We have one of the worlds most inspirational yoga teacher’s joining us at Yogaia for some exciting workshops. Stephen Ewashkiw will be leading us through an adventurous new yoga workshop called ‘Learning to Fly’ that will help you open your mind to experience something new.
We grabbed Stephen Ewashkiw and asked him to tell us what we can expect to get out of his workshops and give us a little insight into his yogic background…
Why did you get into yoga?
‘In my life Before Yoga, I used to travel the world in the name of rock ‘n’ roll’, Ewashkiw says. ‘For 15 years I worked in the music business, doing PR and managing bands, travelling with them, making sure the work got done. But that life wasn’t fulfilling for me. I didn’t feel like I was giving back as much as I was capable of’, Ewashkiw explains.
I crashed my motorbike and ended up in hospital with every rib on my left side broken
‘In 2007, I crashed a motorbike and ended up in hospital with a shattered clavicle and every rib on my left side broken. My physical therapy sessions were okay, but they failed to get my body back to how it used to be. There was a yoga studio near our house and Jane bought me a gift certificate so I could see if yoga would take me the rest of the way back. Of course, I discovered something far beyond the physical benefits I was seeking’ Ewashkiw reminises.
What was it like trying yoga for the first time?
‘At the time, I knew very little about yoga’, Ewashkiw reveals. ‘I had a background in body movement and awareness and I had studied karate as a kid, as well as taking part in gymnastics so I had already been able to do headstands and backbends’, Ewashkiw says. ‘However I had never been to a yoga studio so I really didn’t know what to expect’, he says.
I saw sides of myself I didn’t even know existed
‘In my very first class at Mission Street Yoga in South Pasadena with my teacher Nancy Kyesr, I saw sides of myself I didn’t even know existed. I met Jane at the beach afterwards and she could tell something important had just happened’, Ewashkiw remembers.
Do you practice every day and what is your yoga practise like?
‘I practice yoga every day but I do not practice asana every day. I sit for meditatation roughly five times per week and I also do walking meditations and practice mindfulness as often as I can remember. Currently I step on my mat about four times per week for a personal practice, not counting the times I am teaching. I am constantly practicing to be my best’, Ewashkiw reveals.
Yoga can be brought into everyday life and how yoga can help you achieve your dreams
‘The best yoga experience we have had together was in 2013 in Los Angeles, Jane and I led 21 students through a 40-Day challenge, helping them learn how yoga can be brought into everyday life and how yoga can help you achieve your dreams. This was an incredible experience and I can’t wait until we have the opportunity to do something similar again’, Ewashkiw reveals.
Where is the most memorable place you have ever been doing yoga or teaching yoga?
‘There are so many. Jane and I rode our bicycles through 20 countries over almost two years of cycling and I taught and we practiced along the way. In the campground next to Lake Balaton in Hungary, at the top of the Tatra Mountains between Slovakia and Poland, teaching 60 students on a beautiful summer day in Helsinki in a park at the seaside, practicing on the Great Wall Of China, and teaching 100+ students at the opening of lululemon’s Shanghai Centre showroom…. Having listed those I feel I am being unfair to the other amazing opportunities I have had thanks to yoga, but I will leave it there!’
Most importantly, yoga is for EVERYONE, no matter what your background, your body type, or your belief system.
Can you tell us about the classes you will be teaching at Yogaia? ‘
My students love that I make them laugh in class while pushing them to work hard. I try to blend the traditions of yoga into our modern world and the reality of our lives, so students can apply what they learn on the mat to their everyday lives. My classes also usually feature some anatomy, alignment-infused instruction, and a few bad jokes.’
“The pose is not the point. The practice is the point. Yoga isn’t about a pose, it is an attitude, a way of life, a way of experiencing life.”
Everyone interested in learning more about themselves and their yoga practice, should join me. The workshops at Yogaia are physically demanging,but they are be accessible to student with different knowledge on yoga – with modifications for less, and more, advanced students. If you’ve got a sense of adventure, or if you want to become more adventurous, join in!
