Moving Our Body Is An Important Part Of HealthRegular exercise is a wonderful way to bring more health & vitality into our life. For example, when patients are suffering from depression, many psychiatrists will immediately prescribe a daily walk to help them on their journey to recovery. So exercise is truly very beneficial for us!
In addition to this, exercise or any type of movement is also considered to be a great precursor to meditation or personal reflection as it helps us to quieten or still the mind as we prepare for a deeper state of relaxation & peace. Using movement as a prelude to meditation is particularly effective for those with a very fast, creative or busy mind. So with this page then, we wish to share with you some of the basic options that are available to you for bringing a range of different movement exercises into your life whilst having some time to connect inward. As always, please follow your own intuition and feeling as to the best type of practice for you. |
|
Pilates & Yoga
Yoga and Pilates are both very popular forms of mind-body-soul type exercise for many millions of people around the world. And both of these disciplines will be very helpful for you if you want to stretch, strengthen or tone your body. Both classes work with breathing as a key part of the practice and therefore, both disciplines will help you to feel more relaxed, peaceful and well worked after a class / session.
Pilates was brought into this world by a man named Joseph Pilates in the 20th Century as a way to build core strength within the body. It has since expanded into the system we see today however it has always retained this foundational belief about building core strength & toning the body. There are now also a range of reformer Pilates classes available and these are also very helpful for strengthening and improving the muscular skeletal system by using a very specialised piece of equipment.
Pilates was brought into this world by a man named Joseph Pilates in the 20th Century as a way to build core strength within the body. It has since expanded into the system we see today however it has always retained this foundational belief about building core strength & toning the body. There are now also a range of reformer Pilates classes available and these are also very helpful for strengthening and improving the muscular skeletal system by using a very specialised piece of equipment.
|
Yoga on the other hand is an ancient tradition, dating back to many thousand of years and is said to be a pathway towards enlightenment. As our yoga practice deepens, we begin to understand the various inter-relationships between the different branches of the yoga system and thus we are able to learn, grow and purify ourselves. For our purposes here, we will be focusing on the asana, pranayama and meditative aspects of yoga.
In this modern world, there are now many different types of yoga available to you and each of these will help you to stretch, strengthen and tone your body whilst at the same time, providing a deep emphasis on breathing and being 'in the moment'. On this page, we will detail some of the more popular forms of yoga available to you and we always suggest learning these asana with an appropriate professional to help you learn the correct body alignment so that you can gain the most from your practice and prevent injury. |
|
PilatesPilates is a wonderful way to tone our bodies and to feel great doing it. Throughout the class, you will be guided through a series of gentle and low impact exercises which are very beneficial for toning many areas of your body whilst strengthening and maintaining your 'core'.
Pilates is also something that can help us to focus on our breathing as we are doing these exercises which helps to provide a workout for your body whilst also providing your mind with a sense of inner peace and calm. This is what helps us to feel so great afterwards! Please enjoy this short video here as a wonderful introduction to a beginner's Pilates class - we hope this helps you to understand whether this form of movement based class may be something for you. |
|
Reformer PilatesThe Pilates reformer classes are also becoming a rather popular sub-branch of the Pilates tradition now with machinery being introduced to help you bring about a very significant strengthening through your body.
You may also see the Pilates reformer machines being used at some physiotherapists or chiropractic centres as a way of helping to rehabilitate an area of the body which may be injured. Here is a very simple example of how a Pilates reformer can be used for beginners in a class type setting so you can see if this feels right for you. |
|
Ashtanga YogaAshtanga Yoga (or Vinyasa Yoga) is now becoming one of the most popular forms of yoga around. It was popularised by the great yogi, Sri K Pattabhi Jois after he had learned this through his Guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
An Ashtanga Yoga class teaches you a a sequence of asana which help to stretch, strengthen and tone the body whilst at the same time allowing you to focus on your berating and become more 'in the moment'. Here is a basic sequence for Astangha Yoga known as Surya Namaska, translated in english as Sun Salution. You can complete this sequence a number of times each day if you wish to as part of your basic practice. |
|
Hatha YogaHatha yoga is another very popular form of yoga and can be taught in a great many different ways. Some teachers like to teach a gentle form of hatha yoga whilst others will prefer to teach a more higher impact form of hatha yoga and as always, your experience will depend on your teacher and the different types of asana that are being worked with.
Like all yoga traditions, there is a strong emphasis again on our breathing with these classes often encouraging slow, deep breathing through the class. And for many people, this type of simple, gentle beginners-type yoga is very appealing and can really be as simple as doing stretching, toning and breathing. |
|
Kundalini YogaKundalini Yoga as taught by Yoga Bhajan® is another very popular form of yoga practice around the world. And there are some slight differences in the types of asana and breathing exercises used in this form of yoga - in particular, with the introduction of the 'breath of fire'.
This form of yoga is taught through a number of sets where asana and breathing sequences are combined to help you stretch, strengthen and tone the body whilst getting the range of wonderful benefits from the breathing exercises. This is another wonderful prelude to meditation and inner growth work. In this short video, you can learn one of the more popular sets which is very great for beginners. Learn how to do the breath of fire technique. |
|
Kriya YogaThe practice of Kriya Yoga was popularised by the great yogi Paramhansa Yogananda through his book 'The Autobiography of a Yogi'. This is a slightly different form of yoga in the idea that you will not just be able to go and do a casual class with some stretches and strengthening exercises.
In this tradition, you are required to do some self learning first about some of the basic techniques and philosophies of the system to accustom yourself to the tradition before receiving an initiation into the Kriya yoga tradition. This is said to connect you to the Kriya Yoga lineage and to your Guru. This video is a beautiful and poetic look at the ideals behind Kriya Yoga and indeed all yoga pathways. May we all realise our truly divine & infinite potential! |
|
Vibrational Movement
Whilst Pilates and Yoga are both excellent ways for us to introduce movement and overall wellbeing into our life, they will often require a continued dedication to learning. So with this in mind, here are some super simple and easy ways that you can bring some movement into your life that will be very beneficial for you in your own home.
Body TappingBody tapping is very beneficial for us in lots of different ways and is something which is taught over a number of different mediums e.g. meridian tapping, EFT & Qi Gong. To do regular tapping is said to help us improve circulation, awaken our energy, release old emotions and help us to feel more relaxed overall. Not to mention that it is also a great way for us to bring movement into our life.
Doing this practice can take you anywhere between 5 - 20 minutes (depending on your style). You can either tap all over your body or if you wish to or you may also wish to tap one area of your body and then do some breathing exercises (as your mentally focus on the feelings of vibration within this part of your body). You can continue on in this way for your whole body, thereby allowing for a stronger mind body soul connection. If you wish to, this exercise can also be done sitting down and whilst this video doesn't include any tapping on the legs area, we would suggest that this is another great area to do tapping on (perhaps whilst sitting). Tapping can also be combined with shaking (below) as we for added benefits. |
|
Body ShakingThere are so many different ways that you can shake your body and all of them are just wonderful for you. They are also a great prelude to any style of meditation noting that it is best to shake for at least 5 mins (preferably 10 mins) before becoming still and observatory.
This form of shaking yoga is taught in Qi Gong, Yoga and through a variety of other spiritual practices such as those taught by Osho in his Kundalini Meditation. It is also referred to as bio-energetics and in this short video here, we learn everything we need about how to shake and vibrate so that we can gain all the wonderful healing benefits from this practice. We hope this helps you to release and let go of any old hurts or past emotions as you open up to more health and wellbeing in your life! |
|
Dance Movement
This is a new area of the fitness industry that we just absolutely love! And because we have heard so much positive feedback about these types of classes, we thought we would share this information in the hope that it might inspire you towards finding something that sings for you.
The Groove ExperienceThe Groove classes are an awesome way to exercise and bring an amazing amount of creative expression and authenticity into your life. It is perfect for those of you who just love to dance away to a variety of different music.
These classes are unlike any other 'follow the leader' type classes and will guide you through a series of super simple and easy dance steps that you then dance in your own way. And one of the main stand outs with the groove classes is the way it encourages you to dance it in your own way - you cannot get it wrong! The movements here are all designed for maximum personal expression and again, they are all super simple so that anyone can get involved. In this short video, we see the founder of Groove, Misty Tripoli as she facilitates a groove dance party. Buy an at home groove dvd here. |
|
Sh'BamSh'Bam is another fantastic form of dance fitness now hitting the various gyms and fitness centres around the world. It works on the idea of doing a set sequence of dance moves to a variety of different music with an emphasis of fun, style and light-heartedness.
This is an amazing cardio workout for you whilst at the same time being an amazingly fun and happy workout which gives you the opportunity to dance your heart out to a range of different music. Here in this video, we can see a sneak peek of what it looks like to be Sh'Bam'd. |
|
Chakra DanceThere are many different kinds of chakradance systems available and of course, chakra dancing can also be done by yourself by just dancing how you feel inside at any given time. And this style of movement based discipline can certainly be a very powerful inward journey which helps to unblock many kinds of old energies and emotions from within.
These chakradance classes (as seen in this video) are specifically designed for each of your chakras and are done with eyes closed in a dimly lit room (to help with the process of releasing inhibitions and dancing to your own expression). These chakradance classes guide you through a variety of styles and music and will encourage you to dance each of your chakras as these energies are opened and connected with throughout each class. Please take a look for yourself and see if this is something that could resonate for you. Chakradance is available on dvd for home use here. |
|
ReboundingThe rebounding trend has been a popular one for helping many people bring more cardio and fitness into their life. And there are indeed many different ways that you can rebound whilst expressing yourself to music as well.
Here in this video, we can see some of the possibilities in bringing music, dance and trampolining together for a great and fun workout. And the best part is, you can even create whatever movements your want with this sort of workout. We hope you enjoy this video to give you some idea about what is possible on a rebounding trampoline and may it help to inspire you towards more movement and vitality in your life. |
|
Creating Your Own Sessions
We have now covered many different types of practices which can be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing so with this last section, we just want to bring this all together in a way that can help you to create your own personal session. We often find that this is the most empowering part of bringing movement into your life because it means that you can truly do this everyday without following anyone else's timetables or schedules.
Firstly though, it will be important for you to learn how to do some of the basics from an appropriate professional, and you may choose to do this through online classes or in a physical class type setting. Once you have this basic knowledge about which stretches and strengthening exercises appeal to you (and perhaps how you can start to sequence these together), you are ready to start creating your own sessions.
And there are so many advantages of doing this. You can breathe in your own rhythm, do the kinds of stretches you like doing and work on the areas of your body that you feel are in need of it on any given day. You don't have to constantly be looking over your shoulder to follow the teacher or the person in front of you and this then helps you to go more deeply into your practice. Our general approach to creating your own personal movement session is very simple and normally combines any and sometimes all of the following:
Stretching and/or Strengthening
Vibrational Exercises
Creative Movement
Breathing Exercises
Relaxation & Meditation
As you can see from the session examples below (4 sessions = 1 week), there is no real right or wrong here - just whatever feels right for you at the time. It will no doubt become more apparent to you how to incorporate your breathing exercises into your routine so this step might inter-weave with the others as you progress. Alternatively, you might have a preference to stretch and strengthen first whilst connecting to your breath as a platform to doing some of the other exercises or vice versa.
Firstly though, it will be important for you to learn how to do some of the basics from an appropriate professional, and you may choose to do this through online classes or in a physical class type setting. Once you have this basic knowledge about which stretches and strengthening exercises appeal to you (and perhaps how you can start to sequence these together), you are ready to start creating your own sessions.
And there are so many advantages of doing this. You can breathe in your own rhythm, do the kinds of stretches you like doing and work on the areas of your body that you feel are in need of it on any given day. You don't have to constantly be looking over your shoulder to follow the teacher or the person in front of you and this then helps you to go more deeply into your practice. Our general approach to creating your own personal movement session is very simple and normally combines any and sometimes all of the following:
Stretching and/or Strengthening
Vibrational Exercises
Creative Movement
Breathing Exercises
Relaxation & Meditation
As you can see from the session examples below (4 sessions = 1 week), there is no real right or wrong here - just whatever feels right for you at the time. It will no doubt become more apparent to you how to incorporate your breathing exercises into your routine so this step might inter-weave with the others as you progress. Alternatively, you might have a preference to stretch and strengthen first whilst connecting to your breath as a platform to doing some of the other exercises or vice versa.
|
Session 1
Stretching & Strengthening Shaking Breathing Relaxation |
Session 2
Body Tapping Stretching Breathing Energy Based Meditation |
Session 3
Stretching & Strengthening Shaking Chakradance Meditation |
Session 4
Body Tapping Stretching Groove Relaxation |
