1. What has been a big part of your growth as a woman?
Growing up, I was trained by an ex-captain of the Mexican calvary horseback riding. I worked with him from when I was 8-years old to about 18-years old. He taught me how to build an impenetrable wall and be “bulletproof”. I was very clear on what this meant: that whatever hit me, physically, emotionally, mentally, it would bounce right off me, and I would keep going.
I was proud of this armor, and am grateful for the process of building it up, because it ingrained in me the discipline and stamina that I have today. I am also just as grateful for the processes and experiences that asked me to do the painful work of breaking that armor down, which mostly happened in my last 10 years as a yoga teacher. The best way I can describe how this working of “breaking down” has shifted me is in how it has changed my definition of what it means to be bulletproof – I no longer see it as something hitting me and bouncing off before I keep going. Now, when “it” hits, it penetrates. I feel it fully. And I keep going.
2. Who, which person (s) has inspired you to stay true to your role in your divine feminine?
Someone who I have yet to meet – my unborn daughter. At the time of writing this I am five months pregnant. In the last five months I have seen and felt so much of why my body was designed how it was, and it has changed my relationship with it. I thought I had learned to love my body through the practice of celebrating it, but the love I have for it now is unconditional. This baby has taught me how to respect not only my boundaries, but to see what I am capable of. And, I know that her greatest moments of inspiration have yet to come. One of them will be when I give birth in March 2021, because the times when I have felt my most divine feminine have been in my moments of complete surrender, and I know that giving birth will be a great experience of this feminine power.
3. What other women have supported you when you needed it the most?
I have a support system of women that I am in awe of. They are stunning, strong and encompass what I strive to be every day. I do give myself some credit for having chosen the women I surround myself with, but I actually have to give most of that credit to my mom. My mom has four daughters who have all chosen unique paths and have walked them with fierce independence. She has instilled in us what it means to love fully, take responsibility for our choices, and commit to doing the right thing, whatever the cost.
4. What has been the hardest part of being a strong woman?
To notice when I’m teetering that line between being strong and being tough. The difference between the two, to me, is that to be strong there has to be an element of vulnerability, which I feel is an innate ability that women are often taught to suppress. On the surface, this makes some sense; if you look up “vulnerable” in the dictionary, it says “susceptible to emotional or physical attack or harm,” which I imagine doesn’t seem desirable to most. However, I have noticed that the mechanisms and experiences that have asked me to be the most vulnerable have been the ones that have allowed me to connect and grow. My truest moments of vulnerability have turned out to also be the strongest I have experienced.
5. Where do you see yourself evolving in the next few years?
I, like most, have seen and experienced a lot of destruction this year. On a personal level, this included the loss of my job, my apartment, and many of the people I considered friends. But from destruction comes evolution, and I am already seeing signs of it. One major way of course is becoming a mother and a wife in the next year. I am also in the process of getting my applications ready to start law school next fall, and pursue something that has been a dream of mine for a long time. And I will keep teaching yoga! I’m very excited to be working with a childhood friend of mine on a barre/yoga virtual studio called Better Balance Fitness that will be launching in the next couple of weeks.
6. What imprint would you like to leave on the world?
Probably one that no one will ever notice because it happens as a byproduct of the collective consciousness – of us each choosing to see ourselves in one another and committing to lifting each other up to be the best versions of ourselves.
7. What is your social media or ways that we can keep up with you and your work?
My instagram is @onebreath_onemovement.
