Although there are many forms of Yoga, Hatha Yoga is the form that is most popular in the West. The word Hatha is made up of “ha” meaning Sun and “tha” meaning Moon. It comprises physical postures which are known as asanas, breathing techniques, cleansing routines and various relaxation techniques, and is said to prepare the body for meditation.

The postures condition the muscles supporting the joints to keep them firm and strong. Joints are encouraged to move more freely, and the asanas take each joint through its full range of motion. Most asanas relate to a specific area of the body, having a tonic effect on muscles, joints, visceral organs and the nervous system.

“The objective in asana work is not how far you can stretch or contort your body but to combine stability (stira) with ease/relaxation (sukha).” BWY website

Yoga can be done by anyone, and the movements can be adjusted to take into account health problems.

You may wish to come to a yoga class to increase your flexibility, to take time out for yourself or to find a quiet place in an ever changing, stressful world.

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“The way we live is destructive to the body, there is no respect towards its needs and demands……..

Do not fight your body. Do not carry the world on your shoulders like Atlas. Drop that heavy load of unnecessary baggage and you will feel better.

Do not kill the instinct of the body for the glory of the pose. Do not look at your body like a stranger, but adopt a friendly approach towards it. Watch it, listen to it, observe its needs, its requests, and even have fun. Play with it as children do, sometimes it becomes very alert and swift.

To be sensitive is to be alive.” Awakening the Spine, Vanda Scaravelli.

“Time is relative. This also applies to our lives. If we are concentrated on work or on something we are interested in, it is possible that we do not realize that a couple of hours have gone by. Instead, we have the feeling only a few minutes have elapsed…….

When we enjoy something, there is space in our brain. It is as though time became unreal and vanished. Time dilates and expands. Instead when we are in a hurry, nervous, anxious or afraid, time lessens and our frustrations seem to have no end. Also, when we wait for someone we are in love with, minutes become hours. We must realise that time plays funny tricks on us.” Awakening the Spine, Vanda Scaravelli

Scaravelli's yoga places emphasis on gravity (or being grounded to the earth) and breath to gently increase the suppleness of the spine. It is a process of letting go, or "undoing". To use yoga as an inquiry by using the body: listening to it, trusting it, and surrendering to it. The stress is laid not on which yoga pose we do, but how we do them: working with the body creating beauty and harmony. "

Resources
Books
Awakening the Spine by Vanda Scaravelli
Yoga: the Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann
Dancing the Body of Light by Dona Holleman
DVD
Vanda Scaravelli: On Yoga - produced by Esther Meyers