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Before you've practiced, the theory is useless.
After you've practiced, the theory is obvious.
    - David McWilliams

Hi, and welcome to the first edition of our Lotus Yoga Newsletter, containing all the latest updates from your favourite yoga studio as well as practical yoga tips for everyday life.

Yoga is not gymnastics. It is a holistic way of living which incorporates diet, lifestyle, breathing, meditation and yoga postures or asana.

This Autumn at Lotus Yoga we offer you the opportunity to experience various styles of yoga with some of Dublin’s finest teachers. The choice is yours: the dynamic practice of Ashtanga, Hatha Flow and Kundalini, the focussed awareness of Satyananda, or the strength and precision of the Iyengar tradition.

It’s not about the perfect shape. Absolute beginners, as well as the more adept, can practice perfect yoga simply by being fully absorbed in the present moment.

Yoga. More than just a workout. Feel your body and your Soul. Relax. Find Yourself. Be happy!

Lotus Tip #1 - Yogic Concentration and Breathing

Concentration is the secret key to a whole world of possibilities, enabling you to keep out distractions and focus on attaining your life goals. However if anything the average concentration span is decreasing as life gets busier and busier, and the world becomes filled with more things to distract and scatter our attention! Here is one very easy-to-learn concentration excercise to developt the power of awareness:

Requirements:

An object of concentration - best is to use a candle or flower, but you can even use a dot on the wall.

Method:

1. In this exercise, we will use the candle, although you can adapt the exercise to whatever object you are using. Sit with your back straight, and place the burning candle at eye level.

2. First bring your awareness to your breath. Gradually your breath becomes slower and more relaxed. Try to imagine a thread placed in front of our nose; you are breathing so quietly it will not move to and fro.

3. Now we look at the object. Gradually bring your attention to a tiny part of the candle flame, for example, the very tip of the flame.

4. When you breathe in, feel that your breath, like a golden thread, is coming from that point on the candle and entering into your heart centre - the pace in the middle of the chest where you feel the core of your being. And when you breathe out, feel that your breath, feel your breath leaving the heart and then entering into the object of concentration. Try to feel that nothing else exists except you and the object you are focusing on.

Start off with a modest goal - i.e 3-5 minutes a day, and then gradually increase with time. When you do this exercise, thoughts will invariably get in the way. When this happens, don’t be annoyed or upset, just bring your attention back to the exercise. After only a couple of weeks of doing this exercise, you should notice the progress - a clearer mind, better ability to cope with tasks, less stress, more serenity. Good luck!