5Q INTERVIEW WITH BRITTA RAEL!
1) Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you?
I started practicing yoga in 2008 when I met my husband. The perspective shift it provided revitalized my Perspective on spirituality. For me, Yoga is the ultimate pursuit of complete wellness, because it is not seeking after something but creating it from within. It’s my religion, my lifestyle, my cultural framework. I believe that the more people experience the power and science that yoga & mindfulness provides, the more potential we have to live in our personal alignment and thus truly improve or impact our surrounding circumstances.
2) When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?
When I was first exposed to yoga, there was no other clear path for the direction of my professional life. I received an incredibly clear “YES”, and knew that I was designed to lead & support people along the spiritual path. I began teaching within a year or two of practicing, which has been one of the most challenging and fruitful experiences of my life so far.
3) What makes your classes unique?I’m humorous; yet poignant. I try to teach as straight forward as I can to create the container for people to experience their own practice fully. I teach a range of styles, from traditional hatha yogasana to exhilarating, strength forward movement classes, to deeply therapeutic, gentle classes. But besides the physical variety, I suppose what sets my classes apart is I always create opportunities for students to connect to others in safe & supported ways which I feel helps extend the personal practice into a community practice.
4.) How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?
I integrate a LOT of my own music into my classes (I’m a music snob!) and I curate playlists for every type of class to support the themes that I teach. The music is never something that LEADS the class, but rather SUPPORTS the container for people to go deeper in their experience. I feel that soft, inspiring, groovy or contemplative tunes can contribute to this best.
5.) Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online.I am super excited to be leading a 4-day AcroYoga Elemental Immersion in Point Loma, January 13-16th, 2017. Its a 25 hour intensive that provides students a well balanced, hands on foundation for partner acrobatics and thai yoga massage. Besdies the amazing content, its SUPER fun and is an amazing chance to make lifelong friends and experience the incredibly transformative practice of AcroYoga.
More information about this can be found here.
Spotify playlist: “Insta Yoga Chill” (Your song ‘Breath’ is my fav & last song)
