WELLBEING

Mother and professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff talks self-compassion, dispels some yoga myths and reveals her dream dancefloorpartnerÉ

INTERVIEW: KATE LOCKETT.

PHOTOS: KRISTINA RIHANOFF. RICH LINES PHOTOGRAPHY

”More people understand that they need to look after themselves now,” says 43-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing professional Kristina Rihanoff. Urging the Government to start a Work Out to Help Out initiative, the author, choreographer and mum to four-year-old daughter Milena – known as Mila – says: “Exercise of any kind is a long-term help to build a better immunity and better mental state. The practice of yoga taught me about being kind to yourself.”

Here, Kristina tells us why she opened a wellness centre with her partner Ben Cohen, 42, the former rugby union player and now anti-bullying campaigner, and shares advice on finding motivation in stressful times…

Kristina, what was the inspiration behind your Soo Yoga wellness clinic?

“After leaving Strictlyand having a family, we settled in Northampton, because that’s where Ben is from, and we thought about a future project to build together. I have been a yoga devotee for 20 years and always wanted to do the training because I love teaching in general.

Eight months after having Mila, I went on to do that, and Ben obviously is a professional sportsman – we wanted to create a wellbeing centre for the whole family.

“Soo Yoga is about family wellbeing. We offer the whole spectrum of yoga classes – all ages, abilities and levels, from chair yoga for the elderly and those who have mobility issues, pregnancy yoga to very advanced styles, and five-week beginner yoga courses. Ben leads a lot of HIIT, bodyweight, weightlifting classes and we specialise in yoga because this is the core of what we do.