Lina Lindahl is a Yoga Alliance certified Vinyasa Flow Instructor. She has been in the health industry for a decade and in 2014 she took the leap to focus solely on what was true to her heart. Lina has since taught yoga both nationally and internationally, and in 2015 she was awarded Sweden’s yoga instructor of the year.
Her teaching reflects the numerous teachers she has had the opportunity to study under, to mention a few; Mimi Rieger, Angela Meyer, Seane Corn, Kathryn Budig, Tiffany Chruikshank, David Kyle, and Gail Harris.
Each year Lina offers a 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Teachers Training in Malmö Sweden which is divided into 5 modules over the course of 5 months. The main focus of the training lies in teaching, sequencing, and the role of the teacher. 2023 will be the 7th training she’ll run and you’ll find many yoga teachers that have gone through her training at some of the most popular studios both in Malmö and elsewhere.
Catch Lina Lindahl, popular Swedish-based Yoga Alliance certified Vinyasa Flow Instructor in conversation with Women Fitness, President, Namita Nayyar. Read on…
Namita Nayyar:
You have been in the health industry since 2014 and are committed to helping people adopt the yoga way of life. Share more input on what drew you towards yoga.
Lina Lindahl:
I had tried yoga a couple of times before but it wasn’t till I started my master’s degree in the US and more specifically Washington DC. A friend brought me to a Vinyasa Yoga class which was totally new to me (I had only tried Bikram Yoga before). I thought it was so challenging, almost like learning a choreography but the feeling I had after brought me back again and again and I never stopped.
Namita Nayyar:
The core of your teaching style lies in connecting the body, mind, and spirit. Throw some light on the fact the role of these aspects for good health.
Lina Lindahl:
I think many times we focus on our physical health, wanting to be stronger more flexible, or look a certain way. The same goes for mental health, practicing meditation, breathing, journaling, etc. When it comes to yoga it naturally combines the two, While physically practicing yoga you get the chance to meet yourself with all that you are – getting to know both your body and mind. When you’re on your yoga mat there’s nowhere you can hide and nowhere to run – you have to face everything that comes up. Sometimes the good the bad and the ugly in one class. Each and every class is such a journey, just like the famous quote
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” — The Bhagavad Gita.
By focusing both on the body and mind aspect I think we change our overall spirit (as I view ourselves, who we are, and how we show up in the world).
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
According to you how can a beginner incorporate in one’s life? How much time should they dedicate to body-mind fitness?
Lina Lindahl:
As a beginner or just someone interested or curious about yoga, I would recommend not taking it too seriously. Try an online class, look for free classes in the city, maybe what’s offered at a gym, or if your company offers some classes (yay – good for you). Just try it!
Many times I still think people have a certain view of what yoga is: either something hippie or spiritual or something that’s just for very fit skinny and flexible people. Yoga could and can be anything, make it your own and find something that speaks to you. If you start practicing and find something you like you’re probably going to be inclined to do it more often than something that feels like yet another thing on your to-do list. There are probably as many yoga styles, classes, and teachers as there are stars in the sky. Just because you don’t like one class or teacher that doesn’t mean yoga isn’t for you!
Do some research and ask friends who are already practicing!
Namita Nayyar:
Yoga asanas you would recommend for women experiencing depression and loneliness?
Lina Lindahl:
I think yoga is great too both for finding a community and helping cope with mental illness. I think a misunderstanding is that people who experience depression need to do yoga that is very calm and just need to sit and focus on pranayama. My personal view is that many times that can be more triggering for someone that already lives a lot in their heads.
To get into the body by doing physical practice, tiering out the body can actually still the mind, and help you sleep better (which is number 1 to help with your mental health).
Second I think that if you start feeling and understanding your body you start feeling proud of it, You might be able to do posture that you didn’t believe you could and by doing so you’ll strengthen your self-esteem.
See the spiral of the body-mind connection that I mentioned before!? To note is that if you’re experiencing burn which should be differentiated from depression it’s a good idea to focus on yoga that calms the nervous system- restorative yoga, Yin yoga, or yoga Nidra.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you like to kick-start your day? How has yoga helped change your life?
Lina Lindahl:
Wow, big questions. I kickstart my day with coffee, that was the easy one. How yoga changed my life, Well yoga has changed everything about my life and it’s hard to think what my life would be without yoga. Yoga is my profession and has been for over 10 years, It’s also the physical and mental practice that I come back to again and again and not only that, yoga is my lifestyle!
Namita Nayyar:
Each year you & your team offer a 200-hour Vinyasa Flow Teachers Training in Malmö Sweden. Throw more light on the same.
Lina Lindahl:
My yoga teacher’s training is actually what I enjoy the most about my job. I get to meet people from all walks of life who either want to deepen their knowledge of yoga or wish to share the practice and become teachers. Let’s say it’s 50/50 coming into the training I would guess that at the end of the training, it’s 80-90% that actually would like to teach in one way or another.
My philosophy and role in the training are to find the “core” of that teacher and help them tap into their strengths but also to take a closer look at their “shadows”, what are the stories that made them who they are. I believe that the best teachers out there are not the ones with the perfect sequence, the greatest playlists, or the teachers who can do the coolest postures. The best teachers are the ones who are relatable and who aren’t afraid of seeing their students and meeting them where they are. I have to say that I’m extremely proud of all the teacher that has gone through my training!
What was new this year is also that I offer a live-streaming option so that people who are abroad or can’t be there in person can join in!
Namita Nayyar:
How can one experience blissfulness through yoga practice?
Lina Lindahl:
I think that’s very individual. I myself have experienced it while practicing some of the more difficult postures where I’ve really pushed my edge. Other times I’ve experienced it in Savasana (the final pose) while holding hands with a friend.
Namita Nayyar:
What diet pattern do you follow to derive maximum benefits from Yoga?
Lina Lindahl:
This is a great question and one that I’ve been asked many times during all my years of teaching. I don’t have a recommendation, the reason for that is that we all have different bodies that like different types of food. I myself eat meat and my body seems to like it, I have close friends and yogis who wouldn’t eat but respond much better to a vegetarian or vegan diet.
In the yoga community (unfortunately)I think there’s this notion that one diet is better than another and I think that can be very triggering for someone who is struggling with food (for example orthorexia, bulimia, or anorexia). If I have a retreat for example I always make sure that the place can accommodate both allergies and dietary preferences- food should be enjoyable and not a list of dos and don’ts. When practicing yoga and being more in tune with your body you’ll hear what it’s craving and different days of the month or parts of the year might call for different things!
Photographer: Julia Batista
Namita Nayyar:
Share more input on mindfulness meditation. How can one derive its maximum benefits?
Lina Lindahl:
Again I would say try different practices and in the beginning, don’t make each session too long. There are a lot of guided mediations that I would recommend to start with; everything from meditations on a specific topic or sound healing etc.
I love walking meditations; no music, no talking, nothing. Just take a walk in nature and listen in. When it comes to mindfulness I would say to incorporate it into your everyday life; take a different way to work, mindful eating (what does the food actually taste like) or when was the last time you thought about how it felt turning your key to lock the door. Being present in everyday life, especially the things that are just habitual- think about those!
For more input visit:
Instagram : www.instagram.com/linalindahlyoga/
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness