MINDFUL YOGA for unward focus
Yoga was founded upon mental and spiritual wellbeing, so you’d think mindfulness would be part of the overall experience. But modern-day yoga, at least in Instagram form, is all about freakish back bends, pencil-sharp handstands and lean, long legs. Our western practices prioritise flexibility, fitness and aesthetics, and are more about what it can do for your body than your mind.
But it is possible to go back to basics to make yoga a mindful, inward practice, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing when I visit Chromayoga. Founded by Nina Ryner, the classes combine traditional yoga with modern multisensory methods to enhance the experience. ‘Yoga is not just about physical movement,’ says Ryner, ‘The trend of yoga being all about the aesthetic has purely evolved from the rise of social media and it’s not something that we encourage.’
Instead, the classes at her studio fuse ‘art and neuroscience’ by using colour, sound and scent to complement the style and intended outcome of the practice. Want to boost your mood? Try the yellow class, where warm light is used for ‘rousing, cheerful and optimistic’ responses. For energy, the famously invigorating blue light is used (but never before bed). ‘All classes are designed to eliminate distractions and push the brain into a calm state of inward focus,’ says Ryner. But, for an ultramindful practice, she recommends the pink class, in which the traditionally most relaxing style is practised in a fluorescent, fuchsia-lit room.
Pink is known for its psychological associations with love and affection to soothe and de-stress, but on entering the studio, I’m convinced I’ve walked into Christian Grey’s ‘red room’. It’s the blocks, straps and pillows laid out on the mats that do it, but my instructor Dijana explains that they are there to help us hold and get deeper into stretches.
A focus on stillness is present throughout the class; we only practise a handful of postures but stay in each for a long time. ‘It takes 90 seconds to release the muscle before you can start to relax into a stretch,’ she says. So no flows, no tricky one-legged balancing postures and not even a downward dog in sight. Instead, the mental workout is emphasised with Dijana’s focus on yoga’s ancient concepts. Svadhyaya (self-study) is about analysing your reactions on the mat without
‘PUSH YOUR BRAIN INTO A CALM STATE OF INWARD FOCUS’
judgement; noticing how your mind wanders, but not kicking yourself about it, and seeing how you react to discomfort. Aparigraha (non-grasping) means focusing on exactly where you are in that moment, physically and emotionally; to be at peace in a pose without pushing it too hard.
It’s the antidote to both Insta-yoga and our cortis olinducing routines. ‘If you’re the sort of person who regularly does HIIT, pink is there to make sure you spread your energy evenly,’ says Ryner, ‘It’s important to make sure you’re balancing your routine.’
I leave feeling so relaxed that I’m light-headed.
But the effects are longer-lasting; I’m able to apply the teachings in the studio to the office. I’m focusing more on my intended outcome, putting myself in environments that work better for me (a quiet room to focus, a walk outside to clear my head) and learning that slow and steady is better for my mental health.
For more information, visit chromayoga.co.uk