Festival of Hobbies - Yoga (Featuring Zagyoga)

“Yoga is a universal language, I could visit an Iyengar yoga studio anywhere in the world and feel like I am at home”

Monica Bejarano Cortes has been teaching yoga at her studio, Zagyoga, here at Harland Works for almost five years, and before that - across the world. Over the years, Monica has lived in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, London and Liverpool, before finally settling in Sheffield nine years ago. “It feels like home” she says, “I’m not going anywhere”.

Building a successful business from what started as a hobby is no easy feat, so I caught up with her to find out exactly what it takes, and why yoga is the perfect hobby for anyone looking to calm the mind.

Iyengar Yoga is based on the teachings of the late yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, author of the classic yoga treatise Light on Yoga, who began teaching in Pune, India, in 1936 at the age of 18. Over 80 years on and Iyengar yoga is still being taught across the world; from Pune in India, where Iyengar’s family have dedicated their lives to carrying on his teachings - all the way to a rainy steel city in the north of England.

“It only takes one or two sessions of Iyengar to begin to feel that yoga has a huge positive mental impact”

No matter where you are in the world, Iyengar yoga is exactly the same, and that’s part of it’s attraction. “Yoga is a universal language”, Monica says, “I could visit an Iyengar yoga studio anywhere in the world and feel like I am at home”.

So what separates Iyengar from other forms of yoga? I put this to Monica and she explains; “Iyengar yoga focuses on correct anatomical alignment. The goal of yoga is to learn how to stay in the present and so we work on expanding the consciousness and your awareness into different parts of body”. I recognise this as being similar to a technique often used in meditation and Monica agrees. “Iyengar yoga is challenging and transformative even at the most basic level. When people first come, they come for physical benefits; to be more flexible, to address lower back problems - after 30, you really start feeling gravity!” she laughs “but It only takes one or two lessons of Iyengar to begin to feel that yoga has a huge positive mental impact”.

For Monica, Iyengar started as a hobby, but it became apparent quite quickly that it was to be an important part of her identity. “When I found Iyengar yoga, I knew it was something I needed to have in my life” she says. So, with time, Monica’s commitment to yoga grew and she soon began to feel the benefits.

When asked why yoga is so important to her, Monica replies “The goal of yoga is to stay in the present. It’s that time for myself. Nothing else is there - not family, where I come from, what I look like, no kids, it’s just me. My future, my history is gone, I just focus on the moment. It’s me time”. “It’s important to have a hobby, something like yoga” she adds. “We need to be a little selfish sometimes and detach ourselves from our environment and the world around us to see ourselves for who we really are rather than how we think others see us”.

The benefits for mental health, too, are paramount. “If you think about how much we are influenced by our daily life; by who we are, who we think we are, our work, home responsibilities, all those things we think are US. But when we do our hobbies - it’s just the present moment. It’s a form of meditation”.

“Discipline is hard, but you need discipline”  

So how did something that started out as a hobby, turn into a lucrative living? Monica laughs; “I really liked my hobby, that’s how it became a business. I thought if I teach it then I’m definitely going to have to practice it”.

Training to be a Iyengar yoga teacher is not a decision to be taken lightly. Monica briefly explains the process. “It takes many years of hard work and training. Someone who wants to be a Iyengar teacher has to practice for 3 years before they can begin training, and then training itself takes a minimum of three years. You can only teach approved poses - for any new poses, there is a new assessment”. “You also have to be continuously practicing or teaching in order to keep your certification” she adds, finally. It does sound a lot like hard work!

So how has she handled the transition from hobby to job? While doing something you love for work can be incredibly rewarding. Monica points out that doing it successfully is all about balance. “You’ve got to be clever enough to be commercial as well and enjoying your hobby - you’ve got to find that balance early on. My job is my hobby and of course there is a challenge there; I have to be very disciplined and separate my time between paper work, accounts, advertising and everything else that running your own business means, from what I most enjoy, which is doing my yoga practice and preparing the classes I teach”.

Striking the work/life balance becomes more important when you find yourself doing something you love for a living, but Monica believes it’s worth it. “Discipline is hard, but you need discipline” she says. “I am very lucky and grateful to have had support at home to follow my heart. However, You still need to have courage. You have to have courage and caution in equal measure and accept that sometimes you must close some doors for othe. You have to have courage and caution in equal measure and accept that sometimes you must close some doors for others to open”.

So what’s next for Monica? “I’m looking forward to working on the yoga retreats I do”, she says. “ We go to Turkey once a year - it truly is a beautiful country. Also, developing Zagyoga is always important to me. I want to offer more classes and continue to grow our community. We have a new teacher and I’m excited for what the new year will bring!”

If you want to get involved and try yoga as a hobby, Zagyoga would love to start your journey with you. In conjunction with the festival of hobbies at Harland Works, Zagyoga is offering free taster sessions on Saturdays throughout January. The dates are as follows:

Saturday 11th, 10am - An Women’s only Iyengar Yoga class.

Saturday 18th, 10am - A gentle Iyengar Yoga class.

Saturday 25th, 10am - An Iyengar Yoga class for all.

Places on these free taster sessions are limited, so to find out more about Zagyoga, Monica’s work, or to book your place, visit Zagyoga’s website here.