Interview with Dana Diament

Introduction

Hello Dana, would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi! I’m Dana Diament. I’m a yoga teacher and educator, a Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist, owner of Lennox Yoga studio in Lennox Head, Australia, and mum of 2.

Relaxing with Yoga

Thank you for the brief introduction. Our goal is to find out how experts find relaxation in everyday life. I assume that for you, yoga plays an important role in this. Can you explain how exactly yoga helps you relax?

Relaxation comes in different forms – and so does yoga. Some days I’m exhausted and I’ve got nothing left to give, and I’ll turn to a restorative practice or yoga Nidra to help me recharge my batteries while tuning out the world. Some days relaxation is a blissful savasana at the end of a more vigorous flow class. When I’m really short on time, I turn to breathwork and meditation – even 10 minutes can do the trick. What all these styles of yoga have in common is they help me switch from doing mode to being mode, bring spaciousness to my mind, and recenter me in my heart.

Practicing Yoga

If I decide to start with Yoga today – what would be the best way for this in your opinion?

To start with yoga today, I recommend joining us on Yoga Medicine Online where we have a thorough library of foundation and beginner classes. This is a great place to start and looking to build a strong therapeutic framework for your practice – say, you’re coming to yoga to feel better! These foundation classes cover all the basics of vinyasa flow, breathwork, meditation, yin, restorative yoga, and myofascial release. You can stay with these foundation classes as long as you like, and hone you feel ready for more you can head over to the full database to search for classes that suit your needs.

East+West

In the Yoga Medicine approach, modern, scientific findings are brought into harmony with ancient Eastern traditions. Can you explain how you specifically differ from other approaches here?

Our approach is non-dogmatic. We shy away from strict, rigid rules and keep an open mind. We are driven by science while also honoring one’s experience in the pose —- because you’re experience is never wrong. This allows for each teacher to blend the eastern and western perspective in their own unique voice, highlighting one or the other depending on the topic of the class.

Yoga in Change

With 15,000 yoga teachers, athletes, medical professionals, physical therapists, bodyworkers and coaches trained within the framework of the teachings of Yoga Medicine® – would you say that yoga has changed because of the pandemic in your experience? Is yoga practiced differently, seen differently, perhaps appreciated even more?

Many people have discovered they actually prefer doing yoga at home! Sometimes there can be a competitive atmosphere in a studio class or a student may feel the need to gain the teacher’s approval, and these two things might combine in such a way that overrides a student’s intuition as to what and how to practice that day. Practicing at home, with those things removed can lead to a more authentic and therefore nurturing practice. On the flip side for those who have returned to practicing in studio, there seems to be a much greater appreciation for the in-person classes.

Where do you see the future of yoga? Will it go more and more in the direction of “online for me alone” or the other way around in the direction of “getting together with people and experiencing yoga together”?

If only I had a crystal ball! I think both. Some people will always prefer to see a movie first in a cinema and others happy to watch it at home. I think it’s a great thing to have so many options when it comes to yoga because in my opinion the more people that do yoga the better! I feel we’ll see both the online & in person yoga flourish in the future as people discover just how versatile yoga can be and all the wonderful benefits that come with a dedicated practice.