Recorded at 533 Souls Festival in 2021, at The Curve Theatre, Leicester.

Kanwal Ahluwalia (yoga)

This video is part of the 533 Souls Festival that celebrates mental well-being in the post-pandemic world through Indian classical music and yoga. Kanwal Ahluwalia demonstrates a sequence of asanas that course through the body, mind and soul covering each aspect completely while she distributes attention and breathing across the body. With lucid instructions, she delves deeper, integrating movement, thoughts, breathing and energy, interweaving each element gently around the initial goals of yoga.

Yogic goals arise from a clearly defined body of disciplines. It aims at cultivation of awareness, disciplining and restructuring of personality, managing mental and emotional distractions and disturbances and becoming the observer of one’s life. Focusing on these initial goals and practicing them every day is ‘yoga sadhana’ or immersive yogic practice.

This entire sequence can be practiced by beginners and advanced learners alike. It is a complete workout of the mind, body and soul – a yogic routine that encapsulates balancing of energies in the body, improving mental efficiency, harmonising emotions and bringing excellence in thoughts and actions.

Executed in collaboration with De Montfort University and The Curve Theatre, the 533 series conveys hope and solidarity in these times to the students’ communities that have been negatively impacted in the UK. One of the worst COVID-affected areas, Leicestershire was moved to tier three by the UK government - a category that completely banned household mixing and led to the shutting down of pubs, restaurants and universities thus dashing the dreams and aspirations of young souls who had travelled to Leicester to begin higher education in 2020.