Yoga Petts Wood 
Yoga Philosophy at Petts Wood Osteopathic Clinic
What is Petts Wood Yogas' Philosophy? So many of us are striving so hard to be better, to know more, do more; we have been conditioned to believe we have to work very hard for this. But it has not got to be this way. Beneath the habits of our materialistic lifestyle and the stresses and demands of maintaining the identity we have created lie our true selves and the deeper meaning of ourselves. Typically we are unaware when we begin a yoga practice that we have vast reservoirs of energy and aliveness lying dormant within us. Yoga develops an holistic experience of the mind, body, spirit. Rediscover yourself, to experience who we are at the very core of our beings.
Begin where you are...
A yogi is an accomplished male student of yoga; a female is called a yogini. Swami is a title for a spiritual master. Guru literally means "one who takes you from the darkness to the light" and is often casually used to denote a teacher or master. A yogi disciple in India is called a Chela. Mantra means mind projection and is a yoga technique of focusing on an external or internal sound to create a personal transformation. Production of the vibration can become in tune with the universal vibration of energy. When your evaluation of self' changes, when you feel differently about yourself, everything about you changes: your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and every aspect of your behaviour. As we move deeper we change and learn, often in unexpected ways.
Opportunity at the Edge:
The edge is the point in every pose when you are still within your capabilities but are challenging yourself to go just a little bit deeper. An edge is where we come right up against ourselves and what we can do and be, a place of comfortable discomfort - opportunities of transformation. Playing the edge can be a subtle shift - maybe holding a pose for a breath longer, stretching a few degrees more, or even trying a modified version of a pose. Sometimes your edge is learning to do less, to be more patient. Ultimately your intuition knows what you need. We need to listen to our intuition and ignore our ego. When you push the edge of your comfort zone you emerge from the experience with a new level of awareness and confidence. As soon as we breakthrough one edge a new one is created. The bar is ever raised. Here we see that yoga allows for a continuous natural lifelong process of constant growth.
Growth is the most important thing there is!
In order to heal you need to feel!
Don't try hard try easy!
Drishti, which means gaze, within a yoga practice, forms a fusing of your eyes to one point. This focus sends soothing messages to the nervous system and brings the mind from distraction to direction. The eyes are the lens of the mind, and with Drishti you are focusing your consciousness. Part of Drishti is Samadhi, which embodies "neutral vision". Sama means "even" or "neutral", and dhi means "vision" or "seeing". Neutral vision means to see without judgement, without ego, and without impatience.
Unit mind and Body
Cultivating Samadhi on your mat will help you bring that quality of mind into your everyday life. Drishti is key to all balancing poses. Balance comes from a calm, nonreactive mind. Wandering eyes equal a wandering mind; focused eyes equal a focused mind. Uddiyana is a gentle lifting/pulling in of the abdominal muscles to the spine, drawing attention to your core - the epicentre of all movements. The various traditions act as guides rather than absolute authorities.