Denisa Nenova
Sivananda and special needs yoga
I began training Shaolin Kung Fu at the age of seven. I spend my first year learning just a few moves and only one short Kung Fu form as my teacher insisted that before any of us can learn any Kung Fu moves we must first learn to drop all thoughts. That idea fascinated me and kept me going back to the training hall.
As time passed by, I learned different Kung Fu animal forms, Weapons, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, dwelled into Mediation practice and delved into Buddhism. The final part of my training was learning a very old Shaolin Kung Fu practice called Steel Jacket/Iron Shirt, which involved thorough study and practice of Qi-Gong, specific breathing techniques, meditation, and strenuous physical exercises all in order to master the flow of Qi (Prana) in the body.
I discovered yoga and started practising when I was thirteen. I integrated different asanas and pranayama exercises into my Kung Fu training as a way of relaxing and stretching the body and developing deeper awareness of Prana. However, it was not until later when yoga became my main interest and choice of live. Shortly after completing the Steal Jacket Training I suffered a spinal injury which nearly costed me my mobility. That is when I decided to leave Kung Fu for good and embarked on a long journey of recovery through the practice of Yoga.
I spend several years studying yoga in depth attending workshops and courses with Anusara yoga, Sivanada yoga, Jivamukti yoga, Donna Farhi, Clare Missingham, Shiva Rea, Rod Stricker, Julie Gudmestad, Catherine Annis and many more before I decided to become a yoga teacher.
All these years of studies and constant questioning and unravelling of the 'I' have brought me to believe that there is always a purpose behind everything. Every moment is tremendously precious and unique, every moment is the perfect opportunity to learn, grow, expand and progress. Every moment can be a moment of Liberation we just need to look for the courage to take the first step. To me the practice of Yoga is exactly that- the first step towards Liberation.