SARVANG (sarv + ang, sarv means all, ang means limb/s) in Sanskrit means pertaining to all limbs / all encompassing. It is a name of Shiva, who is considered to be the originator of Yoga (Yogadhiraj) - the ultimate meditator.
SARVANG is also an acronym for Spiritually Awakening, Rejuvenating, Veda-Aligned, Nourishing Gratitude (Yog).
We practice Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Yin Yoga, Chair Yoga, Laughter Yoga, and Yoga-Pilates Fusion under the umbrella of SARVANG Yog at VYAYAM.
Signature Format & Features of SARVANG Yog created & taught by Vidya Nahar at VYAYAM :
1) Each SARVANG Yog class / practice at VYAYAM begins with posture & breath awareness, leading to mental intention setting for that practice, awakening the seventh chakra - Sahstraar Chakra (crown chakra). Sahastrar means thousand rays emanating from the inner sun (sol - soul), radiating one's aura.
2) After setting the intention, practice proceeds to eye muscle movements to sharpen the peripheral vision in all directions, utilizing different techniques each time. Eyes are the most over-utilized muscles in the body that need stretching, too. Most of the times, our eyes are glued to screens in front of us, narrowing our frontal vision and side vision. Eye muscle movements help you keep your eyes in good shape. Eyes and ears are directly attached to the brain. Hence, eye muscle movements also awaken, alert, & sharpen your brain. Eyes also play an important role in our balances. Weak eye muscles lead to poor balance. Hence all of our classes begin with eye exercises that will help us improve our balance and focus. Eye muscle movements activate the third eye center located between the two eye-brows, which is also the inner eye and the home of the Aajnyaa Chakra (command center). This is our discretionary faculty. This is where we decide what is wrong / what is right for us.
3) Eye muscle movements are followed by neck movements in all directions to relieve the stress from work, driving, talking on phone, lifting weights, wrong sleeping position, watching TV, and so on. Neck is a very vital & delicate joint in the body, and we need to be extra careful, deliberate, any time we are dealing with neck. This awakens the fifth Chakra - throat chakra - Vishuddhi Chakra. This is the chakra associated with spirituality. Many important actions are facilitated through this center - breathing, speaking, eating.
4) Then come the shoulder and arm warm-up moves. Shoulders are the most mobile joints in the body. They can move in all three planes, and we need to keep them active in all these three planes - frontal, sagittal, & transverse. These also affect one's back, neck, chest, as they are all connected. This awakens the fourth chakra - heart center - Anaahat Chakra. This is the chakra associated with love, compassion. This is where we start accepting others in our lives, after satisfying our personal needs.
5) Then come the trunk rotations & warm-ups to invigorate the abdominal region and the entire spinal column, awakening the third chakra - MaNipur Chakra located at the navel center. This is our fire center / ego center. Whatever we do is driven from here. We all need healthy egos to survive and thrive. We need abdominal fires to convert our food into energy.
6) Trunk rotation is followed by hip limbering awakening our second chakra - SvaadhiShThaan Chakra located at our reproductive organs, associated with our sensual pleasures.
7) Leg warm-up moves and strengthening poses awaken the first Chakra - Muulaadhaar Chakra or the root chakra, associated with our survival needs, basic instincts, feeling rooted, grounded, and supported.
8) After about 15 minutes of warm-ups, main practice begins, which may consist of twists, forward folds, back-bends, side stretches, supine / prone / seated / standing postures, balances, core-strengthening moves, arm-balances, weight-bearing moves, and inversions, with or without props / equipment, such as yoga blocks, straps, resistance tubes, wall, chair, yoga wheels, stability balls, dumbbells, medicine balls, stability discs, gliding discs, foam rollers, etc. Sometimes we hold poses longer, and sometimes we keep moving through the whole class. The idea is not to do same routine over and over again. This keeps your mind and body fresh and attentive in each practice, instead of doing things on cruise control and letting the mind wander.
9) Each practice ends with a shavaasana (corpse position relaxation), praaNaayaam practice (different yogic breathing techniques each time), meditation (different meditation techniques each time), and laughter yoga (different laughter techniques each time).
10) Breath and posture awareness & breath synchronized movement are a big part of SARVANG Yog practice.
11) Practicing a sense of gratitude and generosity, kindness is the spirit of SARVANG Yog.
12) We don't have downward facing dog, & Push-up Vinyasa sequences repeating again and again in our classes. In fact, many practice routines are completely free of these repetitive movements, while still maintaining a flow of breath-aligned movements and poses.