Introducing Olivia, one of our incredible Alumni students from Odyssey 200hr Teacher Training. Olivia is a go-getter from Switzerland who studied online during the Pandemic. Here’s her thoughts on why studying online actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise and what she’s been up to since graduating.

When did you start practicing Yoga?

I‘ve practiced Yoga since I was 19. In the beginning rather irregularly. It was my later teacher, Raphan, who inspired me to dedicate myself fully to the practice. His special Yoga style and also him as a person captivated me immediately.

During the last few years, the style of my practice changed more and more towards Vinyasa Flow. At the same time, my interest in Yoga philosophy grew steadily.

Why did you decide to YTT?

I began to participate in retreats, take online Yoga classes and various workshops, buy books – and finally register for a Yoga Teacher Training.

The 2020 Pandemic thwarted my plans. I could no longer travel to Indonesia. So at home I immersed myself even deeper into my own practice. I felt how valuable the newly gained time before my exams was for me.

It was also the time when I started to ask myself questions like: What is my purpose? What are my core values? How can I make the world a better place? What do I want to be remembered for?

From there, taking all of the answers to my questions into consideration I asked myself: What is possible, now that I know all this about myself? What can I create from here?

My vision became clear, along with a huge feeling of purpose:I want to inspire people to grow and to work on themselves, so that they can recognize their abilities and make full use of them.

What was your Biggest takeaway from Odyssey YTT?

Although I couldn´t travel to Bali, I had the chance to immerse myself deeper into the content of the 200h YTT, read more books and build my knowledge. Erin’s tutorials and the personal knowledge and value she adds are very easy to understand and are so applicable to my teaching today. 

Since Graduating…

• I have launched my label, Mindful Movement, where I teach Yoga online and in summer in random places around Lucerne (Switzerland).
• I started teaching at the most beautiful Yoga Studio in Lucerne. Honestly, the LIV lab has the most stunning room to practice! 
• I teach regular classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and took over a private client from a pregnant coworker, now that she is on her pregnancy leave.
• I hosted an online retreat in January 2021! Feel Good January is a four-week Yoga, Meditation and Breathwork journey. Fully virtual. Go-at-your-pace immersion into weekly themes. 
• I recently launched an online shop. I love creating new shapes not only with my body in Yoga but as well as I let my creativity flow while sewing. All fabrics and threads I work with are either pre-loved, recycled (PET), or eco-friendly. The same counts for the packaging of your purchased product.
   I exclusively ´produce´ high-quality Yoga Accessories and products for everyday life.

Who inspires you? What inspires you to show up every day?

I can say that everyone brave enough to keep his/her beginner’s mind inspires me. It takes a lot to listen to new opinions even though you might be an expert at something. This openness inspires me. If we all were a little bit more humble, there wouldn’t be such a thing as immodesty. I’d love that…

And finally, do you have a quote that inspires you?

Yoga is a light which, once lit, will never dim.

B.K.S Iyengar