My Yoga journey
The
Blog.
In a way I am lucky to be able say that my yoga journey did not start in the search for a cure from tragedy, emotional trauma, or physical injury. While I strongly believe that yoga can help with all of the issues mentioned above as well as many others, my journey was a much simpler one… My yoga pathway began in 2010 on a beautiful beach in Phuket, Thailand. In a bid to escape the cold and unsympathetic winter skies of London. I stretched into a few poses and flows with my sister who at the time was a Yoga teacher, it felt great, we laughed and smiled for hours, I was hooked!
You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.
C S Lewis.
Shortly after returning I jumped into my first yoga class down at my local gym. It was love at first class and as they say, the rest is history!
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Yoga
I have always be an active and enthusiastic person be it at the gym, running, climbing, swimming, you name it, I have done it. In 2015 I received my Level 2 and 3 qualifications in Personal Training and fitness instruction. And pursued the fitness pathway alongside my Yoga practice for a few years. But my passion was still and will always be with Yoga and well-being. Strangely I only discovered Yoga well into my late 20s, so you really are never too old to find a passion in life, and for me at least it’s very much here to stay!
Health is about more than what you’re eating. It’s what you’re thinking, saying, and believing.
At first it became quite an addiction, I could do up to 2 classes a day, something I wouldn’t recommend now! As my personal yoga practice grew I kept seeing plentiful positive changes in my personal life including better sleep and an enormous reduction in daily aches and pains. Placebo or not I can’t be sure but generally I became a happier person overall which was noticeable even to those closest to me.
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Having felt the way I did, I had an AHA moment. This is something I would love to share with others so that they can experience the same. In 2016 embarked on a period of discovery within my own life training and travelling across the magical islands of Sri Lanka. During this trip I embarked on my first 200 YTTC course.
On my return to London I gained a further diploma from YMCA before departing for my favourite place on Earth! Koh Phangan, Thailand. Whilst in Thailand I practiced another 200 hours training in some of the most magical and inspiring locations.
“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”
Mary Anne Radmacher
I have learned and grown a lot over the past decade but the truth is I am still learning. Session by session, class by class, pose by pose I acquire something new. Having attended various workshops all around the globe, including Bali more than once, multiple trips to Sri Lanka, Turkey, Italy, and Russia meeting some amazing teachers and crossing paths with a collective of the most wonderful students. I often feel I learn as much from them as they do from me. Some of these students have even become lifelong friends. I am a big believer that yoga helps us all to live more meaningful lives. I am unsure if anyone can live a meaningful life on their own, this is something I believe can only be achieved through deep human connection. What we do on the mat is only a tiny bit of what yoga represents. It is a way of life, a beautiful, peaceful state of being.
A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.
Tim Cahill
The more I travelled the more I realised that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.
Shirley MacLaine
I don't need anything to get high. I'm high on life.
elissa de la Cruz
I find now more than ever the need of human connection is great. Through the COVID-19 pandemic online classes have been a great bridge in that respect, making it possible to connect from people all over the world and continue to benefit from the spirit of Yoga. Throughout the pandemic and beyond I will be teaching from my lovely home studio, from my home to yours!
Currently I am teaching online from my home studio multiple times a week , outdoors across London, and in Central London gyms and community centres (check out where to find Lena K). My classes are designed to connect mind body and breathe holistically as one whilst exploring the available movements of your body, learning each and every student’s personal limitations. Yoga is a practice of discovery, pushing your boundaries at times and doing what feels good without feeling the need to pretty for cameras or misguided pre-conceptions.
Working in collaboration with a sponsor has always been a dream of mine, recently I have started to work closely with a brilliant clothing brand called colour flow active. I loved their products from the first stretch and have been wearing them ever since. Luckily friends of yoga with Lena now get 8% off colourflow active online using promo code Lenakalchenko. Check out the latest London photo shoot!
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Colour flow active, flows on. A few pictures from my recent photo shoot with colour flow. As always friends of yoga with Lena now get 8% off colour flow active online using promo code Lenakalchenko.
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Yoga is for everyone at any time!
I look forward to hearing, seeing, and teaching you all soon!
Namaste