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| Ambika |
I first went to one of Ambika’s vinyasa flow classes a few
months ago and struggled to find space on the floor! She draws a dedicated and
admiring group of yogis to every class, and understandably!
What I love is that she changes the poses (asanas) from
class to class. There is no strict regimen so each class has a different
character and focus. Ambika chalks this up to her background as a dancer: “I
love the creativity to be able to create a flow of asanas that depend on the
day, the time, how I feel,” she says.
Originally born in England, she studied dance in Adelaide
and it was during her studies at Centre for the Performing Arts, that she
discovered her love of yoga (funnily enough, it was a compulsive subject!)
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| Yoga asanas |
“In 1995 I made my first trip to India. Then again in 2000
to visit various ashrams and learn more about Yoga,” she tells me.
For years after she studied in Adelaide, she travelled the
world as a dancer.
“Theme parks in Tokyo, Croatia, Greece, London...” she
recalls. All types of dancing, including cabaret and burlesque. The natural
love of rhythm, music and sound is evident in her classes, as we move from pose
to pose with ease and you can see in peoples’ faces the tension of the working
week just unknotting and releasing.
“I studied in Dorset, England initially, with the SivanandaYoga Vedanta organisation. It was at a very classical school of yoga, so there
was no vinyasa! They have ashrams all over the world. I did my advanced teacher
training later, in New York.”
After returning to Adelaide (where her parents and sister
live), Ambika discovered The Centre Om – a yoga centre, run by Wendy Samek, that
combined studios with a cafe and retail space. Fabulous! I have dreamt of
opening a holistic studio that incorporates a juice bar and communal space with
practitioners dedicated to nourishing the body and spirit – whether massage,
ayurveda, naturopathy or beauty.
Ambika moved from Adelaide to Melbourne four years’ ago and
began working at Breathe almost immediately.
“i started working at Breathe 4 years ago and it's my dream
job. I love to teach Yoga, and now I get to coordinate the Yoga too. I get to
develop lots of workshops, retreats events etc... so much fun!”
Ambika plans to open
her own studio in inner Melbourne. “I want the people who come to the studio to
appreciate that yoga is much more than the asanas. I'm a little bit worried
about Yoga on the mat these days as it has become quite a competition to many
Yoga students to see who can take the asanas to where they believe is a deeper
level. I want to educate people that it’s
about your mind space in an asana, not how flexible you are! To master the
forward bend isn't to touch your head to your knee, it's to still the mind ...
whilst practicing the physical pose. That is Yoga.”
I hinted, not so subtly, that I would love her to consider combining
forces on the studio/wellbeing centre idea and I hope that in the future
(either near or a few years away) we’ll be able to work together. During the course of our interview, Ambika
mentioned that go-go dancing is the latest rage in Melbourne. I’m always up for
something new – stay tuned on that front!