BLOG HOME LIVE CLASSES RECORDINGS WHAT IS YOOGAIA PRICING INSTRUCTORS BLOG LOGIN ENGLISH MOST RECENT BLOGS Why share the gift of yoga with your son or daughter? The Rise of the Online Workout Two ways to nurture trust and intimacy with your partner An introduction to pregnancy yoga and its benefits Online yoga through instructor’s eyes Breathing? Yes. Breathing well? Possibly not Have you ever tried Kundalini Yoga? What on earth is Yin? The birth of Yoogaia Yoogaia is the first live online yoga studio in the world that brings yoga, pilates, core and kettle bell classes to your home, in real-time. WHY SHARE THE GIFT OF YOGA WITH YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER? Tweet Mar 11, 2015 — by Patricia Creola; Children's Yoga Specialist Yoga is becoming more and more popular, not only for adults but also for children. Children’s yoga goes far beyond physical movement by giving your child peace of mind and more flexibility. Children’s yoga classes can bring out the good quality to balance their personalities and enhance playfulness. Children’s yoga has to be adjusted so that it fits into their world and into their fantasies. It is play-time for them, contains a storytale with added body movements (yoga postures), yoga games, singing uplifting songs and also using mudras (hand gestures/signs), meditation and breathing exercises (pranayama). The difference between normal gymnastics, which is practiced at school, is that yoga is done with awareness of breath and the body. The diversity of the postures works different muscles and improves focus and concentration. It is important to let children have fun and not push them too hard as yoga is a non-competitive activity. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CHILDREN’S YOGA? Helps children to calm down and focus Enhances and increases their flexibility and coordination (body & brain) Improves concentration, brings emotional stability and helps release mental and creative energy The postures gently massage the internal organs and glands Improves circulation of the blood, nourishing the brain and the body Balances the musculoskeletal system: stretches and strengthens muscles and ligaments; spine, muscles and joints become more flexible and stronger Yoga is a holistic approach to ADHD, Autism, LD & other Sensory Integration Meditation instills clarity and focus, increases a sense of well-being and health Meditation changes the way the brain functions and alters the structure of the brain Patricia Creola is a certified Himalayan Hatha Yoga Teacher with Yogi Ashokananda through Yoga Alliance UK. Patricia has done a 3-day “Radiant Child Yoga” training with Shakta Kaur Khalsa to learn more about the specifics for children’s yoga. Patricia currently teaches adults and children through various means, at Yoogaia.com, the Kiss Gym, the Manor Gym and also has private students. In 2013 Patricia taught yoga and meditation in Tamil Nadu/South India for five months to 30 children aged four at a charity school. Join “Yoga for Children“ with Patricia Creola on Mother’s Day March 15 at 3.30 pm UK time at yoogaia.com. The class is aimed for children 4-8 years old. Children should wear comfortable clothes and be barefoot using a yoga mat for their practice. Girls should not wear any pinching hairbands or hair clips. Enjoy! THE RISE OF THE ONLINE WORKOUT Tweet Feb 18, 2015 — by Laura Ludlow; blogger, mum and PR guru The list of excuses for reasons why you cannot exercise just keeps dwindling - 2015 is the year that we will see an increase in people eager to keep themselves in shape, but frustrated by the limitations of going to a gym, (opening times, distance from home/work) move towards the growing number of subscription fitness websites. So, what exactly are these subscription websites and what do they offer? A pay per month model which most of these sites employ means that you usually have a great selection of either real time or recently uploaded workouts to choose from. Take your pick from yoga, to kettle bells to the more intense Insanity type workouts. You can access these workouts on demand in the comfort of your home, hotel, office (!) and more often than not, no expensive equipment is needed. In addition to this, you can benefit from a plethora of benefits offered such as meal plans, nutrition advice and some sites streaming live classes give you, the member, the benefit of postural correction/encouragement via your webcam. CONVENIENCE IS THE KEY Convenience is the key to these workouts. Most of these fitness sites offer anything between 10 and 60 minute routines which are done by trained and credible instructors so you can pick what fits your schedule, this negates the rather timely occupation of scouring the web for the free workouts - many of which are done by unqualified instructors. Most people would agree that even 10 minutes of working out several times a week means the benefits are going to outweigh the downsides. NO INTIMIDATION FACTOR Another great motivator for using these online workouts is that there is no intimidation or fear factor. Going to try a yoga class can be extremely daunting - especially when you feel like you may not be wearing the right clothing or haven’t been able to touch your toes in decades….doing the workout at home means that you can give things a try, laugh and all in the comfort of a daggy old tracksuit! Stay at home Mums who are struggling to regain a level of fitness can work these workouts around their children - see, I told you there were really no excuses now not to exercise! HOME WORKOUT IS AFFORDABLE Saving money whilst getting fit is a bonus - the online workouts coming in cost wise at considerably less (usually between £15-£30 per month subscription) than a monthly gym membership. Time saving is another bonus as well because there is no time taken getting across town to the class that you like. On these subscription sites the online workouts are being updated constantly - more often than you would get at any gym and this saves the boredom factor kicking in. For people who like to plan and do the live classes - there are schedules with weekly slots for specific classes - but thats not to make things stressful - as if you get late you can just pick up the class later or even on another day. TWO WAYS TO NURTURE TRUST AND INTIMACY WITH YOUR PARTNER Tweet Feb 13, 2015 — by Louka Leppard of www.tulayoga.com SEATED BREATHING A simple and meditative way to connect and relax with your body and your partner is to sit back to back, to breathe more fully and to to help each other bring your consciousness down into your bodies by following your breath. 1. FIND A COMFORTABLE SEATED POSITION so the backs of your heads, shoulders and base of spines are all touching. Allow the seat to be comfortable, be it kneeling, crossed legged or supported with cushions and/or a bolster. Make sure you are at about the same height. Distribute your weight evenly so you are lightly touching each other and neither of you are pushing each other out of your centre of gravity. 2. START BY FOCUSING ON YOUR OWN BREATHING. Take a few gentle, long and deep breaths, drawing air in through your nose and out through your mouth. Place both hands on the centre of your chest and feel your breath in filling, expanding and relaxing your heart centre. As you breathe out, let go. Allow the weight of your thorax, shoulders and arms to create the exhalation. Allow yourself to sigh, if you feel to. Feel your back touching your partners back. Feel the rhythm and sound of their breath, feel the warmth of the connection radiating into you. 3. WHEN YOU FEEL READY, PLACE BOTH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR SOLAR PLEXUS. As you inhale to your maximum, use all your focus to follow your breath down into your body, gently pushing open and expanding your diaphragm. This is the gateway between the emotions in your heart centre and the feelings in your belly. We often don’t breathe deeply because we don’t want to feel. We keep our consciousness high in our bodies, distracted by thoughts, tasks and TV. If you feel any resistance, it’s likely that you are avoiding something uncomfortable. Try to stay with it. Try to stay with yourself and your partner. Again, feel the warmth and support of your partner behind you. Feel the rise and fall of their breath and perhaps you can also perceive the subtle sensation that they are also relaxing and descending deeper into their body. 4. NOW PLACE BOTH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR BELLY. As you inhale deeply, follow your breath down, through your heart centre, past your solar plexus and down into your belly. Come into contact with the feelings and sensations on the inside of your pelvis and allow your belly to relax and expand. Come into contact with the connection between your whole spine and that of your partners. as you breathe in, following your breath, descending into your body. Feel the weight of your body descending down through your spines and relax your hands on your knees, palms up. 5. FOCUS In this deeply relaxed and embodied state, focus your attention on your partners breathing pattern and that of your own. You may begin to naturally come into sync. Don’t force this, allow the merging of the body and breath to be natural. 6. STAY HERE AS LONG AS YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE AND CONNECTED. When you are ready to disconnect, get up gently and slowly, leave them to continue as long as they need to. Gently kiss your partner on the back of the heart. Make some tea for you both and find your chocolate stash. RECLINED BREATHING Breathing the lazy way can be just as effective for relaxing and coming back into intimate contact with your partner. One of you will be the giver, the other the receiver, but you will both get to relax and enjoy. 1. IF YOU ARE THE GIVER, FIND A COMFORTABLE RECLINED POSITION ON THE FLOOR OR ON A LARGE BED. Do whatever you need to feel comfortable: yoga mats, a duvet, a pillow under your knees etc. with your head supported by a cushion. Your partner will lay on their back, perpendicular to your body to your right and relax their head gently on your belly like a pillow. Place your left hand on their forehead. Your right hand on the centre of their chest. Breathe your way gently and deeply down into your body. Bring all your attention to the back of their head resting on your belly, your left palm on their forehead, and how it rises and falls with your breath. Your right hand, resting on their heart centre, rising and falling with their breath. 2. IF YOU ARE RECEIVING place your hands on your belly and focus on relaxing your neck, shoulders and arms as much as possible. Breathe your way gently and deeply down into your body. Let go of control as much as you can and allow your head to rise and fall with your partners breath. Stay here until you feel completely relaxed or your partner is snoring too loudly. 3. ROLL OVER AND GET CUDDLED Remember, interpersonal intimacy begins firstly with being comfortable with yourself, as you are. When you take the time to come in to relaxed contact with the feelings and sensations in your own body, it creates the space for others to be open to contacting their own feelings, and from their real sharing can occur. Louka Leppard began his practice in 1995 after being inspired by Acrosage, the work of Benjamin Marantz. He expanded and developed the idea of using simple acrobatic release postures, combining this with his knowledge and personal experience in massage, yoga and meditation. Louka now lives in Geneva and offers one-to-one treatments there and in Paris and is now becoming a welcome regular in London AN INTRODUCTION TO PREGNANCY YOGA AND ITS BENEFITS Tweet Feb 4, 2015 — by Jen Snabel; yoga instructor Pregnancy yoga is a nourishing practice to support you through the different stages of your pregnancy. As well as easing common physical ailments, creating space in the body and mind, pregnancy yoga allows you to honour the changes in your life, connect with your growing baby and calm any anxiety as you prepare to meet your baby. CREATE SPACE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR BABY Pregnancy yoga encourages you to create space in the body and mind to nourish both you and your baby. Movement in pregnancy yoga is fluid and designed to ease your body toward opening and release. As your baby grows it is common to feel like there isn’t much room in the body; you may feel overwhelmed and anxiety may cloud the mind. Special breathing practices allow you to find more room for the breath to support you and your baby, whilst fluid sequences allow you to release any tightness or tension in the muscles and joints, creating more space to move with ease. Through mindfully moving and breathing you can learn to calm the mind and encourage anxiety to melt away, leaving you feeling calmer. ALLEVIATE COMMON PREGNANCY RELATED AILMENTS Pregnancy yoga assists in alleviating common physical ailments such as swollen ankles, breathlessness, stiffness in hips and shoulders and lower back pain. Specific exercises target tight spots and help you to move with more ease as you adjust to the changes taking place in the body. Shoulder opening and hip releasing postures allow you to build strength and prepare the body for birth and motherhood. Flowing sequences allow you to breathe space into the vertebrae and nourish the spine to relieve lower back pain. LEARN TO LISTEN AND TRUST YOUR BODY During pregnancy the body goes through 9 months of change. Pregnancy yoga allows you to honour those changes and supports you in deepening your intuition and awareness. You are encouraged to listen to your body and move mindfully in a way that feels good. You will learn to trust your body to support you through the process. In listening to your body you are able to tailor the practice to meet you where you are, adopting gentle stretches for days when you are lacking energy and more dynamic movement for high energy days. DEEP REST During pregnancy it is common to experience interrupted sleep and restlessness. Pregnancy yoga can help to calm and soothe the body and mind, allowing you to get some much needed rest. Consciously expanding and slowing down the breath allows you to calm the nervous system, release anxiety and quieten the mind; all useful in promoting restful sleep. A pregnancy yoga practice often closes with a deep relaxation which gives you the time and space to release and let go, even if only for 15 minutes. To experience these benefits for yourself, sign up to Yoogaia’s pregnancy yoga class on Thursday mornings 10-11am. I’m looking forward to seeing you there. ONLINE YOGA THROUGH INSTRUCTOR’S EYES Tweet Nov 12, 2014 — by Katja Wickstöm, Head instructor of Yoogaia FIRST SESSION I felt pretty nervous before my first session. Giving instructions in front of the camera, let alone yoga-ing was all unknown territory. I was eager to begin, yet it felt funny in the studio, surrounded by all this equipment, in front of a huge square, all alone. Then the red light went on to signal the beginning of the lesson and my students started arriving. The first one switched on a camera! Great! I waved and gave everybody a warm welcome. A small kid run past on the screen and one name after another kept appearing. More and more webcams were switched on. I completely forgot about not sharing the same room with my students! SOMETIMES I’M IN ITALY Time has moved on and today it feels I know my regular students pretty well. Recognizing familiar environments makes me feel warm. I know beforehand, whose home it’s going to be. Sometimes I join my clients in a hotel, summer cottage or on a holiday and that’s always good fun! Feeling familiar is good, even if we haven’t had a proper chat. I mean we have, of course, but it has always been me talking. I instruct, you listen. People sometimes ask me questions via live chat but I wish this could happen more often. And it’s OK to send greetings, or say where we’re training today, if the environment is new! HELP, IT’S REALLY MESSY From the instructor’s point of view, it’s far more rewarding, if the student has a webcam on. I’ve seen heaps of laundry being pushed off the screen after realizing I’m able to see that. If you feel more comfortable this way, fine. But I’m really not fussy about how people do their laundry! My only interest in seeing you is to make sure you execute all movements and lines as instructed. This way you can contribute most from the exercises. Moreover, most homes I see are much, much cleaner than my own! Finding a clear corner for yoga can be a challenge, as daily life is mostly about laundry, messy kids and lined-up chores anyway, so it’s perfectly fine to take some time out from the domestic chaos and charge your batteries with yoga. JOIN IN FROM THE SOFA It’s my wish as an instructor that everybody could have their cameras on. From the point of development and safe exercising, camera is really essential. Your skill level does not matter. Both beginners and advanced practitioners can benefit from the camera. Don’t worry, if you can’t participate the whole session. Just wave the instructor bye-bye and start your relaxation sequence. You exercise for yourself, not for me. Get what feels beneficial and doable today. The most important thing is to make regular sessions part of your wellbeing routine. Domestic sounds are none of my, or anybody else’s business and children and pets only add charm to the session. No need to worry at all! And no harm in having the hubby snoozing on the sofa either – with some luck our joint effort may motivate him join the class! DISCIPLINE FROM CAMERA I always have my webcam on when taking part in other instructor’s Yoogaia sessions. This way I won’t get into hoovering the floor after seeing balls of dust under the sofa from a headstand! The dust doesn’t run away and the dishwasher can be unloaded after the session. Your body and mind, on the other hand, reward every effort you put in staying focused and doing your exercises. Having a webcam on during sessions disciplines me and allows my instructor supervise the safety of my performance. Accept the challenge and have your webcam on for the first time. The more so that it’s boring in the studio without you, so come and join me! 4 FACTS ABOUT EXERCISING WITH WEBCAM ON 1. Only the teacher can see your image. 2. The video is silent, so nobody hears anything, only you can hear the teacher and send messages via live chat. 3. Your exercising is not recorded. 4. You make most of the session having your webcam on. BREATHING? YES. BREATHING WELL? POSSIBLY NOT Tweet Nov 11, 2014 — by Aimee Hartley,Tarnsformational breathing coach Inhaling and exhaling is something we do over 20,000 times a day yet sometimes every single breath goes unnoticed. Breathing is one of the body’s only actions which is both voluntary and involuntary and therefore breathing is something we can learn to have some control over. In just a few deep conscious breaths, we can shift our state of mind from an anxious flight or fight setting to a more relaxed mode. So why don’t we do this more often? NO TIME TO BREATHE With today’s ever-increasing pace of life, sometimes we may feel like ‘we don’t have time to breathe’. It’s no wonder stress levels are higher than ever, immune diseases are on the increase and depression in both young and old is at an all time high. At such times, we often look towards external sources to fix to our strung out feelings, but a healthier, more natural way to help us through stressful periods could be right under our nose. There are many breathing exercises available today which can help us improve our innate breathing pattern. We can exercise our respiratory muscles to work to their full potential and in turn we can experience how breathing well can steady any fluctuating moods. TRANSFORMATIONAL BREATH® is a self-healing technique which can help people access the full potential of their breathing system for better physical, emotional and mental well-being. The connected pattern of conscious breathing is a natural, safe and easy-to-learn technique, which has proven to have many benefits almost universally, including increased energy, better immune response and increased ability to deal with stress in a positive way. Breathing controls the functioning of every cell, and the physiology of the entire body, it is no surprise that improper breathing is a contributory factor to ill health. Transformational Breath® helps correct old unhealthy patterns of breathing, releases tension from the respiratory muscles which in turn encourages a fuller, more conscious breath. DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING is paramount to the Transformational Breath® process. Experiencing a deep breath into the abdomen is not only relaxing; it’s been scientifically proven to positively affect the heart, brain, digestive and immune system. Once the breath is moving in the abdomen, the upper lungs can be activated so eventually the breath is full, connected and active. EXERCISES TO HELP YOU TO CONNECT WITH YOUR BREATH, RELEASE TENSION FROM THE BODY AND CALM THE MIND At Home: Transformational Breath is one of the world’s most cutting edge breath work techniques to date. Here’s a little taster you can practice on your own. Prop yourself up on the bed at a semi-reclined angle so your chest is higher than your legs. Make sure you are warm and comfortable, and that your head and neck are properly supported. Have your hands on your lower abdomen - a few inches below the navel. Relax the jaw and open the mouth wide and take a deep inhalation, belly should rise like a balloon, and exhale with a quick sigh. Keep all your focus on the inhalation. Inhalation should be about twice as long as the exhalation. Exhalation should be a quiet and relaxed. Keep the breath connected so no pauses between breaths. Repeat up to 5 minutes and notice any physical sensations in the body. Rest for one minute as you return to a normal breathing pattern – breathing through the nose. At Work: Sit comfortably in your chair rest your hands on your thighs. To help release tension in the shoulders and upper back: take a deep, slow inhalation through the nose and raise the shoulders to the ears. Exhale and let the shoulders go. Repeat 5 times and then rotate the shoulders backwards slowly. Be mindful of how you sit at your desk. Make sure the shoulder blades are drawn down your back, the chest is lifted and allow space between the pelvis and the rib cage. A good posture can help you breathe easier. Learning to breathe well can also help you improve your posture. Commuting: Whether driving, on the bus or on a tube, sit and become aware of how you are breathing. Notice how the whole torso moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Make sure the lower abdomen is rising on the inhalation (this can take some practice!). Don’t force the breath, just simply observe and notice how the body naturally relaxes on the exhalation. Notice how being aware of your breathing allows you to be in the present moment. On the Weekend: Connect with nature and be mindful of your breath as you walk. Find a park, woodland or ocean and while walking and looking at the beautiful surroundings, be mindful of how you are breathing. Inhaling deeply through the nose, expand into the belly To connect with nature and still remain present with one’s breath is extremely nourishing for the system. Learning to breathe well can help the body release tension, calm the mind and allow the body to let go of any unwanted attention. Best of all, once having improved your breathing pattern, practicing breathing well is completely free. Aimee Hartley offers Transformational Breathing one to one’s and workshops in and around London. For more information, please email aimee@thebreathingroom.co.uk HAVE YOU EVER TRIED KUNDALINI YOGA? Tweet Nov 11, 2014 — by Jenni Sillantaka, Skiing yoga instructor WHAT IS KUNDALINI YOGA? Kundalini yoga is called the yoga of awareness and its primary objective is to awaken our Kundalini-energy. It helps us live our potential, activate intuition, refine conscious awareness of the here and now, build self-awareness and confidence. Speaking of the physical effects of Kundalini yoga, it calls upon the full potential of our nervous and glandular systems. A number of Kundalini yoga body postures are really simple, but become more challenging as you keep repeating them over and over again. Yoga is a technique that assists the practitioner in gaining control over his mind and coming gently out of the personal comfort zone, thereby tapping into previously unused resources and stamina. Generally speaking, Kundalini yoga does not require any equipment or aids. It is most enjoyable to exercise barefoot, in comfortable clothes that do not restrict movement. Most exercises are performed with closed eyes focused between your eyebrows. This way we concentrate only on the exercise and our experience. IMPORTANT ELEMENTS: BREATHING, MANTRAS, MUDRAS, ASANAS AND BANDHAS. Breathing is an important part of a Kundalini yoga exercise. The speed of movement is controlled by breathing, making use of the energy of breathing. Breathing helps stay present in the here and now and focus on the moment. Mantras belong among the most powerful Kundalini yoga techniques. By focusing on the vibration, rhythm and sound of mantras, we calm our mind and silence the ego. Chanting mantras is not about singing skills or taking the right notes, the only thing that really matters is the impact of mantras. Kundalini yoga exercises always include a kriya i.e. a sequence of movements with a particular effect, say, on your spine, thyroid or emotional wellbeing. Kriyas are made up of asanas i.e. body postures, mudras i.e. hand postures and bandhas i.e. muscle locks. You are warmly welcome to try Kundalini yoga and join Kundalini yoga classes. I’m very happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding Kundalini yoga. KUNDALINI YOGA MANTRAS: OPENING MANTRAS: ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO - I bow to the Creative Wisdom, I bow to the Divine Teacher Within. MANGALA CHARAN MANTRA – Bring Guidance and Give Protection, Bring Help to Overcome Challenges AAD GURAY NAMEH – I Bow to the Primal Wisdom JUGAD GURAY NAMEH - I Bow to the Wisdom True Through the Ages SAT GURAY NAMEH - I Bow to the True Wisdom SIRI GURU DEV NAMEH - I Bow to the Great Unseen Wisdom. CLOSING CHANT AND CLOSING MANTRA: SUN SHINE SONG: MAY THE LONG TIME SUN SHINE UPON YOU, ALL LOVE SURROUND YOU AND THE PURE LIGHT WITHIN YOU, GUIDE YOUR WAY ON. BIJ MANTRA: SAT NAM – True identity,”Truth is my name”, also used as a greeting in Kundalini yoga. Sat Nam, Jenni WHAT ON EARTH IS YIN? Tweet Nov 11, 2014 — by Katarina Kranck: Yoga instructor to whom Yin wasn't love at first try At first I had no idea what Yin-yoga was. I simply did not get that the primary objective was to relax and instead – literally – bent over backwards to match the teacher. Pulled my hamstrings. Still, there was something fascinating about the first experience, so after my hamstrings had healed, I went back. Little by little, I started slowing down, got into taking the asanas whilst carefully listening to my body and as a result, began feeling the wonderful effect of Yin. My body felt light, my mind was calm and the headaches were gone. I have not had a single migraine episode after getting into regular yin-yoga practice! Today I’m sold and tend to warn own class about the high risk of getting addicted! GENTLE EXERCISING Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga. Unlike other styles, Yin-yoga does not activate muscles but applies moderate stress to the connective tissues. Since it is good to maintain balance between the Yin & Yang in our body, regular Yin-yoga becomes particularly important, if you’re also into dynamic yoga or other sports requiring intensive muscle work. In Yin-yoga, poses are held for longer periods of time – several minutes – with relaxed muscles. This will stretch the connective tissues and improve the health of joints and the skeletal system. SHOULD I PRACTICE WITH FLU? You can still practice Yin-yoga with mild flue (not with temperature). Yin-yoga can get the energies moving and by doing so make you feel better. No warm-ups are required before Yin-yoga, as the connective tissues stretch best with cold muscles. The only recommendation is to avoid hearty meals before exercising. THE WONDERFUL HERE AND NOW Connective tissue is tough and shrinks with age. With Yin-yoga, you extend and flex your connective tissues, thereby maintaining your mobility that can reduce with age. Yin-yoga opens up blockages in energy meridians and is therefore suitable also for older people. The slow pace of Yin-yoga and its long asanas create a relaxing sensation of being present. Holding asanas for longer periods brings patience and calms the mind. See you in next class, Kata THE BIRTH OF YOOGAIA Tweet Oct 29, 2014 — by Mikko Petäjä, CEO of Yoogaia, father of three and a yoga enthusiast After a bad night's sleep some cold winter day two and a half years ago, the alarm clock rings before six. Taking the yoga accoutrements packed in the evening with me and out of the door as quiet as a mouse before the children wake up. Scraping the iced-up windows of the car and then driving off towards the hall. After the yoga, a rapid shower, clothes on, and then stood still in a traffic jam in a car misted up by the after-sweat. At work after nine, almost on time. Fitting yoga training into everyday life had become a feat in itself and brought as much stress as it took away. This wasn't how it was meant to be. When wrestling with the paradox in the morning rush hour, a thought popped into my head. Could you get to the right yoga session without so much trouble and expending so much energy and time on it? If the yoga session came to me instead of me going there, everyday life would become easier and simpler. Perhaps net yoga was the solution. I started googling and looking for a service that suited me best. All so surprisingly, I didn't find one. There were some kinds of yoga videos, although not in Finnish, but I couldn't find real interactive sessions. Strange, because I surely wasn't the only one to see the benefits of net yoga. AND SO WHAT IF AFTER ALL? One and a half years later I had started out as an entrepreneur. When I had a few free days before me without customer work, I dug up my old notes from the memo book and decided to use a few days to conceptualise the idea. I still didn't find an equivalent service, so that's where it started, the thought of Yoogaia. FROM IDEAS TO ACTION The next day I happened to bump into someone I knew, who I challenged to think about the net yoga service idea. They said they were going to some start-up event the next week and invited me along. There were dozens of keen budding entrepreneurs at the event and a few mentors. When the time came to let a few willing participants pitch, i.e. present their idea to the audience, I put up my hand and stood up before the audience. I don't remember much about the speech but the abundant applause and the heap of business cards from those wanting to join up in my pocket made me understand that there was something good lurking within the idea. After the event, I stayed behind chatting with Jussi Markula. He saw a potential in the idea and after an hour we had greed that we'd go and see together what would happen. The date was the 11th of September, 2013. Jussi, a serial entrepreneur mentoring start-ups, got me into a fair state of enthusiasm and speed. Two weeks later the first net yoga sessions had been held and the functionality of the idea validated. Before the beginning of October, the first website was up and the first paid sessions had been done. At the end of October, the first investing angel had come on board and there was already more than one person on the team. INTERNATIONALISATION Less than a year later, I'm writing this en route to London where we may possibly open up a studio in the near future. The service has already changed its form many times and more functionalities have arrived. In our sessions, we go around the world. We employ more than 20 people, full and part-time. In November, we are going to present ourselves at the globally largest start-up event in Dublin to an international audience. If everything goes well, we'll be taking Yoogaia forward as a global service within the next year with the support of Tekes and private investors. WELL-BEING FOR ALL Although Yoogaia is still very much a work in progress, and will always be, nevertheless we have achieved something. Regardless of what Yoogaia grows to become, the greatest pleasure of all is to see so many people getting happy about the same thing that I myself found to be of value. Everyday well-being has become easier and more pleasurable with the aid of Yoogaia, Hearing that directly from the customer's lips feels just amazing. Regards Mikko, Founder and CEO STAY UP-TO-DATE Follow us on Facebook or Twitter. IN THE BLOG Why share the gift of yoga with your son or daughter? The Rise of the Online Workout Two ways to nurture trust and intimacy with your partner An introduction to pregnancy yoga and its benefits © 2015 Yoogaia Home Live classes Recordings Pricing Instructors Blog Jobs Login FAQ Yoogaia in media Company Terms