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- How Yoga Helps with Recovery: A Holistic Approach to Healing.
At our studio, Ananda Yoga, we believe that yoga is not just a workout; it’s a transformative practice that aids in physical and mental recovery. Whether you're recovering from an injury, dealing with chronic pain, or simply looking for a way to restore balance, yoga offers numerous benefits that support healing and overall well-being. Our sense of well-being is a complex thing... Well-being is something we really only think about once we've experienced an injury, suffered from a disorder, or as we age. Many people who have had their bodies impacted can find themselves avoiding particular movements in order to "protect" themselves from dizziness, disorientation, or further injury. Reduced movement and stress can lead to stiffness in the body and emotional dysregulation, which can have a significant impact on how we live our lives. Yoga helps recovery by nurturing both the body and mind, offering a holistic approach to recovery that allows healing, increases physical strength and flexibility, reduces stress, and helps you develop a deeper connection to your body’s needs. Low-Impact, Safe, and Effective Recovery Practice Yoga is inherently low-impact, making it an ideal practice for recovery. If you are easing yourself back into exercise and you want to avoid activities that may aggravate injuries, yoga provides a gentle, safe way to regain strength and mobility. At Ananda Yoga, our gentle and restorative yoga styles, including Hatha and Yin, aid in recovery. Engaging in yoga and other balance exercises to improve our balance and build strength may seem counterintuitive for those dealing with balance disorders or recovering from injuries, but movement is very important for healing. Let's explore why this ancient practice is beneficial for our modern bodies! Every recovery period will have its challenges. Some days might be harder emotionally, and others may be more challenging physically, but practicing yoga regularly can actually help people regain balance, focus, movement, and coordination. Our Ananda Yoga community benefits from practices such as Yin Yoga that work on the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and recovery” system), which helps us to reduce stress, quiet our minds, and manage mental fatigue. As your balance and confidence improve, we can introduce more energetic yoga styles such as Vinyasa. Let us evolve our styles to suit you on your recovery journey. How will yoga help my balance? Many yoga poses require you to hold challenging positions, which engage your core muscles and improve coordination. Regular practice can help you develop more body awareness and adjust and maintain your balance more effectively. What style of yoga should I do? Well, that depends on where you are in your yoga journey. At Ananda Yoga Belgrave, we offer classes to suit all levels. Beginners: can enjoy a 6-week beginners' course designed to provide you with a solid foundation and understanding of yoga. You don't need any experience; we will support you through yoga postures, breathing, and relaxation practices. Your journey is individual to you, and we are always happy to chat with you. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our studio . Some experience: we'd suggest starting slow to allow yourself time and space to rediscover your practice. We know that working at a slower pace can be challenging, and you may feel like your body is capable of more, but finding the right flow and pace is important while you build your strength and confidence. Jumping back into faster-paced practices, such as Vinyasa or Vinyasa Flow, even if you've practiced these styles in the past, is not something we suggest. Your muscle memory and mind are very powerful, and they will help you progress your practice, but a regular slow-paced yoga for recovery, such as Yin yoga, is a safer choice. What are the health benefits of yoga? Yoga can help strengthen your body and improve your flexibility. Additionally, as we've mentioned earlier, yoga encourages mindfulness and focus. When you’re concentrating on your breath and aligning your body in each pose, it naturally enhances your ability to stay steady, even in more difficult or unfamiliar situations. The more you practice, the more improvement you will see. Ready to Start Your Recovery Journey with Yoga? Since Ananda Yoga was established in 2015, our yoga studio has been serving the community for over 10 years. Conveniently situated on the main street in the heart of Belgrave, we're easy to locate! We provide a weekly schedule of daily classes, which can be booked online, featuring Yin Yoga and Hatha Yoga, both excellent additions to your balance recovery regimen. At Ananda Yoga Belgrave we can support you on your recovery. Whether you're looking for flexibility, strength, stress relief, or overall healing, our experienced, empathetic, and friendly team will guide you. Join us today and take the first step toward feeling better—physically and mentally! Book your pass now and begin your recovery journey with us. See you in the studio. Jodie xx
- A New Year. A New Beginning.
Well, we have arrived in 2025... A new year and a new beginning find us in January, but the beginning of the year can be such a blur. We find ourselves still living in the past year, not yet totally landed in the current year. In our local community of Belgrave, in the Dandenong Ranges, on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation in Victoria, some people on holidays, including kids, and most of us are living in semi-holiday mode, trying to get back into some routine. All the while, the hot days of January hang over us, calling for new resolutions to be set, or last year's resolutions to be met. Despite our best efforts, we often find ourselves slipping into old patterns. Jodie, Owner of Ananda Yoga So ask yourself. Are your goals truely aligned with self growth? A confronting question, yes, but many of us begin the year determined to fix something in our lives. Maybe it’s implementing a daily meditation or yoga practice. Perhaps it is focusing on eating better or breaking a habit. Whatever it is that you are working on, if those goals are not aligned with self-growth, then, despite your best efforts, you can find yourself slipping back into old patterns. So consider for a moment... what if the issue is the resolutions themselves, and not your self-discipline? Are your goals truly aligned with your own growth, or are they rooted in someone else’s karma? Let us unpack this. At Ananda Yoga Belgrave, we meet people where they are on their journey, but way too often we see people choose goals that don't challenge them, or we meet people that swing to the opposite extreme and jump all in with overly ambitious plans, like deciding to meditate for two hours every morning. Ultimately, neither undercommitment nor overcommitment will fulfill the goal. You'll only set yourself up for disappointment. Choose commitment The simpler goal is to commit. The real work begins when you allow yourself to show up. Make a decision to build your relationship with yourself and your practice. This may look like 5 minutes a day, and that is okay. This is a 5-minute step to a sustainable goal. What we love about our community at Ananda Yoga Belgrave is that we have a shared goal. We support each other, our practicing community, and our teaching community; we are one. We help each other to set realistic goals and encourage each other to grow. We don't just go through the practice of Yoga, we "grow" through the practice of Yoga. True growth lies in the steady, unglamorous work that matches your current reality. Just like in our asana (posture) practice, finding the balance between effort and ease, ‘sthira sukham asanam.’ Part of the spiritual journey is meeting ourselves where we are. It takes humility and self-honesty to say, “This is what I need to focus on now,” regardless of the never-ending to-do list. As Sri Krishnamacharya said “Yoga is the process of replacing old patterns with new and more appropriate patterns.” Progress isn’t about mastering headstands or advanced postures - it’s about showing up consistently and authentically on the path that’s uniquely yours. At Ananda Yoga, we believe that yoga is for everyone. You just need to start. So let’s start this year with compassion and take steps that are genuinely yours. That is enough. If you're looking to get started, then try our 14-day unlimited Intro Pass and try any or all of our available yoga classes for only $37*. Jodie xx *14 day unlimited pass is available to new studio students only. Pricing is subject to change without notice. See this product for full ts&cs