Self-Reliant Yoga
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Develop a Personal Yoga Practice
Self-Reliant Yoga® is based on the ancient idea that yoga is primarily a personal practice that should be supported by group practice, such as yoga classes, meditation intensives and yoga retreats. Self-Reliant Yoga® is not a new brand of yoga, not related to any particular style of yoga, and not a specific combination of poses, nor is it related to any guru or master. As the name indicates, Self-Reliant Yoga® is meant to help practitioners become increasingly self-reliant in their yoga practice. Self-Reliant Yoga® is taught through private classes and group workshops.
The Three Components of Self-Reliant Yoga®
Gudjon Bergmann is the creator of Self-Reliant Yoga®. He bases his approach on years of experience. He is an experienced registered yoga teacher (E-RYT 500). He has completed more than 500 hours of training and has taught well over 6000 hours of yoga since 1997. He has also trained 80 yoga teachers. Self-Reliant Yoga® is based on three components:
1. Purpose
The practitioner must have a clear purpose when he starts practicing yoga. A choice of practices will differ greatly depending on the purpose. For example:
People from all walks of life can start practicing for different reasons. If they uncover their purpose for practice early in the process, they will uncover the motivation they need to keep going. And with the help of a teacher they can create a practice schedule and program that fits their goal. No matter whether you start practicing yoga for stress relief, strength, flexibility or peace of mind and spiritual elation, you need to be clear about your purpose when you start.
2. Practice
Yoga is a compilation of practices for the body, mind and spirit. It includes yoga postures, breathing practices, relaxation and meditation techniques, cleansing practices and much more. The practices can affect the body, the emotions, and the mind; even help to uncover the underlying spiritual essence in each person.
The Self-Reliant Yoga® teacher helps the practitioner choose practices and set up a practice schedule based on his purpose. A practitioner with a spiritual purpose will include more meditation in his practice schedule, while an older person will do simple breathing, stretching and relaxation practices to achieve the purpose of increased flexibility and stress relief.
In addition to learning the physical and mental yoga practices, Self-Reliant Yoga® puts emphasis on learning underlying principles. The practitioner will learn about the principles related to each physical pose and mental practice. Furthermore he will learn how to sequence physical postures and how to choose appropriate mental techniques for peace of mind. Learning the underlying principles will give the practitioner more flexibility and increased self-reliance. He doesn’t have to go running to his teacher with questions about every little detail; he will actually have the knowledge to stand on his own two feet.
When the practitioner has learned all the practices he needs to be able to achieve his purpose, he will be able to modify his practice according to his life schedule, combining personal practice at home or on the road with attending regular group classes and periodical retreats.
3. Progress
The key to practicing yoga on your own is measuring progress. This becomes doubly important when the practitioner has a clear purpose. If the goal is flexibility, then the practitioner must measure flexibility. If the goal is relaxation, then the practitioner must have measurements for that as well. Being able to measure progress will keep the yoga practice engaging and alive. Once the purpose has been achieved, the practitioner either changes his purpose or goes into maintenance mode, maintaining the progress that he has already made.
The practitioner will initially get help with the progress measurements, but as the name indicates, the goal is for the practitioner to become increasingly self-reliant in this aspect as well, creating his own practice schedules and progress measurements, with the occasional help from a qualified teacher.
Gudjon Bergmann is the creator of Self-Reliant Yoga®. He bases his approach on years of experience. He is an experienced registered yoga teacher (E-RYT 500). He has completed more than 500 hours of training and has taught well over 6000 hours of yoga since 1997. He has also trained 80 yoga teachers. Self-Reliant Yoga® is based on three components:
1. Purpose
The practitioner must have a clear purpose when he starts practicing yoga. A choice of practices will differ greatly depending on the purpose. For example:
- A young and fit person that starts doing yoga for the purpose of strength and flexibility will approach the practice differently than an expectant mother whose purpose it is to stretch gently and learn breathing and relaxation practices to prepare for the birth.
- A person who seeks spiritual enlightenment through the practices of yoga will approach the practice differently than a man who is stiff, stressed and has problems sleeping. His purpose is simply to relieve tension and the spiritual aspects do not intrigue him the least.
People from all walks of life can start practicing for different reasons. If they uncover their purpose for practice early in the process, they will uncover the motivation they need to keep going. And with the help of a teacher they can create a practice schedule and program that fits their goal. No matter whether you start practicing yoga for stress relief, strength, flexibility or peace of mind and spiritual elation, you need to be clear about your purpose when you start.
2. Practice
Yoga is a compilation of practices for the body, mind and spirit. It includes yoga postures, breathing practices, relaxation and meditation techniques, cleansing practices and much more. The practices can affect the body, the emotions, and the mind; even help to uncover the underlying spiritual essence in each person.
The Self-Reliant Yoga® teacher helps the practitioner choose practices and set up a practice schedule based on his purpose. A practitioner with a spiritual purpose will include more meditation in his practice schedule, while an older person will do simple breathing, stretching and relaxation practices to achieve the purpose of increased flexibility and stress relief.
In addition to learning the physical and mental yoga practices, Self-Reliant Yoga® puts emphasis on learning underlying principles. The practitioner will learn about the principles related to each physical pose and mental practice. Furthermore he will learn how to sequence physical postures and how to choose appropriate mental techniques for peace of mind. Learning the underlying principles will give the practitioner more flexibility and increased self-reliance. He doesn’t have to go running to his teacher with questions about every little detail; he will actually have the knowledge to stand on his own two feet.
When the practitioner has learned all the practices he needs to be able to achieve his purpose, he will be able to modify his practice according to his life schedule, combining personal practice at home or on the road with attending regular group classes and periodical retreats.
3. Progress
The key to practicing yoga on your own is measuring progress. This becomes doubly important when the practitioner has a clear purpose. If the goal is flexibility, then the practitioner must measure flexibility. If the goal is relaxation, then the practitioner must have measurements for that as well. Being able to measure progress will keep the yoga practice engaging and alive. Once the purpose has been achieved, the practitioner either changes his purpose or goes into maintenance mode, maintaining the progress that he has already made.
The practitioner will initially get help with the progress measurements, but as the name indicates, the goal is for the practitioner to become increasingly self-reliant in this aspect as well, creating his own practice schedules and progress measurements, with the occasional help from a qualified teacher.
