Yoga for All Bodies with Natalia Tabilo

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 113. Today I'm sitting down with Natalia Tabillo and we're talking all about her signature program, Yoga for All Bodies. Are you ready? Let's get started. Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance and movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast. What's up, coach? Thank you so much for pushing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson, and I have a very special guest today, Ms. Natalia Tabilo. And she is a body positive 500 ryt yoga teacher, journalist and the founder of Yoga for All Bodies. She is originally from Chile and now lives in San Francisco, California. She shares powerfully in this episode her journey with yoga and how it helped her become friends with her mind and body and how she was able to transform her life with yoga and now she's able to share it with others. What she shares so powerfully in this episode is oftentimes the how so many people can feel left out and unseen in fitness classes, specifically in yoga. So she created this program to create an inclusive and accessible practice based on variations, sensations and freedom to meet and enjoy your body and mind where you are today. In fact, we talk about the impact and intention of language. And if you have been hanging out with me for any amount of time, you know that language is one of the most important things that I teach and that I study and that I spend so much time with thoughtful care and consideration in putting words together. Because sometimes our intention does not reflect the impact and we talk about that in a powerful way inside of this episode. She is truly a beautiful human inside out. And I cannot wait to share this episode with you. So without further ado, let's roll that interview. Natalia, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. How are you doing?

Good, thank you. Thank you for inviting me. I'm in San Francisco, so it's a little bit early. That's why I'm like this. But super excited.

You look amazing. You know, it's funny, I actually lived in San Francisco. I'm from the Bay Area. I'm from Mountain View.

Nice.

I lived in San Francisco for five years before I moved into New York.

Amazing.

Love it. Okay, so for those of you who have not been introduced to your work. I'd love for you to share a little bit about who you are, who you serve and how you got there.

Oh, yes. I'm Natalia Tabilo. I was made in Chile. Now I live in San Francisco, California. So I'm Latina, I speak English and Spanish, and I'm the founder of Yoga for All Bodies. Yoga for all bodies. It's a way of teaching. It's a project that wants to really share the message that everybody can practice yoga. It's a project that is disruptive, including all the bodies and changing the narrative around yoga. Because usually we search yoga on Internet, on social media, and you see all these acrobatics, performance. I like to call it Cirque du Soleil yoga. And there's so much more. And I created it because I felt unseen, left out in yoga spaces, yoga studios. I started my practice online only through YouTube videos, I would say around 10 years ago. And even though I searched beginner yoga, it wasn't beginner yoga and it wasn't really tailored for all bodies. So I always felt like I didn't belong in yoga spaces. And then when I moved to San Francisco, remember, I was in Chile, and there I worked as a journalist and I didn't practice yoga because there the yoga was like iyengar. So it was basically forcing your body to enter the poses, enter the shapes. And I like to laugh during my practice. I like to normalize, rest. And it was the opposite as the iyengar yoga. When I moved here, I didn't have a job permit. I was basically at home. I moved in November, so it was winter, it was super dark. And don't ask me how I end up in a yoga studio. One day I was searching for a dance class and I end up in a yoga studio. I took the restorative yoga class and it was amazing. It was like, oh, this is what my mind, what my body, what my soul needed in that moment. And then I got the courage to try the vinyasa because I practiced at home with my YouTube videos. And I went to the vinyasa class and it was horrible. Horrible, yes. That day, the big pose was crow pose, that it's an arm balance in which you need to be strong, you need to be flexible. Everything I'm not. So the teacher only said, now it's time for crow pose. No variations, no options, no props. So I was basically left there on my own, hanging out with myself, watching everybody else practice. And because of my personality and because I knew that something powerful was happening with yoga. I came home and I started researching and I wrote, how can I modify crow pose? Back then I used to say modify, now I say variations. But I searched that and I found so many alternatives, so many. So I said, this can be right. And that day, the seed of creating yoga for all bodies was planted. Then I did my training. It was challenging my 200 hours, yes, because I trained in Vinyasa, but it gave me the tools to create variations, to serve people in non traditional yoga bodies. So that's in short story, what I do and who I am.

I mean, that is so powerful. And I can't wait. I have so many things that I want to dive into when it comes to yoga because I feel like. I feel like we could just on that subject alone, we could talk for 700 hours. But real quick, what called you to yoga? It's interesting to me that you were feeling like I need yoga, like even, you know, when you were still in Chile. So I'm curious, like, what specifically about yoga was really calling you and drawing you to yoga?

I had my first experience with yoga in. I had my first experience with yoga in, I would say when I was 12 years old in a school class. I had a teacher that one day told us, today we're going to practice yoga Nidra. I had no idea what was yoga nidra. But for me it was like a meditation that was super powerful. Back then, I had no idea that was yoga. In my mind it was meditation or guided meditation body scan. I had no idea. So I already had that seed inside of me. So when I entered college, a friend told me, let's go and try yoga. And I said, okay. And I went and it was an iyengar. So I think inside of me, I already knew this transformative effect that yoga can have. The only thing is that I forgot about it. Because imagine I was 12 years old practicing yoga Nidra. I was hooked. I remember going to my school library and borrowing some CDs with Yoga Nidra. But then I went to college, then I started getting boyfriends and I forgot about that important aspect of the practice. So I would say the calm I felt, the connection I felt with my body, with my mind. When I was here in 2016 in San Francisco, I was so disconnected with my body. I grew up dieting, forcing myself to move in order to lose the weight, to fit some standards. So I was so disconnected with my body. I remember in that first restorative yoga class, I took something so simple as the teacher inviting me to feel my Heart. It was game changing. I realized I hadn't felt my own heart. Something that keeps you alive for so many years because I was focused on trying to change my body. Yes.

I mean, that is so power. That is so powerful. It gives me chills and makes me feel teary eyed. I feel like so many people are seeking and searching transformation and I feel like that is fine. I don't have anything against people with goals. I have millions of goals. But not at the expense of not being present now today.

Exactly. If you're doing it for the wrong reasons, no bueno, no good.

Yeah, I mean, I think too. And we can definitely dive into that in, in terms of what you do specifically, in addition to, to making yoga more accessible, you're also reaching a whole bunch of different people because you teach, you teach bilingually. Correct?

Correct.

So your accessibility level, in addition to the different variations you provide, you're also reaching people who don't always get access to yoga or fitness.

Yes. So when I started with Yoga for All Bodies, it was always a project bilingual, always in English and Spanish. Even though the public classes I taught before the pandemic were only in English. And here in San Francisco always had my online presence, my Instagram, my YouTube channel to serve in English and Spanish.

Okay, I love that. So now one of the things that you said, you talked about a lot of the misconceptions of yoga. So I'd love for you to dive into that because I specifically am curious about your take on the, on the differences between yoga, because you have the like yoga, the like hot yoga, let's like crush it yogas. Right. Then you also have a total. There's also a very deep spiritual practice within yoga, yoga and movement. So I'm just curious, where specifically is it that you lie and your, your thoughts. This is a big question. I know your thoughts on the different variants and where you feel yoga is. You know, the myths or the misconceptions on yoga. I'd love for you to dive into that.

Yes. I would say the, the root of yoga misconceptions is how yoga teachers market and present their offerings. Yes. It's not enough to say I'm a yoga teacher. That's like saying nothing. You're not giving any information and you're letting the person decide and define what yoga is. So I always encourage yoga teacher, as a journalist and as a communication specialist, that you need to say, what are you doing? Who do you serve and why? One more time. Not enough to say yoga, because if, for example, you know someone or you are someone that only practices hot yoga in their mind. That's yoga. So no, you need to say I teach hot yoga for this and this and this. I teach restorative yoga. Restorative yoga is a super slow practice in which you're using all the props, all the pillows, all the cushions, everything to support your body. So you need to define and say that when I created yoga for all bodies, I created my own thing based on what I enjoy, what I love and what I think the world needs. Yoga for all bodies. It's a mix between Hatha yoga, that it's a slower paced or mid paced, let's say practice in which you're holding the postures for a little bit longer in difference as a power yoga or avinasa in which you are going, going, going. This one, it brings more awareness to what is happening with your mind, with your body. Also from a trauma informed perspective, meaning that I give all the freedom for you to decide what feels good in your body. And that's when yoga variations enter in place. For each pose I will give you options on how you can place the arms, on how you can place your legs. So I'm not only giving you instructions, so it's not a vinyasa, it's not a hata, and also it involves a lot of rest. So you will always expect restorative yoga poses and yin yoga poses. Because the message I want to share with the world with Yoga for All Bodies is that you can enjoy your body and your mind the way they are today. That's why I give you the power for you to decide. I would say this approach is one of the most disruptive approaches that I'm offering to the yoga world because we are taught in our trainings that you need to give the instruction, give the cue, and if you notice that someone is struggling or it's not doing well or can't do something, you offer a modification. I'm trying to change that narrative and give you the options beforehand so you can decide. And nobody feels unseen, left out in classes. I think that happened to me. So I hope this helps understand what I do.

Yeah, no, it does for sure. And it was actually like a great segue into my next question because I noticed as someone who specializes in messaging, messaging is my jam. I'm always listening and paying attention to not what we say, but also how we say it.

So.

So I was, I noticed and that you are very specific in your language in choosing the word variation versus the word modification. So I am interested in learning and going A little bit deeper on that because back in the day when I was training, I changed the word from regression to modification. So now I'm even curious the next layer in terms of, you know, your choice in using the word, you know, what causes you to use the word variation.

Yes. When I did my first training and all the information I found on Internet social media, they were talking about progressions, regressions or modifications. And my problem with the word modification, regression, I don't use it, never use it. Because the first time I heard it, it was like, what? No, but the modification word, the problem I have is it sends the message that the person is not doing the full expression of something they are doing, maybe less yoga. It's not only the way we say modification, it's when we say it. In a yoga class, usually the teacher waits to notice someone struggling to offer the prop, to offer an option, to offer the variation. So that's when the word modification is already loaded. It sends the message, oh, you weren't able to do it, so I'm going to help you. So that's why I change the narrative and I say variations and you decide which variation of this post. Because everything is 100% yoga.

Oh my gosh, that is amazing. And I didn't even think about that. Right. I always talk about the. The what, you know, the what and the how when it comes to delivering message. But also the timing of when you say it is going to have a really big impact. Yes, that's really powerful. Now you, you mentioned that this is, you know, considered disruptive in your space. Have you gotten a lot of pushback from other. From your colleagues?

I would say at the beginning, yes. But as a journalist, I love making investigations. For example, I finished two months ago work based on how we teach beginners. I took the time to analyze 54 classes with content analysis, really labeling the words yoga teachers were using when they were offering the modifications. Now I have data. Every single time I publish something, I say based on this. This is the example, this is the proof. So every time, more and more yoga teachers are joining this movement and changing, changing the language. And when you say how, you say it. And I realized that the way I could change this was training other teachers. So last year I started offering masterclasses for yoga teachers. So I helped them with the language, with how to create variations, how to really teach beginners, to really change this narrative. And I would say the biggest pushback I get are from yoga teachers that are male. Male yoga teachers want to educate me, and I say, no. No, this is based on proof and my experience and the feedback my students give me. I receive so many scary stories on my Instagram, on my Facebook, body shaming, saying things that have no space in yoga. So I'm so happy and so honored to have this platform to change, change the narrative and most important, change how teachers are sharing yoga.

I love that. All right, so I'd love for you to talk a little bit, share a little bit more on your experience with yoga teachers who come to you and say, okay, what are some of the biggest shifts I need to make in my class? I'm curious, what are some of the biggest big rock takeaways that yoga teachers could start implementing in their class today?

Number one, stop making assumptions. We grow up in a society that we assume so many things just by looking someone. And no, that's not the case. Even myself, Even I'm super pro accessibility inclusion. And I remember I was teaching my yoga for all bodies. I would say I only had been teaching it for a month, and in my class I received a person in a super large body. And instantly in my mind I said, oh, okay, today we can't do planks. Why? We started the class because we have this bias. We grow up thinking that, no, only somebody can make this. And we were in the class and I had to swallow my words and change my mind instantly because that person was planking like there's no tomorrow. That person trained CrossFit like four times a week. So it was extremely strong. So, number one, let's stop making assumptions.

I also love that you, I also love that you really talk about that in the sense of like, you know, and you say, you know, we have our confirmation bias. That's true. We also have our own experience and evidence that backs up things that we potentially perceive. And it's brain based to want to automate.

Right.

So it's not that it's necessarily your fault. I think it's work to remember that each person and each experience, no matter what it is that we're doing, is a new experience. Like, just because someone in a larger body from a previous class couldn't hold the plank doesn't mean that that's not, that's going to be the case for all. And I think that that's, it's brain based. So it's not that it's like we're the, the idea that we're bringing this into awareness is that in order to change it, we need to be aware that we're doing it. So it's not about, like Shame or anger or anything like that.

Yes. And I like to share that and normalize that because I know this happens to a lot of people. So just let's assume it. It is what it is.

Okay, so great number. That was number one. Number two?

Yes, number two. Offer options. Offer variations beforehand. Don't wait for someone to feel like they don't belong, that their body is not enough, that there's something wrong with their body. And also be careful with the way you are offering the options. Because a lot of yoga teachers love to say, if you need to modify because you're not strong enough because you can't do that is super harmful language. So be careful with how you are saying it. And also normalize the use of props. A lot of yoga teachers don't like using props because they think it's a way of cheating in your practice. It makes it less yoga. You're not giving your all during the practice? No, I would invite them to really normalize the use of props. Props are not only to help you during the practice, you can really serve somewhat with hypermobility. You can experience new sensations in your body just by including your props. So be curious and offer them to your students. And most important, it's not enough to say use your props if you need them. Because a lot of yoga teachers say that when you are in a class, okay, but how you need to show. You need to demo how someone can use a yoga program. So I would say those are the basics.

Okay, so I'm curious. Those are great. Now I'm curious. You said, you said specifically not to say in order or to not say use, modify. If you're not strong enough, what would you say instead?

Just give the option beforehand. Don't make it weird. Because if you let things grow, things get weird, you feel weird, the student feels weird, the world feels weird. No, offer variations beforehand. And this is a question. I get a lot from yoga teachers that live in able bodies, thin bodies, like the yoga bodies. They ask me, how can I serve someone in a larger body? And my answer is always the same. Offer the options beforehand. That way you won't make it weird. Because the power of deciding and choosing what works for the students is the student choice. So it's not that you're saying you need to use the chair, you need to use the block. You need to do this. No props for you. No. Give them the power to them. That's how you will include everybody.

Now I'm curious because I know you serve yoga teachers across all different practices. So what Would you say to a Bikram yoga teacher where they're taught specifically that it's like one class this way forever, don't change it. Bikram is going to come from.

Just kidding.

But what would you.

I have a lot of hot yoga teachers in recovery in my master classes. Yes. And it's so funny because they always expect my master classes last around three hours and they are always silent and around hour one they start speaking up and saying, you know what, I come from Wickham, I come from Ashtanga. And most of them realize that they need to change that once they start getting older or once they start getting in their classes, students that are not able to do what that sequence is offering, they realize, oh, I need more tools, I need to offer something different. I'm happy to say that yes, I'm getting those yoga teachers. And that's amazing because even though maybe you're not the most strong person, you're not. Or you live in a body with a disability, maybe you want to practice hot yoga. And it's amazing because yoga is for you. So we need to be able to serve them.

So I think that's amazing, right? It is amazing. So now one of the things that I am curious about your take, your thoughts on, you had mentioned that you had spent so much time trying to change your body and trying to, trying to lose the weight and trying to like almost hate yourself. Lean. That's not what you said. Those are my words. That's what I used to say about myself. Right.

But yes, yes, I agree.

Yes. Yeah. And it wasn't that moment where you like touched your heart and really, you know, connected with your body. So I'm curious, you know, as you're doing this work and really shifting the narrative, are you still serving and reaching the people that want to release weights? Like, are, you know, what is your relationship to that? You know, to. Because I really see like a really polarized, like we are body positive and anything around weight loss is bad. And then you see the people that are like, no, you have to be shredded in order to be healthy. So I'm curious, like as you know, where do you live and how do you bring that to your community without. Or maybe, you know, how do you bring that to your community?

Yes, I would say I stand. I don't have any problem with someone wanting to lose weight. My problem is when someone wants to lose the weight because they truly believe that if they lose the weight, they change their body, they will be successful, they will be loved, their life will Be fixed. That's a lie and we know it's a lie. So no, that's my problem. If someone, if that's the reasoning, no, it's like, please, no, don't do that. But if you really want to lose the weight, because maybe you want to prepare your body to have children, you want to run with your kids, amazing. But there are some ways in which you can't hurt your body. You can do it. For example, when I was dieting a lot, I even had doctors, I was taking these supplements, I was taking pills to lose the weight, doing harm to my body for. For something that. That. Why? Why? I was perfect back there. I was doing my thing. So why, why do we need that? So I don't have problem in that. But I don't speak directly about losing weight, about burning calories, because in my population, the people I serve, I have a lot, a lot of people with eating disorders, a lot. So it's something that I don't really speak. I'm not recommending what to eat, what not. No, because it's not my, my area of expertise. And for example, when I started with yoga for all bodies, as I live in a non traditional body, larger body, I said, of course this is going to be only for larger bodies. But I had been teaching for around two or three months here in San Francisco and I started getting seniors, people recovering from eating disorders, people with anxiety, people with trauma. So I realized that they were coming to my classes because of the freedom I was offering. So I need to be careful with the things I say, with the things I offer.

So.

So no, I don't market, I don't promote my classes as a way of, of becoming healthy. Losing the weight. No, it's other thing. I invite you to enjoy your body, enjoy your mind the way it is right now. Yes.

So it's. The reason why I brought that question up is because it was interesting to me back when I was training because I really operated from that space of like, you cannot change your body until you love it, essentially.

Right.

You're not going. That was really what I was really like working on. The, the beliefs around what exactly? What's causing you. What do you think is going to give.

What do you think having a thin.

Body is going to give you? Because that's the root cause. Right. I noticed that now in business too, people will say, I just need to get to 10k a month. Okay. When you get there, you're going to notice that nothing changes, that it's like you're still the Same person. So let's get to the root cause of what you think that 10k is going to bring you.

Right.

So what I. Yeah. So what I had noticed, though, was that because I was so strong in my conviction that my clients would want to lose weight and then be afraid to tell me, they'd be like, I don't want to tell you. I think you're going to get mad when I tell you this. And I realized that in my. In my conviction of wanting to shift the narrative, I was also shutting down the communication. Right. We cannot change what's in the dark. We need to bring everything to the light. And so I realized, oh, I'm trying to make an inclusive space and I'm excluding people.

Yes, yes. But I would say, for example, my flag since the beginning has been truly come as you are, because a lot of yoga teachers abuse that word, come as you are, but it's not true. So I'm really. I want you to notice the amazing things you can do with your body right now. And it's not a thing about, for example, I don't wake up every day and I feel so gorgeous, so beautiful. No, of course I would love to change some things, but the difference is that I'm not going to be stopped waiting to lose the weight to achieve something. I'm not going to wait to lose the weight to wear that dress. No, you can enjoy your body right now. So that's the thing, accepting that this is your skin, this is your mind, this is your body. And don't wait to change in order to do something. I received so many messages of people telling me, oh, I'm waiting to lose 10kg to start practicing yoga. Oh, I stopped practicing yoga because I have my kids and now my body is not able. No, those messages are wrong. You can practice yoga absolutely in the body you have today. So, I mean, that is my message. And so far, working, changing a lot of lives.

You're changing a lot of lives and you're really coming to show up to serve, which I think is a huge thing. Right. So I'm curious too, like in your practice, in your yoga practice, like how you mentioned meditation like the first time when you were 12. So do you have a meditation component in your yoga practice, in your soda, in your. In your classes?

Yes, yes. For example, I always like to bring the awareness to what is happening in your body, but also what is happening in your mind. So we always start with a grounding feeling your body, noticing. What do you need today from the practice? Because every day Is going to be different. So I'm. I give permission. Even if you notice that today you need to lay on your mat, stay there the whole class. I don't have a problem with that. Because you are honoring what you really need. And also before the restorative part of the class, before the savasana, the final resting pose, also calming down, grounding yourself, feeling one more time, your body, softening your body. Because we are used to be tense the whole time, to grip, to suck the belly in. So really soften, let go and remind your mind, remind your body that you give yourself permission to rest. Just by thinking I deserve rest right now changes the narrative around really calming your mind and your body.

Love it. So now I'd be curious, you know, what are some of the biggest outcomes that you have seen in your body, in your practice, and in your people's lives? Once they released that tight grip on.

I need to change.

Right? And then they started to just get really present. What changed?

It changes the way they show up in the world. And it's super deep. Yes. But for example, with the variations that I give and the variations I allow myself to take during your practice, those are decisions that will translate to everyday life. Imagine you are in a class, and the first time I started teaching this way, everybody looked at me like, what? What is she saying? I'm coming to class to follow instructions. But now my classes are not like. So I give you the permission to choose. This feels good in my body today. Perfect. Once you internalize that, you can decide what feels good for your mind, for your body, for your soul. In this moment. You translate those decisions to your life and you create boundaries. You learn to say, no, no, I'm not doing that. I don't feel comfortable doing that. Or, yes, I want to try this. I. I have never had the courage to try this, and I want to try today. So that is the main revelation. I would say that it's from yoga for all bodies into learning to feel your body, to let go, or maybe to put yourself a little bit, a little bit more. Because it also works both ways. It's not only to rest.

Yeah, I love that and I'd love for you to talk about it, because I do think that it's a nuanced conversation in. In terms of, you know, our brain is. When we're trying to make a change, even if it's like, to rest, our brain is going to send us that urge of like, no, no, no, that's not what we do. Grip harder, grip harder. And so the brain is literally going to fight you no matter what change you're trying to make. Right. So I'm curious how you instruct and guide your people to really trust their sense and trust their intuition essentially, and navigate the differences between, no, we need to do the work and we need to show up today and make the change versus letting themselves off the hook and almost like, give in to the like, no, it's not possible for me.

Yes, it's number one, allowing yourself, giving yourself permission to change, change that narrative, change that voice that we all have in our head. I'm a doer. I love doing, doing, doing, doing. So I need to, when I notice that pattern, I need to stop, take a big breath, remind myself that nobody's going to die if I don't do all the things that I'm planning to do. And the same happens in your practice. I always, I'm sending the same messages. Your body, your practice. If for any reason this doesn't feel good in your body, feel free to come out, explore this. Try this. How does your experience change once you close your eyes or you leave your eyes open? How does it feel to maybe slow down? Especially when I notice we start the warm up and some people are like, and it's like, if you notice that your body is inviting you to move a little bit faster, explore how does it feel to lower the speed and it's amazing to see. And even online, how they take a breath, they even release the belly and they start moving slowly. Yes. It's only sending, repeating. Repetition is a yoga teacher's best friend. And we enter the minds.

Yeah. Repetition is the mother of all learning. That's just. Absolutely. Absolutely. So now as, as you've grown, your practice, how have you, I'm curious, like, have you had any experience? You know, because you're serving so many other people that you're not, you've fought, you've not, you've stopped taking care of yourself. Or how are you growing as a business owner and yoga provider? Instructor.

Absolutely. Before the pandemic, I was teaching 14 classes a week. So I was basically moving all over town, teaching, teaching, teaching, never practicing. And then the pandemic hit and I started practicing again. Now I practice every day, sometimes 20, 30 minutes, maybe not an hour and a half, but I practice every single day. And also, thanks to the pandemic, I was able to include other types of training. Training, because in yoga we are used to stretching. We are only like pushing, we're never pulling. So I had the gift to start training with a Body Positive Fitness Gym that is from Canada. So I take all my classes with them and it's amazing. So now I do lifting, I do stretching some days. Box Body Positive Box Zumba. Yes. I'm having an amazing time. So thanks to the pandemic, I had to remind and to notice that I was doing, doing, doing, and I wasn't living the yoga that we as yoga teachers need to live. I also re encountered yoga nidra. So I started practicing yoga nidra. And during the pandemic, I also trained as a yoga teacher to teach yoga nidra, something that I discovered when I was 12. It was there in some space in my heart, but I hadn't connected with that Again. Yes, it's super important that we take care of ourselves, especially because as yoga teachers, we hold the space and the way we speak. If you're living in a barrier like this, all your students are going to be like that. Yes. We need to take care of ourselves. We need to get the tools to ground yourself and to calm down at the end of the day.

Yeah, that is, that's so good. And I love that. I love that in that you're continuing to grow as a practitioner. I feel like so many people I know, I know for me, I'll speak for me in terms of, you know, it was the second I got busy, that was the moment that I was like, okay, I can't take care of myself anymore. Which I feel like is one of the biggest mistakes that we can make. Not just because we have to, you know, sharpen the saw or whatever, but, you know, what is the message that we're sending to our own clients, to our students? We're trying to tell them, take care of yourself without listening to your own heart. Like that's going to be dissonance.

Yes, absolutely. We need to live with the example. So since the pandemic, I adjust my whole schedule because I'm also a business owner. I create all my content. I love social media, so I need to have a schedule to work on that. So I left. I wake up every day and at 9am I know I have my classes as a student that I'm going to be lifting, that I'm going to be doing Zumba, maybe some yoga. And my day starts at 10am yes. Now it's yes.

So, yeah, love it. I love it, I love it. So I love that you also brought up lifting and other forms of. Of fitness and movements because I'm curious what your perspective is on where, you know, does yoga. Is yoga the be all end all. Do you think yoga is like, you know, how does it fit in someone's practice or someone's daily route or weekly monthly routine?

Yes. I would say nothing is everything. Not one practice is going to fulfill all your needs or what your body, what your mind needs. So I'm absolutely up for combining things. And yoga can be amazing. One, to feel more connected with your body, to learn really how to breathe, how to notice sensations, how to rest. But I wouldn't say that yoga is a workout, for example. No, if you want to work up, you have other options. Yoga is really more an invitation to be with yourself, to hang out with yourself. For example, I have my biggest revelations when I meet Savasana. That is the final resting pose after a whole practice in which you're moving your body, you're noticing the sensations. And then I'm lying there on my mat and I said, wow, this is why I'm feeling like this. This is what happened. This is why I'm so irritable. This is what is happening. Because why I slowed down. I gave myself permission to be with myself without judgment. That's the gift of yoga. So if I want to tone, if I want to get stronger, probably I wouldn't recommend go to yoga.

I see. Interesting, interesting. And I'm also curious. Do you recommend that we practice every day or is it once in a while?

Usually once we start practicing yoga, we get hooked. So we start practicing every day, twice, two, three classes at once. But no, that's not going to be a sustainable practice. I would recommend to start practicing maybe twice a week. And then you will realize that you can incorporate short breaks with yoga during your day. For example, 15 minutes of stretching, even at your desk. And that's yoga. That's being aware of what is happening right now in your body, in your mind. What do you need? How can you release that stiffness and then grow progressively? But I wouldn't say yes, commit to your practice and practice every single day, one hour and a half. No, because that's not reality. So I would say start practicing two times a week and then incorporate these short breaks that, trust me, will change the way you move in life. You move and the way you relate with yourself.

I love that. It's powerful. So I'm curious, what do you. What is your vision for yoga for all bodies? Where do you see your business going? What's the impact that you are hoping to make as you continue this path?

I want to continue training other yoga teachers to make the practice welcoming, accessible, inclusive to all bodies, to all bodies, no matter your size, your shape, your abilities, experience with the practice, to really serve everybody. Because yoga is a gift that can benefit so many. And it doesn't need to be only a gift or an exclusivity for a group of people. No, we can really make it for everybody. And my hopes as a business is to continue growing, to continue sharing my message. I'm planning on starting with my master classes in Spanish because currently I'm only doing them in English and I get people from all over the world. That's so exciting. So I want to go now and serve my Latin American people and everybody that speaks in Spanish. And the sky is the limit.

Yeah. Are you going to start? You know, for me, when I hear you speak, I'm like, oh, are you going to do like wellness retreats all over the world? Like maybe start a certification or not a cert, but like, I don't know. Do yoga teachers have certs?

Like yes, yes, yes, we have. And it's in my plant to launch hopefully in 2022, the first yoga for all bodies teacher training, 40 hours. Yes. For all the teachers to get certified in language, in variations in the use of props, making the practice welcoming, accessible. And of course I would love to host retreats once the world really fully opens. I would love.

For sure. Yeah, for sure. You know, you, you mentioned too, and I want to be mindful of your time, so I'll, I'll, I won't, I promise we won't go for 100 years. But one of the things that you said was that you're, you know, changing the narrative. So, and we talked about yoga teachers perspective around the practice of yoga. But I'm curious, what are the, what are your people like? The general population, the people that are coming to you, what is their perception? Like, what is the biggest things that you're hear about yoga? Like for I'll, I'll share. For me, I was like, oh, yoga's not real, it's just stretching.

Right.

That's one of the things that I would, that I used to say. I don't say that anymore, by the way, but that was definitely one of those beliefs that I was carrying around yoga. So I'm curious, what are some of.

The things that you hear and. Absolutely. And it's because of the representation that we see of yoga on media, social media, it leads to think that yoga is only stretching, that it's only acrobatic.

Yes.

So I would say, yes, I would say the people that come to my classes, one, I would say 90% are people that have never been to a yoga studio. And they discovered yoga during the pandemic because they never felt welcome or represented in yoga studios. So thanks to the pandemic, they realized, oh, yoga really is for me. Yes. Oh, I can do yoga. Yes, you can do yoga. And it's because I put my message out there and I'm attracting those people. So I would say the main belief is that yoga is not for them and it's not the case. Yoga, it is for you. Thanks to the variations. So I always recommend investigate. Where are you going to take your first yoga class? A lot of people, because I also work at the front desk of a yoga studio here in San Francisco. So I saw firsthand what happens when people go and try yoga. They always sign up for the vinyasa class. The vinyasa that is all levels, but it's never all levels. It's always for advanced practitioners. So they go there and they get discouraged because they realize that, oh, no, I can't do this. Yoga is not for me. So really investigate. Know the story about your yoga teacher so you can really connect, feel welcome, feel seen. Yes.

I love that. Are you still. You're not still the front. At the front desk?

No, no, I was at the beginning. I was at the beginning and. And I worked there in exchange of yoga. So I practiced for free in the studio and I was at the front desk. But you know what? It gave me so much amazing information about how yoga teachers relate the opinions of the students. So. Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely. You get to see firsthand and, you know, you get to see. You know, one of the things I've been shifting and really sharing with my clients is that we need to observe our clients in their natural habits habitat. Like, nobody walks around and going, oh, this is my belief. No. A belief they think is true. And so we need to explore what are the things that they don't think of. Oh, it's just a belief. No, no, no. Let's figure out, like, what are the truths that they're carrying around that aren't actually truths in their natural habitat? Which is what you get to do, because we all get to say, like, let me survey my client. They're not going to be honest.

No, never, Never, never. So I was there at the front desk, and I wasn't even a yoga teacher back then. I was already practicing yoga. So I was there and I was able to listen the true feedback of the class. And I heard so many times saying, oh, I felt that was super harmful. Some Teachers, for example, grabbing people's arm because telling them, come to my fitness, because those are not yoga arms. Things that are super harmful. Yes, yes. True story. True story. So I realized that what I thought about yoga wasn't wrong. So I needed to put the message out there. Because if I was thinking these things has no space in yoga, other people were agreeing. And that's the case. Yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I also think that too, you know, as someone who was a, you know, was a trainer in that space, I think that what also happens is that we start to think, oh, our class isn't good unless it's hard. And so. And then it's not really for us to decide what's hard and what's not hard. Like, that's going to depend on every person. So I think that sometimes people have that urge to be like, oh, if I don't crush this person, they're not going to think it was good. But that's. That's sometimes counterintuitive.

Absolutely. When I first started teaching, right out of my 200 hours, I said, okay, I need to have at least one class a week. That it's a vinyasa. Why? Why? No. So I changed that and now I only teach yoga for all bodies. Yoga for all bodies. Nothing else.

Yeah. So good. So good. All right, so for those of you who are listening and want to connect more with you, where are the best.

Places I should that Everything Yoga for all bodies. Website? Yogafora. Com. Instagram. Yoga for all bodies. Facebook. Yoga for all bodies. So everything Yoga for all bodies.

I love that. We'll be sure to link that up in the show notes. So thank you so much for pouring into us today. We really. I really appreciate it and I'm. I thank you so much. I'll be sure to link all this up.

Thank you for having me. I enjoyed this conversation so much. It's my passion. So thank you.

So good. Thank you for listening to the PT Profit podcast. If you like this episode, chances are your friends will too. So it would be a huge service to us if you would please leave us a review and share with your friends on your social media channels. When you leave us a review, be sure to take a screenshot of it and email that screenshot to my team@infovsimpsonfitness.com and we'll send you a very special Instagram podcast that will show you how to create compelling content so that your ideal clients come to you. And you go from wanting clients to a wait list of clients ready for your services. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you on the next episode.