By Gibron Rahim

YOGA is thousands of years old. Of course, it would be a mistake to say that modern practices of yoga exactly mirror those practices and disciplines that began millennia ago. It can be said with certainty though that yoga has always been a practice for both body and mind and not just a form of physical exercise. There are numerous yoga practitioners in Guyana who, having taught themselves yoga, are now imparting their knowledge.

Christina Basil was looking for a new hobby when she discovered yoga. She related to the Pepperpot Magazine that she had been living in St. Lucia at the time. Her mother’s friend Alana, who she followed on Instagram, was a practitioner and inspired Christine to take it up. She started teaching herself with the yoga challenge “#letsgetflexy2015” hosted by Instagram users @beachyogagirl and @kinoyoga. “It was actually supposed to be beginner friendly so I plunged right into it,” said Christina. “After then, I kept doing challenges to improve my practice.”

Christina began teaching yoga in November 2016. She had just returned to Guyana to begin her studies at the University of Guyana and someone urged her to try teaching. “I was playing around with the idea but never felt confident enough to teach,” she explained. “But I gave it a try anyway.” Then tragedy struck. Christina had only been teaching for a month when she was involved in a three-vehicle smash-up. For five months she was unable to teach classes, though her personal practice continued. “It was actually yoga that got me walking faster than expected,” related Christina. She officially restarted teaching classes in April 2017.

PLAYFUL CHALLENGE
Annie Gomes first became interested in yoga after completing a challenge put to her by her brother. “My brother just playfully challenged me one day to do a move that he saw,” she explained. She was able to perform the move but did not find it as easy as she had thought. After that experience, Annie began looking up exercises that dealt more with flexibility and balance than strength and building muscles. “I came across yoga and the rest is history.”

Teaching herself yoga meant that Annie needed to use all the tools at her disposal. “The internet is a world of knowledge,” she said emphatically. She came across a few pages on YouTube at first. Links from there led her to various articles, research papers, free online courses and websites like Yoga Journal and Yoga.com. “You come across sites like these and you’re able to follow the instructions and incorporate them into your own practice,” she related.

Annie made the decision to begin imparting her yoga knowledge around July last year. “I was between six and seven months pregnant,” she recalled. It was a nudge from her husband that set events into motion. She partnered with the group ‘Live ProActive’ and, seeing that there was a need and interest, they got yoga classes going. “That’s really how the teaching started.”

There are numerous benefits to practising yoga, as both Christina and Annie noted. Christina related that, in addition to toning the body, yoga truly relaxes. “The breathing aspect of it is amazing,” she said. “When you finally get to control your breath and have it aligned with your body movement, it’s one of the best things ever.” She added, “It’s a whole new way of living after then.” She has found that conquering poses does more than help in the practice of yoga, it can also help remove mental blockages when approaching tasks in everyday life.

MANY REWARDS

Annie noted that there are mental, emotional and spiritual rewards to practising yoga. “You are able to strengthen all areas of yourself,” she said. Yoga does not just teach physical movements and postures, it strengthens the body and the mind. “And it translates into your day-to-day activities,” Annie explained. “You are more patient, you are more kind and you’re more of a rounded, respectable person as a result of yoga.” She pointed out that its teachings and principles provide much mental and emotional grounding.
It is important to start slow when beginning a yoga practice. “Get your foundation firm and extremely strong first before attempting anything else,” said Christina. She noted that the foundation essentially comprises Sun Salutations A and B. Mastering those two poses, she related, can lead to ‘mastering’ any other pose. It is also important to listen to one’s body and its signals. “Most importantly, have an open mind,” Christina stated. “Like I always tell my students, yoga is not dependent on body size or age.” She noted rather that, “We all have our strengths and weaknesses and it’s important for you to trust the process!”
And there is also no need to get caught up in the belief that yoga can only be practiced with fancy yoga gear. “In my opinion, it’s all a tremendous waste of money,” Christina said. “It’s a gross exploitation of what should be a humble practice.” She advised using clothes and props that are already available to practice and using one’s carpet until a mat can be obtained. “To me, that’s the only thing worth investing in – a yoga mat.”
Annie’s most important piece of advice to those interested in yoga is simple – start yesterday. “If you wait then you can talk yourself out of it,” she said. There are many resources available to help in beginning a yoga practice. “I am available, the internet is available,” she pointed out. “You can just get into it right away, don’t waste any time. Find the right persons and resources to link to and then do it like yesterday.”

Christina Basil can be followed on Instagram @datyogachick. She will present “Yoga & Wine” on May 25 from 17:00hrs to 18:00hrs, the first event of its kind in Guyana and the Caribbean. Annie Gomes can be followed on Instagram @annieyoga_fitness.