Today we speak to @lichabotto, director of @ashtangabaires Palermo, a yoga studio located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Licha is a 500-Hour Master Yoga Teacher certificate holder.
"The more you love your body, the less you need others to approve of of it."
What does this quote mean to you?
A. Yes. It means to me that the more you know your body, the more you realize that it is a perfect form in itself. And that it is totally intelligent, that you can start to love it and that you no longer need it to be approved of. You accept the body as it is — and with that, you get it’s best version. If you start to take care of it, the listening itself becomes more and more balanced and more and more harmonious. And so you enter a harmony of balance that is also part of the path of Yoga.
What does your body mean to you? / What do you understand under the word body?
A. At the beginning, the body was something with which I did not have much contact with and that outside things influenced a lot for me. As I progressed on the path of Yoga I realized that it is the place where the soul resides and that the body is a sacred place, as well as each soul and each form. So it is very important to cultivate it, take care of it and make good habits so that it is balanced and allows you to enjoy the experience that is our life.
How do you think that socity and modern life affects our bodies & health?
There are currently two very big trends. One that goes totally outward and that forgets a bit to bring awareness to the body and find harmony. But there are a lot of other people who are beginning to discover this, in fact more and more people are approaching yoga. They begin to understand that the body is perfect in itself, that all forms are divine and that they want to take care of and respect the body. It seems to me that there is a struggle between these two tendencies. I feel that humanity is gaining more and more awareness and is understanding that the body is something very important and that the body cannot be compared with other bodies. Each body has its shape, its way and that is where the secret lies.
What does the word awareness mean to you?
Consciousness is a very big word. All of us who practice Yoga we know that consciousness is the essence of all beings, but consciousness can also be applied in each act and in each word, in what you think and do. Begin to have coherence in your actions and your emotions in a good way and expand consciousness more and more.
How you define nutrition? Is it just food or maybe more?
Nutrition has a lot to do with consciousness. I can eat by instinct, by something visual or by desire without being connected to the genuine need of the body. And the other option is precisely to make food aware and understand that it is a source to give energy, to take care of ourselves, to nourish ourselves and from there to feed yourself. And what is feeding you? It is to be more and more balanced, more in harmony, healthier, more vital. The practice of Yoga (if you practice regularly) makes you more and more realize that it does really good for your body and your diet is slowly changing. You will feel more nutritious and more in line with your body.
Art by @_dinka_kartinka_
A. Yes. It means to me that the more you know your body, the more you realize that it is a perfect form in itself. And that it is totally intelligent, that you can start to love it and that you no longer need it to be approved of. You accept the body as it is — and with that, you get it’s best version. If you start to take care of it, the listening itself becomes more and more balanced and more and more harmonious. And so you enter a harmony of balance that is also part of the path of Yoga.
What does your body mean to you? / What do you understand under the word body?
A. At the beginning, the body was something with which I did not have much contact with and that outside things influenced a lot for me. As I progressed on the path of Yoga I realized that it is the place where the soul resides and that the body is a sacred place, as well as each soul and each form. So it is very important to cultivate it, take care of it and make good habits so that it is balanced and allows you to enjoy the experience that is our life.
How do you think that socity and modern life affects our bodies & health?
There are currently two very big trends. One that goes totally outward and that forgets a bit to bring awareness to the body and find harmony. But there are a lot of other people who are beginning to discover this, in fact more and more people are approaching yoga. They begin to understand that the body is perfect in itself, that all forms are divine and that they want to take care of and respect the body. It seems to me that there is a struggle between these two tendencies. I feel that humanity is gaining more and more awareness and is understanding that the body is something very important and that the body cannot be compared with other bodies. Each body has its shape, its way and that is where the secret lies.
What does the word awareness mean to you?
Consciousness is a very big word. All of us who practice Yoga we know that consciousness is the essence of all beings, but consciousness can also be applied in each act and in each word, in what you think and do. Begin to have coherence in your actions and your emotions in a good way and expand consciousness more and more.
How you define nutrition? Is it just food or maybe more?
Nutrition has a lot to do with consciousness. I can eat by instinct, by something visual or by desire without being connected to the genuine need of the body. And the other option is precisely to make food aware and understand that it is a source to give energy, to take care of ourselves, to nourish ourselves and from there to feed yourself. And what is feeding you? It is to be more and more balanced, more in harmony, healthier, more vital. The practice of Yoga (if you practice regularly) makes you more and more realize that it does really good for your body and your diet is slowly changing. You will feel more nutritious and more in line with your body.
Art by @_dinka_kartinka_