Yoga
The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as "union" or a method of discipline. A male who practices yoga is called a yogi, a female practitioner, a yogini.
The Indian sage Patanjali is believed to have collated the practice of yoga into the Yoga Sutra an estimated 2,000 years ago. The Sutra is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a philosophical guidebook for most of the yoga that is practiced today. It also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). As we explore these eight limbs, we begin by refining our behaviour in the outer world, and then we focus inwardly until we reach samadhi (liberation, enlightenment).
Today most people practicing yoga are engaged in the third limb, asana, which is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body and provide the physical strength and stamina required for long periods of meditation.
We’re all now aware of what yoga can do for your body, highlighted by the likes of Madonna, Sting and just about every celebrity in the spotlight! These celebs will have their very own Yoga Personal Trainer and one to one yoga would have been the original way yoga was taught, handed down from guru to disciple.
Today one to one yoga gives you hands on tuition which is vital to ensure this method of exercise is safe and effective. Yoga can give a complete programme of strengthening and stretching and sessions geared to be relaxing or revitalising depending on mood. The benefits of this ancient system have stood the test of time and can be a great asset to other exercise regimes, balancing flexibility and strength with concentration and control.
Our Yoga classes are limited to 10 participants and run in courses of 5 or 6 weeks. This ensures the highest standard of teaching and hands on tuition. It also means you can progress your practice quickly and safely as you don’t need to recap for beginners dropping in each week.
"Having Pilates One to One with Claire has been an ace experience. Being a slightly neurotic personality it was the one time in the week that I cleared my head and calmed down. Being bent over a computer much of the time my posture was certainly suffering and I was starting to get those all too common back aches. Pilates with Claire showed me ways to counteract these and I immediately know what I should do when I feel uncomfortable. Being initially unsporty Pilates has increased my confidence and I’ve now ventured into other areas of fitness that I would never have dreamed of before, which Pilates compliments greatly. I would definitely recommend Pilates with Claire to anyone. Claire is a fantastic teacher and Pilates a great technique."
Kate Walker, Bradford
