Yoga , a life practice that has stood the test of time, emerged in India 4 thousand years ago and spread all over the world. It teaches h...
Yoga, a life practice that has stood the test of time, emerged in India 4 thousand years ago and spread all over the world. It teaches human beings, who have lost the organic and holistic relationship between body, breath and mind, to increase their life energy and use it in the most efficient way by regaining control over their body and mind.
Stating that yoga is a powerful guide for a physically and mentally healthy, balanced and peaceful life, Prana Yoga Manager Gülşah Ürken Parlak believes that peace and awareness are human nature and that everyone deserves to remember this again.
When was Prana Yoga (Karma Yoga) founded?
Prana Yoga Izmit was opened by a friend of ours in 2017, but when he moved to another city, my wife and I took over the salon in June of this year after long negotiations. Passing on such an ancient teaching means a great responsibility towards our students and our teachers who carry the teaching to this day. Moreover, we are in business life and we have no intention of giving up our professions that we have worked hard for for years. But considering that yoga is a teaching that every person can benefit from and make their lives easier and more meaningful, it naturally became our duty to convey this teaching. That's why the name PranaYoga is Karma Yoga for us since we took over this place, it is both our destiny and our duty. Because we cannot explain the fact that we have taken on the responsibility of a yoga center professionally without even thinking about it, with anything other than karma.
BODY AND MIND AWARENESS
What are the benefits of yoga? Why is it said that it is not a sport? Is yoga just a spiritual practice?
Body, breath, mind, emotions are not independent from each other for yoga. The practice begins with regulating the breath. Then the physical exercises we call asana come into play. This is the most important point where yoga differs from sports. Because while what we apparently understand from sports is working on our muscles, losing weight, getting stronger and shaping up, holistic mental and physical health is important for yoga.
Yoga asanas simultaneously activate the skeletal and muscular, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, excretory, reproductive, nervous and immune systems. All internal organs are stimulated. As each asana strengthens and stretches the relevant area, dense and oxygenated blood (thanks to breathing awareness) is sent there, regeneration is accelerated. The body is brought into a state of complete well-being.
Bringing your breath and body into complete well-being is just the tip of the iceberg. The real story begins when you go beyond the limits of the body. So meditation. In fact, the whole purpose of yoga is to equip you to meditate. In the Yoga Sutras, the ancient yoga text written by the master named Patanjali, the importance of meditation is emphasized as follows: The person who has mastered his own mind is more king than the greatest king. The person who is the slave of his mind is more slave than the slave in the most difficult situation.
NO UPPER AGE LIMIT
At what age can you start yoga? Is there an age range?
We recommend children's yoga to those under the age of 12, as their attention span is short and separate breathing exercises are prepared taking into account their lung development. Other than that, there is absolutely no upper age limit. Those who want can start at any time.
EVERYONE CAN DO YOGA
Who can do yoga and who cannot?
There are no criteria such as gender, age, weight, flexibility, strength or disease. Anyone can do yoga. Individuals with very different characteristics attend the same course and experience the same poses within their own limits.
Can anyone become a yoga instructor?
Anyone who wants to progress on the path of yoga can become a yoga instructor, in fact, we recommend that they become one. Because the best way to learn a subject in depth is to try to teach it. But taking on the teaching of such an ancient teaching must begin with understanding the difference between knowing and comprehending. This is only possible with regular, disciplined personal practice.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO HOW MUCH YOGA PHILOSOPHY IS TRANSMITTED
What kind of yoga center should those who want to start yoga choose?
Traditional yoga is Hatha yoga. Currently, many yoga styles are practiced around the world. Ashtanga, vinyasa, yin, power, fit, hammock yoga are the most well-known. They all derive from Hatha yoga. Whatever its name is, it ultimately conveys the teachings of yoga. All kinds of things are useful. However, sometimes the lessons are designed to focus only on asana and steps such as breathing, relaxation and meditation can be skipped. That's when it moves away from its main purpose and focuses on the visible side. When the focus shifts, concepts such as being comfortable in the body and controlling the mind become just a matter of focusing on the hands and the head. We are not acrobats. There will be some difficult poses with regular practice, as a natural process, but the main goal is to feel peaceful and whole in a state of complete well-being. In other words, how much time is devoted to breathing and meditation in yoga centers,
FULLY 2 HOUR COURSES
How does the Prana Yoga (Karma Yoga) training process proceed in Izmit?
After a certain teaching experience and the discipline of the Şivananda School, we established the logic of a 4-week beginner yoga course. In the first week, we explain breathing and synchronization of breath with poses. In the 2nd week, we discuss how we can take better care of our bodies and the effects of food on our mind and body. The 3rd week was based on body awareness and relaxation methods. At the end of the class, we do Yoga Nidra (a relaxing relaxation technique) and the subject of the 4th week is, of course, meditation. We complete our program by sharing information such as what meditation is, how to do it, and how to get into the habit. Each lesson consists of at least 30 minutes of theory, 15 minutes of breathing exercises, 50-60 minutes of asana exercises, and 15-25 minutes of relaxation and meditation sections. So we have a full 2 hours of lessons. A person who completes 4 weeks completely, They learn yoga practice so that they can do yoga regularly at home for at least 1 and a half hours. Yoga is a methodology that you can see its miraculous effects in a short time if you spare time every day. Therefore, it is most important for us that our students learn yoga in depth and become able to practice it regularly.
DIFFERENT YOGA STYLES TO BALANCE YOUR ENERGY
What yoga classes are offered at Prana Yoga (Karma Yoga)?
If you have problems with flexibility or are an energetic person who can't sit still, we offer yoga. If you find moving difficult, energetic vinyasa yoga may be for you. If you constantly complain of chronic pain such as back and neck, yoga therapy will be very useful. For those who wish, we have hammock yoga classes that allow you to experience yoga poses as if you were flying. A truly enjoyable experience. Of course, we have hatha yoga classes every day for those who do not deviate from tradition and want to deepen in yoga philosophy.
THEIR GOAL IS TO INTRODUCE MORE PEOPLE TO YOGA
Do you have future goals as a facility?
Our biggest intention is to introduce more people to yoga. We have completed 11 beginner courses since June, and we will prepare retreat programs for our students who want to deepen further. We will also organize advanced philosophy, breathing and meditation trainings with our teachers Nejla Ceylan Özveren, the founder of Prana Yoga Sakarya, and Damla Dönmez, one of the important names in the field of Yoga and Vedanta philosophy in Turkey. As Karma Yoga, another intention is to contribute to social responsibility projects. Supporting education and stray animals are areas we work on and owe to improve.
No comments