2011 Guide to
HEALTHY LIVING
Survivors By Liana Cafolla The ancient art of yoga has reinvented itself lately in Hong Kong. Several studios have folded, but others are flourishing. We asked the survivors what they offer.
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n recent years, yoga in Hong Kong has seen its own boom and bust. Several years ago, the city saw a sudden sprouting of yoga studios, both large and small. Since then, many have closed, but others enjoy faithful Photo courtesy: Pure Yoga support from a bevy of practitioners who are seeing major benefits from yoga. Karen Lam is an MBA graduate and teacher and manager at Yoga Central. She says the sudden interest in yoga originated mainly from the US. About 10 years ago, Americans tired of aerobics, and turned to yoga. The switch to yoga swept across the ocean, and savvy business owners in Hong Kong started opening yoga studios here, either offering solely yoga or a combination of yoga and gyms.
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cial yoga studios were budding,” she says. Yu has herself been a victim of high rents, but has reinvented her business to operate from other venues, including at clients’ homes and offices. “I don’t have my own yoga center – it was located in Central – since last December due to the crazy increment on rental. I’m now teaching yoga classes at different venues, on Hong Kong and Kowloon sides.” Pure Yoga, by contrast, is one of the big companies that survived the demise of Josephine Yu many. The company has five outlets, each of which offers 110 to 150 yoga classes per week. The classes on offer include hot “For a few years, they were doing really great,” she yoga, where positions are performed at high temperanotes. “Then the rents went up.” tures. Studios scrambled to enroll more members, using “Hot yoga has always been popular, and there is subscriptions. But for some, the party was over. also a consistently strong demand for nurturing, Planet Yoga and Yoga Limbs were among those that gentle, less vigorous yoga classes,” says Paveena went bust. Atipatha, the company’s regional yoga director. Now, says Lam, Hong Kong’s yoga scene has settled down, and practitioners have become more loyal. Like Yu, Lam teaches Iyengar yoga, which is one of “For my studio, I have more regulars as Iyengar the most popular streams of yoga worldwide. Iyengar is yoga’s benefits become better known to those said to be suitable for all body types and ages, and is the relatively intense and serious yoga practitioners. We only school of classical yoga to offer a methodical road now have more Iyengar-certified teachers residing in map to a healthy body, mind and soul, according to Lam. Hong Kong – 20 plus versus less than three in 2002. Iyengar yoga was founded by BKS Iyengar, who Those still doing yoga are mostly looking for quality, began teaching yoga in 1936 and wrote a pioneering not ‘hamburger yoga’,” she says. book for yoga practitioners. Entitled Josephine Yu, owner and teacher at Yoga Place, Light on Yoga, the book methodihas also noticed the change in the industry. cally describes more than 200 “When Yoga Place opened in 2002, there were individual poses, complete with only a few studios in Hong Kong,” she recalls. “After advice on difficulty levels, the a year or two, a lot of studios opened. Some of the benefits and downsides of each studios’ owners were operated with heart in teaching pose, and explanations of their yoga while some mostly saw yoga as a trend to get origins. quick money from their members. It’s much quieter Iyengar yoga is known for now compared with 10 years ago when the commer-
Science and health
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this precise analysis of each yoga position, or asana, with a focus on harmonizing the body, mind and spirit. Iyengar also uses props such as blocks, blankets, wooden stands and wall ropes to help students correctly and safely assume the positions, based on the view that a stable asana will calm the body and the mind. Each asana is linked to another in a particular sequence, in order to optimize the benefits of each position, and each pose is held for a specific length of time. The benefits of yoga are impressive, say teachers. “Yoga offers a way to be healthy and stay active, to contribute to society in a positive way, and to age gracefully,” says Sujata Cowlagi, yoga instructor at Pure Yoga. “Regular and consistent exercising of muscles and joint in a particular sequence keeps the physical body free of major illnesses. Through movement, we have better blood circulation and over a period of time, we develop endurance, flexibility and control over our body and thought processes.” Lawyer Stephen Chuk reports a list of health benefits after a year of yoga practice at Yoga Central, including a near-miraculous regrowth of black hair. “I have cured my lower back pain, acquired more core power enabling me to send the golf balls farther than most people of my age,” he says. “I can now easily hold a much longer note when I sing. Generally, I am feeling rejuvenated. Apparent proof? The black hair is recovering their field from the white!” Pain relief is the most common reason that people join her classes, says Yu. She has found that most of the ailments her students complain of are caused by lifestyle habits, such as a sedentary lifestyle, or stress, both of which can be helped by yoga. But to be effective, yoga must become part of a daily routine, she advises. “Yoga can be used in slowing the breath, relaxing and strengthening the muscles, calming the mind, which helpful in alleviating many common diseases,” she says. “The most important thing is to keep yoga practice as daily routine in order to enjoy the benefits of
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Paveena Atipatha Regional Yoga Director, Pure Toga
yoga. I have some students who have suffered from frozen shoulders. These people get better while keep doing yoga, but usually their pains come back when they stop practicing.” Other common complaints are back pain, which may result from muscle imbalance. Yoga can strengthen weak muscles and relax stiff ones. Elderly practitioners may see benefits including improved flexibility, strengthened leg muscles, better balance, reduced depression and improved circulation, which will benefit the heart and lungs, says Yu. Many people in Hong Kong suffer from breathing problems, and shallow, irregular breathing can affect health in the long term. Yu says, here again, yoga can help. “Yoga asanas can increase flexibility to the chest
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or many, the first glimpse of tai chi is a somewhat curious sight. Practitioners assemble in the quiet parts of Hong Kong’s parks, public spaces and playgrounds to wordlessly follow sequences of movements in slow motion, and often shrouded in the early morning mist that only adds to tai chi’s ethereal character. It is an evocative setting that befits the contradictions of the sport. Tai chi inhabits a mysterious space between contrasting worlds. It is a martial art – the name is sometimes translated as “shadow boxing” – but also a healing art. It is an ancient form, but one that is also experiencing a rebirth in popularity. Three years ago, 2,008 tai chi performers demonstrated the art at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics creating an impressive sight for audiences around the world. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is also a serious fan, and he hasn’t been shy about showing his prowess in public when travelling abroad. However, diehard sports enthusiasts often dismiss tai chi as a passive activity for the elderly, yet the young are increasingly becoming practitioners.
Mystery and truth
The Enigma of
So what is the truth behind this enigmatic art form, and why do people practice it? “The core principles of tai chi are to improve your internal energy chi circulation to create harmony within your body and create ultimate health
Tai Chi
and well-being,” says Monica Chung. A native Hong Konger who began practicing tai chi on a serious basis seven years ago, Chung now teaches it to individuals and groups of all ages and from all walks of life. A sports lover, she has been interested in tai chi since her schooldays. “The older I got, the more I cared about good health,” she says. “I was looking for something which was more than just a sport or exercise. And I found tai chi isn't only a branch of the Chinese martial arts, it has also been practiced for both mental and physical well-being.” “It’s a traditional Chinese mind and body relaxation exercise and I just took it up. It can be practiced indoors and outdoors, which in Hong Kong is ideal as we have such a limited space.”
Different styles Kie Brooks has been practicing tai chi for 12 years and teaching for six, holding classes in Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park and in a secondary school. A Londoner who was a fan of martial arts, he discovered tai chi when looking for an alternative way to keep fit. “I saw some people practicing with swords in my local gym in Covent Garden” and he was hooked, he recalls.
“The core principles of tai chi are to improve your internal energy – or chi – circulation to create harmony within your body and create ultimate health and well-being.”
According to the Oxford Dictionary, tai chi is both martial art and a Chinese philosophy. It defines tai chi as the “ultimate source and limit of reality, from which spring yin and yang and all of creation.” What is it, and why young people are increasingly drawn to it? Liana Cafolla interviews two teachers and practitioners to learn more.
Photo: Getty Images
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says Chung. “My students’ age range is very wide, from 20s to over 60s,” she says. Eighty percent of her students are aged 45, and majority are expatriates. Men and women are equally split, she adds. Brooks’ students too encompass a range of ages, with most of his private students in their 20s, 30s and 40s. In one form or another, the gentle art of tai chi can bring health and enjoyment to practitioners of all ages.
Some schools teach only the health side and ignore the martial aspects while others do the opposite, he adds. “There’s no right or wrong, and it basically just depends on the school, the teacher and the pupil’s interests.” Tai chi with a martial emphasis is likely to be more physically demanding than other styles, and may appeal to those who want to practice a martial art but in a more gentle way, he says.
Health and beauty Unlike other martial arts, progress in tai chi is not measured through a system of colored belts. Instead, practitioners advance through more difficult levels of movements, and from hand movements ultimately on to weapons – swords, sabers and spears. Brooks teaches a traditional style known as “wu” style, one of the five major styles of tai chi. The differences between styles depends mainly on the teachers and varying combinations of moves, he explains. “The philosophy is basically the same,” he says. The difference lies in emphasis in the movements and the intentions behind the movements. Brooks’ style emphasizes the martial side of training, which means that many of the moves are designed for two people. “The two main aspects to tai chi, as I see it, are health and the martial side, and I suppose you could include the mental aspects as well.”
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Kie Brooks
Chung and Brooks are not the only ones to advocate the benefits of tai chi. The Hong Kong Tourism Board arranges free tai chi classes for visitors. It says tai chi offers as many benefits for the mind and soul as it does for the body. Practitioners say that tai chi relieves stress, reduces high blood pressure and helps with insomnia. Others say that it helps fend off sickness. Chung’s students report a wide variety of improvements in their health, she says. “Since my students learnt tai chi, they learn how to deal with stress, their health condition has improved a lot, they are having better quality sleep and find themselves generally more flexible and in overall better health,” she says. As well as reducing stress and aiding relaxation, Chung says that it brings impressive physical and spiritual benefits. “It can improve balance, flexibility, concentration and posture. It can also train coordination. It can prevent you from getting sick, help maintain good health and make you feel healthier and stronger.” “Since I’'ve been practicing tai chi, I have better body tone, and I always feel in a good mood. I feel it gives me more energy, keeps my spirits up, and it also improves my complexion. It really keeps me
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youthful.” Chung says people often ask her what accounts for her glowing complexion and tell her she looks younger than her age, both of which she attributes to tai chi. Brooks says studies have shown that elderly practitioners will benefit from the subtly improved body awareness. Because the exercises enhance awareness of how the body’s joints should be angled, practitioners are more aware of their bodies, and better able to stop themselves if they do start to fall, he explains. In addition, the exercises help stimulate the immune system and maintain it an optimum level, he says. “I think in general tai chi does help you to stay healthy,” he says.
Contact details: Monica Chung Tel: 6084 1014 Email: livingchi@gmail.com Kie Brooks Website: www.taichipro.com Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) offers free tai chi classes at the Sculpture Court, in front of the Hong Kong Museum of Art in Tsim Sha Tsui, from 8am to 9am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For enquiries, call the HKTB visitor hotline: 2508 1234.
Tai Chi for all ages Perhaps because of the slowness and subtlety of the movements involved, tai chi is often associated with the elderly or quasi-infirm, but this is an inaccurate perception, say both Chung and Brooks. “Tai chi is for all ages and all levels of fitness,”
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region, pranayama, or yoga breathing, can calm the mind, strengthen the lungs, and boost the immune system,” she says.
The gender divide Delighted with the results, Chuk continues to practice the poses he learned at Lam’s studio, but he no longer attends classes because he became embarrassed at usually being the only man in the class. Lam would like to see more men in her classes, but says it’s difficult to attract them. Other yoga studios see similar gender disparities. Yu of Yoga Place says that 92 percent of her students are female. The yoga movements appeal to women looking for a gentle way to exercise and keep fit, and many take it up as a result of pregnancy. Yoga can reduce stiffness in the lower back, hips, and groin, lift and tone the uterus, relax the pelvic floor and improve circulation in the lower body, says Yu, who took up yoga herself as a result of suffering severe constipation after giving birth in her late 20s. “I had tried everything else, to no avail, and yoga was the only thing that got me out of trouble and kept me out of pain,” she says. “I’m now 45 and have 15 years experience in practicing yoga, and more than 10 years in teaching yoga.”
Yoga in pregnancy Others report similar health improvements. While pregnant last year with her first child, Alyson Roach took up yoga for the first time after hearing other women talk about the benefits they had experienced from it. Yoga is not recommended for women in the first trimester of pregnancy, and Roach started pre-natal classes after her 12th week.
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“When I was pregnant, there didn’t seem to be many forms of exercise which I could continue to do safely, but I wanted to do something to help me stay fit and help alleviate the stresses the additional weight would be putting on my body,” she says She found benefits after every class. “Immediately after the classes, I felt both relaxed and energized. Also, between classes, I would remain more relaxed and try to remember to improve my posture.” A bonus of pre-natal yoga was a new – and lasting – social circle. “It seems the community of yoga-attending pregnant women in Hong Kong is fairly small, so many of us mums-to-be also attended the same antenatal classes and now mother/baby groups together.” Now that her son has arrived, Roach has kept up the yoga. “Yoga is also really a good, gentle way to rebuild and strengthen the body once baby has arrived.”
Contact details: Josephine Yu, Yoga Place Tel: 2522 0038 Website: www.hongkongyoga.com Karen Lam, Yoga Central Ltd Tel: 2982 4308 Website: www.yogacentral.com.hk Pure Yoga Tel: 8129 2200 Website: www.pure-yoga.com
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Guide to Healthy Living Matilda International Hospital
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