C6 Tuesday, December 3, 2013
FITNESS & WELL-BEING Yoga instructors Briohny Smyth and her husband Dice Iida-Klein demonstrate an acro-yoga pose. Photo: Nora Tam
............................................. Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com
Food-throwing toddlers make better learners The messier your child gets while playing with food in the high chair, the more he or she is learning, say University of Iowa researchers. Previous studies have shown that toddlers learn more readily about solid objects than non-solid objects because they can easily identify the unchanging size and shape. The researchers exposed 16month-olds to 14 non-solid objects, mostly food and drinks and gave them made-up words, such as “dax” or “kiv”. A minute later, they asked the children to identify the same food in different sizes or shapes. The toddlers who interacted most with their foods were more likely to correctly identify them. “It may look like your child is playing in the high chair, throwing things on the ground, and they may be doing that, but they are getting information out of [those actions],” says study author Larissa Samuelson.
The latest trends in yoga involve acrobatics, sailboards and silk hammocks. Rachel Jacqueline talks to some of the people bringing them here
T
hink yoga is about contorting your body into a human pretzel while chanting om for hours on end? Think again. The ancient practice is being dramatically transformed as the latest styles send practitioners spinning around, hanging weightlessly or floating in the middle of the ocean. Yoga mats are optional in acro-yoga, where partners work together in a manner more akin to a circus routine than conventional yoga. One person – the base – lies on their back with their legs in the air to hold up the flier who performs movements with the support of the base. Los Angeles-based YouTube sensations, husband and wife team Dice Iida-Klein and Briohny Smyth, visited Hong Kong recently and demonstrated their technique at Pure Yoga in Tsim Sha Tsui. “We have so much fun,” says Smyth breathlessly, as she is positioned in a scorpion-like pose while suspended by Iida-Klein’s feet. “We both love to go upside down … not only does it strengthen the body but it also has strong mental and emotional benefits [like] building confidence and working through obstacles which really applies to life,” says Smyth. Though it looks difficult, the pair insists acro-yoga is accessible to everyone. It can be as simple as balancing over your partner’s feet or as complicated as performing handstands using your partner’s feet as a base. It’s also therapeutic. “If your back is tight, having someone push your heels down releases lower back tension,” Iida-Klein explains. “And when she’s lying over my feet, I can massage her neck,” he adds with a grin. Fusing yoga with acrobatics and Thai massage, “acro-yoga is all about play,” says Melanie Bourgeois, a local teacher who runs a free session in Sheung Wan on Sundays. All that’s required is space, a partner and the confidence to fly. “I came to acroyoga after 10 years of teaching yoga and was instantly
HEALTH BITES
Fruitier fruit flies live longer There have been many suggested secrets to long life: eating fish, leading a stress-free life … now, a new University of Michigan study suggests sex may in fact help you battle ageing. Fruit flies who got it on
FLEX MANIACS hooked,” she says. “It is as calming for the spirit as it is as demanding for the body. Once you get into a flow with your partner … the outside world disappears.” Another yoga variant which has become popular in the city is
antigravity, or aerial, yoga. Think Cirque du Soleil meets yoga, where practitioners hang from the ceiling in silk hammocks. The weightlessness has a stress-minimising effect as well as being beneficial for spinal decompression. Encouraged to literally “hang loose”, the practice creates more space between the vertebrae, relieving back pain. “It also provides support for you to go deeper and do the full pose even if you’re not able to do it in normal yoga,” says James Barret, who practises Flyoga – a form of antigravity yoga practised at Aerial Arts Academy. Flex studio and Bodywize Hong Kong also offer the new style. Aerial Arts Academy have been teaching Flyoga since 2009 and launched acro-yoga in September. “It’s a funny way of fitness training,” says co-founder Vea
Live silk class at Aerial Arts Academy (left), and Flex Hong Kong (above). Photo: Dickson Lee
Lea of the new forms of yoga. “Students enjoy the teamwork experience in acro-yoga and Flyoga is just like dance. It teaches lots of beautiful postures. Students find it exciting when moving while suspended in the air.” If that isn’t enough, yoga is also heading outdoors thanks to Nadine Bubner and Dee Cheung. After becoming enthused with stand-up paddle board (SUP) yoga in America, Cheung partnered with Bubner to bring the craze to Stanley beach. “Taking yoga out of a studio is what appealed to me,” says Bubner. “Falling into the water is also less scary for some people than falling onto the studio floor.” They have hosted several sessions of SUP yoga in response to demand since the first in July. Gecko Yoga is taking yoga to the youth of Hong Kong with Jenny Smith, Hong Kong’s only certified kids yoga trainer. Classes are modified to engage children while still providing the benefits of yoga. “Kids don’t have the same attention or energy as adults,” says Smith. “So we have to diversify the way we teach. “The kids’ yoga class is a mix of creative elements and
I came to acroyoga after 10 years of teaching yoga and was instantly hooked MELANIE BOURGEOIS
traditional practices, including breathing and meditation in a way which engages children.” The classes also include positive affirmations, encouraging the children to be strong, happy and to learn breathing techniques. “It equips children with tools for life; they can deal with the stress of exams, anxiety and exhaustion.” Since establishing her practice five years ago, Smith has trained 100 yoga teachers to teach kids yoga. “In the past two years it has really grown. Most yoga schools in Hong Kong have kids’ yoga on their schedule.” Although yoga has always evolved with the times, teacher Hersha Chellaram offers a word of caution. Unless these practices encourage internal reflection, they are
missing the core of the discipline, she says. “Yoga is different from being merely a physical exercise,” she says. “It empowers a person to be peaceful in their mind, body and life.” Although Chellaram has explored many different types of yoga, she has come full circle to the practice of integral yoga, the yoga of her childhood, under guru Sri Swami Satchidananda. “The potential of yoga is so great … it allows you to ultimately realise your higher self, to be healthy in your body, peaceful and useful to the word around you. If these classes are just a physical practice, how is it different from something like running?” While they may seem faddish at first glance they are all careful to remain true to yoga at their cores and are an imaginative way of encouraging people who might never otherwise challenge themselves to experience its benefits. “In our eyes, whatever gets you in the yoga door doesn’t matter. The fact is you’ve stepped through that doorway and most likely you’ll come full circle,” says Iida-Klein. It’s more straightforward for SUP yoga’s Cheung. “I promise you savasana [final resting pose] on the board connects you more with yourself, nature and the universe than any air-conditioned studio.” life@scmp.com
showed good health, youth and had a longer lifespan, in the study published in Science. Male fruit flies that perceived sexual pheromones of their female counterparts – without the opportunity to mate – experienced rapid decreases in fat stores, heightened stress and died younger. Mating, on the other hand, partially reversed the negative effects on health and ageing. Life satisfaction hits a peak with US$36,000 income About US$36,000 – that’s the sweet spot of gross domestic product per person for happiness, according to a new analysis led by economists Eugenio Proto of the University of Warwick and Aldo Rustichini from University of Minnesota. Using data on life satisfaction gathered from the World Values Survey and GDP figures, they found, as expected, that for the poorest countries life satisfaction rises as a country’s wealth increases as people are able to meet their basic needs. However, once income reaches around US$36,000, adjusted for purchasing power parity, life satisfaction levels peak, after which they appear to dip slightly in rich countries.
WE RUN HK ............................................... Rachel Jacqueline life@scmp.com The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, which started in 1997 with a humble 1,000 runners, has grown into a running festival for the city, with 73,000 racers expected to take part next year. To celebrate the city’s passion for the sport, we’ll be featuring one inspirational local runner each week until the race on February 16. For years Zara Horner ran to stay fit and healthy and to keep the extra weight at bay. But running gained a new purpose seven years ago when she was given
heart-wrenching news that her seven-year-old son had an aggressive form of throat cancer. Horner, a writer and personal trainer, found solace in her long runs, as well as the strength to fight her son’s illness. In 2009, she ran the 50-kilometre Greenpower Hike and raised HK$112,000 in the process. Her son, Hugo, has been cancer-free for five years. To celebrate, Horner raced a total of 131 kilometres last month: a 100 kilometre trail race in Nepal, and a half-marathon and 10-kilometre race in Hong Kong. She has raised HK$76,000 of her HK$300,000 goal for Kidscan, a children’s cancer research charity.
For the past three months I’ve logged between 70 and 110 kilometres a week on the road and trails. It has been really hard and lonely, and I honestly can’t say I have enjoyed it much as I am not as fit or strong as I have been or would like to be. It has been a real slog with lots of pain and injury. But I kept saying to myself: “Pain is weakness leaving your body.” I started running when I hit 40; running seemed the easiest way to maintain fitness. I am not a natural runner, but after conquering the treadmill and doing a couple of road races, I hit the trails and the love affair began. I never run with music;
I thoroughly enjoy having to be completely present. It is almost Zen-like for me. I still participate in 10 kilometre races and half-marathons on the road, but longer trail runs is where my heart lies. My favourite place to run is stage one to five of the MacLehose trail. I schedule my runs to make sure I get my training in. I actually write in my diary when, where and how long I
will be running. That’s an appointment I don’t break. I tell my clients that you are no good to your family sick or unwell. You owe it to your loved ones to be the healthiest and happiest you can be. I have never experienced instant bonding in the way I have with running. Last year I trained eight ladies to Zara Horner. Photo: Jonathan Wong
do the Mount Kinabalu trail in Malaysia. After making it to the summit [at 4,095 metres], we descended via ferratas [a type of climbing via steel cables] in what was dubbed “extreme conditions”. Bringing people together with vastly different levels of fitness, goals and personalities, achieving so much and having such fun while we did it – that will stay with me forever. I run for more than just fitness. I love the camaraderie and the connection you make when running with someone or in a group. When running on my own I love feeling the mind-body connection, putting
myself to the test and not letting myself down. My first thought on finishing my 131-kilometre goal was of thanks: to the nurses and doctors who helped Hugo and continue to help the children and families battling this awful disease; to my friends and family for their unstinting love and support and especially thanks for Hugo and my husband Steve, the loves of my life. If I didn’t run I would walk until I felt like running again. You can donate to Horner’s GottaBeMad project at justgiving.com/zarahorner