The below text is from yesterday morning, something I wrote straight after the yoga class I had taken. It was one of those moments when the right words to express what had until then been just a slightly uncomfortable feeling came to me and demanded to be written down straight away. So I sat down and typed everything on my phone, in the fear that I would lose…
If you found my previous post interesting (or annoying, just as valid), there is more! In a documentary entitled “Who Owns Yoga?” the Al-Jazeera correspondent Bhanu Bhatnagar “explores the impact of our modern obsession with one of the world’s oldest physical and spiritual practises.” It’s only 50 minutes long and it features well established names from the yoga world in the West and East, such as Sharon Gannon…
Can yoga ever be considered as a (competitive) sport?
September 6, 2017Few months ago a fellow yoga teacher posted on Facebook an article about whether or not yoga should be considered as a sport that triggered my interest. For most of us the mere idea of talking yoga and sport, let alone yoga as a competitive sport, seems outrageous. The steady breathe, the journey for emotional and maybe even spiritual wellbeing and inner peace that we associate with yoga…
Since 2015 the 21st June has not only marked Summer Solistice but also the International Day of Yoga, as agreed (by an unprecedented consensus) by the United Nation’s General Assembly in December 2014. The idea to observe Yoga Day came from India’s Prime Minister Narenda Modi who at the time stated: “For us in India, respect for nature is an integral part of spiritualism. We treat nature’s bounties…
Some of you might already have seen the video starring the international yoga teacher Briohny Smith did for the US fitness chain Equinox some six years ago. At the time the clip caused quite an uproar (mainly in the US, not sure if anybody in Europe cared…) as some considered it to be portraying yoga in an overtly sexual way, not representing the “true spirit” of the practise…
Yoga Etiquette – Good-to-knows for new students
May 31, 2017It can be just as daunting as it is exciting to start a new activity and yoga is no exception to that. Whether you start to practise in a fancy yoga studio or at a more down to earth community centre, here’s a list of few unwritten rules that most yogis around the word follow. The physical yoga practise is individual yet collectively done and observing common guidelines…
Working together with Hadjios Valley Villas and Gym in Mazotos, Larnaca, I am now offering three weekly classes at their premises. We want these classes to be accessible to everybody in the community of Mazotos, the nearby villages and also the tourists visiting us. This is why we offer the classes at a very reasonable price, with three different pricing options to choose from. The classes are taught…
The days of full moon hold various beliefs and significance for most cultures and across spiritual and scientific realms. In Buddhist ideology, full moon days are important as a time for religious reflection. Some cultures see the moon as a feminine (yin) symbol, representing the rhythm of time. The round circular form of full moon is also seen as the image of wholeness and strength. Native Americans gave…
We all know how important drinking enough water is and now with summer upon us, the sun reminds us of that as well. Whilst it can be easy to pop into the nearest kiosk for a half a litre bottle, or get an extra litre from the guy selling drinks on our way to that more remote beach, we all agree this is not the most economically or…
Yoga, Spirituality and Reddit
March 10, 2017There are as many yoga stereotypes out there are as there are styles of yoga. And as with all the stereotypes, they do not come completely from nowhere, just as much as they do not represent the whole truth either. From time to time I come across comments from people who express interest in yoga, followed by a “but” and a reference to the level of spirituality associated.…