain. We also use slow Yin stretches that target the fascia and connective tissue of the body. These are balanced by aerobic, flowing Yang sequences that get the heart pumping and build heat to stretch and strengthen the muscles, keep joint capsules mobile and extend bones to their maximum healthy range. Classical static Iyengar work which is common to all Hatha yoga, forms the foundation of our teacher training and instruction.  Hatha yoga emphasizes physical postures and breathing practices to purify the body.

At Yogatree we don’t neglect any part of you!

• Exercising muscles – muscles passively lengthen and actively contract. One therefore has to pull at muscles to stretch them.  Most sports and physical work contracts muscles, as does a sedentary lifestyle.  Yoga lengthens muscle tissue to bring balance back to the body. Yang yoga targets muscles with rhythmic and repetitive movement, like push-ups. Muscles are tense in Yang Yoga and joints are not exercised to their full range of motion.
• Exercising joints – joints are dynamic structures and stress on joints is a function of weight, speed and angle of force.  Yoga is specifically designed to relieve contracture in joints, to prevent degeneration, encourage defixation and stimulate the production of hyaluronic fluid, which is essential to maintain energy flow through the body.
• Stimulating fascia, connective tissue and organs - Yin Yoga is slow and static like traction and its functional purpose is to stimulate the soft tissue of the body.  It is practiced with relaxed muscles and joints are exercised to their full range of motion. 

Our aim is to make classes as enjoyable and therapeutic as possible for each student.  We have had great reports from students who used to have problems with injuries, weakness in certain areas of the body and chronic stress symptoms.

There are at least ten different functional levels at which yoga works on the practitioner: the skeleton, fascia, muscles, blood, breath, Chi (energy), emotions, thoughts, nervous system, and lymphatic system. 

Yoga has an even more powerful effect on the mind than on the body.  Not only does it calm and bring clarity of thought, relief from stressful habitual patters of worry, but it allows the practitioner to realise his/her potential.

Indian philosopher Patanjali, considered to be the father of yoga said 5,000 years ago:
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”