Wk 101 – Breath-Centric Vinyasa Practice

This breath-centric practice will combine Pranayama techniques within a Vinyasa Practice. Simple standing poses and seated poses will be utilised in order to let the breath guide you. This is a “dialled down” Vinyasa practice and the aim here is to give you support for emotional stress.

We use the breath to guide us so we can heighten our ability to cultivate Sthira & Sukham (steadiness and ease) YS 2.46 within Asana to hold an increased Pranic experience. Prana is our vital energy in our physical, energetic and conscious bodies.

In this class you will weave

• Pranayama techniques (breathing exercises),
• Bandhas (locks),
• Mudra (seals) and
• Kriya techniques (cleansing or purifying techniques)

to create Tapas (heat for positive change on the levels of the physical, energetic and conscious realms). Sva Dhyaya (Self-Study) becomes unavoidable and what comes up in practice for you in all those realms is important to acknowledge. How to release, surrender and let go is the goal. – Isvara Pranidhana – that Grace, god, Source of life, loving awareness that is around us, within us, as us and works with us and for us to wake us up to its presence in everything, will be your comfort and solace as you learn to accept and embrace that knowledge and let the emotional stress subside.

The breath is one of the essential aspects to practicing Yoga and in fact it is the essential aspect to any spiritual practice. It is what gives us life and sustains life. We breathe in Spirit, that vital energy of intelligence that celebrates embodiment within our form. Yoga is a practice harmonising and integrating the Body, Energy and Mind reconnecting to the concept of Grace by shaping the breath.

The common goal to Yoga is to cultivate lasting fulfilment within our lives, deep contentment within and a feeling of liberation. We focus on breath-centric practices to pursue this intention as we find ourselves interfacing with what is. Sometimes what is, is painful and filled with suffering. This is where we put into practice the tools we acquire to self-regulate strong negative thoughts, distressing emotions and sensations that make us unstable physically, energetically and consciously noticing as we breathe the disturbances within the breath-mind-heart relationship YS 1.31.

 The first solution according to YS 1.29 states to turn awareness inwards. This is an invitation to courageously change. Change your relationship to how you react to what is, we welcome it as a teacher to refine these Yogic tools by approaching it with a loving awareness, friendliness, joy and compassion YS 1.33.

 That simple wakefulness which is humble, honest and fully present for what is, as according to the YS turning your awareness to your breath 1.34, to the sensation 1.35, and cultivating inner illumination 1.36

Our breath holds so much power, it connects you to this endless resource of energy, it is inherently healing, inspiring and transformative. This practice will open you to sense the Grace, the Grace within the inhale and exhale, between the breaths, between each thought, each sensation, each sound, within it all. Breathe it all in and lean into it as you breathe out. As you shape the breath to be more loving, tender and kind than your normal thoughts and actions. Invite the breath to rest within what is in this moment. Embracing you from the inside and lean into it willingly. Feel that Grace of energy guide you across your humanity, into awakening to your true nature that is Joyous, infinite and always free. Fulfil your hearts desire to be serene, peaceful and tranquil, opening to Grace as you shape your breath, the life force that cycles through your body.