Mindful Movement as one of the Six Pillars of Health (Dr Deepak Chopra)

A well-rounded exercise regimen included 3 key elements:

• Cardiovascular / aerobic activity - detoxifies the body, strengthens the heart boosts mood, and increases stamina

• Strength training - builds muscle mass and protects bone health

• Flexibility training - beneficial for joint mobility, calming the nervous system, and integrating the mind-body system

Yoga as a daily mindful movement practice offers many health benefits:

• improves flexibility

• reduced inflammation

• relief from chronic pain

• stress reduction

• improved mood

• greater energy and vitality

• clearer mind

Cultivating a daily yoga practice allows us to explore our inner world every time we step on the mat, creating a deeper connection with our bodies as well as with our mind and spirit. Yoga puts us in touch with our essential nature.

Pranayama (a Sanskrit term, prana means “vital force” and yama means “to gain control”) - our breath in life. For without breath there is no life. Without energy there is no motion or momentum. And without motion or momentum, there is no vitality nor passion to pour out into the world to bring to life what matters most. As yoga teaches us to look inward so our lives may reflect the divinity within, so too does the energy we choose to harness and nurture determine how much vital life force and passionate energy we can provide to all we touch. Practicing yoga with intention and attention with your breath work using different pranayama technique:

• circulates energy throughout your body

• balances your emotions

• helps you feel your connection to the environment

According to The Yoga Sutras, “Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness.” The essence of yoga is the union or integration of all the layers of life – physical, emotional, and spiritual. It is a practice for going beyond the ego’s habitual identification with the mind and body and directly experiencing our true spiritual self. Rooted in this connection to spirit, we are able to solve the challenges that arise in life with greater ease and grace.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga as a practice for integrating and balancing all the layers of our life so that our body, mind, heart, intellect and spirit flow in harmony. This practice is also based on the principles presented in Dr Deepak Chopra’s book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. These principles are:

• Law of Pure Potentiality

• Law of Giving and Receiving 

• Law of Karma (Cause and Effect)

• Law of Least Effort

• Low of Intention and Desire

• Law of Detachment

• Law of Dharma

When we teach the yoga postures with the attention and intention they give to these principles, it helps to improve the quality of all aspects of their lives. Even if yoga only enhanced physical fitness, the time spent in practice would be fully worthwhile. However, while the health benefits are many, yoga offers much more than just a way to exercise the body. The deeper meaning and gift of yoga is the path it offers us into the timeless, spaceless world of spirit. Yoga teaches us both to let go and to have exquisite awareness in every moment. In this expanded state of consciousness, we experience freedom from suffering. We remember our essential spiritual nature and life becomes more joyful, meaningful and carefree.