Today we are launching a new activity on the Ribes Roges beach in our center in Vilanova y la Geltrú and taking advantage of the event, we wanted to interview our Yoga instructor, Helen.
Helen has over 2 years of experience as a yoga instructor and, as you will read below, she is an expert in Hatha Yoga and many other Yoga disciplines.
We start by asking what exactly Hatha Yoga is and what characteristics it has compared to other Yoga disciplines:
“The earliest references to Hatha Yoga are found in the earliest yogic literature, dating back to the 6th century B.C.
For centuries, these readings guided practitioners who found directions for maintaining a young and healthy body, gaining psychic powers, and developing the ability to awaken the kundalini energy that remains dormant in the body, all with the goal of reaching superconsciousness.
With the passage of time, the practitioners became great teachers who created schools and surnames that, from their own experience, modeled the original concept of Yoga to adapt it to their objectives. I am referring to Yin Yoga, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kundalini, etc.
Kundalini, for example, focuses on awakening the kundalini energy through a method established by the teacher Yogi Bajan.
Vinyasa consists of flowing from one posture to another in an orderly sequence and synchronized with the breath. The focus of attention falls on the transition in movement. Like a choreography.
The Ashtanga cosisteix in the performance of a series of asanas or postures where the focus of attention is breathing. It is an intense physical practice. Transitions are faster and postures are sustained for less time.
Unlike Vinyasa, which allows you to create your own sequence and modify it as you like, the sequences or series practiced with the Ashtanga are specific ones, developed by the master Pattabhi Jois.
Yin is another style, slower in terms of speed of movement, since the positions can be held for minutes. It has a more meditative and introspective character.
There are many other types of Yoga, and it is that we love to label and classify everything, but in the end the objective of all these practices is always the same: to unite the vital energy (HA) with the mental energy (THA) to awaken levels of higher consciousness.
Best of all, everyone can practice and move from one to the other, adapting the practice to the physical condition of the moment.”
Can everyone practice it even if they have never practiced it? And if I have never practiced Yoga, do you recommend starting with Yoga or SUP Yoga?
Hatha Yoga is for everyone, without a doubt. Especially for those who are convinced that it is not for them. I am sure that the day they try it does not leave them indifferent.
I’ve heard it said, “Since I don’t have flexibility, I can’t” or “I’m too nervous to sit still for a few minutes meditating.” I recommend that you try it, try different styles if necessary. They will end up finding their, and it will bring them great things.
SUP Yoga is a good way to enter this world. To reach meditative states, one must prepare the body, be able to sit in a comfortable and at the same time committed position in order to concentrate.
In general, we have poor postural hygiene and with SUP Yoga we can improve it because it requires finding and maintaining a balance between the different forces acting on our body to prevent the force of gravity from knocking us down on a fluid surface like the sea. In addition, the level of requirement of the classes can be adapted depending on the group.
If you have never done Yoga or SUP Yoga, I would tell you to try everything. Why not?
What benefits does Hatha Yoga have in the long run? Do you recommend the weekly yoga practice?
Personally, among the many benefits I have found, there is one that stands out above all else: Yoga has allowed me to connect with myself, rediscover myself and understand that if we do not raise awareness in our lives, we end up becoming products of society, and that you have to run away from it.
Society is governed by large corporations that do what they want with our will without us realizing it. I have been able to retake the reins of my life, and I no longer get carried away like before. I still have a lot of work to do, for sure, because this road is long and steep, but nobody said it would be easy, right?
I can only say that from the moment my head clicked, there has not been a second of my life when I asked myself if I made a good decision.
As for the weekly commitment to practice, each must find its dynamics. Once you try it, you can practice with a lot of intensity. After interrupting it for whatever reason, you can vary the intensity, you can stop for months, but it doesn’t matter, because sooner or later you end up coming back.
It has that magnetism. And the commitment is with oneself, therefore freedom is total.
What difference in benefits level is there between Yoga on the beach and SUP Yoga?
Both practices are beneficial. Yoga, wherever you practice it, allows you to connect with yourself, understand yourself better, accept yourself and face life from a different perspective than the one that society sells us.
The difference between one practice and the other is the medium and the fact that one of them, the land, is our comfort zone, and the other, the sea, is the unknown, and hence the challenge.
The solid ground gives us stability, it is a medium that we know and move easily. Then the practice on a mental level can be more intense so that we do not have to be so aware of maintaining balance.
With the sea below us we must learn to flow with it during practice. It incorporates a challenge factor at a higher physical level and the performance of the asanas is complicated. But with the peace of mind that if we fall into the water, with the summer heat, we will almost appreciate it!
List of the essentials to come do Yoga on the beach and SUP Yoga:
Sun protection of course. Although the hours of practice coincide with the hours when the sun is less intense, it is also advisable to protect yourself from radiation, especially in the water.
If we use creams, ideally they should be natural, containing mineral filters and not chemical ones. We must bear in mind that our body absorbs and nourishes itself from these creams, that is why we have to ensure that we do not introduce anything that can be harmful to us.
Anyway, personally I think that the best protection is clothing (filter shirts, hat, glasses, etc.). Whatever the option of each one, you have to be well informed about the composition of the products we use.
For Yoga practice, I recommend putting a sarong under the mat that protrudes less than a span. In this way we prevent the sand from falling on the mat and throwing it on us during practice.
For SUP Yoga, RocRoi provides us with all the necessary material. It is only necessary to bring a lot of desire to move in an unknown environment and, nevertheless, have a good time.
And finally, will the session times vary according to attendance?
The virus still runs among us and is changing the management of group meetings, among many other things. Therefore, today, nobody can guarantee stability in anything, despite the fact that we are working towards this objective. Everything we are organizing we do taking into account the criteria set by official bodies.
There is a factor that could also alter the times or dates: the weather. With the sea too rough, it will be preferable to postpone SUP Yoga or replace it with a Yoga practice on the beach. In each unforeseen situation, we jointly and respectfully decide what is best for the group.
Thank you very much Helen for your time, we hope you are very successful in your sessions and we hope that RocRoi clients understand a little more about Yoga and its benefits.
See you at the beach!
