contact us
feedback
calendar
mobile
our links
Healthy New Year
|
|
|
|
|
 |
You Magazine, January 2010
Yoga
Maya Fiennes (left, sister-in-law of Ralph and Joseph) is a yoga
teacher who counts Elle Macpherson among her clients. With her
new book Yoga for Real Life, she looks set to do for yoga
what Nigella has done for food.
I discovered yoga when I was a concert pianist
I suffered from pre-performance nerves which meant my hands would go
stiff and cold. I overcame my anxiety by doing yoga before every
concert and it gradually became an essential part of my life.
Yoga isn't about tying yourself into a pretzel
That's gymnastics. The aim of yoga is to prepare the mind and body
for meditation. Ironing out the aches, pain and imbalances in the body
allow you to sit for long periods without being distracted. People of all
ages and body types can do it. I have taught everyone from a child of six
to a woman of 90.
You need to find the right style for you
Hatha is a general term for all physical yoga. Astanga is fast paced
and often called 'power' yoga; bikram is yoga practised in 38C heat; iyengar
holds poses over long periods; jivamukti is physically intense, accompanied
by chanting (Sting is its most famous follower); kundalini, the style
that I teach, works with rapid repetitive movements and is a mind, body,
spirit work-out.
Yoga helps you lose weight...from your mind
It isn't about weight loss. It deals with the far more important issue of
how you think. If you're counting calories you're carrying guilt around
and it's that you have to lose. People do lose weight, but that's because
yoga improves digestion, eliminates toxins and gives you a far better posture.
It can make you taller
As we age, the spine becomes a magnet for toxins and becomes rigid. Yoga
works on core strength, improving flexibility in the spine and stopping the
build-up of these toxins. Suddenly you are standing up straight. You can
gain inches and lose years.
It can help you pass exams
I taught yoga to children in school in Switzerland just ahead of their exams.
The teachers were amazed by how they improved their focus - and
their results. Yoga increases the intake of oxygen into the brain and
bloodstream, creating alertness and receptivity to learning.
Yoga is effective in prisons
It calms the breathing and blood pressure, which helps with anger
management. It is also great for ex-addicts because it gives you a high
without any form of self-harm. And it's particularly beneficial for people
with special needs, such as autism, as it helps focus and quieten the mind.
Yoga is not competitive
There are now international yoga championships, and it is being touted as
a possible Olympic sport, but this is purely for demonstration. You cannot
compete - it's about internal growth not external show.
Yoga for Real Life by Maya Fiennes will be published by Atlantic Books
on Tuesday, price £14.99
|
|
|
|
site map
Mens womens health beauty
lower back exercises
Peace love and happiness
Health wellness, stress relief management
mantras and Buddha necklace
(c) 2010 copyright mayaspace.com. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
