[ad_1]
What prompted you to practice yoga?
I first started practicing yoga in 2019 using an app on my phone and taking some fitness-style vinyasa classes at a corporate gym where I had a membership. I was interested in gaining flexibility and improving my jiu-jitsu at that time. I had been meditating for a short time before this, primarily as a tool for healing and creating space around the anxiety and depression I had experienced most of my life. By connecting with my breath through movement and scratching the surface of the asana experience as a moving meditation, I began to feel as if there was so much more to yoga for me to tap into and discover.
Later that year, I entered what became my home studio in California for four years. I dedicated myself to this practice and eventually completed my 200-hour teacher training in 2023 through this studio. It was actually over Zoom, because my wife and I moved across the country to Asheville the week before we started training. The studio owner connected me with a teacher from the Sri Dharma Mitra lineage, named Pam who was teaching at the yoga center in Asheville when I arrived in town. We connected, and as soon as I walked into AYC, I felt at home. I am so grateful to the community, students, teachers and staff here who have become like family to me. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach in this wonderful place.
Being able to hold space and honor these ancient practices in a safe and loving community is so rewarding. I love supporting people as they grow and develop, and sharing this sacred practice and goal of self-actualization.
What do you find most useful about teaching yoga?
I find the sacred union we experience through yoga to be the most exciting feeling. Being able to hold space and honor these ancient practices in a safe and loving community is so rewarding. I love supporting people as they grow and develop, and sharing this sacred practice and goal of self-actualization.
Do you have a favorite yoga pose?
My favorite yoga pose is Sirsasana (headstand) Because of the meditative states and difficult variations through which they can be achieved. I enjoy moving into my perceived limits and expanding beyond them – experiencing what is possible in the body through control of the breath and mind. This pose has also taught me how to adjust and find gentle ways to deal with my body conditions. This has led to me being kinder to myself and others in life, less attached to “ideal forms,” and more confident that things are the way they are meant to be. Like yoga, Sirsasana invites us to honor the journey and appreciate the perfection in which we are now.
Opportunities to train with Alex
Weekly lessons
Powerful and flexible flow | Saturday 12:00 – 1:30 pm
“Powerful and flexible flow” traditional Hatha yoga “postures” mixed with pranayama “breathing exercises” to strengthen and stretch the body as well as relax and focus the mind to prepare for meditation. The Strong and Flexible Flow course is based around the classic eight limbs of yoga and aims to build strength, increase flexibility, improve focus and promote balance within the body, heart and mind. This class offers longer holds in asanas than a typical vinyasa flow while remaining accessible to all levels of practitioners. It includes elements of flowing vinyasa, arm balances, inversions, and static poses that allow practitioners to benefit from focused focus, meditation, contentment, and deep therapeutic relaxation.
Alex began his yoga journey in 2019, initially using a mobile app and attending vinyasa classes at the company’s gym to improve his flexibility and jiu-jitsu skills. He was familiar with meditation as a tool for managing anxiety and depression, and discovered deeper connections through breathing and movement in yoga. His dedication grew after he joined a home studio in California, where he trained for four years. In 2023, Alex completed a 200-hour teacher training via Zoom right after moving to Asheville. His training was influenced by the teachings of Sri Dharma Mitra, as the studio owner connected him with Pam, a teacher from that lineage who was teaching at the Asheville Yoga Center. This connection quickly made the center feel like home to Alex, deepening his involvement with the local yoga community. Teaching yoga allows Alex to foster sacred union, supporting personal growth and self-actualization among his students. His favorite yoga pose is Sirsasana (headstand), which teaches him about meditations, personal limitations, and the importance of kindness and acceptance.
this post Teacher Feature: Meet Alex Alberti appeared first on Asheville Yoga Center.
[ad_2]
