Review /// Yogawoman

I'm a fan of yoga. A friend of mine once said that no matter how he's feeling, he's never regretted going to a yoga class and I'd have to agree. The yoga sessions I've been to have always been frequented by lots of women and only a few men. That's why when I heard New Zealand filmmaker Kate Clere had made a documentary called Yogawoman, I thought, what's unusual about women doing yoga?

This documentary, narrated by Annette Bening, starts by explaining that historically speaking, yoga has been considered a male-orientated activity and that the idea of women wanting to have a go was quite subversive. How times have changed. In interviews women around the world reveal how yoga has helped them deal with stress and various conditions such as breast cancer, infertility, pregnancy and motherhood. Audiences are introduced to top teachers, many of whom have become worldwide icons within the yoga community. These include Patricia Walden, Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Sharon Gannon, Cyndi Lee, and Christchurch yoga teacher Donna Farhi.

Much is said about the physical and psychological benefits of yoga and how it helps put women back into the natural cycles of life. What I found most inspiring however, are the initiatives that are helping to take yoga beyond the studio. Yogawoman follows instructor Seane Corn from Off the Mat and Into the World to Kenya and Uganda where the advocacy organisation is providing aid and using yoga to inspire social change. Another highlight was seeing a pilot yoga programme being taught in a female juvenile detention centre in the United States and hearing a young Hispanic inmate talk about what a positive influence it's had on her life.

Yogawoman is a snapshot of current beliefs and trends in yoga. The range of interviewees is impressive, the downside of this though is that I would have liked to have heard more from some of them. Regardless, it's still a very informative, uplifting and cohesive documentary. I''m not at all surprised Yogawoman was named ‘Critics Choice Top 5 Other Films’ in Time Out London 2011 or that it has received rave reviews and sell-out screenings in such places as New York, London, Melbourne and more recently at the Auckland premiere. Whether you are also a fan or just interested to learn more about it, this documentary is a great summation of how yoga has touched women's lives all over the world.

Yogawoman is screening only once more at Academy Cinemas on Mother's Day.