YOGA: BREATH WORK, POSTURES AND RELAXATION by Hana van der Kolk, Certified Yoga Instructor
Yoga postures and breathing exercises have their roots in a 5000 year old tradition from India. Originally, and even in India today, yoga was practiced, for the most part, by young men.
Working with the breath can be a powerful method for relaxing and calming anxious feelings. A deep breath tells the body and the mind that things are "OK". Some people find that when they are anxious and stressed they also feel exhausted, scared, or depleted. Certain breathing practices and yoga postures can help shift these feelings and help you uncover your natural vitality and strength, that are not missing, but have perhaps been buried for any number of reasons.
Working with yoga postures and movement can decrease tension and stress in the body which in turn decreases these states in the mind. Sessions with Hana can include yoga postures and movements and will always include working with easing and lengthening the breath and using special breathing techniques for calming or invigorating the mind and body.
Sessions will also include guided relaxation. Relaxing is an art. Many of us have lost our ability to relax, and find ourselves with tense muscles, having trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, and with other stress-related problems. Relaxation can allow the mind and body a time to slow down, quiet the chatter of thoughts, and just be. 15 minutes of stillness and deep relaxation a day can make a huge difference in one's overall sense of calm and ease throughout the whole day.
Regular practice of yoga, relaxation, and breathing exercises can help reduce stress and anxiety and symptoms of depression, and can improve overall health including sexual functioning, digestion, circulation/heart functioning, and respiration. Yoga can ease the discomfort of sore and tight muscles and joints, alleviate insomnia and fatigue, and deepen your experience of your body and mind leading to more vitality and an increased sense of well-being.
Yoga postures and breathing exercises have their roots in a 5000 year old tradition from India. Originally, and even in India today, yoga was practiced, for the most part, by young men.
