New Normal Project

Do you practice yoga? What do you understand yoga to be? This week we talk to Sophie Le Fevre, who was introduced to yoga as a child and is now a highly qualified teacher of more than 15 years with her own studio in Melbourne. Perhaps surprisingly to some, we don't discuss the specific poses that can help us to become stronger and more flexible but Sophie paints a picture of yoga providing an opportunity to develop focus whilst being relaxed. This, she says is the practice of yoga. The time spent in the yoga studio or on the mat is therefore training to be able to avoid distraction whilst maintaining a sense of calmness outside of the studio as well. So yoga can be the many things we do in everyday life. And the asanas or physical poses that we do in a class are just a means to help us achieve relaxed focus. We talk about Sophie's childhood and she recalls an instance of being in a flow state as a 7 year old, when completing an otherwise dull task. We also discuss how yoga has benefited her own children and o