My serious practice started in 2007 when I moved in London, lots of changes arrived some of them more challenging than others, and Yoga was something that I started to take more seriously. My practice made me feel very focused, navigate the situations of daily life in a marvellous and profound way and empowering me in many senses, not only as a woman, as a mother and as a professional but also and most important as a human being. My empathy with the others, my career, my goals, my understanding of life and death, all started to have more sense and to suffer a great transformation.
This took me to the next step, to start my studies in Yoga philosophy, yoga trainings and eventually to teach and share with others what has been so useful for myself!! and here I am, still and forever as a student and happy for what has been unfolding in these almost 11 years of practice and studies.
Apart from being dedicated to my job as a Maternity Nurse and a yoga instructor, I am also the cofounder and coordinator of retreats in www.retirosdelalma.com, organizing yoga, meditation and hiking retreats in Spain and Morocco.
Hatha yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It asks us to bring our attention to our breath, which helps us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.
Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga.
In a celebrated 1990 study, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease (Random House), a cardiologist showed that yoga and meditation combined with a low-fat diet and group support could significantly reduce the blockage of coronary arteries. Other studies have shown yoga's benefit in reducing stress-related problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Meditation has been adopted by medical schools and clinics as an effective stress management technique. Hatha yoga is also used by physical therapists to improve many injuries and disabilities, as the gentleness and adaptability of yoga make it an excellent rehabilitation program. Yoga has been touted for its ability to reduce problems with such varying conditions as asthma, backaches, diabetes, constipation, menopause, multiple sclerosis, varicose veins, and carpal tunnel syndrome. A vegetarian diet is the dietary goal of yoga, and this change of lifestyle has been shown to significantly increase longevity and reduce heart disease. Yoga as a daily exercise program can improve fitness, strength, and flexibility. People who practice yoga correctly every day report that it can promote high levels of overall health and energy. The mental component of yoga can clarify and discipline the mind, and yoga practitioners say its benefits can permeate all facets of a person's life and attitude, raising self-esteem and self-understanding.