Today we’d like to introduce you to Sanela Hart
Hi Sanela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi My name is Sanela Hart.
I am a yoga teacher here in Atlanta. I teach privately and I currently teach at 2 yoga studios.
Iso yoga, and evolation yoga.
I am originally from Australia, though I have lived in 5 countries and traveled to over 25. My physical background began in childhood as a gymnast and progressed into a circus career as an Acrobat and Trapeze artist. Initially yoga was a complimentary practice to my career, but it became so much more.
An adverse childhood caused a lot of internal chaos for me, and though I was going through life and having moments of success in the Arts, the early traumas, the lack of awareness, coping skills and lack of support systems took a toll on my life and body.
After a collection of traumas, including a heart attack, an assaulted home invasion , several injuries and illnesses, I was diagnosed with PTSD. This was a very difficult time in my life.
It was yoga that provided a lifeline for me to put myself back together & resume living the life, I’m grateful to still be living. Perhaps it even helped me develop that which I had not had the chance to develop as a child due to being raised by two mentally ill and abusive parents.
I have been lucky to witness firsthand what an effective tool yoga is for healing, growth and freedom. After 23 years of practice I am still in awe of how it has changed my life and that of so many others.
As a teacher I love seeing people come into cooperation with their own body and the world, so they can live a life they love, no matter what they have been through. I am dedicated to remaining an active yoga practitioner and continuing my education in the subject of yoga and sharing it with others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a long road of dedication. After 23 years, looking back, it has been hard work, with much sacrifice, but I have loved it all.
Every lesson provided, even if it was difficult helped me understand that when something goes terribly wrong, we are provided an opportunity to understand how it can go terribly right as well.
Yoga itself is a pathway that studies obstacles in order for us to see them, and overcome them. It also helps us to identify the obstacles we create ourselves. It is a place where awareness is sharpened so that we can attend to the things causing us pain, suffering or ill health.
My biggest obstacles was when I was dealing with PTSD. A number of traumatic events one after the other, finally overloaded my nervous system and brain and I didn’t think I was ever going to be the same. I was young, and I’m not sure that a lot of my friends were equipped or ready to deal with a friend that was not coping. I didn’t have a very stable or supportive family and so, it felt it was really up to me to try to get myself out of this situation.
I was going to give it a good go! Yoga provided this place and space that I could go to slowly work on my mind, body, life and breathe, privately but within a safe social setting and begin to put myself back together.
It took about 7 good years of practice to regain choice within my nervous system and mind to put the traumas into the past where they belonged and come back to living a life in time with time. Perhaps even more resilient, compassionate and happier than I was, had I not gone through what I went through.
I think that trauma has the capacity to separate you from life, but I believe that trauma is a part of life, it’s when we start living our life based from the traumas that we enter a life of suffering, but if we can remind ourselves that the trauma is a small part of an entire life and that it all should have equal voice and not dominate, then perhaps we can find our way into a more whole life and be more open to the good in the world and witness what adversity also has to offer us.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a yoga teacher of many different styles.
I am a former Acrobat and Trapeze artist.
I love teaching all kinds of people from all walks of life that are interested in growth and doing yoga. I especially love to teach first timers so that they can feel safe and taken care of. Coming to yoga for the first time is a brave step.
I specialize in helping movers/ artists/ performers and athletes learn to understand the internal systems of their body better. With this healthy connection to their body, they can increase their chance to lengthen & strengthen their careers, and prevent injury or psychological distress from the pressure they place on their body to perform.
I specialize in helping people who have experienced major life setbacks who are looking to heal and find their way back into a functioning mind body and life.
Credentials:
500-ERYT Accredited. An OHYA Level 3 Teacher.
Trained in: Bikram yoga, Yoga synergy ( Simon Borg Olivier,) Yin Yoga, Children’s yoga, Trauma informed yoga, Anatomy and Physiology of yoga, HIIT Pilates, Animal Flow, Ayurvedic level 1 therapist, Vipassana meditator.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes!
We need each other more than we think!
I also think Covid was an interesting time of forced disconnection but it gave space for people to learn to reconnect in more healthy ways and appreciate things more.
I’m grateful for community and social connection, and I believe that this became even more apparent to me through the crisis.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isoyogastudio.com
- Instagram: sanelahartyoga
Image Credits
No photo credits, just my husband taking them! Thank you
