Yin: Known as a recovery yoga, Yin is a slow-paced style which makes use of seated asanas which are held for long periods of time. This space and stillness also makes Yin yoga a particularly meditative practice. Above all, the practice aims to create a union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. It can create a sense of spiritual awakening. Of course, before you start putting together your own sequences, you need to acquaint yourself with the fundamentals, beginning with the essential, foundational questions: what is yoga, and why am I practising it? What is yoga? If you’re a newbie or in the pursuit of learning something new, we have made sure to give you a little help on your journey. In these guides, there may be some technical jargon used and some words that you might not know. Therefore, we’ve put together a little glossary to help.

Although it has been practised for thousands of years, yoga has practically stayed the same in its fundamental core values. With so many different styles and interpretations out there, this is remarkable.Vinyasa: A yoga style that focuses on linking conscious breath with fluid movement, Vinyasa flows through a series of yoga postures known as asanas in a rhythmic sequence that can be thought of like an ocean wave. The word itself means ‘to place in a special way’.

Bhakti: focuses on the path of devotion, a positive way to channel emotions and cultivate acceptance and tolerance. If you didn’t already know, these are the many branches of yoga, each designed to help someone achieve their specific well-being goals. These are some of them: As such, the bulk of the book is made up of Asana Libraries: detailed instructions on how to get into each of the practice’s most useful positions, where to place them in a sequence and common mistakes to watch out for. Obviously, these are things you could learn with a yoga teacher at a studio, and this book isn’t intended as a replacement for that, rather as a complement to it – a way of refining and deepening your practice at your pace. And it’s in this spirit – radically paid attention, little and often – that the book is structured. I don’t imagine anyone sitting down and reading it through from start to finish. More, that you might use it as a reference guide to hone your practice when needed, and also as a source of inspiration, something that can be dipped into when you’re looking for a fresh approach, or a new angle to an at-home sequence. This question is asked a lot, and the answer is mostly always yes. Above all, yoga is universal because there are many different types and methods. If anything, there are very few situations in which yoga can't be incorporated into daily life for some sort of physical or mental benefit. Yoga can be good for the mind and the body. It’s very healing. What are some yoga terms I need to know?

We’ve gathered up our favourite books on the practice of yoga. From beginner’s guides to books about history to picture books, we have it all. Hopefully, you’ll find something that helps. What is yoga? This is an aesthetically attractive book. It gently invites you into the practice and contains insightful essays. Naomi is a humble, gentle and thoughtful person. Chakra: this refers to energy points in the body, which are thought of as spinning discs that should stay aligned Ashtanga: A slightly different form of Vinyasa yoga with a series of very specific asanas which you can learn by heart.

But as I went through this process of bending and breathing and paying radical attention to my every action, I also experienced a more profound change. My confidence blossomed. I started the necessary conversations with myself that allowed me to grieve a vocation lost. I started to learn how to accept myself as I was. It might sound corny, but I befriended myself, maybe for the first time in my adult life. I’ve been teaching yoga for almost 20 years and the one thing I’ve concretely learned is that I’m still a beginner. Yoga is enormous. It’s endless. Depthless. It’s impossible to get to the end of it. It may sound like an awful self-help cliché but I’m afraid, folks, it’s true: the journey really is the destination. Of course, even this is highly subjective. What follows is based on how I practise yoga, based on my life experience and what’s been good for me and, I hope, a good number of the many students I’ve taught. As I’ve always approached my classes with them, my intention with this book is to collaborate with you to help you discover how you might be your own best teacher. Yoga: A Manual for Life contextualizes the ancient practice of yoga in the modern world with elegant images and authentic text.Iyengar: Founded by B.K.S Iyengar, one of the foremost yoga gurus in the world. This type of yoga focuses on a particular attention to detail – prioritising precision and alignment when performing asanas. Not only is yoga supposed to boost your mental wellbeing by harmonising your mind, but it is a safe and effective way to increase your physical fitness. According to the NHS, this is what it helps with: Bringing your total focus to your breath isn’t part of the practice, it is the practice. It is only when your awareness and breath are yoked together that you start to be able to experience your body through your breath, instead of through the thinking, judging part of your brain. Sometimes it’s exactly this that stops people from starting. Yoga just seems too big to conquer. There’s just too much to take in: breathing, moving, spirituality, philosophy. But whether you’re totally new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, the starting-off point is exactly the same: you on your mat.