Tag: Yoga in Kreuzberg

What is Vinyasa Yoga: A History of “Flow”

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Like any other practice, yoga can be quite different depending on two main factors: who is teaching it, and what style is being taught. Of course you want to find a teacher that you like, one you connect to and feel comfortable with. But beyond that its also important to find the style of yoga that best fits your needs.

There are four original types of yoga. It is important to understand the background of the method of yoga you are practicing so that you can decide if it is the best one for you. Because each type of yoga has evolved out of different teaching lineages, the following is a bit of history of Vinyasa Flow Yoga, one of our newest class offerings at English Yoga Berlin.

Vinyasa Background

Vinyasa Flow Yoga was born out of the Ashtanga lineage. The Ashtanga school was developed by a yogi named Sri Krishnamacharya, who taught it to Patthabi Jois. Jois taught in Mysore, India in the first half of the 20th century. Ashtanga has since been popularized in the West by his students.

Ashtanga yoga was taught by Jois as moving meditation. He believed that the movements between each asana should be considered just as important as the postures themselves. The idea behind this is to deepen concentration and body consciousness through the entire practice. Rather than focusing on “getting into the posture” and then breathing, in Vinyasa, we try to keep the deep breathing and correct alignment consistent throughout all movement during the class.

Ashtanga Yoga prescribes a specific sequence of postures (known as the Primary Series), done in a very specific way – each posture is held for 5 complete breaths and the transition between postures should take no more than 1 breath.

You can practice Ashtanga anywhere and anytime, as long as you know this series. You can also join us for our new Vinyasa Flow Yoga class at 8pm on Thursdays at our new studio in Kreuzberg.

Stress & Yoga: A letter from an English Yoga Teacher in Berlin

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Dear 21st Century,

I have been teaching yoga for several years now, and to be honest, you are not making my job any easier! The stress that you have brought to Western life seems to have so many faces and seems to increase every year. Our progressively individualistic society makes people believe that they must solve all their problems on their own. People’s problems at work are leaking into every other area of their life. Every day I read from the newspapers about more people burning out due to stress at work. The combination of the flashing lights of commercialism and the constant bombardment of other stimuli that comes with living in a city only adds to these stresses. The self-employed don’t have the distinction between home and work, often lacking the discipline to employ that beautiful German word: “Feierabend”. And don’t even get me started on the state of our nutrition or how the radiation from our everyday domestic appliances negatively affects our health!

In all, it seems to me that along with tons of technological advances, your main additions to people’s personal lives have been feelings of loneliness, fear and deep stress. I believe that today, more than ever, we need to take more deliberate time to relax our bodies, emotions and minds (it’s really the only way to keep up with all the stuff you are throwing at us!) Creating a space with minimal stimuli in which a person can take the time to breathe and notice what is happening to his/her body, what feelings emerge, and what state of mind s/he in, is of utter importance. This is where Yoga comes in.

I believe strongly that the practice of Yoga can offer viable solutions for so many of the situations and conditions we experience today. In our yoga classes in Berlin we create that space of quietness and peace. My students enter the class with a rumble of thoughts and personal stress, and over the course of the hour, witness how the softness of breathing and stretching helps the mind calm down and helps them to think clearer thoughts.

As we learn to step back and observe what is happening to our bodies and our minds, we are taking the first step towards learning detachment. Detachment teaches us to not be so deeply involved in all the fancy stimuli and distractions you serve up daily. It shows us that we don’t need to get swept off our feet with every emotion or to let out lives fall apart when someone thinks something bad about us. Appropriate detachment is a tool that alleviates stress and in doing so, allows us to identify the real changes that we must make in our lives in order to better them.

I end each class with deep relaxation because it’s an important tool. Learning how to relax one’s body through a systematic relaxation, can also be used at any other important moment in life. I have had students practice the relaxation techniques we learned in class while riding the bus, before giving an important speech, or while conducting medical exams where absolute stillness was required. When people practice relaxation techniques with regularity, they can come to rely on them in times of stress. A weekly yoga class or a daily yoga practice creates this regularity and strengthens the cellular memory on the path to relaxation. This is one of the main reasons I teach yoga.

Yoga gives us many tools. Tools to breathe, tools to relax and tools to bring us inner peace. But to survive the life that seems to swirl around us regularly as a result of your active influence, my work is to help teach others to use these tools properly, how to alleviate all states of mind and emotion, and call on these tools when we need them so that we can live better lives.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Century.

Sincerely,

English Yoga Berlin

 

What is Drishti- Part 2

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In our last blog about the definition of Drishti,we talked about using this “gaze” as an anatomical tool to self-correct your posture while practicing yoga. But we also highlighted it as a useful implement to quiet the mind and increase relaxation while avoiding obsessive thoughts. But the benefits of this aspect of yoga can go beyond simply a place to look during Downward Dog.

Another important subtlety in the concept of Drishti is in the different ways of gazing. This is a variation on the practice of detachment but specifically, a Drishti can be described as ´soft´, ´pointed´, ´wide´, ´gentle´, etc. Again, there are very practical reasons for this. Even though Patanjali never gazed at a computer screen, he could imagine what hours of single distance, harsh gazing can do to your eyes. Varied distances of Drishti, as well as varying degrees of hardness or staring in the postures, helps to exercise the optical nerves and reduce the strain that can produce tension headaches.

Early yogis and yoginis realized that the quality with which you observe something radiates through your body. Your body naturally becomes more tense and rigid, or soft and relaxed, depending on how you are looking at something. A soft Dristhi promotes internal reflection, relaxation, meditation. A harder one pushes the focus externally. Both can be useful, but the eyes should never strain.

So, the next time you find your eyes wandering, watch your mind and body, and see if you can notice how your Dristhi affects you. And next time you practice yoga, play with your gaze point and see how it affects your practice and your life.

For more information about our new schedule for Yoga in Kreuzberg check out our English Yoga classes.

Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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What is Karma?

Karma: it’s a word that brings up many different impressions. For some people it brings up ideas about past lives. For others it conjures up the idea that what goes around comes around. It is an ancient word with a rather complex definition- a vast spiritual law that many try to explain using only their intellect.

photo by Fern

photo by Fern

When people talk about karma they often refer to the law of Karma which states that every action will have a reaction. But it is incredibly important to look further into this philosophy to understand the true definition that seeks to heal people, bring them together and not to create a new method for judgment and division. Our yoga in Kreuzberg focuses on just that- unity, not division, and we caution people to discover this complex term for themselves.

Karma – the word Karma in itself literally only means “action, work, deed”. Today many people in the West use the word Karma loosely and irresponsibly to mean “you get exactly what you deserve”. These are oversimplification of the Vedantic philosophy that often do more harm than good.

 

New Yoga in Kreuzberg class schedule – starting from September 18th, 2012

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 Every Tuesday:

  • 16.00 – 17.30 Vinyasa Flow in English with MegYoga classes in Kreuzberg
  • 18.00 – 19-30 Hatha Yoga in English with Pinelopi
  • 20.00 – 21.30 Yoga Nidra in English with Pinelopi

 

Every Thursday:

  •  8.30 – 9.45   Vinyasa Flow in English with Meg
  •  10.15 – 11.45 Hatha Yoga in English with Pinelopi
  • 12.15 – 13.45 Advanced Hatha yoga with Pinelopi
  •  16.00 – 17.30 Vinyasa Flow  in English with Meg
  • 18.00 – 19.30 Hatha Yoga in English with Pinelopi
  • 20.00 – 21.30 Hatha Yoga in English with Pinelopi

All classes will take place in the Gemeinschaftsraum(x-kinderkino) on Görlitzerstr. 39, 10997 Kreuzberg Berlin


Click here to sign up for Yoga in Kreuzberg classes : http://www.doodle.com/wxe8a87p6qsyz7vk