We talk to Angela Connell about living well through stressful times, now and in the future. 

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We moved into Alert Level 3 at midnight on Tuesday night, but exercise still cannot happen inside facilities such as gyms and yoga studios. Yoga teacher Angela Connell has filmed a yoga class that all of us can practice at home – and she’s made it available free on The Central App. Just follow the link below.

Angela is the owner of Flow Space Yoga and Wellness in Alexandra. Her goal she said, has always been to stay grounded in the community and to put people first.

“Flow Space has never been about 'making it big in business', it has always been about empowering people to be their best selves, mentally and physically, and to live life consciously and meaningfully. 

“We do this through training our bodies to be flexible, resilient, strong and stress-free, which also translates into our mindset training.”

Angela said her teaching comes from a core of Buddhist philosophy, which in its essence is about being responsible for our actions, words and thoughts and living as ethically and morally as we can. 

“This inevitably brings us into contact with what is uplifting in our hearts and naturally brings us closer to our communities: humans, creatures and nature.”

Angela first made the move to provide live online classes during our previous lockdown. They turned out to be a mental life-saver for both her and her students.

“Of course people could have gone for a walk or done their own yoga practice, but the essential draw to the live classes was the connections. 

“Connection with each other, with philosophical and contemplative thought, with what was meaningful, simple and enriching. 

“That's what made the live classes go so well last year and I think that's what is drawing people to them again.”

Angela explained the teaching of yoga goes far beyond stretching and stress reduction. 

“The three tenets of yoga are body-care, breathing, and mindset or spirit - this pretty much covers our entire wellbeing requirements. 

Yoga is so adaptable to every body, she explained, small, large, young, old, injured, weakened or strong. As a compassionate and qualified teacher, Angela works by meeting each individual where they are currently at, discovering their needs and then tailoring an approach to suit. 

Thanks to changes through lockdowns, Angela now has a video library of yoga and meditation classes. 

“I love that these are accessible to anyone, anywhere. It has brought me great appreciation to know of many people who have been able to stay connected and buoyant by using these classes during lockdown or isolation/quarantine.” 

Angela said the challenge for her in her bubble is a full household, each with different needs, so she recognises the need to look after herself.

“Starting my day, everyday, with simple, grounding, mindfulness meditation and breathing.  

“Following that - my favourite self care is taking a shower or having a bath. Water saves me. 

“Daily walks in the fresh air are essential also.”

And her hints for us at this time?

“Look up. Breathe. Smile. The sky invites us to look beyond the chaos, seeing others reminds us of our shared existence. 

“Breathing reconnects and grounds us to the present moment and simplifies everything, even if for just a few seconds of reprieve. 

“Smile and appreciate the little things, have gratitude for this one precious moment that we get to exist - living on a beautiful blue planet in outer space.

“Now is all we have, live it with love.” 

Find Angela’s yoga video on The Central App here

Information about Angela’s video library can be found here.

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