Yoga, relaxation and meditation
We teach authentic classical yoga and, apart from yoga poses, our yoga courses also contain breathing exercises, deep relaxation and meditation.
The classical yoga gives clarity and energy, and at the same time it has a de-stressing and deep psychic effect. There are both simple exercises for beginners, various dynamic practices where breath and movement go together, as well as more advanced yoga poses, where you remain completely still in each pose for a longer while.
We follow one tradition and do not mix different yoga styles. This means that we can offer a uniform and coherent teaching, where the different elements of yoga enhance each other and together create a whole.
The yoga poses help you to release tensions, sluggishness and stress in the body. The energy flows more freely and you become healthier, stronger and more flexible. The breathing exercises strengthen and harmonize the effect of the yoga poses. They increase your energy and create clarity and focus. Meditation and deep relaxation enhances the effect even further and give rest, peace and overview. The courses are planned in detail, for optimal effect - and we have long classes so that you have time to calm down.
Our teachers are well educated and have a profound personal experience of yoga and meditation. We have a four year full-time yoga teacher training, plus two additional years for teaching meditation. This makes it possible for us to pass on a genuine and professional teaching, firmly rooted in the original tradition. In brief, a yoga that really works!
Do you want to know more? We can recommend you to join a free introduction to yoga and meditation, or a drop-in class. You can also read more about the contents of the yoga courses below.
What do the yoga courses contain?
Yoga Poses
On the beginners courses, we start with simple tension-releasing exercises, which stimulate your whole body and make it supple. Thereafter follow more dynamic exercises that especially strengthen the back and train your balance, and finally the deep-reaching classical yoga poses.
On the intermediate and advanced courses we go deeper with what you have already learnt, and we go on with more advanced programmes. You learn how to enhance the effect of yoga by remaining still in the poses for a longer while.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises increase your energy level and balance the nervous system when you use them regularly. Mental tensions are released, and you can let go of states like stress and depression. Thereby you improve your concentration and ability to act. Breathing exercises are done after yoga poses and before relaxation and meditation.
Yoga Nidra
A meditative deep relaxation that relaxes and brings consciousness into your whole body and mind. You lie completely still on your back and follow the guidance. Doing Yoga Nidra on a regular basis makes it easier to relax in your daily life and the quality of sleep is improved. Yoga Nidra is part of all our yoga and meditation courses.
Tratak
The courses in yoga, relaxation and meditation include the concentration technique Tratak. Here, you train your ability to keep your attention on one thing in a relaxed way. Tratak strengthens and relaxes the eyes and makes it easier to visualize.
Meditation
On the beginner courses in yoga, relaxation and meditation you learn the meditation Returning®, a version of Inner Silence (Antar Mauna), as well as the first steps of The Source of Energy® (The Little Ajapa Japa). In Returning, you learn to let go of thoughts and impressions. In The Source of Energy we use a specific breath that gives strength and relaxation. On the intermediate and advanced courses, we go on with further steps and longer meditations.
Course Material
…is not compulsory, but to support your practice of yoga and meditation at home, we recommend the book Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life and the CD Experience Yoga Nidra by Swami Janakananda. Both can be bought at the school in Stockholm, or in our webshop run by Haa Retreat Center.
For more information in English
...please visit our English homepage. At Håå International Retreat Center in Småland, all the longer retreats are instructed in English.