This month of September we honored National Yoga Month! During this month, yogis from all over observed and raised awareness about the health benefits of yoga while inspiring a healthy lifestyle. We took it upon ourselves to do a bit of research before inviting you to meet our yogis and have you join us for a few yoga classes via our Instagram live. 

What is yoga?

Yoga is defined in many different ways, depending on where you are. One of the words most commonly used to define yoga is “journey,” as in an individual journey every person that practices experiences. The more simple definition, according to Google & Wikipedia is: “A group of physical, mental, spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India.” 

“The word yoga essentially means “That which brings you to reality” and in a literal sense it means “union” (https://isha.sadhguru.org/yoga/new-to-yoga/what-is-yoga/). 

It is safe to say  that each person experiences their yoga journeys in a unique and special way, and it looks as if the definition for it will continue to change depending on who and where you are. 

Yoga is a tree, it has different branches

If you’ve been practicing for a while or if you have just started to practice, one of the first things you will notice is the poetic way in which yoga instructors use imagery during practice. For thousands of years, yoga has used the imagery of a tree, each branch representing a different focus. This is where our common yoga practices are derived from: 

Hatha yoga: Physical and mental branch determined to prime  the body and mind.  

Raja yoga: This practice included meditation and a series of disciplinary steps known as “the eight limbs” of yoga. 

Karma yoga: Aims to create a future free of negativity and selfishness.

Bhakti yoga: The path of devotion, establishes a positive way to channel emotions and cultivate acceptance and tolerance. 

Jnana yoga: Wisdom, the path of the scholar and developing the intellect through study. 

Tantra yoga: Pathway of ritual, ceremony or consummation of a relationship. 

Who can practice yoga?

The answer to this is short and simple: anyone can! Though there are different levels of yoga practices and some are really far into their journey, yoga is a practice that is open and available for everyone no matter the age, gender, physical abilities, financial status or time limits. You can mold almost any yoga practice to fit your needs, and yes, that includes sitting down just meditating for however long your body desires. 

How are we celebrating National Yoga Month?

To celebrate, we’ve decided to team up with our favorite yogis and provide you with a complimentary Yoga class every Saturday of the month of September  at 10:00AM via our Instagram live for the duration of the month. Don’t worry, if you can’t make it during that day/time, you can still take the class whenever you can by simply clicking our IGTV channel and clicking on the class. 

Before you do, we’d like you to meet our yogis:

Shinda Derosa

Shinda Derosa is a Yoga and Meditation instructor in Bridgeport, CT and surrounding areas. Realizing the need to heal from past trauma and unresolved issues, as a result from the challenges of growing up in an Urban city, she discovered yoga in her early thirties.  Developing a regular routine yoga practice helped to change her life dramatically. With the understanding that you can't keep what you have without giving it away, Shinda decided to share her love of yoga with her community. In 2016,  she became a 200-hour certified Vinyasa yoga instructor and started teaching yoga classes at the Bridgeport Public library. In 2018, Shinda Derosa created a program called The C.A.L.M ( Come And Learn Mindfulness) Room for Bridgeport Public Schools. Even now with the COVID 19 pandemic, Shinda continues to teach  the adults and children in her community through virtual platforms.

Enmy Uribe

Yoga entered Enmy's life through an attempt to escape a gym elective in college. Easily the most worthwhile tuition spent to date! The things she learned about herself, the practice, and all its moving parts remain of great intrigue to her. On top of seamlessly connecting to her dance background, she discovered Buddhist and meditative practices that encourage centeredness in our often scattered daily lives. With the intent of sharing this knowledge, Enmy pursued certification at Om Factory and is proudly 2 years into her teaching journey.  It is her hope that through her teaching, more people can come to experience the joy of movement, the power of a balanced body, and the peaceful mind she experiences each time she steps on the mat.

Andre Charles Le’Shawn Walker

Andre Charles Le'Shawn Walker brings years of diverse work experiences. He began his professional career as member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Upon retiring from dance, he worked as an administrative assistance for various organizations including, JP Morgan Securities, Moelis & Company, Viacom Entertainment Group, and KPMG. Andre is a certified yoga instructor. He most recently served as Operations Manager and Yoga Instructor  for Laughing Lotus Yoga Studio. He was recently certified as a Level I Reiki Master. He looks to continue his expansion on sacred healing practices for purposes of his own personal healing and that of the community. He recently began spreading his learnings of the practice under his own platform, YansaYoga "The Spirit of Living Sacred Practices."

Uossy Atyttalla

Kind, expressive and energetic, Uossy teaches with an open, giving heart, balancing strength with flexibility and stability with lightness. A qualified Ashtanga Yoga teacher & Lifestyle Coach, she uses both her degree in Psychology, as well as her mystical and intuitive gifts, to explore all the different layers of the being. Bringing through her strong Egyptian Ancestry, Uossy is passionate and focused on fusing old & new wisdom to purify, heal and transform.

Her yoga holds an ancient kemetic magic that teaches you how to identify where the energetic and emotional blocks are being held in your physical body. Using the power of breath and concentration, she guides you towards transmuting and releasing those blocks through a strong physical sequence, coupled with a focused breath, as channels of energy release.

Her classes aim to help you escape your mind, find your heart, and create a space to listen to the silent sounds of your true self. 

Uossy welcomes all levels and loves working with beginners.

See you on the mat!

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