PRACTISING YOGA DAILY can enhance true inner and external beauty like shiny hair, trim body and radiant skin, say experts. You can not only transform your physical features but also improve inner strength by practicing this ancient Indian discipline. As we mark Global Yoga Day today, we chat with Dubai’s Fatima Garcia de Andres, who teaches Ashtanga Yoga in the city. We want young people, who are seeking yoga, to know that you can reflect real beauty only when you are healthy from inside, and practicing this holistic discipline will help you achieve that. It brings calm, peace, health and happiness to all. Excerpts from our conversation with de Andres:
When did you get started?
I started studying dance in Spain when I was 8 years old. During that time, I received my first yoga class which was a special method based on alignment and postural correction for dancers. After this, I moved to Paris for further dance studies where I had the opportunity to mix yoga into my daily dance routine. But it was not until I moved to India in 2009 that my self transformation and induction into yoga actually began. I started my yoga studies at Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiran Institute in Chennai. However, I was more fascinated by the Ashtanga Vinyasa method thanks to my teachers Srimathy Gopalakrishna, Monica Marinoni and Alex Medin. I then decided to practice at Ashtanga Yoga Institute, Chennai under Srimathy and Ravi. Following this, I went to study yoga philosophy at Bihar school of Yoga and Pranayama in the Himalayas. In 2012, I moved to Kerala to study Sivananda Yoga. However, the allure of Ashtanga Vinyasa never left me and it took me to Goa where I met my beloved master Rolf Naujokat and his wife Marci Naujokat with whom I studied for three years at their school in Anjuna. After a few trips to Mysore to study at KPJAYI ( Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute) and following yoga teaching stints in India and Nepal , I was offered a teaching opportunity in Dubai. I now study under the guidance of Nea Ferrier at Ashtanga Yoga Dubai (a place that teaches traditional methods by R. Sharath Jois).
How long have actually you been practising yoga?
I’ve been practising Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga since 2010. But it was only in 2011 when I got into daily practice and this helped transform my life completely (body and mind). This was, however, possible due to my passion and the knowledge and guidance by my teachers.
What are the health benefits of yoga?
Yoga is much more than just a physical experience. It is a science, a philosophy, a way of life. Once you are committed to it, you will experience the rich, vast and positive impact it has actually on every aspect of your life – from our food habits to our thoughts. Some of the benefits of yoga include clarity of thought, kindness, empathy, compassion, sharp intuition, intelligence, and a strong and healthy body which in turn leads to a calm and peaceful mind.
Who would certainly you recommend yoga to?
Everybody, especially those who want to overcome ills and fears. Yoga can be adapted to people of all ages, health conditions, limitations or mental state. It will benefit anyone who is committed.
CT interactive
“Yoga gives me inner peace, instigates positivity and helps me inhale and exhale positivity to and from the universe. I’m a happy yogi.”
Mehreen Sabiuddin
arti@khaleejtimes.com
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