Austrian yoga teacher in Finland

Nicola Moberg's story really blew us away, such strong experiences, such positive air about it. Nicola's love and passion for yoga shines through very tangibly! (We get goose bumps while listening to her)

 

A while in to the interview though, we are a bit surprised when we hear that for many years Nicola was "just an easy going party girl, travelling around the world" as she puts it herself. Nicola is originally from Austria, but she has been living in several countries over more than a decade, and as of now she is situated in Helsinki. For years, she did not find anything that really interested her, at least not enough for her to settle down at any specific place...

Nicola Moberg

 

Yoga was the first thing that really caught her, something that klicked immediately. And it has stuck with her since. As of now Nicola works as a yoga teacher with an expertise in prenatal yoga, helping pregnant women to prepare their bodies, and minds, for birth.

 

But it is when she starts talking about Purna yoga that she really comes alive, it is obvious that Purna yoga has had a profound impact on almost every aspect of Nicola's life. That being said, a life touched by yoga seems to fit very well together with a normal family life including two daughters and a Finnish husband.

See Nicola at:
www.yogala.fi

See more about Purna yoga and the studio Nicola works at:
www.purnayoga.fi

Tiina & Sofia
 

Yoga to increase happiness

In our second interview we met Timo Kurvi - a professional actor, singer, dancer and now also yoga teacher. Once again we were greatly inspired by Timo sharing his personal yoga story!

Today Timo has recently opened up his own yoga practice in Acro and Iyengar yoga, but in the beginning he came into yoga seeking help for a medical condition that had become quite severe. We were fascinated to hear that Timo gives yoga all the credit for him being able to live a normal life, no longer restrained by his genetically inhereted condition.

"Yoga started out as a purely physical exercise for me, but then turned out to be so much more", Timo says. Today Timo's philosophy regarding yoga can be captured in one sentence: Reducing suffering and increasing happiness.

See more at
www.timokurviyoga.com

For Timo it was important to find a yoga practice that would help him to balance his body, which he found in Iyengar yoga. Later he ventured into Acro yoga which seems to appeal to the performance artist in Timo. Listening to Timo's story, we realise that finding the right kind of yoga, one that suits you personally, can make a very big difference to your experience...

Tiina & Sofia 
 



Yoga on higher levels

 

We are both happy and honoured to announce that our first interview brought us to talk to ashtanga yogi and visual artist Asta Caplan! Asta is one of, if not the furthest advanced yogi within ashtanga yoga in Finland.

 

We were invited to the cozy yoga studio Moola in central Helsinki where Asta practices yoga together with her husband Daniel who is also a yoga teacher. Asta greets us with a warm and bubbly smile at 8:15 after her everyday morning yoga session. The atmosphere is relaxed and we quickly notice that Asta has much much to tell about the wonders of yoga.

Asta Caplan

See more about Asta
www.astacaplan.com

See more about Moola
www.moola.fi
 

Asta is one of a maybe a handful of yogis in Finland who have advanced to practice the fourth series ashtanga yoga. "Nowadays one of the challenges for me within yoga is to find a teacher to teach me something new", says Asta.

 

Still, she does not in any way come off as feeling superior to any one else. On the contrary, she insists on the fact that anyone can practice yoga and that it is not the number of asanas (poses) you master that make you a better yogi or person, but the fact that you are willing to work with yourself, and learn to know your true self.

 

And as we learn during the morning, yoga has helped Asta in a number of ways; both with her physique - as she was suffering from serious injury that made her quit her career as a ballet dancer, as well as with her mind - most of the challenges in our lives are actually only in our mind.

 

Listening to Asta excitedly telling us about her most memorable yoga experiences is mesmerizing  and we leave her yoga studio full of inspiration for the book!

 

Tiina&Sofia