Categories
Wellness

Adaptive Chair Yoga Training

Adaptive Chair Yoga Training

yc_11

The essence of yoga, being an inclusive and universal practice, is embodied in adaptive chair yoga as we enable everyone who has a mind and body to practice yoga safely and enjoyably.

Adaptive Chair Yoga is a yoga practice that is accessible for everyone, regardless of ability or background. This practice is particularly beneficial for those who are keen to start a yoga practice but may be facing challenges in joining a typical yoga group class as the movements and sequences are not accessible to them.

In this workshop, we will learn how to adapt poses and customize them to suit the different needs of these groups, while making the practice fun and enjoyable. Creativity is a big part of the practice as we make use of the chair, the wall, and other yoga props to enable everyone to fully enjoy the bountiful mind-body benefits of yoga.

Yoga is an amazing tool for the mind-body connection, and it can and should be made accessible to everyone, by bringing mindfulness and awareness to the mind and body in a practice customized and adapted according to one’s needs.

Upcoming intakes:

  • 7 & 8 Nov, 1.30 pm – 6.30 pm (Completed)
  • 21 & 22 Nov, 1.30 pm – 6.30 pm (Completed)
  • 26 & 27 Dec, 1.30 pm – 6.30pm 
  • 2021 Intakes to be announced

**This workshop is conducted at Yoga Seeds Shala and it is YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider) eligible.**

Find out more here: https://bit.ly/adaptivechairyogaworkshop

Categories
Wellness

Pay What You Wish Yoga SG

Pay What You Wish Yoga SG

yc_12

The first of its kind in Singapore, Pay What You Wish Yoga SG project started in 2015 by a team of yoga teachers looking for a platform to share yoga to anyone and everyone.  With the motto “More Yoga for More People”, we’ve teamed up with fresh graduates of yoga teacher trainings to conduct weekly donation-based yoga classes, welcoming people from all walks of life in our yoga classes.

The community started small, with people coming in from all over Singapore in all ages and from all backgrounds. Soon it grew into a beautiful community with familiar faces practicing weekly, benefiting from and falling in love with yoga. One of our happiest achievements  was when Yihan, who first tried yoga five years ago in the small studio with us, loved yoga so much and she took the plunge, completes a yoga teacher training and became a full-time freelance yoga instructor! Now, she is part of the team who plans for and conducts the Pay What You Wish Yoga SG classes weekly, and she is also one of the founding members of Yoga Circle. Here’s what she has to share about her journey:

Started in May 2015, PWYW Yoga started community classes with the intention to reach out to more people who may not be able to afford yoga classes or are unable to commit to a yoga studio package. That was how I started my yoga journey. It began as a weekly practice, and in this friendly and nurturing environment, I soon became friends with the teachers who motivated me to practice regularly, and eventually take up the certification to share yoga with more people. They continue to inspire me to this day.

PWYW Yoga SG, in my early days of yoga practice, was a safe space where I could practice in, without feeling intimidated or pressured. Now, as a team member running the weekly classes, I look back on this journey that I took with PWYW Yoga and marvel at how far we have come. To date, PWYW Yoga had the joy of seeing many students. Some were tourists, short term visitors, and students. We’ve also had many who became regular practitioners, some of whom are certified yoga teachers now (like me)! It is our hope and dream to continue to provide a nurturing environment for more people.

In line with our vision to make yoga all-inclusive and non-discriminatory, I’m happy to see that PWYW Yoga has now come under the big family of Yoga Circle to bring forth our vision of bringing more yoga to more people.

  • Hu Yihan, Freelance Yoga Instructor (and PWYW Yoga baby!)

All contributions made during the community classes will go towards supporting the cause of Yoga Circle, to help more people benefit from yoga.

Classes are held every Sunday at 3pm.

Check out our Facebook page for the latest updates on events and class schedule https://www.facebook.com/pwywyogasg/

Categories
Wellness

Why is Everyone doing Yoga?

Why is Everyone doing Yoga?

yc_13

In the search for fitness, health, wellness and happiness, many people have come to yoga. Yoga’s popularity is evident in the burgeoning yoga studios, classes and trainings available at almost every corner of the world. Those who embark on a regular yoga practice speak favourably of its benefits and share impressive stories of transformation. So, what exactly is this thing called yoga? 

 

What is Yoga?

Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge with a history of more than 5000 years. The word “Yoga” came from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate”. Yoga was originally developed to achieve union of a person’s consciousness and the universal consciousness. In order for us to be in harmony with ourselves and the environment, we have to integrate the body, the mind and the spirit. The Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is done through physical postures, breathing and meditation.

 

Modern Yoga

For the modern practitioner, yoga refers to the practice of physical postures or poses called “asana”. Asana is only one type of yoga. However, the words ‘asana’ and ‘yoga’ have become almost synonymous in our modern context. When you attend a yoga class in a studio, you will most likely be taught specific asanas and a few breathing techniques.

Each asana has specific physical benefits. The asanas can be done quickly and continuously, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and achieve good alignment of the pose. Many people think that yoga is stretching. But while stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility.

 

Benefits for the Body

Through practice of asanas, the body attains flexibility and strength. With regular practice of yoga asanas, you can see improvement in your flexibility by 30 – 35% in 8 weeks. With improved flexibility, you can move around better, feel less stiff and tired. Certain styles of yoga can also enhance your strength and endurance. Power yoga and Ashtanga yoga are more physical styles of yoga which build strength. Some poses require you to bear weight on your upper body (e.g. push-up plank, downward facing dog), while standing poses strengthens the muscles in the legs.

Weight bearing exercises also tone your bones and stimulate the bones to retain calcium and produce more bone mass. This reduces your risk of osteoporosis. In comparison to other weight bearing exercises like walking and running, yoga asanas involve the whole spine, arms, shoulders, elbows, legs, knees, ankles, and feet, while encouraging full range of motion. In yoga, you not only do standing poses but also arm balances and inversions. This makes yoga practice more efficient in enhancing overall bone health.

On top of that, almost all yoga poses, when done correctly, helps to cultivate core awareness and strength. With strength, flexibility and core awareness, your posture naturally improves. You will be able to sit and stand tall, and with the awareness you have cultivated, you are more likely to correct your own posture when you catch yourself slouching.

 

Better Circulation and Absorption of Nutrients

The benefits of yoga reach beyond your muscular and skeletal systems. B.K.S. Iyengar, master of yoga’s therapeutic applications, explains the benefits of yoga by means of its “squeezing and soaking” actions. In yoga, we practice poses that involve deep twisting, compression and then release. Through the process of squeezing out the old, stale blood or lymphatic fluids and soaking the area with fresh, oxygenated blood or fluids, yoga helps the body to utilize the nutrients it needs. This promotes better circulation and efficient absorption of nutrients in our cells.

 

Benefits for the Mind

Proper breathing helps in calming the mind and reducing harmful effects of stress on your mind and body. Mindful breathing is the essence of yoga practice and you will learn to make use of breathing to calm yourself in times of stress or anger. This helps to lower your blood pressure, reduce the stress hormones in your body and prevent many diseases and conditions induced by chronic anxiety and stress.

Yoga’s deep breathing and meditation practices also help to unclutter the mind. When you practice yoga, you are calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath. Even when you step off the yoga mat for day-to-day activities, you are able to keep distractions away and handle your tasks with improved focus and concentration.

 

Quality Sleep

If you have problems getting a good night’s sleep, chances are that you may be aging faster than you should be. During sleep, our body repairs on a cellular level and removes toxin. If you can’t seem to sleep enough, yoga can help. Regular yoga practice is known to cure insomnia or abnormal sleeping habits. The practice of certain yoga postures will increase the blood circulation to the sleep center in the brain, which has the effect of normalizing the sleep cycle.

As a result, the quality of your sleep improves as yoga increases the elimination of toxins from the body and rejuvenates the entire body right down to cellular level. Yoga will help you fall asleep sooner and improve the quality of your sleep so that you need less. You will have a more restful sleep because of the relaxing aspect of yoga and the subsequent relieving of stress, tension and fatigue. You will wake up every morning ready to go instead of wishing you could stay in bed.

 

Yoga is for Everyone

One of the most amazing things about yoga is that it is for everyone! Not everyone can run or lift weights, but everyone can practice yoga. Start by looking for a yoga class that suits your health condition and needs. If you are looking for relaxation and a gentle workout, join a restorative or gentle yoga class for beginners. If movement, building strength and flexibility is up your alley, sign up for a dynamic power yoga or flow yoga class. The good news is that with the great number of yoga studios and classes available, it is easy to find a class just right for you. There are also many online classes that you can watch and follow at the comfort of your own home. Start today to see the transformation in your mind and body!

Categories
Wellness

How Can We Make Yoga Inclusive And Accessible?

How Can We Make Yoga Inclusive And Accessible?

yc_14

Being the wonderful practice that it is, Yoga is something that everybody can benefit from. Apart from the physical benefits from practicing yoga, its breathing and mindfulness aspects are invaluable in enhancing one’s mental wellness and improving the quality of life.

A common misconception of Yoga is that it’s something exclusive to the young, fit and flexible, which is not true at all! As said by T. K. V. Desikachar in the book The Heart of Yoga,

 “Anyone who wants to can practice yoga. Anybody can breathe; therefore anybody can practice yoga. But no one can practice every kind of yoga. It has to be the right yoga for the person.”

Understanding that yoga is in essence, a mind-body connection practice, we can see that there can be many paths and many approaches to it. Making yoga inclusive and accessible through customizing a practice to different individuals has always been what Yoga is about. It is unfortunate that with the recent trend of group classes in commercial settings which are purely driven by profit, people tend to have the misconception that yoga is only for the flexible, fit and privileged individuals who have the means to purchase studio memberships and lavish yoga gear.

Yoga can be and should be unique to each individual. Making yoga accessible requires yoga teachers to rethink how they guide their students, especially to students who are differently-abled or from certain social demographics. Adaptive chair yoga, trauma-informed yoga, yoga therapy as well as pay-what-you-wish yoga classes are but a few excellent examples of how yoga can be customized and adapted, using a variety of props and set up, making it inclusive and accessible to all.

The very first step we can take is to see every individual as unique in their needs and background, and the intention of yoga is to enable them to live life better. It is not about fixed ideals of yoga poses that showcase physical prowess. Yoga is an inward journey that is personal and unique to each individual. As long as we can acknowledge that, we can explore different ways to share yoga to all. Yoga is an art and a science, that can enable everyone to embark on a journey of self-exploration, self-awareness and finding harmony the our bodies and minds.

Let’s have an open mind and open heart to the many different paths of yoga, with or without a yoga mat, and make the light of yoga inclusive and accessible to all.