What many people think – and which is partly true – is that yoga is a sport or way of relaxing, where you perform different poses on a mat. “In fact that is correct, but it is much more than that”, says Nanneke Schreurs, founder of her own yogastudio.
‘Yoga is actually a lifestyle’
According to Schreurs, yoga comprises a complete lifestyle in addition to performing those poses. “Yoga is a philosophy from India and consists of different parts. The form we know, the physical form, is used in yoga to make your body stronger and more flexible, in preparation for your meditation. Other parts of yoga are dealing with your fellow man, eating behavior and meditation. ”
There are several reasons why we, in the Netherlands, practice yoga. “Besides making your body more flexible, people also like to find more peace within themselves. It’s a piece of mindfulness. In most yoga classes you work in the moment and focus on breathing. Everything you learn during such a yoga class is also of great value in daily life ”, Schreurs explains.
“It is important during yoga that you focus on one thing. You learn this in the lessons. In the beginning you look around you a lot at what others are doing: how is your neighbor? What kind of clothes is your neighbor wearing? As you follow several lessons, you learn to let go of questions and judgments and you feel more and more what those postures actually do to your body. ”
–
–
You can also use the focus that you are taught during the lessons on, for example, your work. “Just think of tasks you have to perform in a day. Sometimes it is difficult to focus on one task for a longer period of time. If you master this well during yoga, you will also be with fewer things at the same time in daily life and you will notice that it is easier to focus more precisely. ”
Turn exercise into relaxation
Yoga teaches you to calm down. In addition to focused focus, it also helps to know how to turn an effort into relaxation. “Nowadays we are always busy with effort. Sports, work, deadlines, telephone, social contacts, it goes on and on. Everything we do is active. It’s so much that sometimes we don’t even know how to really relax. With yoga you learn to turn in yourself. By consciously seeking relaxation and seeking peace through your breath, ”says Schreurs.
According to Scheurs, there are many more benefits of yoga, such as sleeping better, burning calories and training a stronger core, depending on the type of yoga you do.
She also sees many people in her own yoga studio who want to take classes due to back problems. “Especially in this day and age, our back is steadily tightened. Yoga creates space in your body, so that energy channels flow better and you become looser. ”
–
–
“Nowadays almost everything we do consists of actions that are directed forward. Shopping, computer, cycling, you name it. That, while your back is actually made for all kinds of movements. For example, it is good to regularly rotate your vertebra. Then you stay flexible, but you also become stronger.
A young back makes you completely younger. In yoga they sometimes say: ‘Your true age can be read from the flexibility of your back’. Just look at young children. Their back is always flexible. Someone with a stiff back also quickly looks older. ”
To get started with yoga, you really don’t have to be able to squeeze in all kinds of different bends right away. “In fact, especially if you are not flexible, it will bring you a lot,” says Schreurs. According to the yoga instructor, there are many people who think that they should be able to do all the poses ‘as stated on the internet’, but that is not true.
“Anyone can do yoga. It may be a bit difficult at first. It does not matter. Every body is different. It’s not about your perfect posture, but about what it does for your body. ”
–
–
