Introduction to Yoga Life
Welcome to The Yoga-life Studio website!
So here we are, after a long manifestation period, I can finally say welcome to you all!
It has been an amazing journey of constant unfolding and learning, a journey that just doesn't
stop. It is constant, just as the landscape around us is in constant flow and change; and to me
I guess that is the exciting part.
Thank you to the endless abundance of the universe, the guidance, to the journey of learning,
the trusting when I was scared and for the patience from my dear friends and most of all my family.
Getting to know you...
I have been practising yoga for the last ten years and been teaching for almost 7 years now
and have never looked back. I combine my love of teaching yoga with meditation and conscious
breath work. My aim is to create a safe space to allow an unfolding of ourselves and discover
that yoga can be fun as well as meaningful.
What is Yoga to me? Yoga to me is to learn how to come back to ourselves; to find the inner
sanctuary where we feel whole; contented; connected; balanced; light and deep peace. Yoga
is the journey of unfolding.
The beautiful thing about yoga is that you start just where you are right now.
I often invite you to start your practice with saying 'hello' to yourself...how am I doing
today? Am I holding stress in my body...do I feel tense? Are my thoughts somewhere else then
here on my yoga mat?
The grounding point for your yoga practice is to take time and find out where you are right
now...before you begin. How can you find your destination if you don't even know
where you are? Every time you come onto your yoga mat your practice is different, depending on
how your day or week has been. Your yoga is different every time you practice
depending on how you are and what situations you have found yourself in before you step
on your mat.
For a potent practice it is important to recognise where you are, listening to your body, mind
and emotions; scanning yourself, listen to your own inner teacher. You are a wise and intellectual
being, and you hold your own answers, but often we are not still enough to hear the whispers. It
is the whispers that hold the truth, not the loud shouts we often become distracted by that can
even lead to injuries, physically, mentally or emotionally.
Very often we learn Yoga without having real contact with our Self; we hold a certain distance to
who we really are inside. Some people feel safer with this distance. I often think people are
fearful of not liking the person they will find, but maybe even more fearful of noticing what
an amazing and beautiful person is hiding underneath the layers of protection we put upon our
true selves.
When we practise yoga with this distance, the practice becomes more like an exercise regime
and our ego can play a big part. I think this is for many of us the way we practise yoga in
the western world, or at least how we started. But for many of us things then started to
unfold, sometimes without knowing or understanding, but you start feeling better, can't
really explain it, but you just do. You have started the journey without noticing it, you
have seen the alchemy of yoga. You come to realise that your yoga practice is a holistic
practice with many benefits, and you realise the benefits more and more. The ego gets put
aside more, your heart opens (at least sometimes..), and you dare to, or find the courage
to dive deeper into your self..
For me it is important to feel the yoga, through breath, body awareness and meditation -
becoming one with oneself, starting to like oneself, accept and love who you are. It is
about letting go of what we no longer need, allowing room for new, positive and exiting
adventures in our lives.
So instead of doing yoga - feel your yoga! It feels so wonderful, so freeing, a beautiful
experience. Sometimes resistance comes up, but as soon as surrender happens, the flower
unfolds and you can smell the sent of the blossom.
When we open our body, mind and emotions in our asana (postures) and breath, we become
receptive to a wonderful and often overwhelming experience of inner peace....
Through yoga we aim to create union of body, mind and spirit; through asanas,
breath and meditation to reach a wholeness of oneself.
I don't know how it is with you, but for me, my yoga practice is the time I claim for me
in the busyness of the life I live. Life can be a juggling act, but through 'time out'
enjoying my yoga I find out how I am really doing right now..and when I reach myself in
this way I feel I can live a freer life, just how I am, without the facade we paint upon
ourselves...I set myself free...free to fly!
I invite you to set yourself free..to dive deeper within yourself...and find all of the
hidden treasures you hold...to set yourself free from your own expectation and other
people's expectation of you....to see the sparkle that shines within your very centre
and let it shine outwards and touch every single person that you come in contact with,
even if they don't notice it...I invite you to dive into your inner landscape, and enjoy
the journey of Yoga... to set yourself free and fly.......
When you surrender and dance the dance of life, the flow of change, there is a deep sense
of joy overflowing that comes from somewhere inside you, and it feels like being set free;
free to be passionately alive in all that you do.
Why not come and visit the welcoming staff at The Yoga-Life Studio where you are met with a
warm smile and an open heart and maybe you will find a class that will suit you!
For further information on upcoming events and retreats keep checking in with us. Our aim
is to offer exiting events locally as well as further a field....
Namaste to you all!
Yours in Yoga
Wenche Beard