Yoga Room in the Garden
Yoga Room in the Garden
Yoga (/ˈjoʊɡə/;[1] Sanskrit) is a physical, mental and spiritual practice or discipline which originated in India. Among the most well-known types of yoga are Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga.
If you’re searching for a yoga room, you’re probably already well versed with the practice of Yoga but for the newbies out there, a little more information on yoga follows!
Yoga has become an extremely popular leisure activity, and with it an increase of the awareness of the many mental and physical benefits that come through practising it. Yoga has proven to improve overall fitness, aid in weight loss, be a great stress reliever, improve self-awareness, energy levels, flexibility and posture. Yoga differs from traditional weight lifting, instead of focusing on increasing resistance, but rather mastering your own body. Yoga poses recruit muscles that run along functional, anatomical lines, instead of muscles in isolation.
“By practising yoga regularly, one can reduce the levels of the stress-hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is released when we are stressed out, in a panic or anxious, but in excess it can be very harmful to the body if one is chronically stressed. Yoga also stimulates the body’s parasympathetic system as well, which is the system in charge of calming us down and restoring balance.
In addition to all these benefits, yoga has also been known to help individuals cope with mental stress, and aid in the management of depression and bipolar disorder. Practising yoga boosts the levels of “feel-good” brain chemicals like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine, which help you feel relaxed and happy. Imbalances in these neurotransmitters are one of the reasons as to why mental disorders are developed, and are the target of many mood medications such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.” Nicole Yamanaka (http://www.lephysique.com)
Yoga in Indian traditions, however, is more meditative and spiritual. One of the six major orthodox schools of Hinduism is also called Yoga which has its own epistemology and metaphysics.
In Vedic Sanskrit yoga (from the root yuj) means “to add”, “to join”, “to unite”, or “to attach” in its most common literal sense. Some believe yoga is a tool for accessing, the rising and expansion of consciousness.
According to Dasgupta, the term yoga can be derived from either of two roots, yujir yoga (to yoke) or yuj samādhau (to concentrate). Someone who practices yoga or follows the yoga philosophy with a high level of commitment is called a yogi (may be applied to a man or a woman).
“When people start yoga, they don’t really know what they’re getting into. But it has such a powerful effect on their minds, bodies and hearts that they want to link up with other people who are having similar experiences, so they begin to chat before class or go out for tea afterwards. People choose to cultivate relationships in a yoga community in a different way than they choose their other relationships. A yoga community celebrates breakthroughs and growth, so ultimately the whole thing becomes based on a higher purpose, a deeper meaning, and a more profound goal in life—and that is consciousness.” Rama Berch, founder of the Master Yoga Foundation and the founding president of Yoga Alliance
The ultimate goal of Yoga is moksha (liberation). Wouldn’t we all enjoy a little more of that?!
Practising Yoga requires space, silence and a calming, safe environment in which you are unlikely to be disturbed. For many of our clients, the Rotunda as a Yoga Room in the Garden is the preferred alternative to using a room in the house; minimising distractions such the phone ringing or children coming in to disturb you (as you are connecting with the higher realms of your consciousness!!)
A circular building with a pitched cathedral roof not only allows a fantastic sense of space and increased height in which to stretch and exercise (when utilising a Rotunda Yoga Room or Meditation Space) but is one of the most calming environments available.
Not only are there no corners which apparently has something to do with ‘negative and positive chi’ (a topic which we will no doubt discuss in a later blog) but the continuous roof line where the eaves meet the internal wall is like a never-ending horizon, it stretches around you seamlessly. Upon entering a circular yoga room, it feels as thought the building is giving you a warm hug. There is absolutely nothing more welcoming than a Roundhouse for meditation and yoga.
It is preferable to not have to rely on artificial light when practising yoga (or any other holistic practice for that matter) and there is no other yoga room in the UK which has that double glazed dome in the centre of the roof!! This is a yoga room which stretches up to capture the sunlight; and as the sun moves around the sky over the course of the day, the room is illuminated with natural daylight.
Some of our clients have commented that the roof light dome in the centre is iconic for metaphysical reasons – allowing more space above the head is important for welcoming the higher self whilst the circular opening (dome) symbolises a portal to the heavens!
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