My Yoga Journey - Beginnings

Post by Ali Kamenova Interval Yoga.

If I'm feeling too lazy to practice yoga, I just look at the beautiful photo of Ali Kemenova doing the advanced wheel pose above...because after over a decade of practising on and off, I still couldn't do this! Someday.... :-)

Meanwhile, I just keep reminding myself that yoga is not really about being able to do the advanced poses (asanas). I remember the first classes I took at the Iyengar studio in Cuba Street. Why did I choose to start with Iyengar?

Iyengar teaches you to how to do the asanas correctly using props so you don't hurt yourself and you get the maximum benefit out of each session. But more importantly than that, it teaches you how to practice pranayama, the practice of controlling your breath, to calm and revitalise your mind, body and spirit. Pranayama is the heart of yoga.

After a few months, though, I got bored with the purist approach of the original studio and moved to another Iyengar studio that taught a more dynamic form but still retained the use of props and ensuring that poses are done precisely.

My first yoga studio

Now that I'm more confident, stronger, more flexible...know how to do the asanas precisely AND understand my body's limitations, I've started practising Vinyasa...which is faster paced and links the sequence of asanas with the flow of breath.

Anita Goa explains it best: What is Vinyasa Yoga?

There are so many full Vinyasa yoga classes for beginners in YouTube but Anita, Ali and Sadie Nardine are the best ones I've tried to date. It's good to learn from different teachers because each one passes on little nuggets of wisdom from years of practice...and the variety keeps you from getting bored. Namaste!

Vegetable and Meatball Soup

A beautiful, nourishing vegetable and meatball soup that you can put together in no time :) I used purple sweet potato (kumara) specifically because it disintegrates and gives the soup a creamy texture without using dairy ingredients. The meatballs can be omitted for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil
2 medium leeks, trimmed, halved, washed, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 stalks, trimmed, chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 purple sweet potato (kumara), peeled and cut into small cubes
6 meatballs
a handful of flat leaf parsley, thyme and chives, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 L chicken stock or water

Method:
Step 1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes or until leek has softened. Add celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Step 2. Add carrot and potato. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add stock or cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Step 3. Add sweet potato, parsley, thyme, chives and meatballs. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.