How are you going into 2025? New Year Yoga Retreat

Basha Nemeskeri

I can truly say my journey into yoga happened spontaneously as a child, without really knowing what it was that I was doing. I can remember not being able to sleep as a 10 year old and finally calming myself enough to drift off by harmonizing my attention with my breath. Pranayama, or the regulation of the breath later became a vast and enormous part of my teaching and practice thanks to a wonderful training I committed to in 2019. Long before that though I began the physical practice of yoga (asana) as an energetic 22 year old living in Montreal. I had the great chance of being instructed by Mark Darby, who shared my enthusiasm for Ashtanga Yoga, the lineage from which I still derive a lot of the cues and structure of my classes. Ashtanga taught me discipline, consistency and strength. My wanderlust and eagerness for all things yogic led me to live in Vancouver where I discovered a community based on the teachings of John Friend. Anusara Yoga taught me fluidity, freedom, creativity, and the mastery of anatomy which balanced the knowledge I’d collected to this point, and so with these two vastly different trainings I began to guide classes from a mid point balanced between rigidity and grace. As my family began to grow and I became a Mama, our lives started to take root on Vancouver Island, an idyllic, quiet place where I established my teachings. It was here that I met and studied under Sandra Shotton, who expertly guided me through my Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy training. This added another level of wisdom, based on the laws of nature, our own roles within that nature, and the ways in which we can apply ceremony, ritual and practice to bring harmony and balance to our lives. I’m so grateful to have had this time because it truly taught me that yoga wasn’t something exclusive to our time on the mat. It was every thought, word and action. As our family continued to grow it became more evident that living yoga meant having it in the fray of our daily lives, and so with my husbands’ help, we built One Tribe Yoga Studio in Nanaimo, where our children were able to integrate into the lifestyle of yoga and see what community could be created out of similar values. One Tribe Studio continues to host workshops, teacher trainings and classes, and can be found online at www.yourtribeishere.com and One Tribe Yoga on IG and FB. For anyone on this path, you will understand the insatiable thirst that yogic wisdom can quench, and so I have also in recent years completed the aforementioned breathwork training as well as a 500 hour Kundalini training. These have both brought more layers of intelligence to the experience of yoga and how accessible it is to everyone, regardless of ability, previous experience, or age. With all of these vast lineages, and the insight that comes with them I guide classes and retreats directed towards creating health, vitality, awareness, and resilience. Students may often find these offerings challenging at first, and so they are to be approached with compassion, time and grace. I eagerly anticipate leading this retreat and hope you enjoy and benefit from it immensely. www.yourtribeishere.com