Paola Pietri - Don't Let Your Age or Body Type Define Your Future Goals (Yoga Teacher From South America)

Don’t limit yourself by your own beliefs. Start today!  Yoga is for everyone, you don’t have to be flexible or strong. Yoga is for the short, tall, skinny, heavy, young, or old, yoga is for anyone with an open mind. I would encourage everyone to try Yoga to see how they feel. Keep in mind there are different styles of yoga and you just have to find the one that resonates with you. Yoga can be one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself.

1. Tell us more about yourself and your profession.

I am originally from Venezuela South America, based in South Florida for the last 27 yrs. I’m a mother of 4, soon to be a grandmother. I’ve been practicing yoga for almost 6 and a half years. I started my yoga journey at 41 yrs old and got my yoga teaching certification at 43. 

Ever since then, I’ve been teaching with every beat of my heart and soul because I want people to feel and experience the benefits of yoga that I have ever since I started this transformational practice. 

I am a full-time yoga teacher, currently teaching at local studios, and I also offer private classes, as well as online classes for all group sizes, giving me the opportunity to connect with different people around the world. 

2. What is your fitness mantra?

It's never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle. Don't let your age or body type define your future goals.

3. What are some of the major misconceptions about diets and exercises?

One diet doesn't fit all. All body anatomies are different. I personally don’t believe in diets per se, I believe in a healthy eating lifestyle. For the most part, people who are constantly trying or changing diets, once they start they only do it for a period of time and then they go back to their old eating habits or they jump into the next diet because they don’t see any results. 

I believe we have to change our relationship with food, and we have to understand what foods are good for our bodies. The purpose of eating healthy should not be a concern to the physical body only, it should be with the intention of a healthier body, knowing that most of the diseases we have are caused by what we eat, like cholesterol, high blood pressure, among many others can be controlled by a healthy diet. 

Exercising is not only for our physical body, it is for our mental, and emotional body. When we exercise not only we are detoxing our bodies, but we are releasing cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) but we are stimulating the production of endorphins, those chemicals that make you happy, in addition, serotonin is released, which also boots your mood.  

4. How can one maintain a healthy lifestyle with Yoga?

Yoga is a lifestyle, is more than just the physical practice or the Asanas (poses). Yoga means UNION, and this union starts within you. Union of your mind with your breath, body, emotions, and with everyone and everything (any living thing). 

Yoga is intended to make you a more present, kind, tolerant, loving human being. Knowing that we are all connected and we are all one. Practicing yoga helps you connect to what is important in life, to your source, to your divine, God, Universe, or whatever higher power you believe in. 

5. How can one build a successful career in your field?

Success is measure in different ways for everyone. I believe success means doing what you love and what makes you happy while making a living. No matter what you do, it can be the simplest job in the world or the most complex. 

You can be famous, and rich but if you are not happy you are not successful. Follow your passion, do the work, believe in yourself and success will come in anything you do. 

6. What is one piece of advice you would like to give someone who wishes to practice yoga?

Don’t limit yourself by your own beliefs. Start today!  Yoga is for everyone, you don’t have to be flexible or strong. Yoga is for the short, tall, skinny, heavy, young, or old, yoga is for anyone with an open mind. 

I would encourage everyone to try Yoga to see how they feel. Keep in mind there are different styles of yoga and you just have to find the one that resonates with you. Yoga can be one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself.

Paola Pietri - Yoga Teacher

Interviewed By: Navya Garg