Katina hails the ‘remarkable’ effects of yoga
YOGA teacher Katina Bennett embraced the practice as a way of life after enduring a very tough time nine years ago. Her journey in the discipline began when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and the couple lost their home and building business. Yoga became a way of coping with the stress she was under, and after being encouraged by her teacher, Katina began studying to become an instructor herself.
Recalling that terrible time in her life, Katina, who has a specially built yoga studio at her home in Christchurch, told the A&T: “At the time, losing this wonderful, gorgeous home was devastating, but now I look back and see it as all just material things. What mattered most was my husband.”
She continued: “Yoga is not just exercise; it’s a way of life. It teaches you so much, on so many different levels. You learn to really cherish the important things – health, happiness, peace.
“For me finding yoga has been like being given a gift, I love helping people through difficult times, I love seeing them happy.”
Teacher training was not easy for Katina, who suffers from dyslexia and struggled with the reading and writing aspect of the course.
“I was close to giving up but I persevered,” she said. “My teacher told me, ‘stick it out’. They had faith in me, they believed I could do it and I did. That’s very much my motto now: ‘You can and you will’.
Katina was a trained dancer, having gone to London’s Corona Theatre School, and worked in show business on TV, in theatres and in clubs throughout the world.
“Some of the poses in yoga do bear a resemblance to those in dance, but it is a completely different discipline,” she said. “Everything is very holistic – your whole body is involved as well as your mind.
“Sometimes when you are practising yoga, your emotions can be touched very deeply. It may be tears, other times it is a sense of happiness, relaxation, letting go.
“It is quite remarkable to see the effect yoga can have on people. I love that part of teaching. Seeing someone come in who may be going through stress, feeling down, to then watch them walk out feeling so much better – you can see them physically change.”
Katina has adapted her own style of yoga, taking parts of many forms and changing it according to the needs of the person or class she is teaching.
She often starts a session by asking people: “So how are we feeling? What do we feel we want today?” She said: “Sometimes they want to get energised, other times they want just to have a good stretch or some peace and relaxation. I tailor it to what the mood is on the day.
“I think that’s one of my unique points – every class is different every week.
“I don’t really plan it, it’s more organic, responding to how the mood is in the room. If people are feeling stressed, I like to do a lot of breath work. There is one called the breath of fire which really helps people to release their emotions.
“I have clients who use these techniques when they are at work if they are feeling stressed; it really helps. There are also arm techniques that I teach which help release stress and tension, and you can use those in daily life too.”
Yoga can help with all sorts of physical and mental problems, Katina said, from poor digestion and headaches to back pain and depression.
“There is one pose which I tell people with digestion problems to hold for 5 minutes after they have eaten their meal.
“It’s a very simple one, but just doing that for that short time really helps. Similarly, there is one for headaches and releasing tension in the neck.
“There are also positions that can help with depression – some people don’t realise how powerful yoga can be when it comes to mental health.
“It helps release emotions and endorphins – the natural chemicals within the body that make you happy.”
Katina says yoga teaches “balance, support, flexibility, friendship, understanding, positivity, grounding, motivation and love”.
At the beginning of Katina’s sessions at her studio, which is adorned with her daughter Kizzi’s paintings, everyone is invited to pick a card with a message or quote on. One person is invited to read theirs out and everyone reflects on what it means to them. Often it turns into a group chat in which people talk about their week and sometimes laugh, or cry.
Katina said: “I find it lovely that people who come here seem to find it so comfortable and supportive. It’s like a little family; if someone is going through a tough time I will show them some special poses they can do at home which will help.
“You don’t have to do an hour of yoga at home every day but at least 15 minutes of unplugging from modern life, with all its technology, then reconnecting with the earth is just fantastic.
“The other day I took everybody out into the garden and we did the class there, the feeling of the grass on your feet and being so grounded felt wonderful.”
Katina’s classes always end with a relaxation and cooling down period.
They lay down on the floor, wrapped in a blanket with silk masks covering their eyes and crystals placed on their foreheads. In the background there is soft music and a beautiful fragrance wafts across the room.
This brings a sense of warmth, peace, safety and refreshment of body and soul.
Katina runs several sessions a week for all levels, from advanced to beginners and all ages.
She also offers life coaching, meditation classes and nutrition advice, and is planning on holding workshops and eventually healing retreats.
For details of class times and costs, call Katina on 07789 861501 or email katinabennett@hotmail.co.uk
