There's a lot of stress on young people. They've always got exams and have to reach this goal or reach that goal. Yoga might be really good for them because there must be a lot of emotions that come up and yoga would really help to get a perspective and balance.
When I first discovered it it was so weird because I was doing all these positions, they're called Asanas, and I was thinking 'But I used to do this when I was a kid. I used to do shoulder stands and upside down positions.' So I think I used to do it as a child subconsciously, but not knowing what it actually was.
Yoga is something that once you start practicing it you learn a lot of breathing skills and I think that would really be incredibly useful on a day-to-day basis. It can help you with all the emotional stress.
The stressful part of that is that you're not a chef. People who have learnt to be chefs have spent years in kitchens just on the vegetable section and then move up to the fish section, etc, whereas you have to do everything and it's really full on, but it's an amazing experience.
I think during the day, when I was doing the Masterchef experience, everything I'd learnt in yoga, the breathing techniques, etc, would really help and it would calm me down because it was so stressful.
In the west we think of yoga as an exercise programme, when actually where it's from in India it's a whole philosophy. The Asanas and the exercise programme are one tiny aspect of it, and so it really, really fascinates me.
Yoga is for everyone. Personally I believe yoga would benefit anyone's life. It is such an amazing form of exercise and if you practice regularly it really slows your mind down and it helps you to get perspective. It keeps you incredibly fit and really flexible. It helps prevent ailments because you're working all the body.
Absolutely, everyone and anyone can get involved in yoga. I've seen really small kids doing it in my yoga class, right up to elderly people doing it.
Yoga is about working with what you've got on that day. Some days you may find certain positions easier to get into than others. It's not about comparing yourself or judging yourself, it's about being in that moment and doing your best.
You do see some people that can contort themselves all the way around, but they may have been practicing for years, they may be gymnasts or they may just be flexible.
Yoga is not about having the perfect positions, it's not about who's the best and who's the most flexible. A lot of people are saying to me 'I can't do yoga because I'm not flexible,' but that's exactly why you should do it. It's not about being flexible. It's not about who's the best. It's about doing your best on that particular day.
I don't have hardly any caffeine, I don't drink alcohol and I watch my red meat intake. My diet at the minute seems to be verging towards the vegetarian, which is surprising me because I tend to just listen to what my body is fancying.
Once you get into fitness you do notice your diet and notice that certain foods don't quite agree with you. I don't think it was a conscious decision, I think it organically happened over time, but I do watch what I eat and try to eat healthy.
When my life does get frantic and busy, there's always time to fit something in, even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier. I get out of bed, do a few Asanas and then do a little bit of mediation. I just structure it into the day. It's really, really simple.
I was captain of the netball team, captain of the hockey team and I did my sprinting, but I would push myself. That's why yoga is really good for me because it actually slows me down and finds some sort of space for me.
I would just say try it and see if you like it. See how it makes you feel and remember that it's not about being perfect, it's about just doing your best. I think it would have tremendous benefits for everyone.
