Yoga

“Your physical health starts with health within.” – Natalia Kalenkovich

Today, I got a chance to sit down with Natalia and ask her a few personal questions. I love being able to ask questions where I know there’s going to be passion involved with the answers.

I also enjoy the one on one time that allows for a little more in-depth dialog so I can fully explore the meaning behind the words. As you probably already know, Natalia grew up in Russia, yet she’s lived in the US long enough to gain a really good command or our northwest lingo. In a casual conversation, there is no need to look for a second explanation for what she can clearly articulate. But, being able to take extra time in the conversation allows the deeper wisdom to bubble to the surface. Just behind the calm and controlled everyday image that you see in Natalia lies a very deeply sensitive and emotional Being that is willing to open herself up and speak her truth even though she knows she will be venerable for all to see!

But my day started out a little simpler. A few days ago, I noticed Natalia celebrating completing the 500 hour training program at the College of Purna Yoga. Having recently completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training, I had a really good feeling as to how much work she put into her program.

So, not only did I get to tell her congratulations, but I got to ask some specific questions to see what might be next.

 

What originally attracted you to yoga?

I tried many different sports and other ways to keep my body fit, but I wasn’t strong enough to be constantly engaged. Everything made me tired after a while. When I did yoga, I felt different. That surprised me and I paid attention. As I explored it more, I found that even after intense practice I felt energized rather than worn out. For me, yoga started as just the right amount of exercise.

I also like the flow of movements. There is a beauty in yoga that I resonate with that just makes it feel right.

Are there other people that have inspired you and why?

There are definitely two people that inspired me. They are in my bio. [There was a pause here as if she felt that she’d answered the questions sufficiently. I could clearly feel that it was a sensitive issue so I pressed delicately for just a few more details.]

My Grandfather was a yogi. You could say that I grew up having an innate connection to yoga from spending time with my Grandfather. When my Grandfather was about forty, he suffered from chronic asthma and realized that he needed to allow his body to heal. To do this, he moved away from the city to live in a small house where he could live a sustainable life closer to nature. His healing process involved adapting a yogic lifestyle and teaching himself to be able to control his conditions though asana, breathing techniques and mediation.

From the time I was a toddler, I would spend a couple weeks during the summer visiting. My Grandfather was very dedicated to his lifestyle and I will never forget his self-discipline. Even though I didn’t see yoga as part of my life at the time, I know today that it touched my heart.

I remember when I was a teenager; I met a boy who suffered from asthma. I took him to meet my Grandfather. My Grandfather was delighted to share the joy and healing power of yoga. My observations made me believe that this encounter positively affected the course of my friend’s life.

I guess when I really think about it, yoga has always been there in my life. Even though it’s taken time to accept it in my heart. When I feel like I’ve stepped away from it, I find that it’s not long before I’m right back in it. My heart keeps guiding me back to yoga.

Around 2001 yoga returned into my life in for good. I gathered books, practiced and remembered what my Grandfather taught me. I was very happy with my home practice until I had kids and found that the only way I could really practice was to get out of the house.

That’s when I took a class with Liz Doyle at Gold’s Gym. I am now amazed how, with all limitations and restrictions of teaching in a gym, Liz conveyed the message that yoga is much more than a kind of gymnastics. This inspired me to look for the missing link. I discovered that there was something behind each yoga poses.

Yoga is full of life and life if full of Yoga.

When did you know yoga would be fundamental in your life?

It will always be part of my life. It has been. To me, yoga is a work in progress; it’s the path, not the destination.

How did you come to Purna Yoga?

There were two things, the understanding that I gained from studying under Liz really fired me up and that excitement turned into long conversations with my husband where he encouraged me to follow that passion. When I opened to the idea, everything just fell in place. Days later I was enrolled at the College of Purna Yoga at Alive and Shine Center in Bellevue, WA.

This is when the deeper meanings behind practicing yoga really clicked with me. Through the practice I feel connected to the Nature, feel myself and other beings as a part of the Whole. It brought meaning to why you have to be truthful to yourself. It gave me confidence and trust to follow my path and see the true abundance in the universe.

It also made me want to share. These feelings are a gift and I feel energized to be able to share them as I help people in their practice. I remember having mixed feelings about signing up as I started down what felt to be a new life. But thoughts feelings are now a lost memory.

When did you know you wanted to be a Yoga instructor?

When I signed up for the training I did not have an intention of becoming a yoga teacher. I just wanted to find missing pieces of the puzzle through deeper practice.

As the training progressed, I realized that I really enjoy sharing the experience. In this enjoyment there is an urge to share. Sharing keeps the energy flowing. Purna Yoga is not just a style of asana. It teaches how to live a harmonious life, how to find your purpose in this life and act from your heart. It integrates asana and pranayama, meditation, philosophy, nutrition and lifestyle to bring you in connection with your true Self.

Even though I never wanted to teach, I experienced joy, just as my Grandfather helping that boy with asthma. That feeling is something that you can’t hold.

Is there an area of yoga that really attracts you?

I love the therapeutic aspect of yoga. Yoga is wonderful for pain relief in the body, dealing with stress and its consequences. Asana opens the body so the soul can flow in. If there is restriction of flow, it could manifest in the illness. It’s very much like what you wrote on the Yoga page on the website. [She made me dig it out.]

“Yoga helps bring balance to not only the physical body, but the emotional, mental and spiritual bodies that all coexist in the same space and time. When the energies that drive one particular function within your Being become disharmonious, the discord echoes through the other subtle bodies which can create symptoms of discomfort.”

Yoga is a healing modality. Thought the practice of Yoga, you feel your body, you become your breath, you observe your thoughts, how they affect your body and your breath, and you notice the feelings deep inside you. It is during this time that the different parts of yourself come together in harmony. This is when the healing happens as you align your thoughts, feelings and movements. [I could see Natalia’s eyes light up.] It is exciting to see this happen and to watch others grow to recognize the power of Yoga.

One of my teachers said: “Yoga is a metaphor for living with awareness.”  As you learn to be aware at any moment of your life, you become the master of your life.

[She laughed for a moment.]

This all reminds me of what Leslie Kaminoff would say. “The good news about yoga that it makes you more aware of what is going on in your body. The bad news about yoga, that it makes you more aware of what is going on in your body.”

With awareness you become alive. You feel it and know it.

What is the key to incorporating yoga in your life?

Live yoga. As you leave the class, maintain that state of awareness. You will get the deeper connection and have more clarity of why you were born here. Life is meaningful.

Yoga is a tool to help you find the purpose in life.

What do you teach in your classes?

My primary focus is the safety of the student. Anatomically safe movements and energetically safe environment for student experience. I always start with a short dynamic meditation to help people become centered and present. This is followed by warming up the spine, hips, shoulders, then Sun Salutations or Tibetian rites for generating more heat in the body and preparing for the main theme for the class. This theme could be working on the particular area of the body, or groups of poses (twists, inversions, backbends, etc.), or opening the body to experience the pose on more advanced level.

My approach is not to teach poses, but teach students how to experience the pose in the body. We’re all different there is no right or wrong way to do asana, but safe and unsafe.

If there were just three things that you could share with others. What would they be and why?

Everything you look for in life you already have. If you are aware, you will realize this.

When you lack things in life, that indicates that something within you is out of balance. As you bring awareness into your life, through yoga, meditation or any other means, it helps you to connect to Yourself, to understand, accept, love, forgive. You enter the wonderful circle of exchange. If you love and accept yourself, you will feel and accept others, your receptivity will increase and you will open up to receive love and support from the universe. It all starts from within.

Life is a beautiful exchange of energy, what you give out, will come back to you.  Yoga helped me really experience this energy.

 

When I left the interview I felt energized myself. It is exciting to have crossed paths with Natalia for when she spoke I could feel the connection to her experience. I am looking forward to our next conversation.

Author: Dave

Natalia Kalenkovich