Welcome to YOGEA Blog
Dear questers, seekers, yogis and non-yogis, dwellers of our Earthly abode,
Welcome to YOGEA’s blog – a creative platform for sharing reflections, ideas, insight on the art of yoga and life. I am Antonia and for the past 16 years I have been developing this inspiring yoga style, that weds the art of yoga with the flow of nature. It’s my way of giving reverence to Nature, to the abundance in my life, and to the many inspiring individuals and teachers that have landed me on a quest of the creative spirit inherent in all. My YOGEA journey began on a tiny ferry heading to Ko Pi Pi – one of the paradise islands in Thailand. As I was standing on the platform I suddenly let myself be moved by the gentle breeze, taken by the water current, molded by the aerial flow, like a kite flying with the music of the wind. I had been practicing yoga for some years then. I believed my practice consisted of a set routine, composed of certain postures that had to be performed on a daily basis and held for a certain amount of time. But at that moment I felt I did not have to move, but allow myself be moved, I did not have to breathe, but let myself be breathed, I did not have to do anything, but simply listen, and flow, flow with the organic impulses and frequencies that nature induced. There was some “art” in that “flow”, some special beauty in the organic patterning of nature, that unfolds only if you surrender to the undulating ripples of movement, only if you are “ground in levity”, and “elevated in gravity”.
16 years later I am still fascinated by this artistry of flow, by the organic beauty and simplicity of basic movement in nature. I try to take this concept to my yoga practice. As a choreographer and theatre director I am used to dressing content into form, of internalizing human experience through kinesthetic metaphors and psychological gestures, but only through YOGEA can I really let go of that external disguise and breathe simplicity and appreciation for all that is. For years I would do the same postures, the same sequence, in the same order, hold the pose for the same counts. My body and mind were stifled from repetition, my creativity blocked. And then, after the Thailand experience something snapped. I changed my approach to yoga, and my life changed. I began alternating the sequences, playing with the transitions, directions, and pace. I introduced more fluidity and focused on what happened in the pauses between the postures, between the inhale and the exhale, between the thoughts. I felt yoga happened in that GAP, the zone in which we can expand our personal space and raise our awareness, and grow both creatively and spiritually. I started moving into all directions – SouthWestEastNorth, like a kinetic compass. My movement was unrestricted, my flow, uninhibited and my creativity unleashed naturally. I became a healthier, more grateful and tolerant person. I have been walking this path slowly but steadily for all these years, turning every challenge into an opportunity for growth, learning more both theoretically and experientially, honoring the flow and wisdom of nature and of my body, and inspiring myself and many others to walk their unique path to wholeness and conscious beauty.
I would like to offer this conscious beauty to you today, and provide you with physical and mental tools to access and express your ultimate potential. Together with my collaborators and co-artists Ana & Kalin we would like to share with you different yoga routines (short, medium and long), at various levels ( basic, beginners, advanced beginners, slow-intermediate, intermediate advanced and advanced), breathing techniques and inspiring meditations shot in beautiful locations that will help you promote your over-all health, reduce stress, gain flexibility and strength, awaken your creative genius, so you can approach life with an open heart and a clear mind.
It’s a new moon – the perfect time to start fresh…And it happens to be the first day of the year of the water Dragon in the Chinese horoscope, a sign known to foster creativity and flow. May there be flow in your life this year and always! And come, take a swim in the pool of YOGEA ArtFlow Yoga, a pool of infinite possibilities for living up to your full potential, for breathing joy and peace and sharing it with the rest of the world.
Oceanic Breathing and sun-set meditation are the first YOGEA techniques we’d like to share with you. They were shot during a mesmerizing sunset in Long Island, and could be practiced anywhere you like. We hope this post will inspire you to look into the myriad ways of practicing yoga out of the box. Enjoy!
Antonia, Ana & Kalin
I have tried Yoga many times but didn’t like the repetitive counts
you are the reason I started YOGEA and still continue to do…
I have been continuously practising YOGEA for months now and I wished to thank you. Your creativity is amazing
Rajesh
Bangalore, India