GOMBAK – Some common misconceptions about yoga are that the exercise is only made for slim and flexible people.
For someone who has been practising yoga for 10 years, Zida Reijnders said, physical appearance or capability is irrelevant to practising the ancient Indian science of exercise and healing.
“It’s not about (body) size in yoga. You’ll see someone who is a plus-size can also do the headstand. Nothing to do with the physicality of it.
“The purpose of yoga is not to fold you into eight. We do the asanas (poses) so that our body is relaxed. We store a lot of stress in our bodies without us realising it,” she told The Vibes.
Zida, who is also a Zumba instructor of 10 years and a high-intensity interval training trainer of five years, added that practising yoga felt like a natural fitness progression for her.
She said the most common misconception people have of yoga is that it is easier to practice than any other type of workout, but she begged to differ.
“Yoga focuses on the alignment of the mind, body, and soul. It is also a mental exercise that is equally important as physical exercise.
“While doing various types of yoga poses, you take time to de-stress and calm your mind. That is why towards the end of any yoga practice, we do a mindfulness ritual.
“Some would say breathing during the mindfulness exercise is the easiest part, but doing it while sitting still for an amount of time is not as easy as you think.
“During this process, you slowly let go of all the tension and ease into the mindfulness,” she said.
Zida had her yoga training with the Malaysian Association of Yoga Instructors (Mayi) and has landed a teaching opportunity there.
She shared that yoga had also taught her to seek internal validation and trust the transformation process of oneself.
“The first question I asked when I joined Mayi for training was why we don’t have mirrors (in the class). It is because we don’t need external validation.
“Your alignment comes with how you feel. As soon as you start looking at the mirror, even though it is just you and yourself, it is still considered an external validation coming from the mirror.
“Maybe you would tell yourself that you should lower your posture. If your body is not ready, you should not. You need to trust your body and your process. Your transformation will come.”
The Vibes met Zida when she was conducting a yoga session at Batu Caves Sri Subramaniar Temple yesterday with 26 other yoga instructors.
They guided around 800 yoga students at the 8th International Yoga Day celebration organised by the High Commission of India.
She was joined by her colleague, Priya Tee, who also said practising and training in yoga has helped strengthened her in more ways than one.
“I started to get into the instructors’ classes with my friends (to get certified) about 10 years ago. We are all from the dance academy.
“In the beginning, most of us started yoga only to stay fit and slim down, but we felt that was very superficial of us. As we progressed, we realised that yoga could also help with the transformation of our minds.
“With the breathing exercises incorporated into our daily yoga practice, we learned that it also improves our internal organs too.” – The Vibes, June 22, 2022
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