The benefits of Savasana

ASSIMILATION
Savasana, or Corpse Pose, is the ultimate asana for reintegration. It is considered to be one of the most essential, and the most tricky asana to master! It gives the challenge of relaxing, while remaining conscious, in order to absorb the effects of the asana and let go of all the efforts of our practice. During the practise a wide range of different muscle groups have been worked. Finishing the practice with Savasana gives the body a chance to reset and settle. Yoga poses were cleverly designed over 2,600 years ago, to help achieve this. A muscle is much more willing to submit and melt when it has been gently stretched and strengthened. By letting all the muscles dissolve into the support of the ground, it helps to release stress.

TAKE YOUR TIME
Stress can be emotional or physical, but the result of it is the same. It is linked to many mental and physical ailments. Learning to relieve stress is a very important tool in the hectic society we live in. It is recommended to take 5min of Savasana for every 30min of practise. Surrendering to the moment, and letting the teacher control when we re-enter the busy outside world, gives us permission to totally let go, slow down and absorb. This is something so many people don’t allow themselves to do very often.

Savasana reduces fatigue and headaches, helps relieve stress and mild depression, relaxes the breath, lowers blood pressure, triggers the parasympathetic nervous system and increases blood flow to all the organs of the body, nourishing your whole system. All the benefits of each asana from the practice, continue to process through the system. When we take time to build a bridge, that connects from the practice back out to our busy lives, the integration is smoother, and we carry the tranquillity we have cultivated into our day. We are better able to tackle the outside world again!

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Christmas Sun Salutation

TAKE SOME TIME
Christmas can be a hectic time of year. It can be hard to find a moment to take time for yourself. Sometimes all it takes is 10 minutes to breathe and slow down. The Sun Salutation has an array of movements that strengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups. The repetition of the sequence can be very calming. With each movement linked to an in-breath or out-breath, it encourages a slow and calm breath. Why not try the above sequence for 10 minutes on Christmas morning, or throughout the festive period, to give you space to take on all that comes with this busy time of year.

The above sequence can be repeated as your full practise, or as a warm up for further asana. For the first few sequences start with your knees softly bent in the forward folds, to allow the hamstrings to warm up. Each full Sun Salutation C consists of two rounds of the above sequence. In the first round you step your right leg back from your first forward fold, and step it forward from your second downward facing dog. In your second round you step your left foot back and forward. 

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Hamsa hand of protection

The symbol in the Yogaru logo is called a hamsa hand. It is an ancient symbol of protection, and you’ll find a small hamsa on all my jewellery designs. It brings the wearer happiness, peace, luck, prosperity and protection from The Evil Eye. You’ll see the amulet frequently in the context of yoga. The word hamsa means five, referring to the five digits of the hand. Each digit represents one of the four elements (with the addition of ethereal); one of the five senses; and five of the seven chakras (energy channels found along the spine).

The symbol also has the quality of ‘taking a pause’ or stopping, which is what Yogaru is all about. When you wear your piece it will protect you and keep you safe.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Finding the pause between breaths

KEEP CALM AND BREATH
Take a moment to examine a long, deep breath. Notice the quiet moment between the in-breath and the out-breath. Like a change in direction, there is a moment of pause where everything is still. In this moment alone, the body is peaceful and the breath rests.

Life has become busier and the pace of life faster. We move from one job to the next, spend hours in front of computer screens and eat food on the go. Although we’ve become more aware of the need to slow down and recalibrate, it can be hard to find the time or the know how to do so. ‘Finding the pause’ can be as simple as stopping and breathing. Just take five long breaths to clear your mind, calm your system and be ready to start again into the next job. Connect with how you’re feeling now, in this moment. Let the completed job go and the next job wait.

SLOWING DOWN
I find the busier I get, the faster I move and the more I take on. It’s as if life is moving in constant circles getting faster and faster until something, eventually, has to give. Then I get a reminder that I need to slow down, pause and breath. It can seem impossible sometimes to stop but the next time you’re in the throes of a hectic day scan your body. Are your shoulders tight, are you holding tension in your back, are you breathing shallow breaths or even holding your breath! As a result we make a list of things we intend to do to remedy this tension when sometimes it’s as simple as taking a deep breath. Becoming aware of how you feel is the first step to making changes. Find the pause between breaths, between jobs, between meetings, waiting at traffic lights; you can even find it between asanas in your yoga practice.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

The benefits of yoga

YOGA ROOTS
The first traces of the existence of Yoga were recorded from cave drawings over 5,000 years old. It travelled from the east into western society and became very popular in the 1960s’. Nowadays yoga has evolved into many different styles and disciplines to meet the needs of our changing society, but the core of yoga, the practice of making a connection with oneself, remains the same.

Yoga is one of the few physical activities that combines body, mind and spirit. It has an endless list of health benefits, some of which overlap with other physical activities and some of which are unique to yoga. Yoga is my medicine, it’s the kindest thing you can give yourself. I turn to it on days where I’ve been sitting at a desk for hours and need a good stretch, days I’m feeling bloated and sluggish, or on days where I’m frazzled and just need to slow down. Recently I find it benefits me most when I practise first thing in the morning. It sets me up for the day and shifts all the cobwebs. Having said that I’ve had the best night sleep after an evening class!

THE BENEFITS
Yoga is a very personal journey that is constantly evolving. What initially brings us to yoga changes as we go deeper into our practice. We start to see the multilayered benefits and challenges that the mat can bring up for us. It encourages us to look at all aspects of life, good and bad, and helps us to accept them. It supports us beyond the mat as we begin to see it as so much more than simply a sequence of movements. Each asana gives clarity and balance to our daily lives; to how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. Trying to understand exactly what yoga is about can be quite a vast challenge, but I take pleasure in finding something new every time I practise.

In the illustration below you’ll see the huge variety of the benefits of yoga. You’ll probably even find a few of the reasons that brought you to the practice and a few that are new to you! As it progresses to the inner circles you’ll notice the benefits move from the physical body, towards the mind, and further steps take us to the spiritual benefits.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru