Our Yoga
Yoga is an ancient practice, routed in the prehistoric cultures of Northern India. Through the millennia, endless contributions have been made to this immense tradition, providing a rich diversity in the philosophies and practices that all sit under the umbrella of Yoga's past and present.
While we gratefully draw on the wisdom of many of the traditions within Yoga, SSY is founded upon the philsophies of Tantrik Yoga. Not to be confused with what is commonly now known as Tantric Yoga or Neo-Tantra, Tantra (meaning literally ‘work’) is a philosophy that underpins the pursuit of a spiritual path for the ‘householder’, the term used to describe those living in the world, having jobs, families and responsibilities.
Tantra emerged in Kashmir, India, in the 8-9th Centuries CE, drawing on the previous yoga traditions of the area with the view of making accessible the path of the yogi to all. In Tantrik Temples, men, women and all castes were held in equal status, and the philosphies became the most widely practiced in India up until the 13th Century. The development of our modern postural yoga is directly drawn from it's influence.
Tantra differentiates from those traditions whose adherents renounce the world, or parts of it and themselves in pursuit of a spiritual path, at SSY we seek to embrace the world and ourselves as our spiritual path. Forging a deeply respectful relationship with ourselves, body and mind, is the first step on that path.
In our practice we aim to cultivate a healthy body, strength, flexibility and self-compassion. Through the lens of our yoga practice our observation becomes the means of increasing conscious attention to ourselves, our motivations and habits and compassionate awareness of other’s journeys. In that way we can show up in the world responsibly and authentically, all the while keeping our cup full.
At a time when we're pressured to be more, do more and buy more, yoga invites us to press the pause button, reconnect with body and mind and nourish our spirit. From that place we can be more fully in our life, enjoying what we have here and now.