ashtanga yoga
st cugat
POL GARCIA
On January 21, 2019, I started the path of Ashtanga Yoga without being aware that the practice was going to give a 360 degree turn to my life. Yoga has purified me both internally, thoughts, emotions, states... and externally as it helped me to quit the three packs of tobacco that I smoked a day and alcoholic beverages.
That day I met Yasmina, who at that time was teaching at the Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Barcelona and she was the one who introduced me to the practice of asanas. Since then, I have become a devoted and passionate yogi, traveling and practicing with different teachers until I find the one who inspires me in my day to day, on and off the mat, Petri Räisänen.
Today I am 36 years old and I am in the best moment of my life. Enjoying every day with my wife Yasmina from our daughter Asha, the best gift I have ever received.
Life has given me many experiences but I feel that this is the most important, the best yoga.
Thanks for reading me Pol.
After taking the selectivity test, I felt unmotivated with my studies since I had been working for many years in television and missed a lot of classes.
So I decided to study dance. I had never worked on my body before and I tried hard to learn and feel accomplished and worked on. That great physical change made me increase my self-esteem and realize that, with passion and love, anything is possible. A dance teacher introduced me to yoga and I knew that the practice would accompany me for the rest of my life.
I worked for 8 years at the Aula de So music school in Sant Cugat. Directing groups, organizing shows and creating choreography. With the pride of having been a teacher of very talented children like Carmen de Leon, Nick Maylo, Martina Burón, Júlia Serrasolses or Valèria Sorolla.
While I was dedicating myself to this work, I started practicing Ashtanga Yoga with Eva Oller and Sarah Florance. Shortly later, I received solid training as an assistant and teacher thanks to the pedagogical work of Elena Figarola, director of the "Ashtanga Yoga Shala" center in Barcelona and direct disciple of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Also thanks to her husband Jordi Sardà who inspired me with his example, always dedicated to practice and teaching. After a few years of learning, Jordi fell ill and I had to replace him in classes, assuming that great responsibility. The years of learning in Elena's shala were beautiful and I will always carry them in my heart.
Covid changed the course of life and together with Pol I created our online studio that would ultimately end up being the project for our own shala.
My best training has been my own regular practice for 10 years and daily teaching since I was 24 years old. But I have also studied therapeutic yoga at the Tech University of Technology and obtained my official qualification (Certificat d'instrucció en yoga) through the Acredita't program of the Generalitat. Through this program, I have received comprehensive yoga training taught by Lídia Serra. I continue to train regularly with teachers who inspire me like Petri Raisanen.
