Mallie Pillay, 61, has been practising yoga for 22 years.
She has been teaching the discipline for 18 years at her Durban North studio, and also in Phoenix and Greenwood Park.
She also teaches at various schools under the Sivananda World Peace Foundation, during Yoga Month in June.
The Sunningdale resident said the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga were enormous for individuals, families and communities at large.
“With practising yoga, you find you have more energy. It aids in managing stress and the challenges we face in life today. Yoga teaches both young and old to use their bodies to manage their stress through breathing and mindfulness/meditation.
“It helps build confidence and increase self-awareness. When you do yoga, you do it for yourself, but you evolve into a different version of yourself. It teaches you to have more tolerance towards others and it is great to help families bond,” said Pillay.
Over the years, Pillay has passed on her teachings to her family and community, including her granddaughter, Aaranya Pynne, 10.
“She has been practising yoga since the age of 4. My wish is that more children of school going age would be empowered to practice yoga more often as you see the benefit to the children in that they are more calm, more focussed.”
This year the International Day of Yoga will be commemorated on June 18. For the ninth year, the Sivananda World Peace Foundation will mark the occassion at the Amphitheatre, opposite Elangeni Hotel on North Beach. The event will start from 8.30am to 11.30am.
It is being held in collaboration with the KZN Provincial Government, the National Department of Health and eThekwini Municipality. About 3 000 participants are expected to attend.
In a statement, Prince Ishwar Ramlutchman Mabheka Zulu, the president of the Sivananda World Peace Foundation, predicted the exponential growth of yoga locally.
“Especially in the troubled social and economic times; in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the looting spree and political unrest and riots; and the devastating, floods. Yoga could foster healthier intra-race relations, improve social cohesion and create new vistas for deeply divided and divergent racial groups to work together in harmony and peace for the common good.”
He said for the past six months they had been visiting schools and communities across the province to highlight the benefits of yoga to students and the community at large.
He added that yoga was a 5 000 year old physical, mental and spiritual practice speculated to date back to pre-Vedic lndian traditions, but most likely developed around the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Yoga gurus/teachers from lndia later introduced yoga to the West.
“The objective of celebrating the international Day of Yoga is to create awareness about yoga and how it benefits everyone in better understanding the significance of traditional and authentic yoga techniques,” he said
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