Can you remember the first time you stood at the top of your mat to ventured into the world of home practice? When faced with this conundrum Ruth Delahunty, a Dublin based yoga teacher, decided to build the sequencing tool, Yogaru sequencing cards, to help yogis bridge this gap between studio classes and home practice.
Yoga Brings us Balance
Yoga is all about bringing balance back – physically, mentally and spiritually. It counteracts the busy lives we all lead and helps us deal with everyday situations. ”My home practice is my comfort blanket, it reminds me that I am perfectly imperfect – I turn to it to find grounding; bring myself back to me; keep calm with my kids; find space to breathe a full breath; and help me make conscious choices throughout the day.” Ruth believes that the fast pace of life has made disciplines like yoga an important component of balance. Students come to the practice of yoga for many different reasons, but are all in agreement on the positive effect it has on the mind.
Creating Yogaru
Combining her long career as a graphic designer with her passions for yoga she created her 108 Asana Yoga Sequencing Cards to share the many benefits of yoga. “When I was doing my yoga teacher training I found it very hard to find visual aids for sequencing. I remember thinking yoga really needs more of a design presence. Soon after I finished my training I took up the challenge of designing a tool to make sequencing more available for students of any level of experience curious to try out home practice.” The 108 Asana cards are designed to tailor to individual needs and level of experience for students to get the most out of their time on the mat. The aim is to simplify sequencing and help students understand what gives them the ‘feel good factor’ from yoga, and how they can assimilate it in their home practice – giving them easy-to-use tools to take control of their practice and their health. The cards are the perfect partner to a busy life!
Hamsa
The hand symbol of the Yogaru logo is called a hamsa which means ‘five’. It is an ancient Egyptian emblem of protection adopted by yoga symbolism. The symbol brings happiness, peace, luck and prosperity. Each fingers of the hand symbolises the five senses, five elements (including ethereal), and five of the seven chakras. The teal colour of the logo has very calming attributes and is associated with refreshing, energy, wisdom, wholeness, creativity, emotional balance, spiritual grounding and tranquility.
Ruth has also created a yoga lifestyle website – Yogaru.ie – promoting a yoga way of living on and off the mat through yoga sequences; tips on nutrition and recipes; and favourite finds of the month. Along with many other online publications she regularly contributes to the WellFest award winning online publication and is part of the yearly festivals yoga crew.
