Wake up to Yoga [antikvár]

IntroductionIf anyone had mentioned the word Yoga to me a few years ago, it would immediately have conjured up images of weird men tied up in knots, meditating in the foothills of the Himalayas. I am sure that there are many people who still think this way, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is a fact that Yoga is ancient and originated in the East, but there is no reason why we cannot adapt it and benefit from it here in modern-day Western society, and that is what Wake up to Yoga is all about.BiographyI was originally trained to be a classical ballet dancer, and on completion of my training, I went to Italy to join an operatic company and I lived and worked there happily for five years.During the latter part of my stay in Italy I found that I was being offered more and more modelling work, and I discovered that not only was this effortless compared to dancing, but it was also a much more lucrative occupation. On my return to this country, I became a full-time model, and though I was successful and made a lot of money 1 found 1 was getting very little satisfaction. Then in 1970 1 was introduced to Yoga and my whole life changed.At first I did only one or two of the movements a day, simply because it felt good, but the more I got out of them the longer I wanted to spend each day practising, and the hungrier I became for knowledge about Yoga.I felt marvellous and I wanted to know why.I began to study, and subsequently went on to research the medical angle with an Indian doctor who had both studied and practised the Yoga movements for fifteen years. I realized that not only had 1 found the most medically sound and logical way of keeping my body in peak condition, but having experienced various other forms of exercize and keep-fit as well as a rigorous ballet training, I was convinced that this was definitely the easiest and the most pleasurable way.There were no energetic or repetitive movements such as I had been used to, no feelings of exhaustion and fatigue. In fact, quite the reverse. I felt refreshed, relaxed and revitalized afterwards.My friends, noticing the marked physical and psychological change in me, were constantly asking me to teach them the movements. This I eventuallydid, andseeingthembenefitas I had, convinced me that 1 wanted to teach and pass on what I had learned so that many others could benefit as well.'I ' >-1III.IM'il I i-t