By now you should be already in the peaceful mood, right frame of mind and all excited to begin practicing yoga. If you are not then don’t worry, that shall be fix. After reading today’s article, I bet that you will see yourself thinking “Hey, I gotta start getting up and doing some yoga” Why this is so you may ask.
They say that seeing is believing so today we bring to you some testimonials from
various people from different walks of life, different social backgrounds. However, it must be remembered that Yoga does not make you a good person, it would not make you famous, nor would it make you rich, but Yoga enables you to be at one with yourself. So not because these people have their statuses mean it was from Yoga- however yoga may have caused some impact for these people to reach where they are.
Yesterday we brought to you Robert Sturman who travelled to Africa and saw the “miracles” Yoga is doing. Today we bring to you the perspective of a yoga teacher in Sweden. We hope that she motivates you further to start (if you have not yet started) practicing yoga in your life.
Swedish Yoga Teacher Greta Grondahl
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to travel the world and teach yoga? Yoga.com talked to amazing Greta from Sweden and asked her questions about her relationship with yoga. Greta is 23 years old and she went to her first yoga class at the age of 13. Back then, she was “a stiff tennis player with a competive mindset” and didn’t enjoy her classes very much. It wasn’t until a few years later that she started to understand the beauty of yoga. She is now travelling and
teaching yoga in the most wonderful places around the world. You can follow her journey on Instagram (@yogaholico) and learn more about her from our interview.
Tell us about how you became a yoga teacher
I began “teaching yoga classes” about five years ago, but it wasn’t until after I did my formal teacher training in Costa Rica that I realized it isn’t only about giving a one-hour yoga class a couple days a week. Teaching yoga is something I wanted to do outside the class too. Planting little seeds everywhere I go and helping people to become more aware of the brilliance that every single individual has, and encourage them to use it. So I “became” a yoga teacher five years ago but I’m still growing as a teacher every day by letting myself be a student and seeing all beings as great teachers.
How does yoga affect your daily life? Have you changed your diet, the way you start your day or something else in your routine since you got into yoga?
Yoga does not only affect my daily life, it has become my daily life. I believe all of us have yoga in our life; it doesn’t have to be practicing on your yoga mat, chanting, or knowing the yoga sutras inside and out. The feeling of union with others and ourselves is one of the biggest parts of yoga for me. For me, being a yogi/yogini is striving to be real, not perfect. And to mindfully and heartfully choose your own tools, and your own way.
When I opened my arms to yoga I have become more aware in general about my mind, my soul, and my body. Because of that, my diet has changed over the last couple of years. I now care more about what goes into my body and also how my way of living affects other creatures and the environment.
I usually start my day in different places and I am very often on the move. I like to begin my day with space for myself, to check in with what I’m feeling that morning. That could be on my yoga mat, or it could be jumping on the bed, upside down against the wall, or out in nature. I like to move my body, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. I like to sing, sometimes loudly and sometimes quietly. I like to meditate, sometimes in stillness but sometimes in chaos (when it is very challenging). My routine has changed and it continues to change, it’s more open now and I feel more present.
When did it hit you that traveling and teaching yoga around the world is a lifestyle you want to pursue?
When I was 18 years old, and since then it has just been unfolding naturally. It makes me feel alive, mindful, and more compassionate. So why not go along with it and enjoy the ride? I am and will always be a student of life and if I can have the world as a studio and office I will not hide from that.
Who are your favorite yogis on Instagram and why?
My favourite yogis on Instagram are @aleclovelifeyoga and @tarynashh. Two very inspiring, super rad, and loving human beings who always put a smile on my face and open up my heart a little bit more with their wisdom and care for this world.
What do you think are the most common stereotypes about yoga that are not true?
The saying: “it’s about being flexible in your body”. It isn’t true to me. The goal is not about how flexible you can become in your body, it’s how flexible you can become in your mind.
