Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayanna Alvarez.
Hi Ayanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
In 2019, I was in my last year at Valencia College. I had a bad habit of overworking myself each semester. Along with academic stress, I was dealing with the loss of an unhealthy relationship I was in. I felt as if I had lost myself and was running on autopilot, I desperately needed a mental break. I didn’t have any outlet or specific interest that I was passionate about to relieve the stress. When looking to schedule my classes for the spring semester that year, I saw that yoga was in compliance with my elective requirements. Immediately I rejoiced at the ‘easy A’ I thought I signed up for. My life was completely changed from my first day on.
I fell in love with yoga. I practiced daily what I had learned in class. My instructor, Ashley Inguanta taught in a way that connected every class to our own lives. Our homework assignments required us to acknowledge how we practiced yoga daily off of our mat. Through journaling and completing reflections, I felt like I was beginning to reconnect back to myself. She gave me the tools that have helped me begin the never-ending journey of healing and self-love through yoga and meditation. The greatest lesson she taught was how we can allow ourselves to feel difficult emotions and use yoga to give ourselves the compassion to work through it. My family and friends noticed such a positive shift in my demeanor. I was always eager to share what I learned with them in hopes that they would also find peace in the same way I had.
On our last day of class, my teacher spoke to each student. She told me that it was clear that I had absorbed so much of the information we covered and suggested that I should deepen my practice through yoga teacher training. I didn’t give the idea of becoming a yoga teacher much thought after that conversation. I did begin attending yoga classes in my community taught by Tyana Barnett (@bananatyana on Instagram) the following week to deepen my practice. From there, Tyana became one of my biggest supporters and someone I look up to. She asked me after a class if I ever considered attending a yoga teacher training. After now hearing this question a second time, I took the consideration much more seriously. It would have required me to take a break from my academics which made it such a heavy decision. I am blessed to have supportive parents that encouraged me to follow my passions. With their support and the support of close friends, I enrolled in a 200-hour yoga teacher certification program.
In January of 2020, exactly one year after my first yoga class ever, I started the first day of yoga teacher training. In this 200-hour training, my admiration for yoga only grew more. This training completely submerged me into many aspects of yoga. Each class I fell deeper in love. I felt like I was on exactly the right path I was meant to be on. During my practicals, I was able to show my friends and family all that I have learned. It felt so natural and special to share my practice. One month after completing my 200-hour training, I started my prenatal yoga certification training. I’ve always been in awe of how beautiful the birthing process is. When I discovered how beneficial yoga is for pregnant bodies, I knew instantly that I wanted to study exactly how. My instructor Jennifer Leavy at Pose by Pose Yoga studio taught me so much beyond prenatal yoga. I even call her my “yoga mama.” Through teaching prenatal yoga, I met the lovely Keisha CD (@embraceyourbirthdoula_) who allowed me to speak about my prenatal yoga knowledge on her podcast (Empowered Black Doula). From there I’ve been able to meet some strong and amazing women and provide them with some peace and alleviate pains brought on during pregnancy. I’ve even been able to work with a good friend of mine Patricia Ragin (@lovelyblissshops) and be a feature on her website where she sells natural holistic products made by her.
When I reflect on my yoga journey, I feel so blessed to have met and connected with so many beautiful souls. Teaching yoga during a pandemic has allowed me to connect and teach yoga to individuals all over the United States. From busy moms to college students, to retired seniors, I’ve been able to share with all of them a practice that has completely changed my life. I wouldn’t be where I am now without the amazing support system I have and the amazing individuals I met along the way. Yoga has completely transformed my life in the best way possible.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Juggling my education, work, and yoga has been the most challenging part of the journey. I currently study Elementary Education at the University of Central Florida. I am also a substitute teacher and a soccer coach. Trying to balance all three can be tricky. There have been days that I’ve had to substitute, coach, teach a yoga class, and complete a homework assignment all in the same day. I’ve learned over time how to manage my time more effectively. I try to give myself breaks before getting to the point of feeling overwhelmed. I am human and I’m not always successful in doing that. However, my yoga mat is always my space to completely release any tension built up in both my body and mind after a difficult day.
The pandemic has brought along similar struggles that I’m sure every yoga instructor has faced. My prenatal yoga training was completely on zoom and my 200-hour training was completed on zoom in the last few weeks. My first official yoga classes that I taught were of course on zoom as well. Even though doing it remotely was not ideal, am appreciative that zoom allowed me to continue my training and allow me to teach yoga safely. I still continue to use zoom for my out-of-state students as well as teach in person.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a yoga teacher with an RYT-200-hour certification. I am also a CPYT, a certified prenatal yoga teacher. My job is to guide my students towards finding the peace that lies within them. I instruct asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breathwork), and dhyana (meditation). Currently, I teach privately both in-person and via Zoom. I also post-yoga content on both my YouTube channel and Instagram.
I see myself as a guide more than a teacher because the inner work and peace that is created on a yoga mat is all done by the student. As the yoga teacher, it is my job to create the space that allows the student to do that work and find that peace from within. I love providing a space that in many people has aided their own healing journey, in the same way, yoga has done in my own.
I create completely individualized classes for my students based on their intentions and goals. My goal has always been to make yoga accessible to all bodies. Traditionally, the media tends to display yoga as a practice exclusively for individuals that are thin and flexible. However, my intention is to break that stigma and make yoga inclusive as it was always meant to be. I do this by getting to know my students and asking them questions to find out exactly what they are looking to gain from their yoga class. Releasing stress, gaining strength, and increasing flexibility are the ones I typically hear. From there, I start building the class, making sure that I incorporate their goals into every detail of the class (including the sound bowl I play at the end of class).
There is a popular misconception that yoga is all about ‘clearing your mind’ and ‘thinking happy thoughts. Many people struggle with believing they can start doing yoga because they feel incapable of doing this. I always clarify in my classes that the word ‘yoga’ translates to ‘union’. It’s a union of the mind, the body, and the soul. The goal is not to clear the mind. Rather, it is to acknowledge and redirect our thinking towards the mind, body, and soul connection. Awareness of how our body feels in each pose, awareness of the pace of our breath, awareness of the thoughts that repeatedly pop up, is what I encourage in my classes. I teach my students how to make those connections and how important is to honor our anxious or random thoughts and gently redirect our thinking back into ourselves and our practice. Peace comes with compassionate awareness. Being able to guide every student I have had into the mental space of having complete compassionate awareness is what I am most proud of.
My ability to connect with and relate to my students is what I believe sets me apart from other yoga instructors. Unfortunately, I have noticed there is a strong amount of judgment in the yoga community. Whether or not you are a young white vegan, how advanced your poses look, or spreading an unrealistic message about ‘love and light’ are all things that people believe matters in order to be a “good yoga teacher”. As a young black Hispanic woman who isn’t a vegan, who started yoga and couldn’t touch her toes, whose mind is constantly busy trying to balance work, school, family, and friends, I understand how it feels to immediately assume that yoga is not something for them. I understand that life is not easy and we’re all just trying our best. I also know that we all deserve so much peace in our life because of this and that is why I am so passionate about sharing this practice and making it accessible to everyone.
What matters most to you? Why?
As simple as it sounds, love is what matters most to me. Everything I do and say, I try to root in love. With love comes holding space, showing respect, expressing kindness, building trust, sharing joy, giving support, and everything in between. It can also include walking away, creating boundaries, prioritizing self, and moving forward in life. I see yoga as a practice rooted in self-love. It’s an honor to be a guide in someone’s self-love journey because I know that it will allow them to spread love to others if they have it within themselves. It takes so much inner work, reflection, and time to practice self-love. But I believe if as a collective we prioritized working on it more, the world would be a better place and ultimately have more people showing love to others. As an individual, I can only continue my own self-love journey and spread love in every action I make. As a yoga teacher, I can create a space for individuals to be able to find and cultivate love with themself.
Pricing:
- $15: yoga session
- $10: meditation session
- $15: breathwork w/ meditation session
- $40: prenatal yoga session
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogawithayanna/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayanna.alvarez.73
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6JzybpJJrdy019uAnXX_g
Image Credits
Orlando Solis Photography
