Wild Yoga Tribe

Welcome to Episode #15 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Bonolo Phaladze onto the show. She is a yoga studio owner and yoga teacher from Botswana. The way that Bonolo describes yoga, as a fairy godmother was such a surprise! But a delight to hear and to listen to her share her thoughts on yoga in Botswana and how yoga makes her feel.

As a yoga studio owner of one of the few yoga studios in Botswana, Bonolo describes what it was like for her to find yoga herself, and her journey to find a yoga teacher— it was harder than she expected!

Get ready for a fun conversation filled with laughter and creative analogies and metaphors! Yoga in Botswana, here we come!

Tell me more about Bonolo Phaladze…

Bonolo Phaladze is the founder and lead teacher at Yownn Yoga, a yoga studio based in Gaborone, Botswana. The studio offers yoga retreats in Southern Africa, and yoga classes both in person and online. Bonolo is a Registered Yoga Teacher, RYT200 with Yoga Alliance, she specializes in yoga for beginners primarily because the yoga scene in Botswana is relatively new, and there is a lot of work to be done to introduce more people to yoga.

Bonolo's first encounter with yoga was not enthusiastic, it was a doctor's recommendation. In 2013 due to a high risk pregnancy she had no choice but to accede to her doctor's demands to abandon her regular high intensity train for something low impact and gentle like yoga. She was skeptical of yoga, maybe even judgmental, she had never once considered yoga a fitness activity. The first yoga session sparked a curiosity and respect in her that propelled her to keep returning to the mat. 

What to expect in the Yoga In Botswana episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

Bonolo kicks off the conversation by revealing how she first came to yoga, as her bio indicates, it wasn’t enthusiastically. She first saw people at the gym just lying around on their yoga mats (apparently!) and she judged yoga as something too boring and easy.

Now, it is her passion to teach new students what yoga is and what yoga can be. As yoga in Botswana is still not mainstream, the majority of her students are new to the practice. She loves walking alongside her students on their journey of yoga and showing them that it is more than just handstands and headstands. The emotional and mental presence involved in yoga is where the magic lies.

While yoga in Botswana may be relatively “unpopular” as its not mainstream yet, Bonolo describes Botswana as an oasis for those seeking peace, and as she jokes “a place to sleep.”

Curious about yoga in Botswana? Let’s go straight to the source! Tap into our conversation wherever you listen to podcasts.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Botswana episode?

Connect with Bonolo Phaladze

https://yownnyoga.com/retreats-workshops/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCilnPwG29SD7RIfIQ_YgamQ

https://www.instagram.com/yownnyoga/

https://www.facebook.com/yownnyoga/

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Episode #14 - Surrender: Giving Up The How - Yoga in Bahrain with Weam Zabar

Welcome to Episode #14 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Weam Zabar onto the show. She is a yoga studio owner and yoga teacher from Bahrain. Now, when I think of yoga in Bahrain, I immediately will think of Weam! Not only is she a studio owner, her yoga studio was the first registered yoga school opened in Bahrain. She opened her yoga studio in 2011, Namaste, and has been integral to the yoga scene in Bahrain ever since.

As a psychotherapist, Weam is passionate about listening and is a firm advocate of surrender. Weam defines surrender as “Being clear about the why of the what and then giving up the how.” Surrender is not about giving up the external action, giving up your dreams, or about standing idly by. What does surrender mean to you? Learn more about surrender, about yoga in Bahrain and about how psychotherapy influences yoga teaching and practice in this episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast!

Want to learn more about yoga in Bahrain? Tune into the full episode to find out more!

Tell me more about Weam Zabar…

Weam Zabar is a yoga teacher from Bahrain. She is a ERYT-500hr yoga teacher, a phsychotherapist, a hypnotherapist, and a Reiki Healer, and is the founder of Namaste— Bahrain’s first internationally recognized yoga school, located in Budaiya. Her Yoga journey started in 2007 and nothing remained the same. Seeing how Yoga nurtured her life, she left behind a demanding corporate job to dedicate her to guiding others and sharing their journey home. Weam has held workshops, teacher trainings and retreats in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bali, India, Morocco and Thailand. Moreover, Weam teaches vinyassa, hatha, aerial, self enquiry, philosophy, pranayama, and meditation.

For the Skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Bahrain episode?

Connect with Weam Zabar

https://www.instagram.com/namastebh/

https://www.instagram.com/wanderwonderweam/

https://namastebh.com/

Book: Living In The Grey 

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #13 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Tracy Estefane onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Lebanon, and is located in Beirut. She teaches at Sarvam Yoga in Beirut and co-leads 200hr yoga teacher trainings there.

Tracy was deep in the throes of getting her Master’s in London when yoga came into her life. From the first class, she felt “changed.” This lead her to do a training in Scotland, and then to go to Thailand to receive her 200hr Hot Yoga Teacher Training certification. What I find to be the most inspiring part of Tracy’s journey is that she immediately took the leap of faith into becoming a yoga teacher full-time. While she doesn’t currently own her own studio— although she hopes to one day!— she is deeply immersed in serving her yoga community in Lebanon, and is grateful for the sanctuary that yoga provides to not just herself, but to her whole community, during these difficult times for her country.

How does yoga help? How is yoga a sanctuary?

Tune into our conversation to hear Tracy's truths!

Tell me more about Tracy…

Tracy Estefane started her yoga journey in 2014, when she discovered Bikram hot yoga in London as she was completing her Masters degree. In 2015, Tracy took the leap to turn her passion into her profession and joined the 200hours Hot Yoga Teacher Training at the Absolute Yoga Academy in Thailand. Directly upon completion of the program and returning to Lebanon, Tracy started teaching private and public yoga classes including Hot Yoga, Vinyasa, Power Yoga and Yogalates in Beirut’s leading yoga studios and gyms. She is now co-leading yearly 200hr teacher training programs in Lebanon and internationally, specializing in vinyasa yoga. She has a special interest in energy healing and breath-work and attended numerous trainings in Pranic healing and rebirthing breath-work.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Lebanon episode?

From Passion to Profession: Taking The Leap!

Yoga is a Sanctuary

Advice for Yoga Teachers On Starting to Teach

Healing a Hurting Community Through Yoga

The Art of Creative Sequencing

The Cleansing Practices of Pranic Healing

An Explanation: Rebirthing Breath-Work

Connect with Tracy

https://www.instagram.com/tracyogini/

http://www.sarvamyoga.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sarvamyoga/

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #12 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Arti Abhelakh onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Suriname, and is the owner of Yoga Peetha Happiness Center in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Arti is a Bhakta, which means a true devotee. She has a Guru that she is devoted to, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is the founder of The Art of Living foundation which has reached over 160 countries world-wide with their knowledge, techniques, and their wisdom. The yogic practices of the Art of Living are called Sri Sri Yoga, and it is a particular type of Hatha Yoga developed to be accessible to all and to also put happiness at the forefront of your practice. As Arti says, when practicing Sri Sri Yoga, “you will have a constant smile on your face.”

This conversation is truly a deep dive— we talk about her Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Art of Living, Sri Sri Yoga, the Vashtu Principles, and we define Seva, Satsang, and Sadhana. We also will hear Arti’s stories about meeting her Guru, and about her personal practice, and about Yoga Peetha Happiness Center in Suriname.

Get ready for a beautiful conversation coming your way!

What to expect in Episode #12 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

Say hello to yoga in Suriname! Have you heard of Suriname before? Go ahead! Be honest! Suriname is the only country in South America that speaks Dutch! Suriname is sandwiched between French Guyana and Guyana. Brazil is on Suriname’s southern border and the Atlantic Ocean is to the North. And there are five big cultures living in Suriname— India, China, Indonesia, Africa, and Europe. All these cultures coexist and live together in Suriname. Arti herself has ancestral ties to India. When I asked Arti to talk about Suriname and yoga in Suriname, Arti shares that how the cultures live side by side and celebrate each other. She feels that they are one big family.

In this episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast, Arti and I take a deep dive into her yogic path. She is a Bhakta, which means a true devotee of a guru. Her Guru is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who is still alive today. He is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, in which Arti is also a devoted practitioner and teacher. Her daily sadhana, her daily practice, includes all of the pillars of the Art of Living and Sri Sri Yoga— the Hatha yoga sequence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s lineage. Her daily practice includes not just sadhana, but also Seva and Satsang.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Suriname episode?

Connect with Arti

https://www.facebook.com/ssysur

https://www.facebook.com/yogapeethahc

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxfKU-3zFSXtSOdkByGxAmA/featured

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #11 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Sabrina Neitzel onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Germany who teaches yoga at Seva Experience in Dubai. She is also a plant-based nutritionist and a vegan raw-food chef and share her expertise with us on the show.

While Sabrina hasn’t taught yoga in Germany before, her path of health and wellness began there. Her life as an accountant in Germany was what pushed her first towards meditation, then towards plant-based living, and then, lastly, to yoga.

For Sabrina yoga wasn’t the gateway, it truly was meditation— and then it was a profound call inside of her heart to heal. Get ready for a beautiful conversation! You don’t want to miss it!

Tell me more about Sabrina…

Sabrina Neitzel is a yoga instructor from Germany who has taught yoga in Europe, Asia, and is now teaching in Dubai at Seva Experience Her love for yoga began over 5 years ago, and it was her passion for healthy living that drew her towards yoga. After experiencing all the amazing benefits yoga and meditation has to offer, Sabrina wanted to pass on this experience to others to feel the same way.

She teaches Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, yin yoga, power yoga, pranayama, meditation, and has recently started teaching Face Yoga. She also offers theta healing sessions. Moreover, she has been plant based for 10 years and has completed a Vegan Raw Food Cooking Course in the school of Matthew Kenney, now PlantLab, in Venice Beach, Los Angeles and has become a Vegan Raw-Food Chef and a Plant Based Nutritionist.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Germany episode?

Connect with Sabrina

https://www.instagram.com/sabrinabiljana_/

https://www.yogaleafbys.com/

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #10 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Nadine McNeil onto the show. She is an E-RYT 200hr yoga teacher from Jamaica who teaches yoga at Yoga Barn in Bali and leads yoga retreats in her home country of Jamaica. She is the former UN Chief of Operations in the Central African Republic, and has lived a life of service in emergency response, prior to her dedicating herself to healing others through yoga.

Nadine also goes by the moniker, Universal Empress, a name that embodies her energy and her intention. She is a global being, and believes wholeheartedly in the power of women. As she says, “We are not rising, we have risen.”

Get ready to deep dive into a powerful conversation about listening to the body, tuning into your inner navigation system, women’s circles, and what Nadine envisions as the future of yoga for the Western world.

Excited? I know I am. Get ready to dive in!

Tell me more about Nadine…

Nadine McNeil is no stranger to moments of crisis. A global gallivanter who goes by the moniker Universal Empress online, for nearly two decades, prior to her deep dive into yoga in 2008, Nadine travelled the world in service of the UN, UNICEF, Global Volunteer Network and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. She was the former UN Chief of Operations in the Central African Republic and UNICEF humanitarian who is now based in Bali as a yoga instructor and personal coach at Yoga Barn in Ubud. These and other experiences rooted Nadine’s continued devotion to activism. Nadine McNeil’s mission as a yoga teacher, speaker, wisdom mentor, and humanitarian is to ignite infinite possibility in people around the world and share yoga especially with diverse underserved communities. Inspired by her firsthand encounters with both the resilience of the human spirit and also its suffering, Nadine’s talks, workshops, yoga sessions, Women’s Circles and retreats are continually described as powerful, moving and insightful. As her Women’s Circles continue to gain global traction, women from across the world who have sat with her in Circle, have returned to their communities to offer this necessary and important work.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Jamacia episode?

Connect with Nadine

https://linktr.ee/universalempress

https://www.bookyogaretreats.com/nadine-mcneil/5-day-the-royal-reset-a-personalized-meditation-and-yoga-wellness-retreat-in-st-andrew

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #9 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Michelle Shanti Williams onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Belize who is the founder of Om Shanti Yoga Belize, Rhythm of Change, and the International Yoga Festival in Belize. She is a Master Yoga, Meditation, and Breathwork Teacher deeply rooted in the Himalyan Yog Vedantic Tradition trained in the Himalayas, India (Vedic & Tantric Transcendental Wisdom, Tantra, Kriya, Naad, Himalayan Kundalini, Laya, and Hatha Vinyasa. Michelle is also an Usui Reiki Master, a Vedic Thai Yoga Therapist, and a Jyotishi.

Michelle is a dynamic women, who seems to have the keys to synchronicity and serendipity. Her yoga path has been a fascinating, and beautiful one— full of community and collaboration. 

Michelle’s nonprofit, Rhythm of Change (ROC), teaches yoga to women in prisons, children in Belize’s school system, and to youth at detention centers. ROC is dedicated to sharing evolutionary tools of progressive action (yoga/meditation) to communities throughout the country. In fact, it all started when Michelle was invited to teach yoga on the streets during Belize’s monthly sacred day for peace among gangs, called “days of healing.” 

Michelle is a global leader in yoga, and she speaks often about the necessity of seeing yoga as an integrative practice, as a technology for humanity for our evolution and to bring us together in unity. What is needed is collaborative work, work that is heart-based. Once things are heart-based, everything falls into place. “When we can relate from heart to heart, all our differences becomes irrelevant. They actually become a beautiful learning curve, to learn about somebody else’s believe, and to appreciate it it, is what yoga is really about.”

Inhale. Exhale. We’re about to dive in!

What’s in the Yoga in Belize episode?

Connect with Michelle

https://www.facebook.com/Omshantibelize

www.omshantibelize.com

www.yogahealsbelize.com

https://www.instagram.com/belize.yogafest

https://www.facebook.com/Belize.YogaFest/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLC4m7LntDb_-pEho6ZQ3cQ

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #8 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Ksenia Rasapriya Bodhi onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Russia, who leads international yoga teacher trainings and yoga retreats in India.

Long ago, when living and working in Russia a voice inside of her said— “Go to where the Ganges begins.” She had no idea where that was. She pulled out a map, and traced the Ganges from the southern tip of India up to the source of Ganges, where it all begins— Rishikesh.

She studied at Moscow University of Yoga and completed her 200hr YTTC there. At the same time, she was studying osteopathy. Over the last 6 years, Ksenia has continued her education in yoga with her teachers and her guru-ji. In India, in 2015, her project Yogatoursindia was born with the mission to provide authentic yoga knowledge to every Russian speaking practitioner. In 2016, she opened a yoga school and studio in Rishikesh, Yoga Vidya, with her husband Prashant Jakhmola.

I met Ksenia for the first time in Rishikesh in 2018, and we reunited again in Rishikesh in 2019. We’re in the same yoga circles, as I take daily classes at Yoga Vidya, which is the studio she owns with Prashant-ji.

In our conversation, we dive into the depths of what has called us both to India, the energy of Bhakti and jnana yoga pulsing through India, and how yoga has shaped Ksenia’s life. Get ready for an inspiring episode, dear listeners!

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Russia episode?

Connect with Ksenia

https://yogatoursindia.org/

https://www.yogavidyaschool.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ksenia_rasapriya/

https://www.instagram.com/yogatoursindia/

https://www.instagram.com/prashantjyoga/

https://taplink.cc/prashantjyoga

https://taplink.cc/ksenia_rasapriya

https://www.facebook.com/yogavidyarishikesh

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #7 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Almudena Laborda Galindo onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Spain, who leads international yoga retreats.

Almudena and I are connected through Punyah Yoga in Rishikesh. While we haven’t met in person, we became fast friends online as we are both consider India to be a kind of second home— especially Rishikesh.

Almudena’s passion for India as the root source of yoga is clear. In our conversation, we discuss Almudena’s journey in yoga, her opinions on what yoga in India teaches Western students, and how to honor the essence of yoga, as a teacher, in your yoga classes.

What to expect in Episode #7 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

Almudena believes that it is the responsibility of the yoga teacher to transmit the spiritual practice of yoga. Teachers who are only taught during yoga teacher training during anatomy, alignment, or asana this is what they are going to transmit. If they are in front of a student in the role of a teacher, then they should go deeper and deeper in this practice. I found that this part of our conversation was the most moving— the responsibilities of a yoga teacher.

We also discuss transcending the physical part of yoga. As Almudena says, “Doing an inversion is nothing.” Flexibility is not the goal of yoga, and Almudena definitely drives that home. Yoga is a tool for connecting the individual self to the superior self, and as a path to self-awareness and realization.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Spain episode?

Connect with Almudena

www.yogaholidays.es

www.malaguru.es

https://www.instagram.com/almudena.yoga/

https://www.instagram.com/yogaholidays.es/

https://www.instagram.com/malaguru.es

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #6 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Prakash Acharya onto the show. He is the founder of Nepal Yoga Home, the school where I completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Kathmandu Nepal.

Prakash Acharya’s wisdom is effusive. You can feel his wealth of wisdom in his words, his energy, and by the strength of his aura. It comes across in this episode doesn’t it? He has this incredible way of using metaphors to clarify complex subjects. In our conversation today, Prakash talks about yoga as a washing machine for cleansing our bodies, and what it’s like to be a dirty car, or how we’re taught how to drive a car but not how to drive our lives…

Get ready for a rumbling! Your brain is about to soak up some deep, yogic knowledge all while laughing along with Prakash and his fun metaphors.

Tell me more about Prakash…

Prakash Acharya is the founder of Nepal Yoga Home, a renowned Yoga Teacher Training facility in Kathmandu Nepal. With a Masters degree in Yogic Science and  Human Consciousness from Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar, India, he is currently researching the subject of meditation for his PhD. He is a Grand Master in Reiki Healing and has diplomas is Yoga and Naturopathy, Acupressure and is the Ambassador of Yoga Alliance International for Nepal. Due to his deep and profound knowledge and insight in the field of yoga, Prakash Acharya has been highly acclaimed and appreciated by both his students and by the international circle of yoga.

For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Nepal episode?

Connect with Prakash and Nepal Yoga Home

www.nepalyogahome.com

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/nepalyogahome

https://www.instagram.com/nepalyogahome/

www.thetreknepal.com

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/podcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

https://www.instagram.com/wildyogatribe/

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Mediate with me: https://insig.ht/6gFTaXHlogb

Flow with me: https://www.youtube.com/c/WildYogaTribe

Book a private yoga or meditation class with me: https://wildyogatribe.com/yogaclasses/