A yogi between two different worlds
A yogi between two different worlds
We met a lot of amazing people during our FlyHigh yoga teacher training who became inspiring yoga teachers. We would like to introduce you to Tatiana, who was a mentor in our latest FHY teacher training in Shanghai.Tatiana is from Russia, but she had spent the last 5 years practising yoga in Shanghai. Apart from her yogi lifestyle, she is passionate about healthy and delicious food and fashion. As we all know every yogi has a special story about how yoga transformed their lives.
The beginning of a long yoga journey
Tatiana’s first acquaintance with yoga began a long time ago when she still lived in Russia. Back in the days, yoga wasn’t so popular in Russia and not everyone understands it. Her first yoga practice wasn’t pleasant at all and she felt very dizzy, but she decided to give yoga a second chance.And … ”Looking back, I would like to say how grateful I am to my teacher, who believed in me and encouragedme to not give up. When I moved to Shanghai, I didn’t understand how I could I live without yoga. That’s why I started to look for a place to continue my practice. I have tried a lot of yoga studios and teachers until I found the right place, where I can deepen my practice and knowledge about yoga. There was I time that I had a very busy schedule, but I never missed a single class. Doesn’t matter if I was in a good or bad mood, or just tired, I give myself a magic kick to go to my yoga practice. The reason behind my devotion and motivation is that yoga recharges me like nothing else, and it’s the easiest way to stay healthy and mindful in the dynamics and stressful everyday life…”Other than living and practising yoga in Asia, Tatiana has had the opportunity to not only explore the Asian yoga lifestyle but also the European one. Her life in Berlin helps her to see the difference between the western and eastern yoga life.“In my opinion, there are more yoga schools, opportunities and “yoga- likeminded” people in Asia. Meanwhile, yoga in Europe still has the potential to expand and develop. Of course, you can find everythingyou need in the big cities, but if you go further out of them, it becomes more complicated and challenging for the yoga practitioners.”
Yoga can make you fly
Tatiana’s yoga journey took her to Bali. The island that has the intoxicating power to provoke you to experiment and try new things. This magical vibes took her to a FlyHigh yoga class.“I started practising FlyHigh yoga in Bali with different teachers and I liked it very much because I saw real progress in my usual Ashtanga practice. It helped me to improve some asanas. I remember being so inspired by the practice, that I bought the FlyHigh yoga DVD and the FHY beltto continue to practice when I went back to Shanghai. I was so passionate about flying, so when I returned to Bali for the third time I was lucky to be a part of the FlyHigh teacher training.”FlyHigh yoga combines traditional yoga poses and postures with the help of the belt. And it’s inspired by the oldest traditions of Iyengar yoga. The beauty of this kind of aerial yoga is that it gives you freedom and helps you to learn and be more confident in your regular yoga practice. As Tatiana said, she loves it because the FlyHigh yoga helped her to discover a new dimension of her daily yoga practice.“The key is the belt. You can practice the same poses that you still can’t do in your regular practice for some reasons. For example, if you can’t do a handstand, when you know that your belt is there for you and supports you, you can do this asana so easily. The FHY belt can help you to learn how to adjust your hands, head, legs and body in these positions, and to gain strength. After practising FlyHigh yoga you can easily go into the poses in your regular practice. But you have to understand, my advice to all of the yogis is that there is no magic in life! Practice yoga regularly, be patience to yourself and your body. Work hard and one day you will achieve your goals.”After this experience, she joined the latest FlyHigh yoga teacher training, led by the founder of FlyHigh yoga – Jose Luis Jimenez, as a mentor in Shanghai.“This opportunity was more than just an experience. As I told teacher Jose, the feeling was like in those 5 days I had lived another life. Five amazing days which were dedicated only for yoga. Meeting those 22 amazing and dedicated yogis, was such an inspiration for me. In the beginning, as a teacher, you have to create the trust with your students, break the ice and by the end of the training you’d already know everyone. At the end, I was so happy, but at the same time sad, because the training was over. The connection between the people was so strong, regardless of the short period of time that they know each other. I remember the last day, when the training was over and everyone took their certificate, people just stayed at the yoga studio until late at night and talked to each other, asked me questions and shared between us the love of yoga and FlyHigh yoga. It’s amazing how FlyHigh yoga can bring people together, make them friends, like a family.”Yoga is lifelong learning, a journey that never stops. You can find more inspirational and real yogi stories on our blog. If you are curious about the yogis’ lifestyle in Shanghai, check Lynn’s story, who is one of the best yoga teachers there.
