Yoga can be defined as a training that activates awareness. By practicing yoga we learn to experience different processes, to accept, to balance and to develop them. You can think about the mobility of the body, the breath, reacting, focus and concentration, stress management, communication and being in contact with others. Yoga is much more than just body postures and stretching and twisting yourself into a complicated pose. It is a training that helps you keep balanced in complex (life) situations. Yoga can be as deep as you make it yourself.
Why yoga?
– Pain relief: studies have showed that yoga can relieve pain and injuries. That is why specialists advise patients to start their yoga practice. However, it is important that your yoga teacher is well informed about your injuries and pain.
– Improvement of breathing: the breath plays a central role during a class. You will become more aware of your breath and you will be able to use it better.
– Releasing muscle tension: a class is not only physically challenging, but it is also focused on releasing unnecessary tensions.
– Letting go of negative thoughts: thoughts influence the body, and during a class we are aware of unnecessary thoughts, which makes it easier and easier for you to let go of them.
– Stimulation of blood circulation: during a class we use the breath and different body postures to increase blood flow. An improved circulation has many beneficial effects on the whole body.
– Cleansing the organs: the cleansing effects of yoga on the organs are due to increased blood flow to the organs, and due to yoga poses directed at specific organs. By applying pressure to an organ, release of toxins is stimulated – like a sponge lets go of old water when you squeeze it.
– Improving muscle flexibility: yoga makes flexible. It isn’t just a pleasant feeling to have a flexible body. Yoga poses increase flexibility, which will help protect the muscles, tendons and joints, because it relieves pressure off the before mentioned body parts.
– Stimulating metabolism: by physical activity you increase metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.
– Improving relaxation and sleep: by practicing yoga regularly you learn how to relax better. Additionally, you can practice the relaxation exercises we practice during the class at home before going to sleep.
– Increasing physical strength: the different postures do not only increase flexibility, but also increase muscle strength. We work with the gravity working on the body, and some poses can be physically challenging, but by practicing yoga regularly your physical strength will increase rapidly.
Which yoga style do I choose?
There is a wide variety of yoga styles. Besides the different styles every teacher gives his/her own flavor to their class. Because of this we cannot recommend you a class that suits you best. We would like to invite you to try and experience all different classes and find out which style matches your needs. Yogaroom offers many different styles of yoga classes and has flexible memberships, so you can try out and experience all the different classes.
Yogaroom tries to advice you by marking the physical intensity of the classes in the schedule. Physical intensity doesn’t necessarily equal the difficulty, but it does mean the intensity you can expect from the class. A class with a higher intensity is still appropriate for beginners. If you are looking for a physically challenging class you can best choose a higher (***) intensity. If you are looking for relaxation, you can choose a class with a lower (*) intensity.
Have a look at the description of the different yoga styles. On the internet you can find more information about a specific yoga style. In the end the most important way to decide whether a class suits you is to experience a class and teacher yourself. Keep in mind that the first class you follow isn’t necessarily relaxing, because you still have to get used to the studio and the teacher. The second time you will notice you experience the class differently. We would like to advise you to try out many different classes, so you can experience for yourself which style suits you best.
