Welcome...
Namaste and welcome to Karmiyoga for Sivananda based Hatha yoga sessions - indoors, outdoors, at work, in health centres, at festivals and abroad. My teaching name, ‘Karmiyoga’ (not to be confused with Karmayoga; the yoga of selfless service) derives from my spiritual name “Sivakami” given to me during my yoga teacher training in India, and Karmiyoga is by coincidence a word play on ‘calm-me’ yoga.
Why do yoga?
People today are drawn to yoga for a range of reasons: to get a toned, lean body, to reduce stress and feel relaxed, to prevent ageing, enjoy the natural ‘high’ that occurs during and after practice and/or to delve into their spirituality.
All the major systems of the body benefit from regular yoga practice. Through stretching and breath work the spine strengthens and becomes more flexible, muscles become supple, digestion and circulation improve, and the nerves calm.
Regular practice encourages the ability and opportunity to slow down, experience gratitude in every day as well as a long-lasting, profound and positive effect on the health and wellbeing. Yoga is an ancient, tried and tested method which can be practised by everyone - regardless of cultural, religious or spiritual beliefs.
About my classes
I aim to make yoga accessible to all, regardless of age, ability or previous experience (complete beginners are always welcomed!). Students experience deep relaxation and calm by gaining awareness of the breath, through the conscious holding then releasing of tension in the body, and the re-balancing of the chakras (energy centres) via the various asanas.
My classes follow the fundamentals of Sivananda Yoga beginning with five or ten minutes of relaxation (savasana), breathing exercises (pranayama), and a little meditation (dhyana). Then I guide the class through a series of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) to warm up, followed by a sequence of forward, back, lateral and balancing postures to relaxing music. Classes finish with ten to fifteen minutes of Savasana to fully rest and refresh mind, body and soul. The session generally lasts one hour and 15 minutes. I aim to use different variations so that no two classes are exactly the same.
(See my testimonials page for comments from my regular students).