EVELYN PETRUZZINO
Evelyn captured in Uthitahastapadangustasana during Kia´s In-depth Development Training in Paris
Evelyn in Uthita Parsvakonasana during an adjustment workshop at Kia´s In Depth Training in Paris
Name: Evelyn Petruzzino
Age: 44
Nationality: Italy
Occupation: Yoga Teacher
When and how did you start practicing yoga? I started around 2004. I was looking for an alternative to dance classes, which no longer suited me. A friend, also dancer, took me to an Ashtanga class with Caroline Boulinguez. This was love at first sight 😊!
“The moment I entered the shala, talked to Kia and saw the community practicing I knew I was home. I remember this moment very well : time stopped, it was magical. This was nowness!!”
How did you first meet Kia and Mysore Yoga Paris? I think it was 2014, when I first saw a flyer from Mysore Yoga Paris, and noticed that Kia also offered Pranayama. This interested me a lot, but I was initially held back by a mixture of not being able to make it in the mornings, fear of “the unknown teacher” and thinking I wasn´t good enough… But the desire to meet Kia grew stronger and finally, after the birth of my daughter in 2018(!), I managed to go to Mysore Yoga Paris. The moment I entered Kia´s beautiful shala, talked to her and saw the community practicing I knew I was home. I remember this moment clearly: time stopped, it was magical. This was nowness!!
“Being on my mat regularly, repeating the same postures, chanting mantras - entering a state of moving meditation - allows me to access new and deeper resources in myself.”
Has a committed Mysore practice influenced you, how? Yes it has! I can’t imagine how it wouldn´t! Since the dawn of time man / woman has sought to ritualise practices to rise spiritually, or simply to make certain situations in life special. Unfortunately this is something that has gotten lost. Time to allow ourselves to connect to our silence, our deepest self, our place of transformation, has almost disappeared. Being on my mat regularly, ideally six times a week (although everyone must find their own rhythm), repeating the same postures, chanting mantras - entering a state of moving meditation - allow me to access new, deeper resources in myself. The fact that the postures, and therefore the series, are codified makes the Ashtanga practice into a ritual. Ritualising the practice makes it sacred, and transformational.
What is the significance of working so consistently with a teacher and method as we do in Mysore practice? To work consistently with a teacher is very important for me. Like many other things in life, a good practice needs time. Even if the first contact with a teacher is good, the relationship needs time to grow and deepen in order for the practice to mature. There is no magic formula to give to a student to progress in practice. For me it is important to have complete confidence in my teacher. To be able to trust her entirely with my body (and not only my body!). The teacher also needs to have the student´s trust, to truly get to know her in order to develop « magical and individual » adjustments that will help this particular student to move deeper into practice. Teacher and student work together. It is creative work, it’s about listening and observing. This is a very special relationship and it needs time. It's like tending a seed every day: one day it needs more water or sun, one day less, maybe one day just a little attention…, and then one day it will bloom (or not ! 😉 ). But one thing is certain : there will be transformation.
“Teacher and student work together. It is creative work, it’s about listening and observing. This is a very special relationship and it needs time. ”
Describe what the Shala and its community is to you? The shala and its community has become very important to me! It’s like my mother embracing me to wake me up, like washing me in the morning…: I go to the shala, I do my practice, I meet, talk and laugh with my friends and newcomers… Then I am ready for the rest of the day, filled with lots of love and strength. It is incredible how much energy it gives me! In this warm and caring atmosphere I feel protected and held so I can bloom and slowly awaken my full potential…
You have taken Kia´s in-depth training recently, can you share some of your experiences? The In-Depth Training is fantastic, and I will do it next year again! To have several whole days with Kia, Paula, her assistants and the group is extremely rewarding. It‘s a full immersion into the world of yoga. We are learning a way of practicing and adjusting an intense Asana practice with respect for each individuals´ particular anatomy and circumstance. The group is so varied and rich and it is very interesting to share experiences, learn from each other, and to get to know different practitioners from all over the world.
In this time of confinement, how do you support your practice ? It is the practice that supports me! During the first week of quarantine, I had to juggle with this new situation: lots of questions, doubts, keeping the household, helping my son with homework, playing with my daughter, while my husband was working from home… I was wondering when and how to find time for me, for my practice… I felt bad in my body, I was unhappy and was getting more and more irritable. So I had to organise myself, in order to save myself (and the others, hahaha !). With a bit of organisation and discipline the rest aligned and happiness returned! I am truly grateful to have Ashtanga Yoga, which gives me a structure to practice asanas alone. And to Kia who gave me a structure for my pranayama and meditation practice. And to the community who is very present…
“Just knowing that Kia would continue to chant the opening mantra for us everyday at 8 o’clock, as she does in the shala, gave me the strength to organise myself to practice regularly again.”
How can we practice Sangha (community) while being apart? Just knowing that Kia would continue to chant the opening mantra for us everyday at 8 o’clock, as she always does in the shala, gave me the strength to organise myself to practice regularly again. This is the power of the Sangha. We support, share and learn from each other. It is also my personal responsibility to support the Sangha. Above all by practicing - because the community needs the energy of everyone - but also by sending a message or a smile to spread some light in this strange situation…
I noticed this in my own practice as well. When I entered the Shala I felt like I could take off my bag of weight and musts, and let myself be carried by the energy of the community. At home this wasn’t working in the same way, I had to be much more disciplined. In this time of confinement, have had to learn to show up for myself and for my community! From now on my practice will be different.
What inspires you to keep practicing? For me something has to be necessary, otherwise I don’t do it… I actually don’t really know what inspires me to continue, because honestly Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is not the easiest way to feel good! I just know that I can’t live without it. Practice is completely necessary and I know it is the best thing for me. Ashtanga Yoga is such a complete practice. It makes me feel healthy and so good!
I believe yoga is the best way to get to know oneself, to experience with clarity reality as it is, without bias. Through ourselves we come to understand the world around us. This influences our behaviour, and through this change, we will change the world - in spite of ourselves..!
“In this warm, caring atmosphere I feel protected, carried so I can bloom and slowly awaken my full potential…”
When and where do you experience Nowness..? Nowness is a sensation of fullness, calmness, clarity and inner peace. I find it in moments when I really listen. When my mind is open, neutral and I can appreciate different angles of a situation. When I am just myself, my mind connected with my body and breath. Time stops and I am just feeling, observing… I know this state is always within me… I « just » have to make the effort to connect with myself - and this is yoga!
Describe your practice in 3 words: Different Every Day
Where do you go to find peace in Paris? Paris is a very exciting city… I find peace early in the morning on the weekend when people still sleep. I walk near water, along the Seine or the canal St Martin… Or in the Shala, in parks, churches, even alone at home… But luckily, as I already said, I just have to connect to my inner self, and there is it! Sounds easy?!