Dec 23 2016

Nayarani Cassini, a renowed latin American yoga teacher based in Sayulita, has been practicing and teaching yoga for 15 years. Her love for yoga compelled her to open Paraiso Yoga in Sayulita, which just celebrated its 7th anniversary. Throughout the years, she has held yoga retreats in Sayulita and has also taught at yoga retreats around the world. Now, Paraiso Yoga also offers Jordan yoga retreats - a once in a lifetime experience!

What is it about yoga that draws you to it?

There are many things - how it can be your shelter, how it rescues you, how it transforms energy, and how it brings you back to center. I love sharing all of this with a class and how the practice of yoga makes people happier.

What type of yoga training have you completed?

I completed 2 years of training in Buenos Aires in traditional Hatha Yoga and Yoga Philosophy.  Then, I studied Yogic Arts for 9 years under Duncan Wong. (Yogic Arts is a mix of Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Martial Arts.) Then, I trained with Bryan Kest in Power Yoga, Ashtanga in the London School of Yoga, and I also took a teacher training course in traditional Hatha Yoga at Sivananda Center in Brazil. I’ve also taken other workshops and trainings, but the ones listed above are the main ones. I also got my certification in Thai Massage in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and am certified in Reiki, Level 2.

What type of yoga do you offer at Paraiso Yoga in Sayulita?

Hatha, Vinyasa, Power Flow, Kundalini, and Yin Yoga.

You’ve done yoga retreats all over the world, including Sayulita. Will you tell me more about this?

I just go where people invite me and where my heart also goes. So, I have done retreats in Thailand, Argentina, United States, Jordan, and Egypt. I’ve also done yoga conferences in Mexico City.

Do you have a Sayulita Retreat coming up? If so, will you tell me more about it?

Yes, we have a Sayulita Retreat April 6–10, 2017. It’s called “Yoga Yourself Out” and it’s with two other amazing teachers from Mexico City – Mar Moreras (Yoga Ambassador for Reebok) and Mariannela Catanio. It’s going to be very fun and we will be combining three different styles of yoga – Joyoga (mix of yoga and dance), Strala Yoga from New York, as well as a very acrobatic type of yoga. It’s going to be a lot of fun with DJs and be more like a yoga vacation. Inquire at Paraiso Yoga to sign up.

This year was the first Jordan retreat that you’ve done. How did this come about?

I invited a teacher to teach at Paraiso Yoga last year and it just so happens she lives in Jordan. She loved what I had to offer with yoga and shamanic work and thought it would be a good thing to offer in Jordan – that there is a market for it. So, we put together one workshop and one retreat. It was very successful, so we have put together another one.

How long was it and what was a typical day like?

Well, there was both a retreat and a workshop. I did a 2-day Shamanic workshop in Amman. There we would get together from 10am – 7pm and do various Shamanic practices and learn to heal with the energies of the rocks, the earth, and the animal spirits.

For the retreat in Jordan, we went out to the wild desert, where our day would start at sunrise with meditation, followed by a yoga class, and then breakfast. Then there would be a noon lecture, lunch, two hours of karma yoga (this could be cleaning the desert or gathering wood for the fire), an evening yoga practice, dinner, and a bonfire open circle.

What will the upcoming Jordan retreat be like?

It’s going to be an all-inclusive 10-day retreat. We are going to ease in slowly from the city of Amman to the desert. We will be staying for two days at a 5-star hotel by the Dead Sea to relax and release with sunset meditation and massage. We will also be going to go to the Sacred City of Petra where we will do a full moon ceremony with a special permit from the government – they are actually going to close the entire city just for us to do this ceremony. Then we are going to go to the desert, ride camels, be in touch with nature, and do more yoga, etc. From there, we will go south to the wild desert.

Why should one travel all the way to Jordan for a yoga retreat?

Because the experience of being in such a magical, special, and powerful place is priceless! It’s a once in a lifetime experience. There’s nothing I can say other than you need to experience it for yourself. It is amazing. That’s why I’m going back.

When is the next Jordan yoga retreat and how can one sign up?

It will be September 1-10, 2017.  For more information or to sign up, visit the studio.

Anything else you’d like to add?

There will also be other retreats in other locations aside from Sayulita and Jordan. To learn more, click here or email here.

 

 

 

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