Whether the rise in practicing yoga stems from a genuine desire to better oneself or from following a celebrity trend, one thing is for sure, yoga is a sure path to a holistic healthy lifestyle. No one can demonstrate that better than Serena Burgess. Having taught yoga for the last 13 years, Serena has carefully worked out the perfect balance in her life to be both a successful yoga teacher and full time wife and mother.

A former dancer, born and raised for most of her life in the UK, Serena lived a hectic life working at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and a leading independent magazine, yearning for something more toned down, she was fortunate enough to learn yoga under an inspirational teacher who instilled a real love for the practice.

She went on to study the Sivananda style of yoga, visiting an ashram 3 or 4 times a week for 3 years, doing classes and Satsang along with learning Sanskrit. In addition, she practiced Karma yoga, which she describes as simply doing helpful things for the ashram, “I would iron the robes and help with the chopping in the kitchen. Karma yoga is about practicing a selfless service, which in itself is a form of meditation.” Earning her qualifications from the British Wheel of Yoga, she soon began teaching her own classes after office hours.

 

 

In the end, it was her young daughter Satya, and the need for a slower paced lifestyle that saw Serena and her husband make the decision to move to Sri Lanka in early 2011.

“I had to work 9 to 5 and while I loved my job and co-workers at the BBC, I had no time for Satya. Everything was so humdrum, I needed a change in lifestyle and wanted Satya to experience Sri Lanka and know her family; there’s something lovely about growing up here and I have more freedom now. By mid September I had started teaching yoga classes here,” recalled Serena.

She currently conducts classes at her family’s gym but is in the process of renovating her own studio ‘The Om Space’ for future use. “It will be a dedicated yoga space for people interested in an alternative lifestyle. I am aiming for a variety of yoga teachers to come and teach with me and I hope to offer alternative therapy like Reki and Ayurveda, maybe also get a nutritionist involved; but still keeping a very relaxed environment with not too many rules. It’s still very much in the developing stages, I’m letting everything grow organically without too much planning.” she explained.

Today, her typical day revolves around teaching Hatha yoga and being a full time mother. She has classes for kids aged 3 to 5 year olds, pregnant women and private classes for adults along with a summer program for 6 to 11year olds. All classes are spaced out so that she may spend her afternoons with her daughter, who also eagerly attends the kids’ yoga classes. “Satya loves it!” said a beaming Serena, “She has 2 classes a week, and has been practicing salutations since she was 18 months, just by copying me.”

The popularity of yoga for kids in slowly increasing in Colombo with health conscious mothers’ sending their children for classes specially adapted for each age group. Children who practice yoga develop body awareness, confidance, good listening skills, cooperation and powers of observation. They learn by playing, singing, moving and imitating, while still learning the basic philosophy behind it.

 

 

Serena makes a point of promoting universal values instead of religion in her classes, giving adults the option of chanting which mantra they feel more comfortable with whether it be in english or sanskrit; this way it doesn’t offend anyone who might not be comfotable chanting sanskrit, making yoga inclusive for all.

She also organizes yoga retreats in partnership with Trekurious. Every 3 months she takes a group of ‘yogis’ to a private island in Bolgoda where they immerse themselves in a stress free day of yoga, meditation and healthy food, surrounded by all that nature has to offer.

“Yoga is about attaining the right postures and the right frame of mind, if a person wants to learn there are no restrictions, except maybe injury; and if that’s the case, you can work around the area and treat it with therapeutic yoga,” Serena explained, adding that each person has a different requirement when it comes to learning and even if her style of yoga doesn’t suit them, with so many styles available there is definitely one style for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

By Lake Argent

Pics by Kushan Pathirana