India Retreat: Practice & Introduction With Emma Bonnici, Saturday 16th May 12:00 – 1:30 pm

An opportunity to step into the atmosphere of the upcoming India retreat. Through practice, breath, and conversation, this session offers a glimpse into the rhythm of retreat life in Rishikesh.
We will share the intention behind the journey, what to expect and who this experience is for. Open to anyone curious about joining or wanting to learn more.

Taster Talk
Taster Practice
Practical Info
Q&A

Free to attend — registration required.

KANGA YOGA
Kanga Yoga is an energetic, alignment‐based flow yoga practice using music, gravity and breath to rediscover and rejuvenate the body and mind. The practice is inspired by the teachings of Swami Sivananda, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar and Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois.

According to the Ayurveda system (“Life Science” in Sanskrit), people have different biological body types. A relaxed Yin Yoga practice may be good for one body type, whereas an energetic Yang practice may be best for alternate body types. Our biological energies vary according to our lifestyles. Ayurveda views illness as a result of an individual’s imbalanced physical and/or mental constitution, and therefore seeks to gently bring a person’s body and mind back into a healthy balance. Kanga Yoga adapts the practice to the individual. Each class deepens the student’s yoga practice, whilst providing a practical understanding of yoga and offering the opportunity to focus on specific postures, benefit alignment and breath control.

The path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga) is the easiest and the surest of all the ways for attaining emancipation. The science of music goes hand in hand with Bhakti Yoga. The music itself is Hatha Yoga Sadhana; this involves disciplined control and regulation of controlled breathing. Moreover, the various musical notes have their own corresponding nadis (subtle channels in the vital sheath of the body) in the vital centers .within the Kundalini chakra’s vital centers, and music vibrates the nadis as well as purifying them, which in turn awaken the psychic and spiritual powers that lay dormant.

Kanga Yoga integrates sound, asana and mudra to bring the body and mind into balance and harmony.

EMMA BONNICI

Emma Bonnici began her journey into Yoga and Ayurveda in 2006, travelling through Kenya and eventually to India, where she immersed herself in traditional teachings and ashram life. Her time studying under dedicated teachers and Ayurvedic doctors laid the foundation for her approach: adapting yoga practices to suit individual body types, doshas, and health conditions in alignment with Ayurvedic wisdom.

While living in Madhya Pradesh, Emma taught yoga daily to local and international students and contributed a regular column to The Hindustan Times on yogic philosophy, asana, and holistic living. In 2009, she returned to the UK and founded Kanga Wellbeing—a company offering Yoga classes, Yoga and Ayurveda trainings, retreats, and holistic therapies in the UK and internationally. Emma was also the co-founder of Kanga Studio London, a beloved community space that supported many students over the years.

Her uplifting, intuitive classes—rooted in hands-on adjustments, music, and personalised teaching—soon became known as Kanga Yoga, blending the physical and energetic practices of yoga with the healing depth of Ayurveda.

Emma has since trained hundreds of students in-person and online, guiding them through Yoga and Ayurveda, including asana, pranayama, and spiritual studies, with clarity, compassion, and encouragement. She is currently based in Kenya, where she founded Kanga Studio Nairobi, a space dedicated to community classes, healing workshops and therapies, and holistic education.

Her practice has been shaped by her time at Sivananda Kutir Ashram, the Yoga Study Centre with Yogacharya Sri Rudradev Swamiji,, Tattvaa Yogashala with Kamal Singh, and ongoing studies with Ushaji of Patanjala Yoga Kendran. Emma continues to return to Rishikesh for her own sadhana and is deeply committed to sharing the healing power of Yoga and Ayurveda with diverse communities worldwide.