Breathing space in daily life
Text: Anni Pajari | Pictures: Tiitu Design
About ten years ago, Raj Tiwari moved from Nepal to Finland. He first studied in Turku, where he quickly grew fond of the atmosphere of the student village of the city. When his studies later continued in Jyväskylä, choosing to live in Kortepohja Student Village felt like a natural decision.
“The best thing about living in a student village is being surrounded by other students, events, and positive energy.”
After moving to Finland, Raj developed a deeper interest in yoga. He began by following YouTube videos and gradually made yoga a daily part of his life. Before long, he wanted to deepen his knowledge and enrolled in an intensive course that explored both yoga practice and its underlying philosophy through literature and hands-on training.
Sharing knowledge with others
A central principle of the course was that yoga knowledge should be shared. Early this spring, Raj mentioned the idea to a friend who happens to be the chair of the tenants’ committee at Soihtu Vehkakuja. The friend encouraged him to contact Soihtu and propose an open yoga club for all tenants.
The Soihtu staff is always happy to support tenants in establishing new clubs and promoting them within the community. The yoga sessions held at Lillukka proved popular from the very beginning, typically attracting between 10 and 20 participants.
Raj says he regularly asks attendees for feedback on the exercises and listens carefully to their wishes for future sessions. One of the challenges as an instructor is accommodating participants with very different backgrounds, from complete beginners to those with previous yoga experience.
“It is important to me that everyone feels welcome to participate. Yoga should never be about pressure or performance. I teach simple exercises that are suitable for everyone,” Raj explains.
Supporting both body and mind
While yoga is often associated with physical exercise, Raj believes its mental dimension is equally important. According to him, the aim of the practice is to help the body relax and the mind become fully present through concentration and breathing, without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. At the same time, he emphasizes that yoga can mean different things to different people.
“Yoga benefits the body regardless, so there is no need to stress about the spiritual side.”
Beyond yoga, nature and music play an important role in Raj’s daily life. Evening walks to Haukanniemi have become a regular routine, as has a weekly session with friends in the band room at Rentukka. He also helps friends tend the community garden plots in Kortesuo, which Soihtu tenants can reserve for their own use.
For now, the yoga club is set to continue through the rest of the year.
“Teaching others has been incredibly rewarding, and it keeps teaching me something new all the time as well,” Raj says with a smile.
“The best thing about living in a student village is being surrounded by other students, events, and positive energy.”
Raj Tiwari, tenant of Soihtu and Yoga instructor
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Breathing space in daily life
Text: Anni Pajari | Pictures: Tiitu Design About ten years ago, Raj Tiwari moved from Nepal to Finland. He first studied in Turku, where he quickly grew fond of the atmosphere of the student village of the city. When his studies later continued...