THE YOGINI: Peewee Sanchez
THE POSE: Eight Angle (aka ashtavakrasana)
THE LOCATION: Doha, Qatar
THE BENEFITS: Learning this challenging pose will strengthen your wrists, arms, spine and core and tone your thighs. It will also improve your sense of balance and stamina. Once mastered, ashtavakrasana creates a sense of inner calmness, determination and confidence.
ABOUT THE YOGINI:
*Where’s home? Wherever my sons (Diego, 18 and Dominique, 14) are. I’m a single mum.
*When did your yoga journey begin and why?
When I was around 16 years old, I bought an Iyengar book by Mira Mehta because I thought it would teach me how to levitate. I started doing the poses on a piece cardboard in my backyard waiting for something to happen! Then I got into Vajrayana Meditation because my neighbour was a Buddhist and so we would meditate every Sunday.
*What kind of yoga do you teach?
Years later I did a Flow Yoga teacher training course (with Yoga Alliance) at Fitness First in the Philippines. So that’s what I teach and sometimes I combine my Vajrayana practices in my classes.
*And how has your yoga evolved?
Although the asana techniques I learned were good, I felt something was missing and so spent a good portion of my yoga journey trying to discover what that was. These days, I am heavily influenced by tantric energy manipulation as taught by my yoga idols: Andrey Lappa and Dr. Pradeep Ullal. For me yoga also includes tantra meditation and Vajrayana, sun and moon style asanas, pranayama, chanting, mantras and Ayurveda.
*How has yoga transformed your life?
Yoga helped me get rid of a very negative self-perception. It also cured me of alcoholism. As my yoga practice evolved so did the quality of my life. I was a very angry teenager and made the wrong choices. This landed me pregnant and later in a marriage with an alcoholic and drug addict. I myself woke up one day realizing I was the same. Then, one day my husband disappeared leaving me with no money, so I collected all the liquor bottles lying around the house and sold them and with the cash put petrol in the car and got food for dinner. I think being in this desperate situation shaped my journey – I realized that I’d put myself in a dark hole and I had to climb out of it. It took years to cleanse my system and rise above the anger, addiction and feelings of low self -worth. Yoga taught me how to forgive and yoga also taught me what real love is.
*What’s your favourite pose and why?
It’s a tie between Hanumansana and Scorpion. I love intense hip openers and being upside like this gets me high.
*Besides yoga, what are your passions in life?
Belly dancing and cooking for my children
*What’s your (healthy) go-to snack?
Fruit and nut bars.
*Let’s say you are marooned on an island. What 3 things would you want with you?
A yoga mat, a machete (just for protection!) and a snorkeling kit.
*What’s your mantra in life?
Healing the world heals you. I believe the answers truly come when you need them. When you throw a question at the universe, just listen intently with an open heart and mind. You will receive the right answer.
*Tell us about your future dreams…
My vision of the future involves raising my levels of consciousness and energy vibrations so that I can help more people enhance their lives.
For more information on Peewee’s workshops, retreats and teacher training go to www.yogafirst-me.com or email Peewee directly @yogafirst-me.com
