YOKAI

lly beneficial for both body and mind, some poses might be not suitable, or may even be harmful, for people with certain medical conditions. A good Yoga instructor will always consider the contraindications. Pain is the body’s warning signal that something is wrong. Therefore, Kai always works pain free to avoid injury and further pain. Pushing a painful joint or muscle can do real damage!

2. We use safe stretching (not overstretching)

A stretch should feel good because one is getting rid of tension. Stretching too deep and too far might damage the ligaments (they are not elastic, by the way), and is likely to trigger a reflex: a contraction impulse of the stretched muscle, thus creating stress, which can again lead to tension. Yoga is not about achieving the ultimate point of a stretch, but rather about exploring the whole length of the movement.

3. Slow Motion

Through an approach that uses slow movements, Gentle Yoga helps us to develop awareness of the body's signals, Gentle Yoga asks: Is there a resistance in the flow of the movement? How does it feel, and where exactly can I feel it? Is this stretch maybe going a bit too far? In this way we discover and learn about sensations below the pain threshold that would otherwise often go unnoticed.

4. Natural Movements

Yoga practice should have a positive impact on everyday activities such as, for instance, walking, getting to one's feet, sitting down, and picking things up. The aim is to improve overall mobility and to develop healthy movement patterns and habits. ABOUT KAI

Kai is a qualified yoga instructor with over a decade of experience. He is also a certified Thai Yoga Massage therapist and experienced psychodrama instructor. Currently Kai is studying to become an international certified yoga therapist with The Yoga Therapie Institute, combining the individual needs of the body, mind and soul. For a long time, Kai had been hoping to find a holistic and scientifically proven yoga approach that includes all the different aspects of healing. When, in 2022, he learned about the first international yoga therapy diploma, which is provided by The Yoga Therapie Institute, he immediately signed up for the course. It takes a minimum of three years and Kai will complete it in 2025, making him a very highly qualified instructor with a scientifically-backed approach. Kai worked for twenty years in Germany, as a very successful social worker, during which time he counselled and helped abused children, as well as their foster and biological parents. After this period, he and his wife decided to move to South Africa, where he put his extensive knowledge and experience to work, offering personalised individual and healing yoga classes, as well as one-on-one sessions. In Cape Town, Kai found himself working mainly with clients who needed far more than just a simple yoga session and a deep Ohm. He began working with diabetes patients at risk of losing limbs, clients with Parkinson's disease, stroke patients, depressed teenagers, and overworked mothers. He also helped people with chronic pain, sufferers from scoliosis, as well as those dealing with long-term issues as a result broken bones and accidents. Kai even found himself helping people struggling with COPD, cancer patients, people with tumours, clients suffering with GBS as well as those struggling with long-term COVID symptoms. With Kai, no class is the same because every person is different, and every session requires a fresh, unique approach.