Trust the Connection: Meet the Teachers

Yoga Anytime is gathering with some of our favorite teachers for our first LIVE online 20-day yoga retreat. Read on to learn more about these beloved, talented, and inspiring instructors, and reserve your spot today!

Wade Gotwals

Wade will be starting off each week on Monday with a creative, bright Vinyasa flow. You might know him from his LIVE show this summer, Joyful Flow, his Sweetheart Challenge, the 60 Minute Yoga Flows show, or the 45 Minute Yoga Flows show.

What does “Trust the Connection” mean to you?

That I will be guided if I’m grounded in my heart space.

Please share a moment of mind blowing joy. What did it feel like in your body.

I was sitting on the top of my meditation hill in Sri Lanka on the morning of New Years Eve. I finished a beautiful reflective mediation as the sun was rising over the horizon and the animals started calling out to each other. As I opened my eyes, I experienced such a deep sense of connection to everything that was unfolding before me. My body felt so light and energy-filled, and this deep feeling of undisturbed calm led to joy, a real celebration of everything that led me to this moment.

How do you know you are feeling disconnected? And what do you do to feel connected again?

When I realize that I'm quick to react without pausing to see the situation fully in front of me. Taking a walk/jog usually clears my mind, and then Yoga and chanting are the best ways to reconnect.

What is something you wish you were doing but are not yet doing?

Creating a sustainable sanctuary in Nature.

What is your favorite treat lately?

Vegan Chocolate Chip cookie from Alliance Bakery.

Arturo Peal

Tuesdays with Arturo are sure to soothe our nervous systems, connect us with our subtle energies, and allow us to feel safe and held. You might recognize Arturo from his brand new show Rest Deeply, The Happy Back Show, or Anatomy for Yogis.

What does “Trust the Connection” mean to you?

In 2020 it's tempting to think of my internet connection, but it's a bit deeper than that. I trust the connections I have with friends, and I find the need to invest in those connections.

What has been a surprising wonderful moment of 2020?

I spent the summer getting our Therapeutic Yoga training ready for the online experience. And it went really, really well!

Are you reading any books right now?

I just finished Breath by James Nestor. It's a great read, all about the changes in breathing that come from changes in diet, tooth extractions, and more.

Are you good at keeping your friend's secrets?

Yes, very. I can't tell you more.

Tell us about a moment of incredible joy.

When my crush changed her mind about putting me in the friend-zone. She's my fiancée now.

Alana Mitnick

Wednesday's practice with Alana will drop us in deep with a mindful flow and meditation. One of Yoga Anytime’s most beloved teachers, some of her shows include Good Morning Yoga, Slow Flow and Meditation, Gentle Yoga, and Start Yoga.

What does “Trust the Connection” mean to you?

“Trust the Connection” feels like a direct request from the universe. It’s a call to action… a reminder to pause, soften the grip, listen, and expand my current (limited and small-mind) understanding or perspective to something much larger than myself. The Sanskrit word shraddha is a quality of trust and inner wisdom based on one's own experience, rather than blind-faith. Perhaps this is our ethernet cable? And Connection, well, this is the magical experience of Yoga… the process of waking up together and realizing that we are already Connected.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, what do you find yourself doing?

Nature is my therapist and medicine. Hiking in the mountains, going for a walk on the beach, submerging in a natural body of water, ocean or river. I also have a habit of making lists where I quickly write down everything in my head. I guess it helps me feel organized and in control.

What are you wearing right now? Please describe in detail.

Rainbow leg warmers, navy blue organic cotton jumpsuit, Patagonia flannel (pinks, navy, yellow), and a grey fuzzy vest that’s on and off all day.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

A dolphin, a unicorn, or maybe a narwhal. On land, probably an elephant because they communicate through vibrations and listen with their feet.

What has heart and meaning for you now?

Health. Family. Practice. Community. Nature.

Suniti Dernosevek

Thursdays, Suniti leads a session that will be spacious, explorative, fluid, and meditative. Her Yoga and the Somatic Experience Course set a new bar for what’s possible through online teaching.

What does “Trust the Connection” mean to you?

When I hear "Trust the Connection" I also am reminded of the word Belonging. How can I kinesthetically know that I belong here? How can I trust the connection that comes from being with gravity and feeling it as support? What is it like to trust that I belong and to know that I have a place here? The word connection reminds me that I am a relational being. I am not alone. I am deeply woven into the elements and into a collective human experience. As I hold the phrase "Trust the Connection", I feel a deep care for my fellow humans and a desire for my individual practice to include the collective. In order to have healthy communities we need healthy individuals. We are in this together.

Where do you hold the most tension in your body and how do you care for that place?

I find that there is often tension in the space behind my heart, which includes my thoracic spine. I care for this place by finding gentle waving and rocking motion. I imagine that I am swimming in warm ocean water and I am being rocked. It can feel very loving, like I am being held be a mother. Sometimes the tension is too much and then I go to bodyworkers for support. I love craniosacral therapy.

Who do you miss most right now?

I miss my mom the most right now. I live in Portland, OR and she lives in Milwaukee, WI and because of Covid we haven't traveled to see each other. I miss her deeply.

Are you reading any books right now? Tell us all about them.

I am reading several books at the moment but am loving Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche. Both of these books are profound in different ways. Between the World and Me is a letter that Ta-Nehisi is writing to his son about racism and he is questioning how to find a place as a black man within the truths of our country's history and present time reality. The Radiance Sutras opens me up to wonder, beauty, and awe. The sutras are from the Vijnana Bhairava and read like love poems.

Miles Borrero

Miles' devotional, Bhakti-infused Friday Vinyasa flow will align your heart with all that is. Check out the Heart Softening practice he shared in Season 4 of The Yoga Show with Kira and Friends.

What does “Trust the Connection” mean to you?

To me it means that when you know it's right, integrated, and in the flow, you feel it in the depth of your soul.

What has been a surprising wonderful moment of 2020?

Doing yoga with my mom and a bunch of her friends. We started when the lock down started and we have kept going three times a week this whole time. None of them had ever done yoga before. Now they are die hard yogis. People join from Italy, Colombia, and the US. Sometimes we do it in English but more often in Spanish. I haven't taught in Spanish very often so sometimes wild things come out of my mouth. They are very gracious and put up with me just the same. But I at least get to hang out with my mom three times a week.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, what do you find yourself doing?

I listen to music and sing. I have a perma pandemic karaoke set up going at home just for this purpose. I go for a walk, or I lay down and breathe for a while metered by some chimes. That last one is the key keeping a good grounding.

Would your friends say you are good at keeping their secrets?

Yes, though I prefer radical honestly. Secrets will always lead you into trouble. Better to advocate for yourself and actually get your needs and desires met. Makes for happier people.

Do you have pets? Tell us all about them.

I have a tiny direwolf named Bowie. He is basically my daemon. Part of my spirit in four-legged version. People accuse me of being obsessed and I say, Thank you, it's true.

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We hope you can join us LIVE on Monday, January 4th, 2021! Sign up today!