Yoga
The word yoga comes
from the ancient language of Sanskrit and means to join or unite. The goal of yoga training is not just to
improve physical well-being, but to create balance and harmony in all areas of
an individual’s life.
While
the roots of yoga can be traced back at least five thousand years, it continues
to evolve as modern research and sports medicine discovers more about the human
body and its relationship with the mind.
With each new generation of yoga teachers, permutations of the original
blueprint emerge. The best of these new
styles, however, still maintain the original integrity and purpose of yoga as
the foundation of the practice. For many people, the ancient practice of yoga
is proving to be the perfect antidote to these stressful modern times. 
Most yoga schools in
the United States teach some form of Hatha Yoga. This is a general
term for the physical postures or exercises of yoga regardless of the style. There are many styles of Hatha Yoga. These range from
the most gentle, to the most physically challenging, and everything in between.
Because proper breathing is so vital to good health, yoga postures
are usually performed in combination with a focused use of the breath.
Many yoga practitioners feel that they benefit greatly from a gentle,
but regular practice. There is no
requirement that you move on to increasing levels of difficulty. The Yoga Sutras specifically state that one should be comfortable
and relaxed to receive the maximum benefit from yoga poses. In fact, excessive
strain and effort diminishes progress and increases the chance of injury by
causing the body to tighten and resist attempts to move deeper into a pose.
Those that do enjoy a greater physical challenge, however, have the option
of safely moving on to more challenging sequences and poses after building
a solid foundation in the basics.
Regardless of the
style, your training will only be as good as your teacher’s ability to take you
where you want to go. A well-trained
teacher will encourage you to find “your yoga” based on where your body is
right now. After all, one of the main
purposes of yoga practice is to learn to tune in and listen to the body as a
way of bringing awareness into the present moment. By listening to your body you will know when, or when not to go
deeper into a pose. When properly
taught, people of all ages and abilities can practice Hatha Yoga. Challenging postures can often be adapted to
allow practice while sitting in a chair, or even in bed.
Yoga
classes taught by Steve Wolf are paced according to the level of the students
in each class, and modifications are often introduced to allow students of
all levels to participate. Poses may
be examined in detail one at a time, or practiced in flowing sequences known
as vinyasa. Most of Steve's classes feature a combination
of both. All classes begin and end
with centering and relaxation meditation.
Steve Wolf’s teaching
style is strongly influenced by the IYT (Integrative Yoga Therapy) approach,
which he studied for six years with Jackie Novak, the founder of Harmony Yoga
in Ft. Washington, MD. Other influences
include the multi style methodology taught by Cathy Plato, founder of Yoga
West near Houston, Texas where he fulfilled his Yoga
Alliance RYT 500 teacher certification requirements. In addition, Steve continues his studies by
attending teacher-training seminars and workshops with a number of nationally
recognized master teachers including Yoganand Michael Carroll, Angela Farmer & Victor van Kooten,
Rod Stryker, JJ Gormley, Judith Lasater, and Cora Wen.
Yoga Pose Gallery with Steve Wolf
Learn
more about Yoga by visiting the following web sites:
·
This link
takes you to an interesting article on
Yoga
& Aikido in Yoga Journal Magazine.
·
This
link takes you to the Washington
Post and an article
about
an unlikely yogi.
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