Yoga in the Allgäu

1,500 years ago, the Indian sage Patanjali wrote that deep contentment allows us to experience boundless happiness. To this day, his sutras are taught around the world. One of the core messages is: “Yoga is the stilling of the mind’s activities.” When we experience this state through the practice of asanas, breathing exercises, and meditation, a field of energy filled with unimaginable possibilities can open up within us. We encounter our inner potential. We arrive. At home within ourselves.

The journey to our innermost selves, however, requires a great deal of discipline, mindfulness, and patience on our part. But it’s worth it! As soon as we begin to become more mindful, we realize just how inattentive we actually are. We discover that our intense engagement with cell phones and social media has conditioned our brains to have our attention increasingly tied to external stimuli: something flashes. Something beeps. Something moves quickly across the screen, capturing our attention. When these stimuli are absent, our brains feel bored and become restless.

Through yoga, on the other hand, we can rediscover our natural state of clarity and immediacy, of peace and serenity, of intuition, and of the deep knowledge of who we truly are at our core.

Yoga changes our brains and, as a result, boosts our zest for life! This is because every yoga sequence leaves its mark on the nervous system. By focusing our attention on our bodies and our breathing, we develop a form of mindfulness that helps us cultivate a healthy sense of distance from ourselves. We create, so to speak, a kind of inner observer who watches us as we think, act, and feel. Over time, our perception becomes increasingly refined—and we open ourselves up once again to the many little wonders of life!

Neuroscientists are aware of the beneficial effects of yoga on our brains and refer to this as neuroplasticity. The more we engage in the practice of yoga, the more our sensory neural circuits are stimulated, thereby promoting positive change. In a sense, we strengthen our ability to orient our minds toward our inner resources, to cope better with crisis situations, and to cultivate open and mindful relationships with other people and the world. Conversely, synapses die off when certain neural circuits are no longer used. This means that we can unlearn so-called bad habits if we stop practicing them.

Throughout our entire body, information is stored as “somatic markers” by the brain’s evaluation system. They provide the brain with constant feedback and form our memory of experiences.

What is particularly impressive is that an intensive yoga practice causes even older nerve cells to form denser, well-supplied networks that help the brain function more quickly and efficiently.

People who practice yoga regularly build up higher levels of a chemical that is essential for the survival of nerve cells: BDNF. This neurotransmitter is often referred to as “brain fertilizer” because it produces nutrients that nourish the nerves for nearly every activity we need for our thought processes. In addition, the rhythmic movements in yoga activate our body’s own reward system, creating a sense of relaxation and well-being .

All of this means that yoga definitely makes you more eager to live life to the fullest! And so it only makes sense that yoga is an integral part of our holistic program for our guests!

That's reason enough for us to see each other again soon on the yoga mat!

Namasté!