Shazia Omar

If your new year’s resolution included health, happiness and positive lifestyle, then making time for a yoga retreat is the best gift you can give yourself.

I was always interested in spirituality and yoga felt like an extension of that. I grew up in Norway and I loved to dance. I loved to move.

Externally simple, the Brahma mudra allows you to access deeper channels of inner focus. Everyone can do it, but its potency grows as students go deeper into their practice.

I have always been interested in spirituality, and wanted to understand more about life and our existence here on earth.

How did you get interested in yoga?

When I moved to Dhaka and was invited to a yogilates’ class, I did not know what to expect, but after the very first class with Shazia Omar, I knew I had found something I needed.

Arguably Simhasana is the funniest looking yoga pose, but also, Lion’s Breath is a powerful way to release toxins and clear your mind!

Tim is one of the most amazing yoga teachers I have come across. Prior to yoga, he was a dancer, but a near-lethal fall left him unable to walk. Years of yoga helped him rehabilitate and heal. Today, we will venture into his amazing story.

I had the pleasure of meeting George, an inspiring yogi, on one of my yoga training getaways in Koh Samui. His dedication to the practice, his sincerity and his humour, his commitment to his students, caught my interest. After exchanging a few words, I asked him for an interview and here it is.

If the body is stiff and the mind is rigid, what life can one live? The practice of yoga is to remove weeds from the body so that a garden can grow. Yoga stretches and strengthens the mind, body and spirit. No wonder yoga is the top choice for people living healthy lifestyles.

I am my mother's biggest fan, and growing up, I did everything she did- I basically wanted to be her! She was really into yoga (and Jane Fonda)

Helena Rosenthal first encountered the Ashtanga Vinyasa method when she was just 19 years old. For the past 11 years, she has taught at her own shala Ashtanga Pitanga in São Paulo, among many other local studios.

One of my favourite books on yoga is 'Light on Life' by BKS Iyengar. Revisiting the text after a couple of years, I am once again inspired by the insight Iyengar offers yoga practitioners. Below, I have tried to highlight some of his recommendations for practicing yoga postures (asanas).

Kapal bhati is a kriya, or yogic practice, which invigorates the brain and awakens the dormant centres which are responsible for subtle perceptions. Kapal means forehead. Bhati means light, but also 'perception' or 'knowledge.'

The course I took was a holistic immersion into three limbs of yoga. The daily practice consisted of two hours of breath work (pranayama), two hours of meditation (dhyana), one hour of chanting, as well as one hour of exercise (asanas).

There is a vital energy or life force flowing through us all, maintaining physical functions that keep us alive and healthy. Various cultures have assigned different names for this single life force; Qi, Chi, The Force. The Sanskrit term for life force is “prana.”

Today's full moon is called the Flower Moon in honour of May's abundant blooms. Flower Moon observations revolve around the bounty and beauty of nature this time of the year. The name has Native American origins, and in North America at this time, there are multitude of wildflowers in bloom, such as anemones, wild garlic, indigo, bluebells, lupines, sundrops, and violets.

Ask any med student, and they will all agree that the knee is probably the most complex joint in the body. As a matter of fact most of the people who take up my course come with problems related to weak knees, or injury. Others suffer back aches that originate from their knees, although they do not even realise it.

Yoga improves mental, psychological and physical health. Mindfulness techniques can help people reduce stress. Meditation can help

There are three core muscles in the abdominals: the transverse, the rectus and the internal and external obliques. In pilates, this core is referred to as the Power House. The power house is made up of three sets of muscles”