Our director Ananda had a chat with Lyn from health and wellbeing website, Stilettos and Green Juice. Lyn is passionate about teaching women new strategies to cope with their stress and emotions that doesn’t involve binge eating and partying. We love her passion so check out her interview with Ananda!
Lyn: What drew you to yoga over other exercise practices?
Ananda: Initially, my mother introduced me to the practice of yoga. Later in life I was drawn to yoga because I was seeking something deeper. I wasn’t interested in going into a space and sweating. At this time, I had many issues with my body and felt that if was going to a gym class and sweating, it instilled something in my mind that made me feel as though I needed to eat more. At the beginning, I was struggling with eating disorders and found the practice was one of nourishment and nurturing for this body that had become such a battleground for me. Through yoga I began to nourish my body, feel safe and re-establish a relationship with myself.
I’ve heard yogis say that you can deal with any of life’s challenges on the yoga mat. Can you explain how yoga can help every area of your life? Has it helped you overcome challenges? What has yoga taught you about life?
It is true that a lot of yoga teachers say that this practice can generate something that you can pull from into your daily life. On the matt, if you breathe through the exercises, you’ll be able to breathe through other situations in your life. On a very real level, I believe this whole-heartedly.
What the practice has instilled in my life is more of a storage bank. Through a long period of time, showing up time and time again no matter what state of mind I am in- that dedication and discipline has built within me a bank of strength to turn to during life’s challenges. It has given me the space to observe myself and how I am participating in the world. It has given me time and space to breathe and listen.
For me, it is not so much what I get from the practice anymore on a day to day basis, but rather the experiences that have happened from day to day over time. I have had the opportunity to discover who I am and wish to be in the world.
People perceive yoga teachers as zen like all the time, but I am sure you get stressed out too! What do you do to calm down when you can’t do yoga? (e.g in a meeting, in traffic, talking to a difficult client! etc)
This is an interesting question. One of my practices as being a teacher is to not come across as a guru, Zen or someone higher. I am just sharing my experiences of dedicated practice and a commitment to a something that has shifted my experience in the world and given me tools to find freedom, connection and happiness. This is not to say that I no longer get stressed or find life challenging on a daily basis. When I am in a confronting situation, the build up of practice gives me strength and is a solid foundation to which I can turn.
