| RISING AT 3AM in order to chant may seem extreme, but not in Los Angeles where Maya Fiennes practises and teaches Kundalini yoga.
She says Kundalini differs from other types of yoga as it hones the mind as much as the body - which is vital for the creative minds that inhabit the Hollywood Hills.
"It's a combination of breathing, mantra and position," she says. "And everyMaya Fiennes class is different. There are thousands of different sets and I work with a lot of music as well, which is part of the experience."
Having trained as a concert pianist, Maya Fiennes often tinkers on the piano after her 3am chants, and comes up with music that will work alongside her poses.
She says no knowledge of yoga is needed to take part in her class as it is not about specific positions.
As Maya Fiennes will tell you, "It is more about movement and breaking through the pain barrier. It could be moving your hands up and down for five minutes until you get a complete rush of endorphins: a complete alchemy takes place and stuck energy gets freed up.
Maya Fiennes teaches a lot of ex-addicts. They tell her that they get the same high from Kundalini as they did from drugs."
Kundalini Yoga works on the central nervous system and is a great stress buster according to Maya Fiennes. She has even managed to convert Ralph, the more famous of the Fiennes siblings.
Mental health issues are becoming more prevalent in today's society, and Kundalini provides a release for the mind.
Maya Fiennes continues: "Often with other types of yoga, it is about opening the body but it's not hitting the mind. Your adrenal gland is working all the time; it gets tired and overused, it can't function well, and the body can't cope with stress. If the adrenal glands don't work well, other areas like the immune system don't work."
Maya Fiennes says mantra or chanting is the best way to release the mind from thought. The result is better than sleep.
"We use very simple words. When you say them it stimulates eight reflex points in the mouth and sends commands to every cell in the body. It is very difficult for some people to meditate but when you go into mantra and keep chanting the words, you go into a different frequency.
Maya Fiennes concludes: "After a while the thoughts go and leave you alone and your blood pressure becomes more balanced. Then you are ready to sit for a few minutes of meditation. That is better for you than deep sleep."
The results show. The youthful appearance of Maya Fiennes belies her age of 47.
Macedonian born Maya Fiennes has combined her talents as a successful classical pianist and performer with her upbeat personality to create a unique style of yoga and meditation for modern living, based on the Kundalini Yoga of Yogi Bhajan. Maya's philosophy of good health and living with inner peace and confidence, made her one of the most in-demand yoga instructors in London. Her classes are fun, uplifting and above all inspirational. Maya Fiennes now travels the world, teaching and recording from her new base in Santa Monica, California. |
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