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Yoga

is not about being flexible.
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The meaning of the word yoga is “union”.
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The physical poses you know as yoga are called asanas.
These asanas have one goal: to prepare you to enter a state of mediation.
And that meditation has no other ultimate goal than seeing the absolute truth.
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On that way, these asanas help you in this material world with your material body.
Every asana has its own meaning and (health) benefit and when practiced regularly you will see the positive changes in your daily life in no time.
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But not just you. Also your friends. Your family. Your workmates.
People will start asking you, what you lately have been doing differently.
You will see your reactions changing. And your tolerance & appreciation increasing.
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Alongside with your body, your mind will become more flexible.
Your thoughts will be more quiet, you will feel more at peace.
You will be able to see clearly.

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Get ready to immerse yourself in a life transforming experience. Study yoga from the comfort of your home and become a certified Yoga Teacher Trainer - in your own pace and your own space. Skip accommodation and transportation cost and be present at work and with family. Use the special time given to you in this powerful transformative year of 2021!Join our 200 hr online yoga teacher training 2021 based on the 5000 yrs old Bhakti texts & practices from India - study anytime from anywhere with slow yoga in coorp. w. SoultoSoul. You have been looking for a 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training in Sydney, Byron Bay, India, New York or Bali? Or maybe you would love to participate a 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training in Germany, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, England or New Zealand? Then join now - because our 200 hr online yoga teacher training is coming directly TO YOU!Receive more infos or get in touch via: www.soultosoulfriends.com/yttThe slow yoga style taught in the 200 hr online yoga teacher training is a meditative approach to yoga developed by Janne Kontala. Using asana, movement and breath in a deliberately slow fashion, it leads the practitioner to experiencing inner silence. This 200 hr online yoga teacher training offers a possibility for personal growth both as a teacher and as a practitioner. Welcoming diversity, our 200 hr online yoga teacher training is open to practitioners of all yoga styles. In the 200 hr online yoga teacher training you will learn to develop your own practice in a meditative way and also will receive the skills to teach and share your knowledge with others! Although the 200 hr online yoga teacher training certainly is designed to help you share what you learn, the most important aspect of the training is your own inner transformation. Asanas can be directly used as tools for meditation, not only as an exercise for physical fitness. In this 200 hr online yoga teacher training will learn to regulate the breath as a method to promote inner peace, as well as learn some of the most effective yogic meditation techniques for inner transformation. As a teacher, you will be able to use what you have learned to teach a broad variety of classes based on the students needs. The 200 hr online yoga teacher training online platform offers you a possibility to study at your own pace. The extensive material bank of the 200 hr online yoga teacher training will be at your disposal both during and after the course. In this way, you will have all the time you need to get acquainted with and internalize all components of the 200 hr online yoga teacher training. In addition, the 200 hr online yoga teacher training offers several weekly online sessions, allowing you to get to know your teachers and fellow students, and get real-time guidance. The examinations take place online. After completion of the course, you are eligible for a Slow yoga teacher certificate. In addition, the program entitles the practitioners for RYT 200 certification, provided you complete the program within the timeline set forth by Yoga Alliance.The teacher training consists of:Personal practice of slow asana-kriyas, basics of anatomy, basics of prenatal yoga, breathing techniques to induce peace of mind, mantra-meditation for inner clarity and peace, the philosophical foundations of yoga, teaching skills, extensive supporting material, experienced teachers. Your Teachers Janne Kontala, Jan Simak and Emma Slow will teach you during the 200 hr online yoga teacher training everything you would learn in an in-person Yoga Teacher Training in Sydney, Byron Bay, India, New York, California, Canada, USA, Bali, Germany, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Greenland, Rishikesh, Goa, Ubud, Mayapur, Vrindavan or anywhere else in the world! With the slow yoga and SoultoSoul 200 hr online yoga teacher training the yoga teacher training comes directly to your place! You can now participate this 200 hr online yoga teacher training from anywhere in the world, anytime. The 200 hr online yoga teacher training by slow yoga and SoultoSoul is available wherever you are - means worldwide and in any timezone! You have been thinking about doing a 200 hr yoga teacher training at places you love such as the Bhakti Center in New York, the Govardhan Eco Village in India, Radhadesh in Belgium or Krishna Village in Byron Bay? Then this 200 hr online yoga teacher training is the right training for you! Get fully certified with yoga alliance Get your 200 hr yoga teacher training certification with yoga alliance by participating our 200 hr online yoga teacher training!

We are all covered in different layers of energies.
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You might have heard people saying that a particular person they know
has a “very nice energy”. It comes from that.
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Yoga breaks these layers of different energies,
one after another and lets us become more clear.

Clear towards what is the truth and clear towards who we really are.
It calms the mind and lets us see.
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Yoga poses are not fancy postures for flexible people interested in sports.
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They are instructions from scriptures that are thousands of years old.
They are the first step of balancing out what you are exposed to in daily life.
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They bring you back in alignment with the universe.
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And eventually practicing these poses allows you
to enter into a focused first stage of meditation.

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Yoga poses Explained
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Balasana - childs pose

Balasana is a calming and relaxing asana.
Balasana reduces stress and helps with fatigue, dizziness & headaches.
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It relieves your eyes, nerves, brain, breath, mind, back and shoulders and stretches your spine, thighs and ankles.
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Starting from the heel, you bend forward to place your upper body on your thighs.
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Sit on your heels in the middle of your yoga mat. Your big toes touch, your knees are hip width apart. Bend your upper body forward until your belly rests on your thighs and your forehead touches the floor. Place your hands on the floor next to your upper body or take your arms forward and place them stretched with your palms down left and right past your head. Relax your shoulders.In this asana, concentrate on calm and even breathing in and out of your upper body. Close your eyes. Stay in this position for 30 seconds to a maximum of a few minutes, before you leave the asana.

Tadasana - Mountain pose

Tadasana is the starting point for many other asanas. It improves your posture, promotes attention and concentration, strengthens the thighs, knees and ankles, increases your energy, harmonises the body and mind and reduces stress.

Stand stable with your legs closed and your navel slightly drawn inwards. Imagine a straight line going through your body.
Tadasana can be practiced anytime everywhere.
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Stand with both feet on the yoga mat and put your arms to the side. Breathe calmly and evenly.
Concentrate on your center. Be at the moment and let your mind come to rest.Raise your toes, spread them and put them back on the mat. If you have balance problems, just take your feet further apart, or just the heels a little bit.
Stretch your legs and distribute your body weight evenly over your feet.
Imagine you have roots that reach into the ground.
Turn your thighs and shins slightly inwards.
The coccyx points slightly forward, the buttocks is relaxed.Slightly retract the belly.
Relax your shoulders.
The gaze is relaxed and directed towards the horizon.
Keep the body straight. Imagine a straight line from your feet through your hips to your head and beyond.
Continue to breathe calmly. Feel how the spine lengthens with each exhalation.
Hold this position for one minute.
Tip 1: Do you feel the power and strength that comes from Tadasana? Take this feeling with you for all standing asanas.
Tip 2: As a beginner you can place your feet hip width apart to improve your balance.

Vrksasana - Tree pose

Vrksasana strengthens your balance as well as the muscles of your entire body and has a positive effect on your concentration.
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For Vrksasana, first stand in Tadasana:

With both feet you stand stable but relaxed on the yoga mat, your arms hang loosely next to your body. Make sure to stretch your legs and knees and that your toes point forward. Your sole is flat on the ground so that your body weight is distributed and your body is grounded. Your spine is straight, your view forward focused. Breathe calmly and evenly without lifting your shoulders. Stay relaxed for a few seconds in this asana.
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Now tighten your leg muscles and your abdominal muscles and pull your shoulder blades together. Put your hands on your hips or stretch them outwards. At the next exhalation you can lift your right leg up. Open your hip and right thigh so that your knee points away from you at a 90° angle. Lean your foot flat against your left thigh just above your knee. You can first help to hold the leg with your right hand at the ankle.Put your hands together at the level of your chest and keep your gaze calm and focused straight ahead. Your body is tense and stretched: from the ankles over the calves, thighs, knees and hips to the spine, shoulders, neck and cervical vertebrae.Keep breathing in and out calmly and consciously. Your facial muscles are relaxed. When you feel stable, stretch your arms and hands over your head.You can hold this position for a few seconds or even minutes as you feel comfortable. Then slowly lower your leg again, put your foot straight on and finish the yoga exercise with Tadasana. Switch to the left side.

Virabhadrasana I - Warrior I

Virabhadrasana 1 helps you to be in the current moment and to feel more powerful and self-confident. It stimulates the digestive organs and improves balance and attention.
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Begin this yoga practice in Tadasana.
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As you exhale, place your feet shoulder-wide and stretch your arms up, being parallel to each other.Take your left foot forward and turn your back foot 45° - 60° to the right. The left and right heels are on one line.The hips and shoulders are facing forward.Next time inhale, take your arms straight and parallel up, keeping your shoulders wide.The palms of the hands point inwards and the shoulders remain consciously down.Next time you exhale, bend your front leg so that the knee is above the heel.Vary the weight distribution on the foot and see how you stand most stable.Lean your head back slightly and look at your hands.Inhale and exhale calmly while staying 30 seconds to one minute in Virabhadrasana I.To leave the asana, exhale, take your arms down and lay them down on your hips. Take a step forward with your back foot in Tadasana (mountain posture). Relax your arms next to your body and repeat the warrior with the other side.

Virabhadrasana II - Warrior II

Virabhadrasana II strengthens your stability and balance. Especially in difficult moments it sharpens your concentration. Your self-confidence will get a boost.
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Begin in Tadasana.
Exhale and move your left foot backwards, turn it outwards. Both your heels are building a line.
Turn your hip to the left and feel the tension in your thighs.
The right knee should be right above the right heel.
Take a deep breath and lift your arms up, parallel to the floor.
Your palms are facing towards the mat.
Relax your shoulders and open your and chest.
Turn the tailbone and pubic bone slightly forward to avoid hollow back.
The gaze glides over the arm, the hand and the middle finger towards the horizon. This is your visual focus during this asana.
Slowly inhale and exhale while remaining in this position for about one minute.
Repeat the asana on the other side of your body.

Savasana - Corpse pose

Savasana is consciously executed. Observe in savasana how you are feeling before a yoga class and after. The body and mind are scanned for tension. After a yoga session the balance is restored through this asana. With correct execution savasana helps against stress. Negative manifestations in our body are dissolved.
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Sit on your yoga mat and put your hands on your knees.Orientate yourself briefly where you are in the room. This will allow your mind to devote itself to Savasana later.

Now lay down with your upper body slowly and relaxed on the mat. Before moving on to the next step, your back should lie evenly and comfortably on the mat. Raise your hips and move your tailbone away so that your lower back is stretched. Just as much so that you are in a comfortable position.
Lay down your feet at hip width and let them glide naturally outwards through the relaxation. The groin is relaxed. Place your arms next to your upper body at an angle of 30-45°. Make sure that your shoulders are relaxed. The palms of your hands point upwards to open your chest and shoulders.Check that the spine is long. Move your chin a little towards your chest. breathe in slowly and deeply. The next time you exhale, let your body sink into the floor and relax. A little ore with each exhalation. Stay in this resting position while your mind calms down. Imagine your body rejuvenating through deep relaxation. Go through your body in your mind from top to bottom - the head, tongue, jaw, neck, lung, heart, stomach, pelvis, legs and feet are consciously perceived and relaxed.

Stay in Savasana for 5 minutes and no longer than 20 minutes. Find your rhythm and listen to your body.To leave this yoga exercise, lift your legs up and bring them to your chest. Hold them with your arms. Rock several times from the right to the left and back. Focus your mind, take a few breaths and use your hands to stand up.

Urdhva Hastasana - palm tree pose

Urdhva Hastasana is a rejuvenating and energising asana, that improves digestion and helps to relieve mild anxiety.
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Stand in tadasana. Turn your arms outward. Your thumbs are pointing backwards, your palms face away from your torso.
Inhale and raise your hands towards the ceiling. Stop when your arms are approximately parallel to each other if you are feeling tightness in the shoulders. If possible, bring your palms together.
Gaze at your thumbs.
Hold for a few breaths.
Exhale and come back to Tadasana.

Uttanasana - Dangling / Forward Bend
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Uttanasana relieves tension in the back and neck. Regular use of Uttanasana improves your posture and brings flexibility to the spine and pelvis. Especially psychological stress and fatigue can be immensely counteracted with this pose.
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Let your head “dangle” and bend your knees a little, so you feel comfortable. Stretching your legs is recommended for advanced practitioners only.
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Start in Tadasana.
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Exhale, bend forward over your hip joints and lengthen/open the space in your upper body.
Place your palms on the floor if possible or try to touch the floor with your fingertips (slightly in front of or next to your feet). If uncomfortable place your hands on your elbows and let your head “dangle”. The tension does not come from the back. The seat bone is moved towards the ceiling via the heels and thighs. The upper thigh is turned slightly inwards.Bring stability with each inhalation into the posture.
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Relax your upper body wir every exhalation and lengthen it more and more. Do not push towards the floor with force, but simply use your own body weight. Your upper body swings with your breath.The head and neck are relaxed and left loose. Let it dangle and feel the deep relaxation.Stay for 30 seconds up to one minute.
This asana is can be practiced individually and is recommended when you are feeling stressed,
Uttanasana helps to get back into balance.
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To leave Uttanasana, place your hands on your hips and come up with your back straight on your next inhale (don’t roll your back up).

Ashwa Sanchalanasana - Equestrian pose

Ashwa Sanchalanasana has a positive effect on our mental power. It increases confidence, willpower, determination and courage. It is also beneficial for the kidney and the liver and stimulates abdominal organs.
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Start in uttanasana. (see above).
Inhale and step the right foot back, towards the back edge of the mat, with the ball of the foot on the floor and the heel raised off the mat.
The back leg is straight and the hips are kept open. The left knee is at a 90° angle, right above the ankle of the left foot.
The palms remain grounded on either side of the front foot, shoulder-width apart.
Come back to uttanasana with an exhale.

Phalakasana - Plank pose

Phalakasana strengthens the arms, wrists and shoulders and tones the abdomen. It prepares the arms and core for more advanced arm-balancing asanas and is generally a strengthening and balancing pose.
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Start in Ashwa Sanchalanasana. Bring your front foot together with your back foot that you are in a push-up position. Spread the fingers wide apart with the middle finger pointing forward. Press into the palms with your arms being straight.Tuck the tailbone. Make sure that the torso and the hips are straight to the body line and that you neither drop the hips nor lift them higher than the line of your body. it should be straight.With the toes tucked, press the crown of the head forward. Press the heels back. Do not bend the knees. Hold in this position as long as you feel comfortable. Exit the pose by bending the knees to the floor and enter balasana.

Ashtanga Namaskra - Eight limbed pose

Ashtanga Namaskra improves the flexibility of the back and spine, tones and strengthens the arms, shoulders and legs, releases tension around the neck and shoulders and prepares for backbends.
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It is an asana where the body is balanced on eight points of contact with the floor: both feet, both knees, chest, chin and both hands. From phalakasana lower your chin, chest and knees to the mat.
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Start in Phalakasana (see above) and from there let the following parts touch the floor: both feet, the two knees, the two palms, the chest and the chin.
The hip and abdomen is slightly raised up. While performing this pose the breath is held outside and the breathing is stopped for few seconds. From here enter into Bhujangasana (see below).

Bhujangasana - Cobra pose

Bhujangasana benefits your spine and back muscles as well as your stomach and shoulders. It wakens you up and strengthens your ability to concentrate, especially under stress.

Lie flat on your stomach, put your forehead on the mat so that your spine does not bend.
Place the upper sides of your feet flat on the floor, the heels should rest next to each other at hip width.
Take your elbows back so far that you can place your hands flat next your body just above chest height. Your fingertips point forward. You release your head from the mat and slowly straighten up a few centimetres.
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Inhale and exhale calmly and regularly. Vertebra by vertebra you now straighten up your upper body, raise your shoulders, chest and belly upwards and gradually stretch your arms.Now your pelvis also rises a bit. Your gluteal muscles are relaxed.
At the end you straighten up your head, your gaze is straight ahead (or slightly upwards), in line with the spine.
Relax your shoulders.
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Inhale and exhale a few times, enjoy this posture and the stretching of your whole body. If you feel comfortable, turn your gaze upwards to achieve even greater stretching.
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While you breathe slowly and concentrated, you lower your head, pelvis, stomach and shoulders one after another.

Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward facing dog

Adho Mukha Svanasana has a calming effect on our brain and energises the whole body.

Come into a quadruped stand, bring your hands and knees to the ground. Place your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Stretch your elbows, but make sure you don't overstretch them. Spread your fingers and push them with the palms into the yoga mat. Be sure to distribute the weight evenly over the palms and fingers to relieve your wrists.
Exhale as you raise your toes, push your bottom towards your heels, and lift your knees off the floor. Press your hands firmly into the floor, stretch your arms and then slowly your legs without lifting your chest.
Your coccyx and seat bones point backwards and upwards. Do not try to move your feet up, but leave them exactly where they are.
To build up the right body tension, push your hands (and fingers) lightly away so that the heels can sink a little more towards the mat.
Turn your upper arms slightly outwards.
Your ears and upper arms should be on the same level. Relax your head, but don't let it hang.
Hold the asana as long as you feel comfortable and breath deeply.
Exhale calmly to leave the asana, bend your knees and run your feet to your hands to enter uttasana.
Alternatively, you can come directly into balasana.

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Pablo, 29 years old, from Spain

Surya Namaskar is an opportunity to express gratitude to the sun for sustaining life on this planet.
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The key lays in your breath.
There is nothing to be achieved in yoga.
There is never a competition.
Performing these poses is accepting and letting go.
Accepting how far you can go and appreciating yourself for making the effort.
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Feel every pose. Feel how you feel before and after each round.
And move with your breath. Flexibility will come with time.
Just feel. Breathe. And move.

Every day.

There will be a day where you fall into your practice and let go off everything else,
become one with the universe and just feel still at mind.

Daniela from Austria
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Anton from Canada
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yoga philosophy
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You are wondering about the necessity of spirituality in human life?
You ware wanting to know more about the yoga system and vedic cosmology and are wondering what these ancient mantras we are chanting are about?
You want to connect deeper and experience this culture of knowledge?
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Explore here.

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