Sting (or Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) is a British musician, singer, actor, philanthropist, former leader of The Police. Having worked at many jobs, Sting realized that the main passion of his life was music; to his second passion - yoga - he came later, thanks to fellow musicians.

For many colleagues and fans, Sting is an example of a combination of a healthy lifestyle, sports, proper nutrition and stage success. At 67, the singer works with such energy that musicians two or even three times younger can often envy. Only there are more wrinkles with age, and so - the same slender, youthful, just as strong and active on stage, dancing, rushing, spinning without stopping. In his youth, Sting was involved in athletics and even won second place in the Championship of England. Now he is an ardent football fan, supporting his beloved club Newcastle United.

In sports, the musician's preferences are rather modest: running and yoga help to maintain physical and mental shape. In many interviews, the singer says that he was biased towards yoga: “I thought that yoga practitioners sit cross-legged on the floor and just contemplate.” Therefore, Sting preferred running and aerobics and ran 8 km almost daily, wondering how yoga could be compared with a good jog in efficiency. Sting regrets not taking up yoga sooner. Physical and mystical enlightenment covered him at the age of 38, when many men retire from sports and lie down on the sofa with a bowl of chips. Many - but not Sting. “I ran eight kilometers every morning, did not disdain aerobics and pumped iron with might and main.” He began to practice yoga at the suggestion of his own guitarist, Dominic Miller. “I was working on The Soul Cages at the time. One fine day, Dominic asked: “Would you like to do yoga?” I didn't want to, because I preferred training in a more aggressive order. I saw yoga as a bunch of people sitting in an empty white room and puffing in unthinkable positions at the risk of crushing their own navels. I refused. And Dominique answered: “You know, you just try. Believe me, these exercises somehow have an amazing effect on both the body and the head. In the end, we agreed that Dominik's teacher, Danny Paradise, would come to the studio in the evening and show a couple of asanas. I was sure that I could cope with yoga exercises for one or two: after all, in physical terms, I am a rather fit guy. But after twenty minutes I was exhausted, and Danny, a man of a much more fragile physique, was only slightly sweating.

Sting could not endure such a blow to his pride. “Danny seemed like a man from another planet to me. His strength, grace, dexterity ... all these qualities are inherent in wild animals or Martians, but not in ordinary people. In the end, I told him: “Okay, you won. Come see me tomorrow morning. By the way, I know another person who will be interested in this - my wife, Trudie Styler. And now for more than four years they have been practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa. “I used to count my every hour, and I was alarmed that for the methodical performance of all asanas without exception, I needed a lot of time - twenty hours, forty hours, or even all two hours. But when I asked Danny to come up with a truncated program for me, he refused. The teacher's refusal was explained quite simply: find two hours for asanas, and yoga will repay you handsomely. "Indeed! the musician exclaims. “You waste time in the morning, and then you feel so collected, fit, organized that you manage to do three times more than usual.” Often he is asked a juicy question: did the singer really use the skills he received in that part of life that is usually hidden from prying eyes? Sting laughs.

Over time, daily practice has become an integral part of Sting's life, and his musicians on tour every hour before going on stage also do yoga, meditate and listen to music with him, as Sting believes that this process "strengthens their togetherness." Yoga changed him not only physically, but also mentally - the practice focused him more on singing. Sning once said that yoga, like music, is a "long journey" that will continue to nurture, teach and influence the creative process. “Yoga has enriched my life by allowing me to develop physically, which is very inspiring, especially as you get older. I travel a lot with concerts, and being on the road all the time is not always easy... Yoga is a great way to offset the disadvantages of touring by bringing much-needed peace and balance to a hectic, hectic life. Like music, yoga is a long journey, long enough to keep evolving and learning. And I see no end to it."

According to Sting, the more a person is immersed in yoga, the more he is spiritually cleansed, yoga is also spiritual practices, these are journeys that you create yourself. Now, having been practicing yoga for more than 20 years, the singer notes that he gets to know his body better, and if something doesn’t work out right away, then it no longer depends on the body, but on consciousness - the mind blocks the muscles, believing that nothing will come of it. You just have to not think that you can’t, a trained body can do almost everything, and Sting strives to ensure that his body becomes completely mobile, “fluid”, flexible. “As I get older, I would like to be like that. I would like to fully explore the limits of my body. Old age is not what I fear. I just wish I could age in a certain way. I want to age gracefully. I want to have good posture, be healthy and I want to be an example for my children. And I'm working on it. This, of course, does not mean that I claim to be considered a skilled adept, I am just a beginner. But I really feel like I'm on the path to improvement."

But only a person lives not by sports and diet - the Sting family is convinced of the therapeutic power of music: the singer listens to a lot of music and often spends time with instruments. And of course, the deep curiosity and versatile interests of the musician in various fields help him to always remain young and beautiful.