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Yoga

Anyone who has done yoga with any degree of continuity and dedication would agree that it is a form of exercise that stretches both body and mind.

Through a series of choreographed moves every limb and muscle is worked and, as you become absorbed in making your body do what you command, so your mind is freed of the everyday trivia of life.

Practitioner Janice Roscoe, said: ''You begin with simple opening postures, and as you improve you build up on those. It is like a slow, controlled, choreographed dance.

There is no talking, as you are concentrating so hard on trying to synchronise your breathing with each of the moves.

''As you do more postures, your muscles become warmer and more flexible, your breathing becomes deeper and your body becomes sort of liquid as you become more absorbed in the postures. As this happens your body starts to calm itself, and in turn your mind gets calmer.

''You are ironing out the agitations and twists in your body, and in so doing, iron out the twists and agitations in your mind. You become very, very, focused and very calm.

''Very stressed people, who may have a million things going on in their head when they start a session, often find that, as they get into the sequence, all outside thoughts leave their mind as they concentrate totally on their muscles and how each move feels deep inside their body.

"It is intense and quite taxing, so you cannot think about other stuff. Often people find that an hour goes by and they have not given any thought to what may have been troubling them before they began.

''The sequence ends with a series of calming postures each getting slower and slower. You conclude in a cross-legged, sitting position and then lie down, ideally for around 15 minutes. It is then that you experience a feeling of absolute and total calm. Even beginners will get a hint of the kind of calmness that is possible.''

Janice practises Ashtanga yoga, nicknamed power, aerobic or dynamic yoga, and suddenly fashionable after stars like Madonna and Brad Pitt declared that it was the way they kept their bodies in shape.

It descends from Hatha yoga, as does Iyengar yoga, the form that is the most widely taught and practised.

Iyengar came to be known here in the 1960s and was taken up with great publicity by enthusiastic exponents like violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

Both Iyengar and Ashtanger use basically the same postures, specific moves that date back centuries.

Iyengar concentrates more on precision, the aim is for students to get each posture exactly right, moving, perhaps the angle of a limb just a few millimetres, to get the position perfect.

Teachers use props, such as blocks and bolsters and belts, to help students to reach the posture. The aim is to get into a perfect posture and then hold it, breathing slowly and deeply for anything up to five minutes. Then you relax, talk about your move, how it felt and how you had progressed, before moving on to another.

Ashtanger uses the same postures but you move through them much faster. They are done in a set formation all linked together with a flowing movement - the vinyassa.

The aim is to hold each posture for five to eight breathes, before moving in to the next. This continual movement works the muscles and, while not outwardly energetic, can be as demanding as an aerobic workout. A 90 minute session leaves you sweating, a key part of the mind and body cleansing theory.

Granville Cussons is a full time yoga teacher and his classes combine a synthesis of both forms of yoga. He takes classes at the usual private health clubs but also does weekly sessions at Cheadle High School.

School staff say yoga helps students to relax at exam time and learning the postures helps them to be able to stay calm.

He said: ''Anyone can do yoga, young or old, and it can be very beneficial in many aspects of people's lives. It is a total workout for your mind and your body and helps people keep things in perspective.

"It puts you in contact with your inner being and helps you focus on your very essence. It helps you live your life and not simply exist. You can have a life of action, rather than one of re-action.

Perhaps because of the big star profile yoga has suddenly experienced a rush of popularity. You only need to see the queues outside the various church and school halls during any weekday evening to know that yoga is the thing of the moment.

Ask around and suddenly everyone will know somebody who has just started a class or who is desperate to find one that has availability. So why this interest in a technique and lifestyle that has been around for centuries.

''Perhaps people are seeking a calmer, more reflective way to exercise,'' said Rosie, who runs yoga courses at the Bodywise Centre at the Manchester Buddhist Centre. The Centre runs drop-in lunchtime yoga sessions to offer city workers the chance to relax and be calm.

She said: ''I think the frantic, exercise mad, gym, days of the 80s have been replaced by a more focused mind and body centred culture.

"There is certainly a lot of interest in yoga. The wonderful thing is that it does not matter how old or how unfit or unsupple you are when you begin. The point is that you can begin, and you will soon see a difference.

''And you can carry on all your life. I know of 80-year-olds who regularly practice and it has kept them mobile and supple and full of energy. They have a wonderful outlook on life.''

For the dedicated, yoga is really only a step on the road to meditation.

It was originally intended that the postures and the breathing techniques were a way of getting your body fit enough, and strong enough, to be able to maintain one position for a long period of time for meditation.

The classic position for meditation is to sit cross-legged, something that is not easy to accomplish without flexible hips and knees and a strong back.

Yoga is not something you can do successfully and to your full potential, without commitment. True yoga practitioners will set aside at least 90 minutes every day and that is considered the optimum time.

Thirty minutes to an hour, every other day is fine, but anything less and you are not going to experience the full benefit.

The ideal is to go to a good class, with an experienced teacher, once or twice a week and then practice daily or on alternate days at home.

Practitioners say you become so hooked you look forward to your yoga hour and the feeling of tranquility it brings.

It also brings many health benefits. The postures are designed to realign your body, particularly your spine.

Novice postures, like the sun salutations, concentrate on body structure and very gently your bone and muscle framework gets put back into place.

Tweaks and twists, often caused by sitting at desks, driving or slouching, get ironed out and posture improves. It improves flexibility of the hips and the knees and greatly strengthens the back.

As well as greatly improving posture and flexibility yoga also boosts circulation and helps the body to function more efficiently. By putting your organs in unusual positions - upside down for example - blood flow is increased, and it encourages systems like the lymph glands, to get on with their job of cleansing the body of waste and toxins.

We speak of mind, body and spirit, but in yoga all three become the same, one thing, one identity. What you do to your body will affect your mind, what you do to your mind will affect your spirit. It is an unending circle. Yoga aims to harness the power of all three to make the one entity better.

There is no formal training to become a yoga teacher, no certificate to say a person is competent. If you are keen to join a yoga class ask around. Word of mouth is often the best way to find a good teacher.

Try a larger, established centre, like the Buddhist Centre in Manchester, or ask there for more local courses. Try a class, and if you are not happy or comfortable, move to another. Ask the teacher where they learned, who from, what courses they have been on.

Links
British Wheel of Yoga
Lyengar Yoga Institute
The Kevala Centre
Ashtanga teachers

Contact numbers
Manchester classes (Mike Nevitt) - 0161 438 0148
Yoga classes at Bodywise - 0161 833 2528