#fromWomenToWomen: Moving with Almudena

Dear Active Humans,

We continue today with #fromwomentowomen – our chats with the empowering community surrounding Isabelle Moon that you made possible just by existing in your own beautiful ways. And by being incredibly supportive. It’s kind of amazing how this community was formed just by our shared love of movement, and how our topics of conversations grew.

It shows us just how intricate ‘movement’ can be. Something Almudena Sánchez is intimately familiar with. Better known as Almudena Yoga Life, our woman of the day is a Madrid based certified Yoga teacher who would snack on crackers and cheese all day, given half a chance. “Throw in some jam or honey, and I’ll be in heaven!” she tells us.

Almudena had an interesting start to yoga, because her life before had little to do with fitness and wellness. Almudena is a graduate of Geography and History, with a specialty in Archeology, and 10 years of task management in international trade under her belt. So… how did that switch to yoga happen? “I started yoga as just another form of sport! But little by little yoga played its magic.”

Almudena who started yoga to stay active but found a wealth of new discoveries is wearing the Cloudless Bodysuit in Raven Sky and Moonlit Shorts in Rose Moon.

Yoga took her on a journey to a deeper understanding of movement. One form of expression that as mentioned before – is important to us! “Expression has a lot to do with how life force and the forever changing gunas (the quality from everything is composed of) play their role. Movement allows me to ride the waves and teaches me how to manage myself in the uncertainty without getting lost in the process. Even though I succeed way less that I would like.”

Almudena pays special attention to breathing, correct alignment, and internalization in her classes. She admits that in the beginning, she found that certain poses were tougher for her than others. “Backbends were incredibly difficult when I first started out!”

But finding out more about her body was just the start. The physicality of yoga also played a role in a different kind of transformation for Almudena. “Yoga helped me to make something useful of my mind, turning it into a friend instead of my enemy. My favorite thing about yoga is how it helped me to put myself on my side; showing me that I’m not all the narratives on my head.”

Almudena who is known for her dynamic personal style of yoga is wearing Tangled Kiss Bodysuit in Olive Ash.

For Almudena, yoga helped her to create a space within herself to put things in perspective. “Somewhere shadow and light has its own place of honor as equals.” A balanced view of her own self, and an acceptance of her own truth. “When every little part has its place, you become more grounded and comfortable. You can allow the shadows to be your friend instead of the enemy.”

It’s something she wished she could tell her 15-year-old self, who was insecure. Almudena elaborates, “I would tell her that she was loving, gorgeous, intelligent, funny, that she deserved all the good. And to stop looking outside for approval since she was loved for what she was. Because she had nothing to demonstrate. And that she was enough.”

It’s easy to take movement for granted, as it’s something we just do. But delving deeper into the range of endless discoveries that await us when we become conscious of our own self is something that we’re excited to do more of. So we asked Almudena for a song recommendation, one that never fails to make her move and dance. “La Gozadera by Gente de Zona!” she tells us, a song by Cuban duo Gente de Zona and with a title that calls for a good time – who can resist, really?

If you’re interested in moving with Almudena, you can check out her Youtube channel for recorded sessions. You can also see what she’s up to on Almudena’s website or Instagram.

So sweet humans, what discoveries have you made about yourself – mind, body, and soul – through movement? What parts of yourself have you managed to express that was hidden before? 

Happily grooving in organic activewear,

Isabelle Moon