Gota Cebrero ~ The Art of Tapas: Building Discipline in Yoga and Life

Todd McLaughlin talks with Gota Cebrero about his transition from Argentina to becoming a yoga teacher and Zen practitioner in Asheville. Gota discusses combining his global experiences in his teachings, the concept of tapas, and finding equilibrium between upholding traditions and ensuring accessibility. He also touches on staying genuine amidst a competitive yoga scene and the importance of developing internal energy, offering a mix of motivational anecdotes and useful advice for yogis and spiritual explorers.

Visit Gota on his website: https://www.gotacebreroyoga.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Gota's path from Argentina to becoming a multifaceted yoga teacher in the United States.
• The transformative impact of Ashtanga Yoga and Zen meditation on mental and physical discipline.
• Balancing traditional yoga strictness with modern-day accessibility and practicality.
• The importance of community and personal alignment in yoga practice and teaching.
• Strategies for maintaining spiritual and physical well-being amidst life's challenges.

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Chapters

• 20:00 Gota's Transition to the US and Challenges Faced
• 20:44 Discussion on Rigidity in Yoga Practice
• 22:55 Gota's Transition to Asheville, North Carolina
• 23:57 Cultivating Tapas and Practice Intensity
• 26:22 Balancing Tapas with Life's Challenges
• 28:01 Comparison of Shiatsu and Thai Massage Practices
• 42:22 Reflections on Intensity in Bodywork and Tapas Building
• 45:23 Gota's Transition from Jewelry Making to Full-time Yoga
• 50:11 Teaching and Teacher Training at Asheville Yoga Center
• 54:51 Gota's Involvement in Love Shine Play Festival

Transcript

0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. So happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage bodywork and beyond. Follow us @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com All right, let's begin Hello, welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast Hola, como estas. I have special guests this week. Gota Cebrero. Gota is a yoga teacher who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. He has two daughters and lives with his wife there. He's a yoga teacher. He's originally from Argentina, started practicing some Ashtanga Yoga back in 1999. He's a jewelry maker. He's a Zen meditation practitioner. He also is a shiatsu therapist, and you can find him on his website, go to gotacebreroyoga.com. He's going to be teaching at a festival in Asheville coming up in July called the love shine Play Festival. You gotta go check him out. He also is involved in teaching and the yoga teacher training program at the Asheville yoga center. He also teaches at a studio called Black Mountain. And SoHum Mountain Healing Resort. He's an amazing guy. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. If you're ever up in Asheville, you gotta go check him out. I'm really honored and privileged to have this opportunity to meet and speak with him and to bring Gota to your home. Also to your ears. All right, let's begin. I'm so happy to have this chance to meet and speak with Gota Cebrero. Gota, I'm so happy to have this opportunity to meet you. And I heard wonderful things about you and your your yoga teaching skills in Asheville, North Carolina. Thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you. Same. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. You know, I'm curious. Where were you born? I born in Argentina and Cordoba, Argentina. Nice. And then at what age? Did you start to travel the world? Well, I started inside of Argentina first, but I left when I was 19 or so I already went to the south and inside. But I left Argentina when I was 21. Which is yes. What was your motivation for leaving? Like a wanderlust feeling? Or were you? Were you seeking another place to live? What was the setting in that in that situation? Yes, so this was when I left. It was 1998. But since I'm I remember, I always been thinking and wondering about, you know, the mystery of life and life and death, and just curiosity. But really was this yearning of like, I wasn't looking for places or just to be a traveler. I just need to go and explore. So it was something inside of me. Moving me nice. Growing up in Argentina, did you have access to spiritual development facilities or places? Or did you feel like there wasn't a lot of that where you lived? Well, I grew up in a family, they, you know, they are Catholic, and they always been helping and doing in a little bit more alternative way I would say. So I grew up around that, but I wasn't connecting. Truly. I was looking through that first. And of course, South America into shamanism. And so I've been looking. Yeah, but you know, I took another path in life until I hit a here Yeah. It with the Catholicism. Did you go through first Holy Communion and all of those rituals that are used in that religion? Yes, yeah. Yeah. Like Like, can they just pass him by? Yeah, yeah. And then when you left Argentina, where was the First place that you went let's see. I cross into in between is a part of in between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. So Racine by just went in and out. And then when I truly left to start traveling, I crossed from Bolivia. Wow. Now did you at that point? Did you like, save up a bunch of money? Or did you think you know, I have a backpack, and I'm resourceful. I'm just gonna figure out figure it out as I go. No, no money at all. No. Credit card. I just, I was traveling, like I mentioned in the beginning in Argentina, so I've been always to these mountain corridors called rhetorical is a vortex of energy. So I always we will go there because all can they different characters go there and different religions and all kinds of craziness. So I love it. And from there, I started traveling. It just clicked to me. I met other travelers. And then I started learning to do jewelry. So I have $180 a backpack, and started my skills with jewelry. And my parents actually took me outside of the city. Say bye and started doing Hi check. I can never can pronounce that. Like, ha ha, yeah. Yeah. 100 needed all or no phone. No, I can send me manages. Yeah, actually, go ahead. No, I love hearing the story. Keep going. Keep telling me oh, so actually, when, when I started going through Bolivia, I have, I think $8 or $5. That's it. And I used to play an instrument of bass. You know. So I, I tried to sell it. So I remember being in the border. And this is 1990. So you know, nothing of barley, but no lie now. I caught so they were so no. Okay. Somebody is our half$5 Somebody gave me four more. So I jump in, in a little something that they have passed by very small and I went no money to Bolivia. Wow. What did you do when you got to Bolivia? What I do? Yeah, what did you when you got there? I mean, that's not much money. Not$9 is like that's coming down into like, that's a tough place to be in, right. I mean, that's a little bit of a strange. That's a pretty scary place to be, don't you think? I mean? I've been there too. I know it. I know what you're talking about it? You know? Did you ever have thoughts of like, you know, fear? Like what if I'm homeless? Or, you know, what did what did you do? It basically I never considered homeless because I make the decision of leaving. But I had been accomplished many times before. So fear like that. It wasn't I was 21 in those days. Yeah. I'm 47 now so I, when I was traveling, I was jumping in one trying you know, tracks, whatever is available is sleeping in the streets. Just traveling. So yeah, yeah. So nothing. And also, thanks to a little bit of niceness, and you know, the you are live. Just now I will have more fierce I guess I know. Isn't that amazing? When you think back about how naive we were the things that we got away with. And I think it's because of our naive, naive naivete. Or, you know what I mean, we were so naive that we just would do things out. You're right now as a parent, personally, I'll No I wouldn't do that. Now. You know, and I'm watching my kids do stuff. My son 17. I'm like, oh, man, like the things I was. Yeah. I thought I was 16 the other days 14? Yeah. Yeah. So okay, so you get to Bolivia. And then I saw that you started to learn Ashtanga Yoga in 1999. So where were you then? Where were you when he started practicing Ashtanga? Right. So I went to Bolivia and I started sailing, I was looking and I was searching. But of course, people are traveling like that you start finding. It's like paths that you go on places where there's more turismo so you can sell. So I will sell and I will keep moving. And it's I don't sell I don't eat Why don't move literally. So but as a group of people say go here, go there. So you go to places that you have a chance, of course others, you know, regular. So it took basically a year so then it's 1999, as you mentioned, and I was in Ecuador. Montanita as Ecuador was very different these days, but it was very hippie town, like, free life. So I was there. And then when I finally astanga yoga started practicing there, did you? How long? How long did you stay in Ecuador, and study with your teacher. So I was in Ecuador. So I travel south America first different times, like I went to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador. Pretty much all the countries until Mexico, but in those days, I went to Ecuador, and I was six months in and out after three months, you need to get out to be able to return. So basically, I was just looking for something. And then I was getting into too much fun. Let's say too much. Drinking and other things. And until hit me on the right there. I find the the teacher Nice, nice. Were you like physically Did you find the Ashtanga practice? Relatively easy, very difficult. Did you have flexible, flexible body? Strong body? What what did you experience when you came across the Ashtanga yoga practice? Oh, no, I wasn't any flexible. I was young and strong, but not flexability or Solera. They talks I have a lot of parties in my body those days. Yes. And actually my teacher was also it was this guy phone. My phone friend was French. And he was there like and they he was practicing for 10 years. He'd been with Pattabhi Jois in the past and so on. Yes. And I was in this little place that they sent Jews, you know, the, the smoothies. Yeah, very simple on those days. And I was just sitting there and this guy, I heard about him, you know, there was locking himself in a room, he was worse than me. And then he comes telling me this three days that he didn't, you know, do anything like drugs and stuff. And he's an as an essay. Also, I wasn't drinking, I was trying to run to prepare myself. It Ryan that time. And he said, If you help me, I can help you. You help me to wake up in the mornings. Right? Teachers yoga. So what a mess and another guy joined. So I don't know how much they tell you one and there but it's like wild. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's cool. And so how much time did you spend learning the practice at that time? Like one month, one year? Yes, I think it was pretty much two months. And we didn't have you know, he will remember the sequence. And I started in the in the all life just do the sun salutations a then the bees. And I was shaking all over. And he was putting his self to him. But then he when he started getting stronger, he can do you know, the whole? Yeah, some random guy from Columbia just pop and happen to have one. The whole seek first serious, like in a drawer. And then I can grab as a two moms two and a half. And then I keep traveling to nice places like that. That's cool. I know. It's amazing. When we think back to that time period, like you're talking about 9899 There was the resources weren't available. So the fact like what you're saying you didn't actually see a chart of the poses or the way we learned it was just from watching people seeing there was just a different, just a different thing. Oh, totally different. And I never saw it of course I saw. I used to have a book on one of my first book was, of course the Bhagavad Gita, but the Indra Devi. So I knew about yoga, but when I started practicing the astanga and then you know, very physically and very the toxin and and it's just like, I went deep into it. Nice, live handed. I made it change. Nice. That's cool, man. Yeah, great to hear. I saw that. Then you got inspired, became inspired by Zen Buddhism and joined a monastery in Switzerland. Can you tell me how you make it from South America to Switzerland? Yes. So I keep traveling and then until Argentina in the south, south South America, so I went all South America, Central America and till Mexico, and I have, you know, traveling you met many people. So I have this girlfriend for Switzerland. So I ended up going back to her gentiana make a lot of more of, I used to do silver jewelry or whatever. As I go to Brazil, I have these rocks as I go to Peru, silver will be available. So I make a bunch, when she went back to Switzerland sold a lot of the jewelry. And I went to Switzerland. And I couldn't speak English, no, even German or French, you know whether it's Italian, German, and I'm French. I couldn't nothing. So, but then I saw a picture of a Zen teacher, the teacher actually love my teacher the taste in the scenario. And then I was so attracted, because the alignment, I think, so I wasn't in my life. astanga was in good alignment, you know that in those days. Yeah. But then I saw that. And immediately, I was attracted to it. And I, I started finding, I went to this dojo, which a place of practice Zen, Soto sent, and I will just look because I couldn't understand. And then I thought, I don't understand and here and then I want to go to this Nahan and French. But I couldn't speak no English, no friends. So then I went to Spain. And then it's very, very long. He had surely studies in Spain and met my teacher, Barbara Kosan. She was in Madrid, I was looking around Spain first, but just to make it in Madrid, they have like three hours, more or less to the mountains, they start building a temple, and a second one work. So we build in that. And in between Mercury and the mountain, or nice and a half more or less nice. What was your What was your experience with Zen Buddhist meditation? Incredible, because, you know, thanks to Ashtanga, I can, I can hold the post, you know, if you know that you don't move. It's not like now that you can scratch. You know, some practice, which I agree and not making fun. Sounds like it but there is one more there is Matthew. So to me was like, I will do this session or retreat and things to stand I was able to stay longer period of time so intense. That's a great point. Because if you can't sit comfortably, and your hips are really tight, then it's going to be near impossible to stay for long in Zen Buddhist meditation. Is it like a 20 minute session at a time? Do they go longer? One hour, two hour, three hour how? What is the structure for the duration of the sets of the sets? So let's say that you go to adores your place of practice, you know, as to do on a temple. Normally, it's like 45 minutes sitting, no move. Walk. Kinane. So it's a whole set of like how you put your hands how you breathe in lower abdomen, breathe in as a whole technique into it. And then you walk for more or less five minutes, and you sit for another 45. So now, more or less, you go to this retreat, there are four seasons like that. So hours. And is it like mandatory to sit in padmasana? Obviously, everybody can sit in Lotus Pose. So are you just doing classic like sukhasana easy style, cross legs? Or do you have to wrap up into the lotus? Into the Yes. And now I think of course, and thankfully, everything is more accessible and people. But those days, which is not that long ago, but this we're talking now about 2003 for? I'm not good with following the the years very, but that was pretty much. Yeah. Let's say I went to Switzerland 2001 Or two? Yes. 2003. Let's say yes, you just sit in a lot, which is you can have Latos now sukhasana you can cover because you use this type of keyboard. So you can cover the legs are hidden there. You sneak one leg down, but they are very strict into it. Yeah. Which, you know, how do you feel now that you've you've had enough years like this is from your 20s Now you're in your 40s You've had enough a some time? I don't know a long time short time you've had enough time to kind of continue practice. And do you think that that rigidity and strictness like you said where they come in, they hit you with the stick. Do you feel like that was really good for you at that stage of your life but now you don't need that. Do you miss that? Do you wish that you had that type of teacher that was holding you accountable and keeping you from moving? What are your feelings and thoughts about the strictness versus the evolution of your practice over time? That's a really good question. Because sounds like a really tough day somebody would come in as money. But actually, when you sit in for that long, you do a show like this. And they hit you right here. And man, you appreciate it because your back is tight. So unless a flat is taken as like, so like, Please don't come hit. Like, like, like, please come hit me. I'm falling asleep. I need to wait. To show you can type. But yes, I and also that is practice have a lot of energy staff, but it keeps you going. So now I know my style, of course, but in those days serve the purpose. I stand up the same you start here, you finish here even finished. Yeah, yeah. Now more or less like you do whatever you can. But it was well, at least I took it as I was told. It's like, you do what I told you. And you finish and when I tell you the finish? Yeah. It gave me a lot of discipline and tapas tapasya. You know? Yes. How? That. So those were a good foundation for me, like, good foundation, you can agree or disagree. But it's true. They give you a foundation. When you teach currently, do you sometimes teach a little more with the strictness or do you lean a little more toward? Accessibility? Or both? Definitely, definitely, no, I'm very, like, be saved. Or ahimsa? You know, I, when when I sharing, I like to say sharing more than teaching. It's like holding the space, and we're going to a journey. And we need modifications. But the energy, the Shakti in the room, yes, I'm like, amen to that. Like, just hold this. If you can put your leg extended in there. That's about it. But let's just stay keep breathing. And you know, how we've, where it is, and we fluctuate, we all myself included, of course. So it's about, I'm more into the holding the space and serve. They speak with each other. It's like, you have a tough day today. Here we are. And now I have a rough day. There you guys hold on me. So, um, that's my, my space of sharing these days. That's cool, man. I know, I feel like we're better off for accessibility, and being a little less intense about the practices. But I also do look back on the people that I did study with that held that type of militaristic sort of focus, I think, Wow, that was incredible. You know that. I'm glad they were like that. But would I want to step in there right now? Not so much. But then yeah, it was really amazing. Yes, it is. There's a lot of energy but also the pennants background. Because to me, it wasn't triggered me anyways, as you will be tough, like, gotta just keep doing what you need to do. I will do it. But for some people have different backgrounds. So an could be a three, you know, could be no. So I think we, we don't need to lost or lose the, the tapas, but let's be strict. Just like, yeah, yeah, do it, and go and go for it. Well, how do you how do you cultivate the tapas? Without the strictness? Do you have any special tips for me? Like, you know, because it seems like the toughest comes from the mental austerity are the, the, you know that I'm going to hold this pose. I'm gonna hold this pose. I'm not going to come out of it. I'm going to stay with it. Which which, you know, is just so challenging for all of us. But um, is there another way to like bypass that and still get the tapas? I haven't figured that if that's possible. Yeah. Oh, think so. You go, you go for the ride. Less you have all the kinds of stuff. Yeah, you're taking care of the knees and go for it. And then I give you an example. When shall I did a lot of intense practice in those days and then I started shiatsu too, so I was intense and my body and my mind meditation full on. Long story short, I ended up coming to the US after time. I can when you tell us you want to lay there. But when I come here, I couldn't speak English. I couldn't teach yoga. I couldn't do shiatsu. It's a Japanese technique of based on Chinese medicine and Marmar pressure point. So I ended up working in a warehouse. And I was teaching in schools, you know, the whole thing. I didn't have time, I have my two daughters born in here. And fast forward Allah right. And I can go back. But my point is like, I didn't have time to practice. And I was going through a rough time, in many aspects. So that toppers that practice that strong sadhana a kid me Yeah. Leaving from the credit. Yeah, I see active in but four hours a day, a ball down into 45 minutes. And then you don't know if you have a whole hour because one baby is crying or working two, three jobs. So it's like, Yes, I think those days. Yeah, that's cool. That's a good set. That's a good story in the sense of real, realizing that it's almost like you can store up the topics that you build up in your younger years. We almost can use that when we start raising a family and, and dealing with the challenges of trying to keep up with the economics of living in us and everywhere in the world, not just us. I mean, it's the same everywhere. I guess. Yeah. That's cool. Well, I want to see a couple of questions about shiatsu. So I practice time massage, Thai massage is close to shiatsu different but similar in Thai massage has said or energy lines similar to shiatsu different though, I know shiatsu follows a little more like Chinese meridians. And the Thai in the Thai massage is really a blend off that time of that Chinese meridian. So I think it's there's a very similarity, a similarity. So and you said that when you were practicing the bodywork or when you're doing your practices, you were intense. Were you also intense in the way that you delivered the the shiatsu massage. But you know, because when I went to Thailand, originally, there was this thing where they'd say, if it doesn't hurt, you don't get benefit. So some of the massages I found I was getting in Thailand, I was like, I was dying. I was thinking I don't think I'm gonna make it through this session. And then at the end of the session, that's an incredible tapas building experience. And afterwards, you feel so good. You know, you thought you're gonna break or they're gonna push so hard. You come out with all these bruises. But you know, you don't you end up feeling absolutely amazing. So I'm curious what your evolution with your body work has been like, from your initial days of learning shiatsu, to where you are currently today in your practice. Yes, no, never physically. So there are different layers of work more physically in the Annamaya, Kosha. You know, like tissues and stuff, yes, it can get intense, but mostly energetically, you know, more settled. When I say intense, I was mostly in the sight of energetically because you do one, and now the another and every day, you know, like 345, even six a day or more. So it's intense in your body. But the type of movements similar then tie and share to maybe a little bit more because Japanese, they are very much into the heart and the center. So the body is moving with the others. So it's save you a lot of knots, you know, the body workers have a lot of issues and shoulders and after years. So it was intense energetically and to keep it sharp. Another good way of like having a strong sadhana tapasya, too, because you need to stay tuned and sharp to serve well, too. So LS intense and the sense of like, take care of yourself, help to take care of others. And keep keep the flow of prana shakti because we get caught into that and no good. Yeah. Well say Good to hear. Yeah. And are you You live in Asheville, North Carolina now? Yes, man. That's cool. How? How are you liking Asheville? I love it in here. So I move ash from my you're kind of Spain. I used to live in this island called Majorca. Beautiful and then move here to Asheville. Like 17 years ago more than I moved to Georgia, Athens, Georgia, and I come back like seven years ago. And I love it. And here the mountains the energy is a lot of yoga your way and hiking rivers is beautiful. Nice. Where did you meet your wife in Athens, Georgia. So I moved here because the mother of my children's she is from here. Then when it's played when my kids were leader, and like a year after so this is like 1314 years ago. I met my, my wife and other things. And she's from Spain actually the Basque region, the north of Spain. So how one flows in Tina one from Spain? Yeah. And you were able to raise your daughters. Did they stay with you? Or they stay with you in Nashville? Yes. Yes. Have halftime they were the mom. We always move together like big families who wish they we always live close to each others and nice. Very cool. That's so good, man. Awesome. So good to hear. Ken, are you still practicing shiatsu? Huh? Know, I encountered when I worked one on one with people. I incorporated the knowledge of Chinese medicine and a little bit of a ubeda. But my background is puncher to Chinese medicine and to yoga, very much into five elements. And I use the Marmaras. The pressure points? Yes. I use it in that sense. That's cool. When you when you're teaching now, what are your classes like doo, doo doo doo vigorous sort of practices with people? Or are you more like on a yin, gentle type of approach these days? What where's your yoga currently? A both I teach a Yang and a mix, mostly Omega Yang and restorative. And also I teach mindful float. It could be a little bit more or less intense. But it's about the planner, the breadth and the movement. And hidden there you throw a little bit so people get out of the the system some arm balances here and there. But I'm not focused the say into a achievement of asanas. And in that sense is more the inner journey. But of course the challenge of Yeah. The body. That's cool. Are you still do you still sit? Zen style slash meditation? Do you practice seated meditation still? Yes, I do. Say and it's called the style. Yes, I do it. I do. Many others of course, mantras. Pranayama, some different meditations. But always is with me. More or less, you know, but always says no. It's a foundation. Yeah. Do you live in the city of Asheville? Are you a little on the outskirts out in the woods? No, these times we live near and the city? Yeah, yeah. But looking for going more into the into the country and but here is like 20 minutes. You're just like, yeah, yeah. Less than 20 What about meditation indoors? Versus and or outdoors? Do you like to go out into the mountains and practice meditation? Are you mostly practicing within like a nice comfortable space where it's not too cold? And there's no there's no bears? Our way to tell you that in my backyard, even in the city bears. Yesterday morning, we're going to the car and my younger the 14 Useless. Oh my god are huge bird was just like to us. So my wife, she's a kundalini yoga teacher, and she was not that long ago in our backyard. And the bear, they come too close. So these days indoors. Yeah, of course I love the outdoors. But some you have that in the back of your mind. I mean, it's a good practice or let go and but my wild days I keep it as a while now. I know I remember hearing a story I did of a pasta meditation retreat once and there was this idea within Buddhist meditation that somebody would sit and be so steadfast in their posture and in their meditation that animals could come up and nibble on them and they would just be unmoved and shaking and I just think whole you know that's a really intense level so I mean you always hear with bears that you should play dead I would imagine if you could take it to that level where you could sit not move and not let the bear know you're scared that would be next level wouldn't mix level for sure. You're right though like at this stage in the game is like I don't need to chance that like I have a house right there and let me just go sit in the house and be a little more. I mean, they don't mind that sometime. We are close to and they are just around but explained in here and my wife used to do in our backyard and this parcel we come to cloud like you mentioned like Very close. And yes, animals are curious as you stay steel. But of course I do have sorry outdoors but no as much as I used to. Here. Yeah. What about the waters pretty cold out there? What about cold plunging and river swimming? Are you into it? No these days but yes, yes. But no much these days. Yes. Yeah, I feel like I'm the as you wish hustling a little bit after the pandemic, you know, hose. Yeah, yeah. And we're a little bit down economically. So now it's like, catching good momentum. So I'm like, Yes. teaching and teaching. And yes. Wow, that was hard, wasn't it? The pandemic? I mean? It was as a yoga teacher and a massage therapists and everything. I don't care what your profession was. I mean, some people actually did better. You know, that was always a kicker, where you're like, like, yeah, I ended up doing better during COVID. You're like, oh, my gosh, that was not my story. So I'm curious. How did you you just stayed strong. Stay true, just focused. I mean, what was your experience? Yes. Because also we're like, here in Nashville with so many people teaching yoga and so much, right. So we just moved like two years before that. And it went down. My wife is an artist and teaching yoga myself, teaching your soul, we went right into no income. And we are now very much why I'm not very much into social media or so I need to learn the whole thing. So it was tough. So she and then gone to teach in four little ones, five years old, four or five years old. It's a place in here for foster children and kids on the spectrum. So it's like, in an integration with different I don't know how to say, well, I want to say something that that saying. I don't want to say right, we'll have kids I don't know what what I know. Don't worry. Don't worry. We not judging you. If you you say a word that's the kids and some are like foster children, others are in the spectrum. Understand. So it's she's doing a beautiful job. And then that save us until I catch momentum. Now we're doing good. And yeah, I should have been that helping the kids. So that saved us. Hello. That's cool, man. You know, I thought that one last time I went to Asheville, I thought, Ooh, there is a lot of yoga here. I'm curious. And you mentioned like, you know, there's a lot of yoga teachers and now in the realm of like, competition, you know, how do you balance that with keeping your own mental sanity? Because you know, sometimes it's so hard because you're like, you hear someone will come into this class and you'll have like, say three or four people I'm not saying you have three or four but I mean, sometimes I'll have three or four people and they'll go man, I went to the studio up the road, there's 35 people in the room, you know, and you go, what am I doing wrong? Or what do I need to do in and it's really hard sometimes to not stress about that. What do you how do you coach yourself currently to stay in the positive mind frame amongst the competitiveness within yoga teaching? Yeah, well these days first of all, uses the stay on there's no I see people just come in and you know, Asheville yoga center what I teach the most pretty much in there is a big center and it used to be even bigger, like well no longer so there are people that have been here 1520 years teaching so the community is very, and the community is very as you want to say educate about yoga, when you teach and hear everybody's a yoga teacher or I've been doing for longer than you or who you know. So to me I just always stay true to myself and just keep going I started with one and now I have bigger classes of course and people know me and here now I've been for like seven years more or less, but I see many they're coming so enthusiastic and with a lot of energy and idea and stuff especially sandwiched in between classes they're very popular and you're in the middle you just don't need to take a personal you just keep going and just do your thing in two hours was practicing and teacher longer so yeah, yeah, pretty much I have my my own style or find my essence of sharing nice you and in between to find in that and here. It will be tough. Yeah. It's interesting because I was reading an article about surfboard shapers, and I see a surfboard shaper as like a hand craft artist. You know, they they're built The boards and there's this, you know, now with machine shaping, they're just churning them out faster than a hand shaper can possibly compete with. So there's this element of, well, there are people out here in the world that are willing to pay more for an artist to do really good like to really put the time and the energy and all that goes with it. So it's, there is a niche for it. But then there are saying that you have to work for so long doing it to get good enough to where somebody's willing to pay you that the same thing is happening with yoga and a sense where there's so many teachers. And so there's a lot of us out here, and we're all trying and we're just doing the best we can, but it's hard to get your chops on nowadays, because you have to kind of be willing to work for almost nothing for enough years before you get good at it. Would you say that? It feels pretty good to get to the point where you're at work. Now you can do that? Yes, you kind of have to earn it right? You really got to you got to earn it, it does not just fall in your lap, you have to work for it. The acid, you know, sometimes people just like they, they go for the majority, we just need to stay on it. And stay on it. And just be sure why because you get dry out after three, four years, I see the steam is going down. So this is why you practice what is the essence of why you want to share? Otherwise, we need to find something else. Yeah. Be a practitioner, but in my case, it's just like, Of course I've been up and down like everybody, but it's like it's a calling I hear Yeah, that's like a half. That's cool. Good. I feel that from Yeah, that's awesome, man. So it's tough anyways, it's It's still tough. That's cool. Yeah. Do you uh, do you still do jewelry as well? Are you making your living full time as yoga? Yes, no, I stopped jewelry. When when I jump into Switzerland I did so much. I traveled like 25 countries and I was doing jewelry and selling and I'm tired of carry the backpack. So after Switzerland when I go to Spain and learn the shiatsu cycle as usually my hands Yeah. outcroppings, but that was the end of the jewelry. But I still remember and I can do it as I have to. Yeah, see. That's cool. Is there you mentioned before we started the podcast that you are going to be involved in a festival in Nashville coming up. What What is the name of that festival again? Yes, love shine Play Festival, cool. Yoga festival here in Nashville, and many come from other places where many locals and many others communists are beautiful. It's an urban festival. So it's a different location, different venues. And how many classes? Yes, so like all within Nashville where you could walk from one class to the other? Or is it like you have to drive out to a different section of around Nashville in the downtown area. And they sell and then you have in the you go to different venues. But also they are some they go to the river or to the mountain. So there are offerings, very cool. feature they they will go hiking and yoga on the top of the mountain, which here is like beautiful. And it could be in a hotel, tent in downtown different scenarios. Very cool. How many years? Have they been holding that? I think this is the seventh year. Cool. And you're going to be teaching a class for that. Yes, I will have a few workshops. And among the two workshops and a meditation, I went for a few years with them. I was here to Nashville, something is going going on. Yeah, I'm part of a staff of the teacher training for Asheville yoga center, the 200 hours and the 300 hours as well. Nice workshops and other retreats. And yes, when you're conducting a yoga teacher training session for the teacher training at the center that you're speaking of what what information do you work with most are the philosophy, the asana, the Paniagua What is your forte in that in that area? Well, different different parts all of that. But for now, in a few weeks, I will be going we are many teachers too. So, I will be in the 200 hours and we have a topic. So I will teach a column is from the heart and the Themis angle rather Krishna. So we blend into that as a practice. Sometime we divide you teach this part And I am so these meditation are these mantras so it could be different than the three hour part we we present the worships and my background being the shiatsu I teach meridians, five elements and all about the subtle body connecting into asanas. So and then people can pick and choose from myself or other teacher and you finish a you curate your own journey. Deandre. Wow. That sounds like teach that the into the central body with the taste of the Chinese medicine or meridians. All of that. Yes. Very cool. Yeah, he's in gotta. That's awesome, man. That's so cool. When is that? Is that in the middle of something? It has to be that I'm sorry. That's your teacher training. But the festival that you're speaking of that has to be in the summer? Yeah. Is that like a June July thing? July 25 to 28th All right. Some for example, the the worship I have it here just in case. You know, talking I didn't know. I didn't post I will be cool. Yeah, nice. So I have a worship coming up is June 14 to 16th and Asana, Marina and five elements. And sometime I got two other mountains. I tried to stay local. Yeah. Yeah. Don't go too far out. I traveled too much before I like to be here. Two, three hours around. Yeah. That's amazing. That's cool. I know. Right now we're in spring. So it's gotta be beautiful out there. Super green. And and obviously, all the trees are full bloom right now. Yeah. Getting beautiful and green. And here's popular place in autumn. The, the mountain just changed into a it's a show. It's like orange and yellows and H's. They call it the lifters people just come for the lift. The rich pathway. Yeah. Just like amazing. Is such something. Yeah, it's beautiful out there. Yeah. That's cool, man. Awesome. Well, I am so excited to have this chance to get to speak and meet with you. I know everybody can find you on your website, go to sobrero yoga.com. I saw you have your schedule on there where everybody where the different studios that you're at locations and the class descriptions. And so if anyone's wanting to travel to Asheville this summer, that sounds incredible to come visit and do the workshops with you. And that teacher training sounds pretty amazing too. I had heard from oh, I want to give a special thank you to Andruw Jones for introducing us. I know both him and Andrew up Andrew and Pam were in Nashville for a while helping with the center. So he had spoken really highly of that yoga studio and what an incredible like booming kind of center for Yoga it is. It's cool that you're able to be a part of it. And I appreciate him introducing me to you and got a chance to talk to you. Is there Excuse me? Is there anything else gota that you feel like you'd want to share with our listeners just to give us some motivation inspiration before we we sign off here. First of all, thank you to Andrew and of course Pam, but Andrea was the one that connects us because as I mentioned offline with you the my first podcast now very much into social media post here on my website, very simple. My oldest daughter made it for me, you know, I like it that way like I'm the old school, but you have to. So thank you to Andrew and Pam good friends. They work they come here to help their longtime students, dharma Mitra. So here and help us to keep the studio rollin. So to share just to stay on and just just keep going. That's, that's the only way. Yes, so many things that can say but to me, it's all about cultivate the prana the Shakti the energy, because that keeps you and as you keep the practices thrown you never know when life throw you different curves. And you can keep feeding for those days that you have the time to practice this on Thomas shift into more service or in your case you do in the service of like hosting as a host then I Andrew mentioned briefly that you have a yoga studio as well. So yes, from from the practice to service. So that's beautiful to hear you go to thank you so much. I know I was excited because Andrew and Pam just moved here to Florida and started practicing here and so yesterday I got a chance to take their class for the first time they taught a really wonderful class together. And next next Wednesday. I mean when this podcast comes out this will already be done but they said all Pam's an amazing vegan chef so she's gonna make, she's gonna make vegan gluten free donuts. So we're doing a donut yoga class next week. I'm so excited because you know what, what's better than that? A little bit of yoga and then a nice doughnut after that also super patient and POM shake and cook and she can do this. When they come here, you know the doctor of a salad move here with the Ayurveda Institute on this call at your Parana and now they have this app and Pam is there teaching classes online the night like she used to practice and we say gotta you want to try say yes. to each other. It's like, yeah, yeah. If someone's gonna cook for you, I'm showing up. Right? Like, I'm not saying no to that. Um, yeah, she can cook. That's cool. Go to. Well, man, thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure. Next time. I'm up in your neck of the woods. I'm going to come come visit. Yeah. All right, please. And thank you very much. And so you sent a small thing to you. Thank you. I want to say I was nervous by Westlife. My daughter said, Do you Do you he send you questions and said, I use what I used to do that I used to do that when I first started I would write out all the questions, hand them over. And I feel like that's cool and fun. And that's a good way to do it. But I really enjoy just just just talking, you know and just hearing story, you know, and just keep it really light. And that's cool. gotei appreciate it because I know sometimes when I reached out to people if this is not what you normally do, it can be a little nerve racking. I was super nervous when I started I was like, I don't even know if I can do this and now but you did great man. You have a great conversational ability. Your English is wonderful. Good job learning. Right? That's not easy. I'm trying to learn my Spanish necesita bhakti karmi Espanol pero that's about all I know. But when I started teaching my accent now is I still have a strong accent but I would need to speak was looking in that direction I will be there in a sec because you know moving so I stick but you know until I could share and teach that's the good thing is you know the asanas in Sanskrit that can say you know that you just walk into class and say shavasana okay yeah, a good host or good listener to this space and I feel very good and blessed. Thank you go to well, please tell your daughter that I think she did an amazing job with your website. I love the artwork. It has a zen like a zen like a Japanese Zen artwork kind of feel and I liked the simplicity and I liked the fact that I mean a couple times you said I don't do the social media and stuff because it is overwhelming. No doubt. I mean, it's like a full time thing to just constantly be doing it. So I respect that you are staying true to like let me focus on my path my teaching and you know, and it's possible so I'd like to meet you and hear that it's not absolutely essential to do that. And because a lot of the you know what we'll see a lot nowadays when people are posting those are like the yoga teachers I saw somebody other day say something like I'm just sick of making all these videos where I have to point my finger in the air and I have to dance and I have to do constantly dance a jig to kind of you know, look at me Look at me Look at me, I mean that is really gets old after a while. I mean I do love social media to be honest because I meet people like you and I meet people that I would never meet. So I'm a I'm a fan, but I do understand why it can also be a bad thing too. So I hear you on that and I'm glad that you and I were collaborating here and we just push each other up right because we're both going to go up with the rising tide here that's right yes it's not there my gains but I know this know my snow naturally I don't want to Yeah, but oh I enjoy in here and here that that I do things but I like more to hold the space in in a presence of light in a room. Yes. There are many others in the other people say what do you need to teach online as a yes, there's so many others. I know. That's cool, man. Well, you're honing your craft in the in the community building aspect because it is essential that we get around each other. You know that there's so much body language we feel and we read and we can sense in our, our whole senses in terms of eyes ears smell. I mean, we need to be around people. So I'm with ya. Yes. Um, some people live here far in the mountains. So it's online is good for them to you know, they feel part of the community. They create communities. And of course I like to pop here and there but I don't feel that that's my place at least now in life. There are many other more skillful into that I hear. Yeah, that's cool, man. Well, great job today. And I look forward to meeting you. I will come take your class. Next time I get to Asheville. Same I will visit you or you need to come. So one day we go. We visit you for sure. Oh, yeah. That'd be awesome. We'll get him to cook. And we'll do some yoga. Awesome. Thanks. Good. Thank you, Todd. Appreciate you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Native yoga taught cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you liked this show, let me know. If there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. And if you have ideas for future guests or topics, please send us your thoughts to info at Native yoga center. You can find us at Native yoga center.com. 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