I’m a Yoga Mom

My name is Veronica Curiel, I am 27 years old and I am mother of 3 babies under 3 years old, Yoga has been a blessing for me to appreciate every day of my life, I have been in practice for more than 8 years and little by little, it  has changed my lifestyle, I’ve become a more sensitive person, healthy,and loving. Every time I finish my practice I am a better version of myself.

Practicing Yoga has given me tools to overcome through difficult times and be more happy in my everyday life, which is making me aware of my limitations and cultivate the will to change from love. With these changes and the results they have generated in my life, I decided to become a student of this discipline, I have taken various courses, workshops and a yoga certification in Ashtanga by the Venezuelan Yoga Asosiation.

I have found that there is nothing that makes me feel happier, more fulfilling than doing Yoga and spreading others from the energy generated when you stand on the mat, close your eyes, breathe deeply and greeting the sun.

In my country, Venezuela, which I had to abandon by political situations and to protect the life of my family, I had the opportunity to experience what being a yoga instructor is like, the best job in the world! Being able to dedicate helping others, heal, find peace and well-being, is priceless and worth more than all the money in the world.

I kept my practice of Yoga during my 3 pregnancies, so base on my experience I designed and taught two workshops “yogic techniques for Pregnancy and Childbirth” and “yogic techniques for breastfeeding and postpartum”, also produced a video of Yoga for pregnancy.

Besides teaching these workshops, I also made a few public yoga events to suport causes, for example, “Let’s do Yoga with Senosalud and Veronica Curiel” (senosalud is the organization in charge of fighting breast cancer), and for promuve the breast-feeding, I made a public Yoga Class for breastfeeding moms in the event: “Breast-feeding is Natural” with Organizations like Aquamater,  World Health Organization and Unicef Among Others. I also design a Yoga shirts (t-shirts with Yoga wisdom on it) to benefit Senosalud in order to raise funds for mammograms for women in treatment gap. I used to have a yoga tips segment on television morning show, “What Women Want.”

At present I am in New York asylum processed starting from scratch with my 3 babies, one diagnosed with autism who needs a series of assessments and therapies, and to work here in the United States teaching Yoga clases, here and wherever life takes me, I need to participate in a 200 hour yoga teacher training, which at the moment is priceless to me. My certifications are not valid here so I should get new ones.

I would love to assist to the certification of “It’s Yoga” in Thailand, with the help of my mother in law and husband who would take care of our children for the time the certification takes, although it can be difficult to seperate from my babies for those weeks, it is a decision we made for the benefit of the whole family. Obviously one of my favorite yoga teachers is Larry Schultz. I feel a special connection to what he does, my favorite styles are Ashtanga Yoga and Rocket, dare I say it is because they are exactly the style I need; for me the Ashtanga practice is central to anyone’s life. It is something everyone should practice for at least 9 months to heal and cleanse; how Schultz raised the practice of Ashtanga in Rocket format, makes me go deeper in my practice, and … you know, “how you are in your practice you are in life.”

During this time that I am legally disabled to work, I have been writing articles about Yoga in magazines and portals such as inspirulina.com and sanadoras.com, as well as providing advice and tips on my twitter account in which already I have more than 1,200 followers. To somehow feel that I still do reach out to others, the message of what is yoga and the benefits it can generate for each person in the world.

Without anything else to add, but to thank you for the opportunity to get my certification which not only help me fulfill my dream and have the one source of income for my family, but to continue to sparcing the practice of Yoga to more people.

Kind regaurds,

Namasté

yoga mom

2012 Yoga Scholarship Essay

By: Veronica Curiel

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