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Tell us a bit about yourself….

I come from Galicia in North Spain. I moved to England around 16 years ago. I work as a Process Analyst at The Body Shop, which is great as I get discounts of all the lovely products!

I used to live in London but decided that I had had enough of being in the rat race and moved to Chichester 5 years ago. I have not looked back since.

Yoga is my number one hobby. The rest of my spare time is filled with reading anything that makes my brain tick, swimming (in the sea if possible – we do live so close the coast after all) and spending time with friends. I hope to add windsurfing to this list soon.

A future dream would be to backpack around South America, stopping in Mendoza Valley to try a few wines… and of course doing some yoga on the way – maybe not at the same time as trying the wines!

What movie or book changed your life?

“Into the Wild” directed by Sean Penn. It took me 5 years to gain the courage to watch this movie as I knew it didn’t have a happy ending.

It made me realised that I was wasting my life worrying too much about work, stressing about small things. It also opened my eyes to the fact that society’s expectations can push people to breaking point.

Do you have a way, apart from yoga, in keeping healthy?

I used to do a lot of running, but I have stopped since it was having an impact on my hips. I feel going to different yoga classes keeps me healthy enough, not just physically but also mentally.

Had you practiced any kind of yoga before starting at LANO?

When I was based in London I practiced Hatha and Iyengar yoga for  few years. Once again, it gave me a feeling of happiness in myself.

I reconnected with yoga a year ago when I came here for a hot yoga class. This was before the studio was LANO. It was my first experience with hot yoga but I just loved the way that it challenged me mentally and physically.

What led you to sign up to a class?

A stressful time at work. The sense that I had lost me as a person and the need to reconnect with myself.

How did you find your first hot yoga class? 

CHALLENGING, I still find them challenging at times! I had practiced hot yoga for a few months before my first LANO class, which was with Karl. I remember being super confident and being in the front row. Oh, yeah, I thought, I have done lots of hot yoga before, I am brilliant at this. Little did I know! Karl corrected all my postures, my breathing was not even right. Did it hurt my ego? Yes. Am I glad I continued? Absolutely.

If you feel like leaving the room and giving up in your first trial, don’t.  It’s worth every drop of sweat and there are a lot of them.

Which is your favourite LANO practice and why? Do you have a particular LANO class/time (60vs90 minute)/day you like to practice on?

There are two classes that I will always try my best to attend.The Yin class with Karl on a Tuesday evening and Slow with Jamie on Saturday morning.

Apart from the physical benefits, and my hips are testimony of that, it’s the time you spend on your own head, reflecting. I feel extremely peaceful and elated after these classes.

Tell me what brings you back to hot yoga time and again? 

The way it makes me feel mentally. My thought process has improved, I approach stressful situations in a different manner (I take a deep breath before reacting), I make better decisions at work and life in general. I am happier with myself,  which as I result means than I am kinder and more patient with other people. LANO is an amazing studio. It makes all the difference having such fantastic teachers who care about improving your development.

Which posture are you hoping to tackle by the end of 2015?

I look forward to the day that my downward dog becomes a resting pose.

The one posture that drove me mad for months was  “Camel”. Karl was really encouraging and gave me really great pointers on how to approach this posture. I actually really have grown to like it.  I love the way the backbend feels now and my heart being so exposed. It doesn’t seem so frightening anymore.

Lanoyoga

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