The Art of Yoga for Mind, Body & Spirit
Yoga at California Fitness & Yoga Nha Trang
California Fitness and Yoga employs some of the country’s best practitioners including authentic Indian Yoga masters, and Discover Nha Trang was invited to meet some of the team to gain an insight into the practice and benefits that it provides.
Originating in ancient India, the practice of Yoga has been going on for at least 5,000 years. While its form and techniques have evolved through centuries of use, the fundamental goals of physical, mental and spiritual self improvement remain unchanged to this day. Modern yoga relies on 4 basic principles of effective relaxation, they being breathing, exercise, diet and thinking. It has branched into a huge variety of forms and techniques, and is now practiced throughout the world by people of all age groups and backgrounds. While sport and fitness in general mainly focus on physical improvement through activity, yoga places equal importance on both the physical and mental processes in an effort to improve the mind, body and spirit in equal measure.
Yoga has long been studied and is proven to provide excellent health benefits. The physical poses increase core strength and flexibility, while breathing techniques promote relaxation, mental calm and vitality. Sedentary lifestyles have led to a global increase in ailments such as bad posture, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and arthritis to name but a few. Yoga is effective in the prevention and treatment of such medical issues along with increasing immunity, blood flow, respiratory health and stress reduction.
Nowadays, there are a wealth of options to choose from in different yoga disciplines. However, they all begin from one base form known as Hatha Yoga, the mother, or root of all yoga forms. One popular form is Ashtanga, which is a regimented series of specific poses of increasing levels of difficulty that promote strength and flexibility. Power Yoga is a mix of Ashtanga and the western practice of aerobics while Hot (Bikram) Yoga is a vigorous form performed in a heated studio, designed to use all of the major muscle groups through a series of 26 poses.
Santosh Kumar, 29, hails from Northern India, where he completed a 5 year Masters Degree in Yoga before coming to Vietnam.He reflects on the core concepts behind why we study yoga as an imperative to understanding its benefits when practiced regularly. “All yoga starts with the process of ‘Pranayama’ (breathing). This is our daily language, and we do it subconsciously for every second of our lives. But, we can consciously improve our breathing techniques, and from this, begin practicing the physical techniques, he explains. “After this, we focus on ‘Asana’ (physical posture), leading to the poses and forms that make up all of the branches of Yoga. For Santosh, Yoga is not just a profession or hobby, rather an intricate and inseparable way of life that develops the fundamental base needs of physical, mental, social and spiritual improvement.
Nguyen Thi Diem Huong, 33, has been practicing for more than 7 years, and spends her days instructing classes at the studio. She credits yoga as having changed her life. Suffering from physical problems due to a curved spine and bad posture, regular practice quickly improved her physical issues. But, over many years of study, she concludes that the mental benefits have been just as important. “Life can become a series of routines that often become monotonous and boring” she notes.
“For me, Yoga has helped to develop mental strength, to understand obstacles and challenges and to overcome worry and stress. It helps me to become aware of these challenges, and through breathing, poses and meditation, I have become stronger a person in all ways”, she concludes. Huong’s favorite type of yoga is Hashtanga, but she loves working as an instructor due to the variety of forms she gets to teach each day.
Therapeutic yoga encompasses many of the disciplines, and is tailored to treat and ease the symptoms of common physical ailments. Lalit Mohan, 35, is a specialist instructor in treating chronic problems, particularly in the back and neck. Upon meeting a new member, he will help to diagnose the particular issue affecting them and develops a customized plan to treat the condition. “I’ve had clients who’ve had debilitating conditions that seriously impacted their ability to lead a normal life, he says. But in as little as 1 month of tailored yoga techniques, we have been able to markedly improve their quality of life and completely reverse the problem.
Many believed that they were destined to suffer forever, but through effective personal classes, we showed them that yoga can be a cure for many conditions. It also allows them to take control of their own physical and mental health, and proves to them that they are not passengers when it comes to their own well being, instead they can master it and nurture it all by themselves”, he concluded.
California Fitness and Yoga incorporates over 50 types of yoga classes in its custom studios across Vietnam. Suitable for all ages and experience levels, its goal is to promote yoga as a regular part of physical and mental health exercise. Using the most experienced instructors and advanced techniques, it remains the leader in yoga classes across Vietnam.
Drop in to any of its locations nationwide and meet its instructors using the Discover Nha Trang 3-Day Yoga Pass.
Add: 4th Floor Nha Trang Center, Tran Phu Street.
