Where Yoga And Meditation Align

Yoga and meditation are inextricably linked, and any attempts to remove the inherent spiritual elements of yoga are destined to fail. But how did this relationship come about?

Yoga was developed as a way to prepare the body for meditation. While meditation isn’t exactly strenuous, the body must able to sit with proper posture for long periods of time and your muscles should still be conditioned for daily use. The rewards of yoga and meditation will help you to become stronger and more balanced – mentally and physically.

The Mind-Body Connection:

Like Yin to Yang, we equally crave the mental fulfilment of meditation with the physical fulfilment of Yoga and being able to introduce aspects of each of these into the other practice will make the other more rewarding. Many yogis will talk about fostering a ‘mind-body connection’, but this isn’t as elusive as you may think!
Consider, for example, when you think about your favourite food and your mouth waters, when you see someone in pain and you flinch in response, or when you mess up the speech you’d been practising for weeks because of your nervousness. Your mind-body connection is always there but we are not always aware of it!

Many yogis will also speak about the effect that your body can have on your mind. Practices like reflexology and kinesiology will refer back to certain parts of your body holding certain emotions or mental cues, and how to use this information to benefit your mental or emotional well-being. Many yoga poses will bring up emotional responses that are buried like memories within parts of our body because there simply aren’t that many times that the average person turns their attention inward. If yoga can provide this for us, then it’s little wonder that yoga and meditation go hand in hand!

Yoga For Meditation.

Kaya offers yoga meditation classes, as well as yoga classes without guided meditation. Many people feel that the restorative benefits of yoga are enough for them, but many still seek a deeper experience in their practice and value each moment of guided meditation. The class may begin with either Hatha, Yin, Vinyasa yoga practice led by one of our dedicated yoga teachers, and concludes with the opportunity for yogis to join together in guided meditation and sit in peace with themselves.

As well as yoga meditation classes, Kaya has Yoga Nidra classes. These classes begin with Yin yoga, which is slowly and deliberately performed to leave the mind as uninterrupted and relaxed as possible. Following this is a Nidra Practice. Nidra is known as the yogic sleep, or the space we inhabit when we’re neither asleep nor awake. This gives you the space to release any built up mental or physical tension that could be leaving tremors in your self-awareness and wellbeing. Under the careful and attentive guidance of Kaya’s renowned yoga teachers, yogis will follow verbal cues and careful cycles of breath to clear the mind and turn their focus inwards.

If you’re interested in welcoming meditation or Nidra practice into your day, a class guided by dedicated yoga teachers at Kaya is the perfect setting. Experience yoga as it was intended with an authentic practice at our serene Melbourne locations, and feel yourself become rejuvenated and refreshed every time you offer yourself the benefits.