Nayana Kanthraj is wearing stretch jeans, a smart shirt, and is a mother of two — her second is just three-months old. Yet, she gets on the floor and demonstrates her asanas with ease. Meet the 33-year-old yoga teacher, who has won many awards for her passion for yoga.
She was introduced to yoga by her parents when she was 17. “Strangely I was drawn into it. I was more thrilled as I won many contests. It made me feel like an achiever. I also enjoyed the way it challenged and stretched it my limits .”
She was into practising Taekwondo, but adds, “It was yoga that calmed me down. I also noticed the acne on my face had reduced. ”
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Soon after finishing her masters in communication, Nayana worked as a content editor with Reuters and as a PR professional. “Yoga took a back seat and I noticed its effects on my mind and body,” she says. Nayana quit and took to practising yoga full time.
She never wanted to be a teacher. “I was assisting my teacher, who handed me his class when he moved to Mysore. My journey into teaching yoga started from there and led to the genesis of Yoga Bimba, my yoga school.”Nayana, the winner of the Dussera Yogashree in South India Yoga Championship and the Yoga Chitanya in South India Yoga Championship, explains that yoga helps “control blood pressure, diabetes, stress and even problems related to menstrual cycle.
“I had thyroid issues in my first pregnancy. With yoga, I was able to bring down the level. My gynaecologist was impressed that she gave me space in her clinic to teach yoga to other pregnant women,” she laughs.
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She started classes in yoga for pre and post natal care for women. “During my first pregnancy, I faced a few health issues but in my second, I continued yoga till the day of delivery and was healthier. It helps improve blood circulations in the legs during pregnancy.”
Nayana adds that she prefers women to practise yoga in their second and third semester. “Your body is worked out and feels stress free so you end up being happy.”
Besides teaching yoga she is also passionate about creating awareness on women’s health issues. She is organising a talk on cancer in women, on September 5. It is open to all. Her classes are held in Nagarbhavi. Nayana can be contacted on 9880161666 / 9880512390.