Your Yoga
Namit, the founder of Yoga Sutra Shala, has been studying and practicing yoga for many years.
With his wealth of knowledge and experience he has developed one of the most highly respected systems of teaching yoga on retreats and will share with you all the health benefits possible with this wonderful practice.
From the traditional knowledge that Namit has gained, the workshops and classes that he offers also include some pranayama (breathing techniques) and also some dhyana (meditation) practice as well as mantra (chanting) exercises. From these you can gain the benefits of all that yoga encompasses.
Classes and workshops at the retreat centre are suitable for all - from beginners to advanced level yogis - and our retreats are offered to everyone from the age of 16 years.
At the beginning of your stay you will be asked what you would like to get out of your retreat and you will be encouraged to focus on your own practice and to progress at your own pace. The approach here is non-competitive and based on self-development.
Your retreat is about enjoying yourself, bringing you deeper in to a state of relaxation and a true feeling of happiness, as this is after all the heart of your yoga practice.
'I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.'
Mahatma Gandhi
Vinyasa Yoga
The Vinyasa Yoga system taught at Yoga Sutra Shala incorporates traditional yoga teachings which focus on holding postures for a few breaths, allowing the body to open up, strengthen and relax. This is one of the best ways to support and develop the optimum health of your body.
Vinyasa Yoga involves focusing on moving from one posture to another and helps with cardiovascular (heart and blood circulation) health as well as providing the other many benefits of yoga.
The word vinyasa literally means ‘breath controlled movement’ and the vinyasa yoga system taught at the retreat centre allows the student to continually flow from one posture to another using the breath to guide them.
This has several benefits: Firstly, the constant movement keeps the body warm, allowing the muscles to stretch out to a greater extent. Also, as the breath controls the regular movement, the practitioner keeps their mind continually focused on the breath, bringing their mind to a state of meditation.
Thus a continued practice of yoga leads to a strong sense of inner peace.
We aim to give you the best experience of vinyasa practice whilst you are on your retreat.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is a form of yoga where the balance between body and mind is mostly aspired by bodily exercises like asanas (physical postures), pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.
In comparison to the Vinyasa classes, Hatha is more still, less flowing and the postures are held for a longer amount of time than in Vinyasa, which makes it a more static physical meditation practice.
Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga is a very calming style of yoga where you hold and relax in to postures for an extended period of time (usually between 3 and 5 minutes), without any form of force. In this practice you learn to really relax and let go and you realise that the less you push yourself into a pose, the easier it becomes and the deeper you can go.
Yin Yoga classes take place in the afternoon and are – especially after the hike – a great way to gently stretch and relax your body and to calm your mind.
The Yin Yoga taught at the shala whilst still meditative is based on the scientific principles of alignment.