HEAT UP YOUR YOGA
CITY LIFE NEWS
May 31st 2011, 00:00
For the first time in South Africa, Ana T. Forrest, a trail-blazing celebrity in the contemporary yoga scene, will be teaching students how to burn off their limitations using a dynamic combination of
heat, breath and vigorous yoga sequences.
Ana Forrest has been transforming and healing people’s lives throughout the world for more than 35 years with her unique blend of physical practice, Eastern wisdom, and profound Native American ceremony called Forrest Yoga. With her wild mane of hair and intense gaze, Ana is far from the wafer-thin, insipidly serene yoga model; the type that looks as though they only consume water and would crumple if as much as a nasty thought crossed their aura. There’s a strong hint of Patti Smith and a generous dash of Sioux Indian about Ana. Like so many in the modern millennium, Ana is a magpie, borrowing from any tradition that suits her and weaving it into her own design. After becoming a certified yoga instructor at the age of 18, she became an ordained practitioner of Native American medicine, then studied Polarity Therapy, Acupressure, Homeopathy, Hands-on Healing, Shiatsu, Chiropractic, Martial Arts, Psychotherapy, and Regression Therapy.
This widespread gathering of wisdom goes against the grain of the traditional Indian yoga tradition, which emphasises the linear passing down of knowledge from guru to disciple. There really is very little that is traditional about Ana, and yet, at the same time she displays none of the flakiness of so many New Age teachers who are disciples of much and masters of very little. That Ana is a yogini master is obvious from her yoga displays, which evidence a rare degree of mental and physical mastery, with just a dash of Western exhibitionism. In her latest book, Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit, Ana candidly reveals the process of her liberation from her dysfunctional family. She talks frankly about growing up in physical and emotional pain as well as about her battles with abuse and addiction.
Throughout the weekend Ana will guide students of every level, from beginners to advanced practitioners, on how to use heat, deep breathing and vigorous sequences to sweat out toxins. The long holds in the pose progressions will oxygenate and rejuvenate every cell in your body. Ana’s yoga is not just the yoga of pretty postures: it is the yoga of finding freedom.
These weekend workshops seeks to encourage and enable you to reclaim your right to “walk in beauty”. Join Ana Forrest at Yoga Zone, 58 Strand Street, city centre, from 2–4 Sept. Space limited, booking essential. 021 421 8136, www.yogazone.co.za
Schedule:
Fri 2 Sept 6.30–9pm: Celebrate your practice
Sat 3 Sept 9.30am–noon: Open your heart
Sat 3 Sept 2–4.30pm: Journey to the core
Sun 4 Sept 9.30am–noon: Struggle-free yoga
Sun 4 Sept 2–4.30pm: Inversions and arm balances
