Articles by Yanar Alkayat, Contributing editor

Yanar Alkayat is a health and fitness editor, registered yoga therapist and level 3 personal trainer. She founded Yanar Mind & Movement alongside her journalism to offer specialist yoga therapy for people living with long-term health conditions, movement disorders and marginalised communities.

Her chair yoga classes are funded by Parkinson's UK and she regularly runs yoga and fitness sessions for refugee and asylum seeker groups in London. Formerly a content editor and fitness product testing manager at Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Runner's World, she continues to write for national print and digital media.

Yanar's passion for fitness and wellness started young, when she borrowed her first health book from the library aged 11. After years of running marathons, she discovered CrossFit and Olympic lifting in her mid-30s and spent the next decade training and competing. Alongside this, she's always used yoga, breathwork and meditation to support her recovery and nervous system through high intensity training.

Her mum's Parkinson's Disease diagnosis motivated her to complete a diploma in yoga therapy and launch Yanar Mind & Movement, making movement and restorative practices more accessible. She champions mindful movement and nervous system regulation as well as strength work for better physical and mental health.

When not training, teaching or writing, she'll be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Woman stands in living room with her hands in prayer position and eyes closed

I did sun salutations every day for a month—here’s what it taught me

Five minutes of sun salutations every day boosted my flexibility, energy and focus

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Yanar Alkayat

I did sun salutations every day for a month—here’s what it taught me

I did this 21-minute walking workout on my lunch break for a week—here’s what surprised me

The core move every trainer recommends is harder than it looks—here are the modifications that worked for me

How I relieve back tension first thing in the morning—with just two simple moves

I’m a personal trainer and these are the glute bridge variations I love using to build strength and stability

I’ve finally started using this underrated piece of kit and it’s transformed my core workouts

I’m a yoga teacher and this is my go-to mat for grip and it’s 23% off right now

I’m a fitness editor and these are the four moves I do every morning to keep my joints healthy—all while I’m still in my pajamas

I’m a PT and this is the core exercise I give to all my clients

I swapped my usual core routine for this dumbbell workout—here’s why you should try it too

10 yoga stretches for beginners that will boost flexibility

Undo the damage of sitting with these three simple chair stretches to fix your posture

The best adjustable dumbbells for building strength and muscle at home

A trainer says the secret to a stronger back is moving your core in these three ways

Skip the plank—I’m a personal trainer and these three core moves are what I’m loving right now

I'm a yoga instructor who tests mats for a living and there's a 40% discount on one of the best right now

This expert says these are the four exercises women should know how to do as they age

The six best yoga mats of 2024, according to a yoga teacher

I'm a yoga teacher and this stretch helps me maintain lower back mobility while recovering from sciatica

You only need seven moves and 30 minutes to boost your metabolism at home

You don't need dumbbells to start building upper-body strength at home, just these four moves

When you don't have much time to exercise, use my favorite strength and cardio workout

I'm a personal trainer and this is the standing abs finisher I use with my clients

Release tension in your back and shoulders with this yoga teacher's desk mobility routine

A yoga teacher says these are the four moves you should do every day if you want to keep your back flexible as you age