Inspire Yoga

As we welcome 2018 it is important to prioritize our long term health. It is common knowledge that yoga brings strength and flexibility. The importance of strength that yoga brings is accepted as developing your muscles to take the weight off your bones so your joints stay healthy in the later stages of life, we develop our musculoskeletal structure so we are able age well. However, there is a misconception that the modern man doesn’t need flexibility- that it is only for ballerinas and gymnasts! This article hopes to clear up that misconception once and for all. With flexibility and proper body alignment you will notice that most of your movements feel smoother and can be preformed with ease, with minimal resistance. The yogic ideal of movement encourages the body to move freely and increases your range of motion. By regular practicing asanas you will begin to experience your spine and muscles become more supple thereby preventing joint stiffening and muscle shortening that of...

To practice YOGA means to choose to evolve and produce transformations in the being, that will quickly become healthy and purified because of the energies that pass through the body. Even though this passing of the energy is produced, without a proper awareness of the processes that are triggered in our inner universe – when we do our practice – effects on the body, our psyche and mind are much reduced and it takes a longer period of time until energies become visible in the physical plan. The awareness of energies, which are received in our being, will purify by transformations of the body and mind. Out of the whole complex of techniques and procedures that the YOGA system includes, the most well-known are ASANA-s, the body postures. During the practice of ASANA-s we will regard each body posture that we realize as a gate open towards profound spirituality. The practice of ASANA-s must be carried out in a perseverant, effortless and patient way. If the execution of each ASANA will...

ositive psychology advocates meditations from the Buddhist concept of lovingkindness, where we consciously fill ourselves with positive emotions of harmony and gentleness. A clinical trial by Carson et al in 2005 published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing found that this meditation lead to a decrease in pain, anger and psychological distress in a study of patients with chronic lower back pain. When we bring the mind towards peace it finds it within ourselves. From this state we have the confidence to be authentic as we accept and love ourselves for who we are and not an unrealistic gold standard. This peace within radiates out enhancing our relationships as we connect from a place of harmony and not competition, Pema Chodron quotes “Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves”. The relationship we have with ourselves is a determinant factor in how we view the world, relate to others and deal with pressure.  Strong interpersonal skills begin with an intrapersonal...

Have you ever noticed yourself slouching at your desk or during a meeting? For those who sit in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day, it is inevitable that your body suffers from stiffness around the neck, shoulders and back areas. If stiffness is not timely released, the physical stress could eventually lead to other issues, such as chronic pain and potential risk in restricting blood flow. More than often than not, many living and working in this hectic city have limited time on hand to go out of their way to attend yoga classes in a studio; because of this, home practices and private yoga lessons become crucial and beneficial to sustain a healthy work-life balance. Further, spending 15 minutes a day –  whether in the morning, midday before the lunch break, coming out of a dreadful meeting, or late in the evening –  is one of the best ways to release stiffness, improve posture, and foster this lifelong habit. After a long night of sleep, your body needs time to adj...

How does stress affect our breathing? We experience stress as the ‘fight or flight’ response which is rooted in the emotion of fear stimulated it is governed by the limbic brain. This causes a physiological domino effect causing us to hold our breath or hyperventilate, causing muscles to tighten, the heart rate to increase, cortisol levels to raise and sustained periods of this leads to lower immunity, sleep disruption, digestive issues, lower fertility rates, and premature aging. What connects the stimulus on a mental level (stress) to a physical manifestation (deterioration of health)? It’s the breath! By addressing breathing patterns we can reverse engineer the effects of stress to ensure we stave off the adverse health conditions. Setting up the  breathing exercise Long Back, Fluid Breaths A long extended spine allows for maximum lung capacity breathing, fluid breaths. As we breathe in first fill up the abdomen then the rib cage and finally ...

This took a lot of introspection before I could admit to this. Looking back when I was working in finance in Hong KongI would get a real rush from a volatile day in the markets as a derivatives trader. It was the rush of all that movement, a flurry of emotion, the unpredictability of the day, the irrationality of the price reactions, it made me feel alive. So much so that I began to seek it, looking for high-risk activities, volatile relationships, in total belief that faster is better, more is better, louder is better. I normalized a high-stress environment in my work and personal life and this constant mental chatter just couldn’t get enough. But what happens when you don’t switch off? I lost my ability to switch off, it started to show in my health, chronic stress meant that my  sleep quality  suffered, I was experiencing acute lower  back pain  in my mid 20s, my digestion was impaired, and I could see my body breaking down as a result of the mental agitation ...