8limbsofyoga

‘When medical science gave up on me, yoga came to my rescue.’

Sakshi Singh is a yoga teacher based in Varanasi, India.

Sakshi Singh is a yoga teacher based in Varanasi, India.

1. What style (s)of yoga do you teach? And, where are you located?

I teach Hatha yoga and Yin yoga.I was born and raised in Varanasi, India and this is where I teach, as well.

2. What is your intention behind teaching?

My yoga calling came after an accident, where I was advised to suspend all physical activities like dancing and running for a few years.

And yoga helped me heal and recover from that within 2 months and I was able to do everything, that I used to do before my accident.

When medical science gave up on me, yoga came to my rescue.

And, I want people to help realise that the power to heal ourselves lies with us all along.We just need to find and utilise it in the correct way.

3. What have you realized about yourself as a yoga teacher? 

It’s not a realisation, per say, its more of a transformation I felt happening inside of me.

With each passing day, I became more patient, aware and awake.

4.What does Satya mean to you as a practitioner and teacher? 

For me it’s the most essential yama required to train the lower mind.

Being truthful with oneself and others is a virtue worth living for.Once we don’t feel the need to lie anymore, things and events take a drastic turn in life and for the good.

For mental peace, and meditative practice the mind needs to be at ease and for that one always needs to be true to themselves.

5. Please mention a book that you have read about yoga that has had a positive impact on you? 

Meditation and mantras by - Swami Vishnu Devanandaji 

The way he describes the connection between body and mind, and the path to connect them helped me change my physical practice to an intuitive one.

6. What has a student taught you about yoga? 

I was once teaching a class of people from Japan and since it was my first class, I was nervous as hell as all my students were older than I am.

So this one lady came up to me, talked to me to ease me up and told me that there’s no age of a teacher and no age of a student. Knowledge could be possessed and imparted by those who have it.

Just be patient and do what you do best.

7. How often do you practice Dharana and Asana? 

I practice asana 5 days a week. As of dharana, it’s something that i do when i feel overwhelmed by everything around me and just want to focus inside and reach out to my inner self.

8. How do you implement the other 7 limbs of yoga into your life other than Asana?

By monitoring my thoughts and redirecting them towards positive things, I try to follow the virtuous path and do the right thing always. And by practising karma yoga.

9. What does stillness mean to you? 

For me stillness is the state of mind where it’s not preoccupied with anything and is a clean slate.

We have a lot of samsakaras, thoughts, dreams and desires. So even when we are not physically doing anything, our mind is constantly processing loads of information. So bring that at halt, is stillness 

10. How can we keep up with you on social media? What is your IG handle and/ FB name?

My Instagram handle is - www.instagram.com/inquisitive _yogini

Facebook- inquisitive yogini

'This beautiful practice helped me to overcome the darkest days of my life...'

Nikola is a yoga teacher in Australia.

Nikola is a yoga teacher in Australia.

1. What style of yoga do you teach? And, where are you located?

 I teach vinyasa, hatha, yin and power yoga but my classes are usually a mix of different styles. I never really prepare classes upfront as I need to feel the atmosphere in the class to decide what is best for my students at that time. At the moment, I only teach online.

 

I live on the Gold Coast, Australia, but I am originally from the Czech Republic.


2. What is your intention behind teaching?

 My intention is to pass on something that my students can bring home with them after the class. To share what I love with others. I decided to become a yoga teacher because this beautiful practice helped me to overcome the darkest days of my life and I believe it can help others too. I also love connecting people to each other and give them space to meet likeminded individuals in my classes. And of course, another intention is to connect people to themselves and to their inner purpose.

 

 

3. Who are your mentors in yoga? 

Every teacher that has ever taught me, gave me something unique for my own practice and growth. That is true not only for my yoga teachers. I believe that the biggest impact on me and the way I teach was my Swedish teacher at the university that is forever my inspiration in every aspect of life.

 

As I travel a lot, I don’t have teachers for longer periods of time so I am trying to take as much as I can from every individual I meet on my journey. I wouldn’t say that I have ever had someone that I call a mentor though.


4. What have they taught you? 

 The greatest teachers in my life taught me how to be a better person.


5. Please mention a book that you have read about yoga that has had a positive impact on you? 

 Bhagavad Gita, Eastern Body, Western Mind, Yoga In Daily Life, The Language of Yin. I also love the book about yoga written by Czech authors Eduard Tomas and his wife Mila Tomasova.


6. What lesson are you currently learning in your Asana practice? 

 Listen to my body. I had an injury in December last year that is still healing, and I am not able to do many asanas as I was before. I am learning to take things easy, do not push myself too hard and be kind to myself.


7. How often do you practice? 

 For me, yoga is a way of life so in that sense I practice every day. I practice asanas and pranayama every day but some days when I don’t feel like it, I just skip. I practice meditation a few times a week, I love guided meditation. My favourite form of meditation is definitely ecstatic dance.


8. How do you implement the other 7 limbs of yoga into your life other than Asana? 

 I am trying to implement all the aspects of yoga into my daily life by the way that I live, how I take care of myself and how I interact with others.

 

 

9. Why is being present so important to you? 

 Every moment is special and unrepeatable. If we don’t fully enjoy it, we may never experience the same thing again and that would be really sad.


10. How can we keep up with you on social media? What is your IG handle and/ FB name?

 

IG: yoginitale

FB: Yogini Tale