the key to everyone’s heart

 The key to everybody´s heart by Ursina Badilatti

I currently live in Berlin, Germany, and even though there is plenty of opportunity to study yoga locally, I decided to travel abroad to receive my teaching certification. I don’t really know why, I just followed my instinct.

I knew that studying in another country would present more challenges because of the language barrier. In this case, I had chosen to study with evolation yoga in Santa Barbara, California, and would be learning the material in English, my fourth language (after Italian, German and French). But that’s what I love, a good challenge and chance to improve myself!

I will never regret this choice, and shortly, you will understand why.

Earlier this year, at start of January, I traveled to South Africa for a working and personal growth experience. My destination? East London, a city 10 hours east from Cape Town. Here I took part in a 5-day conference on sustainable economic development in Africa. I was responsible for the “do-it-yourself” explainer video tool, developed by the company I work for, mysimpleshow. Following that event, I would travel to a more remote community to support a Swiss friend during her 5-day spinal alignment course. The goal here was to give people – mostly young women – the skills to earn money of their own. Finally, at the end of my trip, I would work as a volunteer in a safe house for abused children.

The people I met and worked with during my stay in South Africa couldn`t have been more diverse. Young, old, white, black, colored, well educated, not so well educated, extremely poor, wealthy. But everybody, regardless of their skin color, age, acuity, cultural background or money in the bank, had something in common. That is, an open mind and curious spirit. It was here that I realized the key I held in my back pocket. I was holding the key to reach everybody´s mind and body.

A key called YOGA.

Thanks to that openness and curiosity, I could teach yoga in many different places. I could teach in a school with 170 kids. I could teach at the sustainability conference. I could teach at the beach, in a small classroom, for kids or adults, for 30 minutes or 90 minutes. The only thing that I needed was my motivation and some improvisation skills (after all, not every opportunity included a traditional yoga room with mirrors and heat!).

It was here, after I finished teaching one more class, and looked out upon a room full of smiles with expressions of both gratitude and joy, that I realized how helpful it was to be able to teach yoga. And not just teach yoga, but teach it in English. If I had chosen to study yoga in the German language, it would’ve restricted my ability to teach abroad. But because I trained in English, I can now teach anywhere in the world!

And I am certain that I planted some seeds in Africa.

I am very thankful for the trust that I received from all my students and the people who facilitated that opportunity for me to teach. And I’m also grateful for my training with evolation yoga, which made me appreciate it that much more. Thank you for your patience towards a non-native English speaker like me, and thank you for always encouraging me to say “YES” when presented with the opportunity to teach class.