What does yoga mean to you?

Welcome to our blog - we just wanted to welcome you all, and over the next few weeks we will be writing about all sorts of topics .

This weeks topic is “WHAT IS YOGA?” Yoga is many different things to different people - to me, Yoga is a daily practice of self care. Yoga is more than a series of certain movements - yoga is “a way of life”. A way of life emphasising what is important; humility, grace, kindness, breath, honouring your body, hope, change and stillness - all through a series of movements.

"The movements are the vessels that carry this self belief system through every inch of the body"

Yoga is a mind and body practice of various styles which combine physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation and relaxation. My style of teaching is Vinyasa - which literally means “breathe with movement”. I trained with YogaLondon and my style is fun and creative - aiming to inspire everyone to improve their overall wellbeing. Yoga is an ancient practice that may have originated in India. It involves movement, meditation, and breathing techniques to promote healthier mental and physical well-being. There are several types of yoga and many disciplines within the practice.

Benefits of Yoga:

Yoga has many physical and mental benefits:

• building muscle strength

• enhancing flexibility

• promoting better breathing

• supporting heart health

• helping with treatment for addiction

• reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain

• improving sleep

• enhancing overall well-being and quality of life

Yoga wont make you “drop a dress size in a month” or help you meet the one, but you will definitely feel better on the inside before out. At the end of my class yesterday - I asked the members “What does Yoga mean to you”. Here’s what a few of them said: “Yoga helps me to find balance at times where I have non. It helps me breath and flow through life and be present to experience life as it is. But most importantly it has given me moments of bliss which I experience during and after my practice”. MZ “Yoga helps me to stretch and keep my body moving - I suffer from painful joints and I find yoga keeps my joints nourished”. JG “Yoga for me has definitely strengthened my muscles and has improved my core - as a tennis player - I can definitely notice an improvement in my game”. BH

Finding your own answers:

I highly recommend to my yoga students — and I keep reminding myself — not to worry so much about the specific definition of yoga, but more importantly, to be aware of our own personal answers to these three questions •What does yoga mean to you? •What is the intention of your yoga practice? •What does yoga represent in your life?

I would love to hear your thoughts, please feel free to comment down below.

Namaste 🙏🏻

Donna and Georgia

Find me on instagram: @DonnaWaltonYoga Find me on facebook: @DonnaWaltonYoga