Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some questions I often receive about Yoga, what it is, the benefits of practising it, and much more!

HOW IS YOGA DIFFERENT FROM STRETCHING AND OTHER KINDS OF FITNESS?

Unlike stretching or fitness, Yoga is more than just physical postures. The physical practise, known as ‘Asana’ is just a small part of the practise of Yoga. Patanjali’s 8 limbs of Yoga can be seen as steps to follow. These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one's health; and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.

Even within the physical practise, Yoga is unique because we connect the movement of the body, the fluctuations of the mind and the rhythm of the breath to direct our attention inward. Through this process of inward attention, we learn to recognise our habitual thought patterns and emotions without labelling, judging or trying to change them. We become more aware of our experiences from moment to moment. The awareness that we cultivate is what makes Yoga a practise, rather than a workout or a goal to be completed.

I DON’T KNOW WHERE OR HOW TO START ON MY YOGA JOURNEY, WHAT SHOULD I DO TO GET STARTED?

The hardest step in a new direction is the first one, but once you find momentum everything will feel easier and more natural for you. I would recommend starting your new journey by practising a range of different styles on my website with a ‘beginner’ difficulty level. Once you have taken the time out of your day to practise a class, give your full awareness to it. Be completely absorbed in your practise and just see what happens… Don’t go into a practise with any expectations, just be open to experience whatever each moment is giving you. Some styles might not resonate with you and others might be exactly what you need or want, but the key is to be committed to your practise. From there you can start to branch out into more dynamic and more physically challenging classes depending on your level of fitness and what it is you want to get out of the time you spend on your mat.

HOW MANY TIMES PER WEEK SHOULD I PRACTISE?

Yoga is amazing. Even if you only practise for one hour per week you will start to experience the benefits of your practise. If you can do more than that, you will definitely experience more benefits and will progress quicker, but you should only practise as much as your body can recover from. This mainly depends on your level of health and fitness, but as a baseline recommendation i would suggest to start with 1 - 3 times a week, for around an hour each practise. If you can only do 20 minutes per practise due to time constraints, that’s fine too! Don’t let little obstacles get in your way, just do what you can and don’t worry about it. You will likely find that after a while your desire to practise will naturally expand along with your level of fitness and you’ll be wanting to do more and more. 

Nowadays i practise Vinyasa between 3-5 times a week for an hour each time, and try to mix in 2-3 Yin sessions each week on the days that my body needs a bit of rest and recovery.

I’M NOT FLEXIBLE, CAN I DO YOGA?

“I’m not flexible, so i can’t do it”. I hear it all the time, and I see this statement as either a huge misunderstanding of what Yoga is, or as a cop-out and excuse to not even bother giving Yoga a try. It’s like saying ,”I’m not good enough at tennis to take tennis lessons”.

If you’re not flexible it’s probably because you haven’t been stretching or moving your body dynamically for a fairly long time. Luckily, Yoga is here to help you become flexible! If you begin your journey feeling like a plank of wood, you will be the person to experience the most dramatic benefits from the practise, because you have more progress to make. So rather than seeing your lack of flexibility as a bad thing, realise that you’re the perfect candidate FOR Yoga! You’re the one who will feel the most change occurring in your body!

WHAT DO I WEAR?

Wear clothing that doesn’t limit your movement in any direction. Active wear is the most commonly worn type of clothing because it doesn’t restrict movement. If you’re at home, potentially by yourself, you may even enjoy the feeling of wearing less clothes. Don’t wear a shirt or even strip down to your undies. Hell, you can practise naked if you want, there’s no rules or mandatory uniforms. I like to practise Yoga in comfortable and stretchy shorts, without wearing a shirt.

If you’re practising a slower style of Yoga such as Yin you may want to wear warmer clothes so that you don’t get cold in the practise, but again, be sure that you’re not limiting your movement with what you wear.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA?

Nowadays, in the western world, Yoga is practised, mostly, for its physical benefits. Yes, you will achieve a higher level of strength, endurance and mobility with a consistent practise of Yoga, but to solely practise Yoga for its physical benefits is only scratching the surface of what can be gained from your practise. Yoga is a science for liberating the soul. By culturing the body, the mind and the consciousness, the practitioner comes into a state of integration, where the soul can be felt, experienced and liberated. This is the end goal of Yoga and can take a lifetime (maybe more) to reach, but with a consistent practise many benefits will become apparent. Physical benefits such as strength, flexibility and mobility. Mental benefits such as clearer thoughts and less mental chatter. Emotional benefits such as living with more happiness, love and contentment and less sadness, anxiety and depression. Spiritual benefits include feelings of life having more meaning, your thoughts and actions feeling more important, and experiencing connection between you and every other living being. 

The depth of Yoga is pretty outrageous and you can go as deep as you’re willing to go. It’s worth being open to experience this depth in your practise because you will get more out of it, but remember that it’s a lifelong journey.