The Science Behind The Sequencing

Most of our classes follow a specific sequence designed to help your body and mind reap the greatest possible benefits from your practice.  It is derived from the Sivananda Style of Hatha Yoga developed by Swami Sivananda and practiced by thousands of students all over the world.

Elements of breathwork, sun salutations, postures, meditation and relaxation help your body to maintain its delicate physiological balance, supporting the nervous system, helping to regulate hormones and boosting the body’s capacity for self-healing.

Breathwork helps to boost lung function, strengthen the nervous system and calm the mind.

The Sun Salutations serve as a warm up, boosting circulation, generating heat and gently stretching the major muscle groups of the body. They also help draw the body into the present moment, dampening the fight of flight response and help prepare your body to commence the healing process.

The first set of postures focus mainly on stretching the muscles interspersed with short relaxation poses. This process of stretching and relaxing the muscles stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (the antidote to the fight or flight response and the part crucial to self healing) and helps the body to relax.

The next set of postures focus mainly on short intense contractions of the muscles, again followed by short relaxation. After activating the parasympathetic nervous system in the first set of postures, these postures send signals to your nervous system to start the rest and repair process.

After flooding your nervous system with calming nerve impulses, the final relaxation at the end of class allows your body to absorb the effects of the practice. It is like a reboot for your body. This has a powerful effect on your practice, allowing you to balance the nervous system, relieve tension and promote calmness in entire body.

We aim for you to leave every class feeling relaxed, recharged and rejuvenated but in general, our classes are not gentle.  Postures will be tailored to your ability but can be challenging, which help develop the mind.  The sequence of postures can be intense so you will feel as though your body has worked out.  As a result, your body will tone and reshape but this a bi-product of the classes, not the main aim.

Our teachings are steeped in centuries old tradition which have been passed down through generations from the great yoga masters in India.  The methods we use are exactly as I was from my guru, and I am passing these ancient methods on to you. I am a student of Swami Sivananda, a former medical doctor and a world-renowned sage who dedicated his life to serving humanity and spreading the word of yoga. An inspiring yoga master from Rishikesh, India, with vast spiritual knowledge I feel privileged to continue to learn from his teachings and evolve my practice.