What’s down dog?

(Don’t know? It doesn’t matter! Everything? Come join us and find some semblance of peace. Nothing? Perfect time for some yoga!) 

Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.

Whether an experienced yogi or a complete beginner, all are welcome and encouraged to join the new Stirling University Yoga Society.

CLASS DETAILS: Monday 2:15pm – 3:45, The Yoga Tree, Stirling Arcade, FK8 1DR

Life can be so busy and stressful at times that it is easy to neglect ourselves.  Especially when we are juggling our studies with our other responsibilities. It’s important to carve out a little time for self-care.

You don’t need to be able to twist yourself into a pretzel-esque shape, yoga is for all shapes, sizes and abilities. It’s about appreciating yourself and your body for who you are and what you can do.

It’s not just a good stretch that aids your flexibility, it builds strength.

It’s not a competition, it’s a respite from our daily stressors.

It’s not just for the body, it benefits the mind too.

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

If that doesn’t have you convinced, here are 13 science-backed reasons to give yoga a try…

(You don’t need to be the one in the O, you can hold up the Y)

“Although yoga has its origins in ancient India, its methods and purposes are universal, relying not on cultural background, faith or deity, but simply on the individual. Yoga has become important in the lives of many contemporary Westerners, sometimes as a way of improving health and fitness of the body, but also as a means of personal and spiritual development.”

–Tara Fraser

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Personally, yoga has been a tool that helps me find balance, both literally in a physical sense and emotionally.  I exercise regularly, lifting heavy things and putting them back down or throwing frantic punches and kicks, and yoga gives my body the restorative stretch that it craves.  It has reduced the random aches and falling apart-ness that comes with having inhabited this body for X amount of years, and has improved weakness within my body that held me back.

But more than that, it has taught me to practice yoga off the mat. I appreciate my body for what it enables me to do, I feel grateful that I can take the time for myself, to do what feels good and to find calm among the storm that is life. It’s a tool that helps me to live in the present, not worrying about the future, not thinking about the past. However, some of my most distracted sessions have also taught me a lot!*

The focus on the breath is so important, it’s a sort of moving meditation, and the breathing techniques can be used anywhere to calm down in anxiety-provoking situations.

*(Like how it’s not so easy to do at home with a dog! Thankfully the class does not contain canines) 

*A lesson in patience and perseverance! This pose took literally years to be able to get into for a few seconds Crow pose

And if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email – tel00006@students.stir.ac.uk – Tess

See you on the mat,

Namaste