Svasthayoga

svastha yoga – the art of self-care

The timeless art of yoga offers a myriad of tools to help us to be in the state of svastha, that is, a place of optimal health and balance. The essence of Svastha Yoga is the combination of movement, breath and mindfulness. This lays the foundation from which a positive mind-body connection emerges and we are able to live in harmony – with ourselves, with others and with our environment.

Svastha Yoga New Zealand was founded by Barbara Coley, an experienced and knowledgeable teacher, who is passionate about helping her students towards greater health & peace of mind using the wisdom of yoga and ayurveda. She specialises in personalised yoga, mainly teaching one-to-one but also teaches a weekly group class for general health & fitness, a weekly pregnancy yoga class and presents regular workshops on yoga as a practice of self-care.

Barbara is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists and is registered at the 500 hour level with Yoga Alliance (RYT500). She presents an internationally recognised yoga teacher training program and yoga therapy training program. Ultimately yoga is an individual practice that addresses each persons’ unique needs and goals; Barbara’s desire is to educate and inspire you to nurture your own well-being, embrace your individuality and practice in a manner that makes sense to you.

breath – movement – mindfulness

Svastha Yoga is informed by the teachings of the legendary yogi Sri T. Krishnamacharya. It is an integrated approach, combining functional movement, deep, comfortable breathing and mindfulness in order to cultivate a healthy body and a calm mind.

The approach of Svastha Yoga is a personalised one. This is the traditional methodology of teaching where the teacher supports and guides the student with practices that meet their individual needs.With a regular Svastha yoga practice, you can expect to see improved movement & postural patterns, agility and strength. You will also notice more contentment and peace of mind, clarity of thought and the ability to maintain equanimity in daily encounters.

Barbara teaches mainly outside of the typical ‘studio’ environment where instruction is necessarily at a common level and facilitates an environment where you can tune into where you are today, listen to your own body and breath, and practice in a manner that makes sense to you.

“Svastha has allowed an easiness in both my body and mind that extends well beyond the time in class and I could not ask for more than that.” ~ Fiona Gordon Our aim is to educate and inspire you to bring positive change into your life via your practice, whether that be by improving physical health, improving the function of bodily systems (respiratory, digestive etc.), or becoming calmer and clearer in the mind. This practice is adapted to you and we start exactly where you are, there is no need to worry about being flexible or a certain age or body type to begin. The underlying philosophy of this practice is that it suits who you are!