'YOGA IS VERY HELPFUL FOR NAVIGATING THROUGH LIFE'

Sadie Frost talks to Eve Boggenpoel about her love of Jivamukti, becoming a yoga teacher and hosting her first retreat on the Mediterranean island of Gozo

I 've been practising yoga for 30 years, and although I have my hero postures - I love doing headstands and handstands I started doing Jivamukti because I didn't want to go to a class where I only liked the exercise, I want to feel as if I'm moving forwards spiritually. Jivamukti classes include a hatha-type flow along with breathwork and meditation, but they also contain positive messages.

'On my teacher training, we were taught the essence of Jivamukti is about having a relationship with the earth and with all life. You do that through asanas, meditating, reading a lot of philosophy and scripture, and learning Sanskrit. But it's also about making mutually beneficial relationships with others and putting all your ideas into practice, like being a vegan or vegetarian. It's a kind of path to enlightenment through compassion to all beings.

'As part of my practice, I get up at about 5am and have some time and space for myself 7 or 8am. There are five tenets to Jivamukti - ahimsa (nonviolence), bhakti (devotional practices), dhyana (meditation), nada (deep listening) and shastra (study). There are also the kriyas, cleansing practices such as tongue scraping and body brushing, and I've always kept up with these. Once you've done them, your body is running more efficiently, and you're in a position to be an open vessel to channel positive energy.