Upa Yoga

Looking for a simple yoga practice that you can incorporate into your daily lives to enjoy greater health? Upa Yoga may be what you are looking for.

Being a basic yoga practitioner since 2013 when I attended a trial session at True Yoga, my interest in yoga has been ever growing since then. 

The interest in yoga was partially cultivated by my discoid lupus condition which encourages me to have minimal sun exposure. 

As a result, I gave up many outdoor sports that I used to play with my siblings like badminton and basketball. 

I am always intrigued by how simple movements and proper breathing can have a dramatic impact on my overall well-being.  Having said that, I stopped yoga for close a year after I had a bleeding in my brain in Jan 2016.

I picked up yoga again in 2017 after I felt that my body has recovered from the life-threatening incident. 

Until recently, I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine who was sharing with me about Isha yoga. 

I visited their website and decided to attend one of their free sessions which was held at Punggol CC in Singapore in celebration of International Day of Yoga.  

It seems to be a yearly affair from what I gather. The turnout was quite big. About 30 plus people of all ages. 

The session started at 7.30 pm and concluded at about 9.20 pm. 

The Isha Upa Yoga covers a series of simple movements which can be conducted at any place and any time of the day.  There are 7 practices which can be done at any time of the day.

Follow these guidelines to set optimal conditions for your practice and derive the most benefits from it: 

1. Dedicate at least 1 hour for this practice. 

2. Please ensure that cell phones are either in silent mode or switched off. 

3. Avoid getting up, eating, drinking, or going to the rest room in-between. 

4. Advisable not to sit for the program with a full stomach or immediately after a meal. Somewhat hungry, light stomach, or empty stomach is optimal. 

5. Please sit with your spine comfortably erect, hands uncrossed and palms open. 

The practices are very safe and simple and can be done by anyone. 

Note

People with chronic diseases, pain, cardiovascular problems, consult a doctor before doing these practices and exercise precaution. 

Make sure to do everything slowly and gently and according to the instructions. 

If you are uncomfortable doing any particular practice, you can skip that one and do the next practice you are comfortable attempting. 

If you are feeling any pain or discomfort, stop and consult a doctor. 

The practices we will be learning here can be done by anyone aged 7 years and above.  If you wear glasses, while doing the yoga practices, please remove them and keep them aside.