Q1. I am not flexible. Can I still do Yoga?
Yes, you can. Yoga is for everyone regardless of your age, fitness level or strength . This is because yoga is an individual practice and a healthy lifestyle that do not encourage competition. There is no other time than now and the more ‘disadvantaged ‘ you feel, the more reason you should give it a try. You will soon find discover that it is an incredible workout with improved flexibility, more strength and better cardio. Feeling a sense of well being and looking good and slim is just a by-product of the practice.
Q2. What do I need to prepare myself for the class?
Simple. It is recommended that you do not take any solid food (2-3 hrs before) and liquid food (1 hr before) before class. However you may take small sips of water to prevent dehydration . Bring along a yoga mat (or purchase a quality mat from us) and leave your shoes at the entrance. Dress in a comfortable stretchable attire or commercially available yoga clothing. You may bring a small towel /handkerchief with you. Stay relaxed and enjoy.
Q3. How many times and how long should I practice each time?
Singapore health promotion board recommend doing exercise for 30 minutes (moderate intensity), 5 days a week This work out to be 2.5 hours per week. Two yoga lessons per week is ideal and the more you practice the better it is for your health.
Q4. Is Yoga a religion?
Yoga exists way before any other religion, 5000 years ago as evidenced from the Indus civilization. In fact, many religion infuse yoga in the practice and philosophies. The meaning of religion is ‘to link together’ while yoga is ‘union and integration’. It is for this reason that yoga is often linked to religion but in fact it supports theism (single creator) and polytheism (many deities) and even Brahman (beyond god, soul and universe). Yoga is therefore suitable for everyone and it can only strengthen ones belief, regardless of what religion you come from. Yoga aim is what we call today as self realization. (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). The Hindu has close association as it has permeate into their way of life.
Q5. Is Yoga for men?
It is a misconception that yoga is for women. 100 years ago it was practiced only by men from master to disciple. In Real Men Do Yoga book, 21 star athletes reveal their secrets for strength, flexibility and peak performance. They include include Evander Holyfield, New Zealand All Blacks, David Beckham, Chris Jericho, US Olympic team and many more. It is not surprising to find sportsmen/sportswomen practicing yoga today. In this age, it is popularized in the west by the entertainment media, promoting yoga to women and indeed majority are women today.
Q5. What is unique about Health Yoga?
We teach modern yoga consisting of the best of traditional yoga from India, dynamic yoga from USA and useful Chinese meridian lines. We focused on health and wellness and if we can prevent it, why not, instead of finding a cure. We would like to share with you one way to stay healthy and happy.
Q6. How many types of Yoga are there and what are the differences?
Picking the right yoga is important for you because there are diverse forms of yoga which may or may not appeal to you depending on your need.
| Types of Yoga | Origin | Description |
Founder/ Popularized |
| Raja Yoga | Yoga Sutra | Self-realization through a combination of knowledge, devotion and liberation. Improve mental and physical well-being. One can benefit from innate psychic powers, reading one’s thought etc. | Patanjali |
| Ashtanga Yoga | Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga | Fast paced, challenging series of progressive postures and breathe from pose to pose. It is one of the most effective forms of yoga to lose weight. Each pose has particular health benefits and is believed to heal many physical conditions. | Pattabhi Jois, |
| Hatha Yoga | Hatha Yoga Pradipika | Self-realization through a combination of asana, pranayama, mantra and meditation practices. One of the most popular type of yoga due to it’s physical nature. It helps to purify the internal systems of the body like nervous, endocrine and cardiovascular system. | Swami Swatmarama |
| Bhakti Yoga | Bhagavad Gita | Self-realization through devotion or divine love. It is a spiritual practice of devoting oneself to god. It helps to overcome negative feelings of hate, vengeance, jealousy and embrace love, compassion and tolerance. | |
| Jnana yoga | Bhagavad Gita | Self-realization through inner knowledge and insight | |
| Karma Yoga | Bhagavad Gita | Self-realization through selfless work and sacred ritual | |
| Tantra Yoga | Rigveda | Involves in the study of sacred writing and rituals to awaken Kundalini. | |
| Mantra Yoga | Yoga sutra | Chants and sounds to develop concentration | Patanjali |
| Swara Yoga | Upanishads | Use of breath affecting the prana in the body | Shiva Swarodaya |
| Nada Yoga | Upanishads | Use of sound to open up the chakra | |
| Power Yoga | Asthanga | Rigorous workout developing strength and flexibility on the move. It is a much faster pace and effective aerobic workout. It helps to burn calories. | Beryl Bender Birch/Bryan Kest |
| Jivamukti | Asthanga Vinyasa | Physical challenging and meditative | David Life/Sharon Gannon |
| Kali Ray TriYoga | Bhakti | Slow, relaxation, inner peace and focus on alignment and meditation | Kaliji |
| White Lotus | Hatha, Vinyasa | Gentle to vigorous to develop balanced personal practice | Ganga White/Tracey Rich |
| Iyengar Yoga | Hatha/B.K.S Iyengar | Use of prop, belts, chars, blocks and blankets for alignment of each posture. The focus is on alignment of the body making one flexible due to the intensity of the asanas. It improves circulatory, nervous, respiratory, digestive and relieves symptoms of diseases. | BKS Iyengar |
| Integrative Yoga | Kripalu, Ayurveda | Healing and treating health issues for medical and mainstream wellness such as hospitals | Joseph Le Page |
| Viniyoga | Hatha, | Gentle functional practice for young and old for self discovery and transformation. The teacher adapt the practice to the student depending on the health, age and physical conditions. | T.K.V Desikachar, T. Krishnamacharya |
| Svaroopa Yoga | Siddha | Different ways of doing familiar poses on the spine | Rama Berch, Muktananda |
| Bikram Yoga | Hatha/Bikram | Sequences series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. in 100 degree Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) studio for cleansing through sweat. Consult your doctor is preferred before practice. | Bikram Choudhury |
| Phoenix Rising Yoga | Classical yoga, psychology, Kripalu | Physical therapy to release of physical tension and emotional block from postures for personal growth and healing | Michael Lee |
| Sivananda Yoga | Hatha | Sun salutation, breathing, relaxation, diet and positive thinking, meditation. It helps to strengthen the bones and simulate the circulatory and immune system. | Swami Vishnu Devananada, Swami Sivananda |
| Integral Yoga | Hatha | Gentle postures to Integrate teachings into everyday work and relationship | Swami Ramananda, Swami Satchidananda |
| Ananda Yoga | Hatha | Gentle postures to move energy upwards and for meditation. | Swami Kriyananda, Paramhansa |
| Kundalini Yoga | Tantra, Ayurveda | Awakening of he energy centers , breathing, chanting and mediation. It is a combination of hath a yoga, raja yoga and tantra yoga. It can help to strengthen the nervous system, glandular system, expand lung capacity and purifies the blood. | Yogi Bhajan |
| ISHTA yoga | Hatha, Tantra, Ayurveda | Series of flow, alignment and visualization | Alan Finger |
| Kripalu Yoga | Hatha, Ayurveda | Alignment practice, surrender and meditation in motion. Gentle form of yoga and carried out at your own pace. Can help to deal with depression, anxiety and stress related issue. | Amit Desai, Kripaluvananda |
| Anusara Yoga | Hatha, Asthanga/John Friend | Attitude towards awakening, alignment and biomechanics. It helps to empower self-esteem and inspire lightheartedness. | John Friend |
| Tibetan Yoga | Tantric, Buddhism | Series of 5 flowing dynamic exercises for health, energy and power. Yantra yoga is a form of tantra yoga helping the breath through a set of 108 postures from Tibetan tradition. | Peter Kelder/Namkhai Norbu |
| Vinyasa Yoga | Asthanga | Series of flowing movements for cardiovascular, strength and endurance. Helpful to lose weight as it gives a full body workout that increases heart rate, tones the arms and stimulates core muscles. | |
| Yin Yoga | Daoist, Hatha Yoga | Holding postures for about 5 minutes or longer, working on the ligaments, fascia, joints and bones. The body is relaxed and can help to deal with phycological problems as the approach is more meditative | Paul /Suzee Grilley |
| Restorative Yoga | Hatha Yoga | Making use of props and blocks to achieve physical, mental and emotional balance. Poses are held as long as 15 minutes to help in the healing of the body. It can help to relax specific part of the body or the whole body | |
| Paddleboard Yoga | Hatha Yoga | Making use of a paddle board on water helps to tune the poses while enjoying floating on water. It engages muscles to find the balance on water. Helps to improve balance and concentration. |