Wild Yoga Tribe

Welcome to Episode #55 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Laura Alvarez onto the show. My conversation with Laura Alvarez, a yoga teacher from Colombia, was so lovely tuned into how vital it is to study the spiritual texts, sutras, and scriptures and how doing so, gives you a lens into your own mind and helps to truly provide you with freedom.

I hope that this conversation made you want to dive into the spiritual texts yourself— the study of yoga is infinite after all! If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about devotion to understanding the self and seeking depth in your own being, then this is the conversation for you.

Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Tell me more about Laura Alvarez

Laura Alvarez, whose spiritual name Sat Purkh Kaur, is a Kundalini yoga teacher from Colombia. She first started practicing Kundalini Yoga 25 years ago in Barcelona, where she was living for 8 years while attending university. She completed her Kundalini Yoga teacher training in Barcelona 22 years ago, and then soon returned home to Bogota, Colombia to open her own yoga studio, Happy Yoga Bogota, is the largest and one of the oldest yoga studios in Colombia. It is a sister location of Happy Yoga in Barcelona.

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

Yoga was a huge answer for Laura to all the big questions in life, all the big spiritual questions. And as yoga has been a part of Laura’s life for over half of her life, she feels like yoga has been a constant companion— an enormous part of our life that has watched her grow, a safe place to come back, always, whenever you need it. It’s a huge gift. Being able to share this gift with other, is a “double gift,” as Laura says.

As a yoga teacher training, Laura highlighted how the study of yoga never ends. Laura is passionate about the yoga scriptures, sutras, and reading all the spiritual texts of yoga. I was grateful how she talked about how and why it is so important to study the texts of yoga— it helps you to study yoga with your mind, to start to say to the ego I don’t want to suffer more, I want to love more. Yoga is freedom.

Yoga is an opportunity to choose again. As a way of being, yoga gives us the ability to choose again, and again, and again, in every moment.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Colombia episode?

Connect with Laura Alvarez

happyyogacolombia.com

FB/IG/TikTok: @happyyogabogota

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1J8TkDyxlVsuJNApkAcMw

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

Welcome to Episode #54 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! My conversation with Vera, a yoga teacher from Brunei, was so fun as we took a really honed in on what Universal Yoga really is. I hope that this conversation made you curious about how Universal Yoga can come from within, while still honoring the anatomical and scientific approach of the body.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about Universal Yoga, and the difference between being a yoga teacher and a yoga practitioner, then this is the conversation for you.

Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Tell me more about Chek Lee Kong (Vera)

Chek Lee Kong is a yoga teacher and studio owner in Brunei. She is the owner of Truharmony Yoga Studio in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. She teaches Hatha yoga (200hrs Certified Vikasa Yoga), Vinyasa Yoga- Fit Flow Fly (300hrs Bryce Yoga), and Universal Yoga (200hrs Certified). When the perfect opportunity arose, she renovated a space which is now Truharmony, located at Gadong Central in Brunei. Vera has also studied with dozens of yoga teachers around the world and completed so many workshops with Kino McGregor, Dylan Werner, Jason Crandell, Annie Carpenter, Sri Dharma Mittra, Tiffany Chruikshank, and more!

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

What really peaked my interest was her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Universal Yoga. Universal Yoga is something I’ve never heard of before, and I was grateful that Vera took time to unravel how she first came to know about Universal Yoga and what Universal yoga is. Created and taught by Andrey Lappa. Universal Yoga has set sequences based on a highly scientific and anatomical approach.Yet, she says that Universal Yoga comes from within. The principle of Universal yoga is to always be awake and and to be conscious. It turns out that the founder of Universal Yoga is actually an engineer as well, so his attention to detail, anatomy, degrees of motion and movement is truly incredible.

We talked also about how Vera— very recently— burned her legs very badly and has had to recover from this injury and return to her yoga practice and to teaching.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Brunei episode?

Connect with Vera

https://www.instagram.com/verayoga/

https://www.instagram.com/truharmony_yogastudio/

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #53 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Līva Veinberga onto the show. My conversation with Līva Veinberga, a yoga teacher from Latvia was so powerful as we took a deep dive into the world of ashtanga vinyasa yoga and yin yoga. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about digging into the power of yoga then this is the conversation for you.

Support the podcast and gain access to exclusive content:

https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Tell me more about Līva Veinberga

Līva Veinberga is a yoga teacher from Latvia, and also the studio owner of Urban Yoga in Riga, Latvia. Līva first came to yoga around 15 years ago when she was seeking a deeper, more fulfilling physical practice. She found Hatha yoga and Anusara yoga first, and then came to Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, which has been an integral part of her life ever since. In ashtanga vinyasa yoga system her main teacher is Lino Miele and she has attended his retreats in India and also in Europe.

In 2012, Līva decided it was time to do a yoga teacher training in Riga, Latvia as she still continue her work as a full-time lawyer. She began teaching at a local studio occasionally in the evenings, and after experiencing deep dissatisfaction in her career, she took a year off to go backpacking in New Zealand and completed a yin yoga teacher training with Markus Henning Giess and Karin Michelle Sang.

Upon her return to Riga, Latvia, Līva learned that a yoga studio owner was selling her studio, and that is how she became the owner of Riga’s Urban Yoga studio. She is a full-time teacher there, as well as the owner of the studio. She teaches ashtanga vinyasa yoga, flow vinyasa, and Yin yoga.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Latvia episode?

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

I really loved how Liva talked about asanas, as having the possibility to unlock the path of yoga not just as a “small part” of yoga which it is often criticized for being. Liva brought up so many great points and you’ll have to tune into the podcast episode itself to hear them all!

Connect with Līva Veinberga

www.urbanyoga.lv

https://instagram.com/livavein

https://instagram.com/urbanyogariga

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.tiktok.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 #52 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça onto the show. My conversation with Alberto, a yoga teacher from East Timor, was really interesting as he really walked us through what his country is like to live in— with no sugar coating— and what yoga is like there as it has been present on the island for less than a decade. I hope that this conversation made you want to learn more about East Timor, and also to consider how yoga in spaces and places, like in prisoners, cooperate offices, and with special Olympic athletes, can be a gift to the whole community. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is about East Timor A to Z, then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça

Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça was introduced to yoga in his late twenties, in 2018, through an introduction yoga class for Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional (JVN) where he was volunteering. Progressing in his practice quickly, he started to teach his fellow students and share it also with some of his family members. Three months after his journey with yoga started he began a yoga teacher training and internship with Dili Ashtanga Yoga. Alberto also teaches yoga at hotels, public places, many different organizations, government offices, and community classes. He also teaches yoga for the special Olympics and with the people who are in prison. Alberto teaches Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha yoga, and Vinyasa yoga. He completed his yoga teacher training certification program under Ahimsaka who is the founder of Dili Ashtanga Yoga, and he still works there today.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in East Timor episode?

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

During our conversation, Alberto walked us through what yoga means to him, and how yoga is growing in his community. As yoga has only been on the island itself for five, six, or seven years according to his estimate— yoga is absolutely still growing there. Alberto teaches yoga in a lot of different places and spaces, like in prisoners, in corporate offices, and with the athletes in the special Olympics. Alberto is enjoying very much, sharing the gifts that yoga can give with his community.

Connect with Alberto

https://diliashtangayoga.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/yogatimorleste/

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.tiktok.com/@wildyogatribe

https://www.facebook.com/wildyogatribe

https://twitter.com/wildyogatribe

Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Welcome to Episode #51 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Olga Ramer onto the show. My conversation with Olga Ramer, a yoga teacher and the first yoga studio owner from Georgia, was so profound as we took a deeper look at what it is like to be the disciple of a Guru, and what the Yoga in Daily Life system is. I hope that our conversation will give you something to consider, some food for thought, about the purpose of yoga and the true aim of yoga.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about a deep relationship with a guru and the importance of the mental state on the physical state of human beings, then this is the conversation for you.

Curious about yoga in Georgia? Read on and tune in!

Support the podcast and tap into exclusive content and freebies!

https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Tell me more about Olga Ramer

Olga Ramer first started practicing yoga at the beginning of 2000 in Croatia. She changed a few countries and a few styles before found the perfect yoga system for me Yoga In Daily Life (YIDL) by Paramahans Swami Maheshwarananda, which incorporates everything - asanas, pranayamas, meditations, kriyas, and a yogic life style.The country of Georgia did not have a single yoga studio in the country, so Olga went through the yoga teachers training in the YIDL system and became a certified YIDL yoga teacher.

Olga first started teaching in Georgia in 2006, and in 2010 she opened the first yoga studio in Georgia, The Yoga Cave. Furthermore, she has also went through multiple trainings in the yoga therapy with Nischala Joy Devi in the Shivananda tradition.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Georgia episode?

Connect with Olga Ramer

www.yogaindailylife.org

www.tbilisiyogacave.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.tiktok.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

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

Welcome to Episode #50 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Dariya Kolodiy onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Ukraine, who is now leaving in Poland. It was an honor to talk to Dariya in honor and celebration of the 50th episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast. We’ve been together, dear listeners, for nearly a full near now and the 50th episode is certainly one to celebrate.

My conversation with Dariya Kolodiy, a yoga teacher from Ukraine, was so beautiful as we talked about how yoga helps give acceptance of others and of the self as well. I hope that this conversation made you realize that no matter where you go, a yoga studio and your yoga mat will always be a safe place, a sanctuary, a place to come home to. Of course, we also talked about the war, and how her family and life has been effected.

If you want to learn more about yoga in Ukraine, tune in to our powerful conversation together.

Tell me more about Dariya Kolodiy

Dariya Kolodiy is a yoga teacher from Ukraine, from the city of Kiev, who currently lives in Poland. She first began practicing yoga in 2004, however she began teaching yoga in 2016 upon completion of her yoga teacher training in Ukraine. She is an ashtanga practicer, also called an ashtangi. She has taught yoga—and lived!—in Kazakhstan with her husband, and it was due to his job that they moved to Warsaw, Poland in 2020.

Dariya knows that over the years, she has not only become healthier, more flexible, and stronger through yoga, but yoga has completely changed her life. She began to really hear herself, to realize her desires and to be more present in the here and the now. Dariya knows for sure that yoga is a path that leads in the right direction.

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

Dariya and I opened the conversation by talking about how she first came to the practice of yoga— naturally, it was through the asana practice. Before the war, there were tons of yoga studios in Ukraine with a lot of different styles to try and to practice, and that was something she was very grateful for!

We moved our conversation through what yoga means to Dairya— a place to learn acceptance of yourself and acceptance of others. She sees yoga, and yoga studios and shalas, as places where she will always find a home and a community. When she has travelled and moved to other countries and cities, she has always found her tribe in the yoga studio itself.

Of course, the Ukraine and Russian war was brought up. But we also talked about what yoga in Ukraine was like before the war, and what Ukraine is like as a country to live in and to visit.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Ukraine episode?

Connect with Dariya

https://www.instagram.com/ukraine_yogagirl/

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

Welcome to Episode #49 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Cori Giunti onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Argentina and a psychologist as well. My conversation with Cori was so touching as we took a deep dive into the spiritual world of Kundalini yoga, and the world of mental health as well.

I hope that this conversation made you curious about the mind-body connection and how yoga can help process trauma and psychological issues. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about Kundalini yoga and mental health then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Cori Giunti

Cori Giunti is a Kundalini Yoga instructor. She currently teaches weekly classes at the Yoga Center, Valletierra, applying other tools to awaken consciousness. She has been a practitioner of Kundalini yoga for 9 years, and did her yoga teacher training in Argentina, and has studied under Snatam Kaur. Her passion is to serve people in order to feel good, get better, and become more connected and more conscious. She is a psychologist as well as a yoga teacher.

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

Cori and I then dove into what Kundalini yoga is and what practicing it is like. She defined Kundalini yoga as the yoga of awareness. And even though it involves physical movement and asanas, it’s not the primary focus. Kundalini includes a lot of mantras, chanting, singing, pranayama, and movement.

We then dove into how yoga has impacted Cori’s life, and how yoga can help her patients and people in general process trauma and work through the emotions that are blocked and stored in our bodies.

We then talked about what yoga is to Cori, a place where she feels safe and a place to feel a lot of love.

Curious? Tune into the podcast episode

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Argentina episode?

🌀 Resources

The Body Keeps The Score book

🌀 Connect with Cori Giunti

www.corinagiunti.com

https://www.instagram.com/mindlab_ok/

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

Thank you for listening to the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast— be well.

Welcome to Episode #48 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Motolani Aransiola onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Nigeria who received her 200hr yoga teacher training with the Africa Yoga Project. She is the founder of Rhodes Yoga Nigeria and Rhodes Healthy Kitchen. She is a girl child advocate and strives to foster healthy lifestyle habits within her community through yoga, corporate yoga, and yoga retreats.

My conversation with Motolani Aransiola, a yoga teacher from Nigeria, was so powerful as we looked at how she serves her community in Nigeria and how she incorporates healthy living and eating into her methods and mission. I hope that this conversation made you curious about how yoga can teach you that there is good in the world and that people are inherently good. Yoga can help you shape your perspective of the world.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga giving you a different point of view on the world, then this is the conversation for you.

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

After the death of her father in 2017, Motolani began her journey in yoga. She did her first international trip to Kenya to complete a yoga teacher training with the Africa Yoga Project. She started offering free yoga classes for 6 months after she completed her yoga training.

It’s recent that people have started waking up about their mental health and wellness in Nigeria. In 2017, this wasn’t there yet. It was all about fitness. First people assumed it was a religious practice with only chanting and worshipping other gods. The vaguest awareness was that it was an Indian practice. This was a challenge for her to reorient people to what yoga actually is. Slowly, people learned. Acro yoga was one of the ways she was able to get more people to come to her classes. Now, she has founded Rhodes Yoga NG and Rhodes Healthy Kitchen.

I loved how Motolani talked about how yoga changed her life, and the lessons she has learned from the practice. She talked about taking a step backwards when circumstances arise to be more human when dealing with daily circumstances. And about how yoga has helped to shape her perspective on the world.

Curious? Tune into the whole episode to find out more about yoga in Nigeria!

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Nigeria episode?

Connect with Motolani Aransiola

https://www.instagram.com/Mohtorlahny/

https://www.instagram.com/rhodesyogang/

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

Welcome to Episode #47 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Nadezhda Kadenova onto the show. She is a yoga teacher from Kazakhstan.

My conversation with Nadezhda Kadenova, a yoga teacher from Kazakhstan, was so lovely as we discussed how yoga is an intimate inner experience, and how it’s not a fantasy— it’s a discipline. Yoga is where you learn about yourself and have to actually “overcome yourself” to show up for your practice every day.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga how yoga is not a magic pill, it is a constant self-development practice, then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Nadezhda Kadenova

Nadezhda has been teaching Hatha yoga, pilates, and prenatal yoga in a local yoga studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan since 2019. She has been practicing yoga on regular basis since she her completed my first yoga teacher training in 2013, in Rishikesh, India. She has also studied yoga at Yoga Vidya Gurukul in Nasik, India in 2018 and is currently just traveled to India in April 2022 to do a Prabodh yoga training at Yoga Vidya Gurukul. She has completed fly-yoga training and helps manage a yoga studio in Kazakhstan.

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

Here mother was practicing yoga at home, and first learned yoga at University although they didn’t call it by the name yoga. It was referred to more as gymnastics or exercise, so when Nadia started to become interested in yoga books at a young age it wasn’t a surprise.

Starting when she was nine years old, Nadia found books about yoga at the library. First came to know yoga from books in the library, and as she grew older she got more and more interested in yoga and continued to read copious amounts of books on the path of yoga. She went to Rishikesh to receive her first yoga teacher training. She has returned to India many times ever since.

She manages a yoga studio in Kazakhstan and loves how the yoga studio community is like a true family, which is something she feels is part of yoga itself. Nadia defines yoga as a lifestyle, and as unity and peace inside yourself. It's an intimate an inner experience.

I loved how Nadia says that yoga is not a fantasy, it’s a discipline. It’s something you don’t always want to do. You need to “overcome yourself” to show up on the mat— yoga is developing strong willpower. You work on your habits and on your perception of the world, and on your negative perception of the world. You become more aware of your own reactions, and you realize that you are responsible for everything that happens within you. What you do now is your choice. Yoga is a constant self development practice.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Kazakhstan episode?

Connect with Nadezhda Kadenova

https://instagram.com/yoga_na_zhubanova

https://instagram.com/nadi_kadenova

Want more? Head on over to my website

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Questions? Comments? Let's get social!

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

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

Welcome to Episode #46 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Filip Klieštík onto the show. He is a yoga teacher from the Czech Republic. From time machines, magic wands, and wishes from genies my conversation with Filip was beyond delightful, just as it was equally filled with powerful insight. My conversation with Filip, was so thought-provoking as we wove a conversation full of laughter paired with powerful insight. I hope that this conversation made you crave silence and self-reflection.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about burnout, mental health, and the gifts of imperfection then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Filip Klieštík

Filip is from Jenčice, Czech Republic and he first fell in love with yoga at the end of year 2010, and in 2012 he completed a Yoga Teacher Training in power yoga in the Czech Republic. In 2013, he traveled to India to do another Yoga Teacher Training, this time in Ashtanga Yoga. Filip has done several courses in Ayurveda while he was in India, including Ayurveda cooking, stress management. Recently he has completed a yoga psychology teacher training at Yoga Vidya Gurukul, and a yoga nidra teacher training as well.

Additionally, Filip has completed a psychotherapeutic training in SatiTherapy (Mindfulness therapy). He teaches Hatha yoga combined with meditation, relaxation, and a strong mindfulness approach. Moreover, he lectures at the Václav Krejčík Power Yoga Academy and participates in the teaching of future yoga instructors. In companies and offices, he takes care of the mental health of employees and leads trainings in burnout prevention programs.

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

My conversation with Filip was a true delight as we discussed how psychotherapy and yoga can go hand in hand on the path of transformation, healing, and change. Nowadays, everyone wants a quick fix, a magic pill, or even a magic wand— but change, growth, healing, all take hard work. You have to be open to change, and have the desire to change for change to actually happen.

Filip and I talked about how vast yoga is, and how it is a place of self-discovery. It’s when people can move without borders, to go inside of themselves and really understand who they are. It’s the realest of all realities— our mind, body, and soul.

Thank you for listening to the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast— be well.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in the Czech Republic episode?

Connect with Filip Klieštík

www.harmony-yoga.cz

https://www.facebook.com/filip.kliestik

https://filip-kliestik.webnode.cz/

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