A coffee with Denise: skier, surfer, yogi and sports blogger

We met several years ago, in the water. A sunny girl as can be said of many others but something else certainly emerges from her eyes. Let's go deeper…without too many puns I present Denise, a former Nordic ski athlete, now a lover of water sports and a Yoga teacher.

Hi Denise! How are you? What do you do?

HI! Very well, thank you! I live in Barcelona but I mostly travel. I also work thanks to my Blog www.denisedellagiacoma.com , where I tell with Vlog what I do, my travels, and where I talk above all about Yoga and Wellness.

How long have you been doing yoga and how long have you been teaching it?

I have been doing Yoga for about six years. I've been teaching it for three. I started teaching after a first course of 200 hours in Malta, I was looking for a place close by that would train me in English. Then I decided that every year I would do training (100 or 200 hours), and so it was.

When did you feel ready to teach?

There wasn't a particular moment in which I felt ready, there were multiple episodes in life that put me on the road to teaching Yoga, and it was the right choice I could have made.

What's your favorite yoga position? Why?

I like to balance on my head, vertically, not only because it stimulates circulation but above all because it gives me an incomparable sense of peace and calm.

After a lot of work, you have established your own style of yoga that you teach in Barcelona and in the various meetings that you often organize. What is body mind flow yoga?

Starting from the meaning of the word Yoga, that is, union of mind, body and spirit, of movement and breath, of dynamism and statics, I thought about devising a style where the word union was the protagonist.

And so I created a style that is the fusion between different yoga styles, mainly of Hata and Vinyasa, with elements of Power Yoga and traditional Tantric Yoga.

On the other hand, the very purpose of yoga, and of the practice, is: to be able to reach and feel the union of body, mind and spirit. And when you reach this end, which can be for just one second, for a sequence or for an entire session, then, you are in Flow.

What are the benefits of yoga and who is it most useful to?

Yoga is useful to everyone, precisely because of the benefits: which are both physical and mental. Improves the muscular, skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular and reproductive systems. It gives awareness and helps to overcome stress and depression. Give peace and happiness.

Is it true that those who practice yoga approach daily life with greater serenity?

Yes, that tends to be true. Yoga helps you face everyday life with a more serene, lucid and calm approach.

For those wishing to approach this discipline, what qualities should they look for in a teacher?

A good teacher should have only or rather above all one thing: the love and passion for this discipline and for teaching.

Last question? Why are Yoga and Surf so seamlessly connected?

Surfing is the Yoga of the sea. It teaches you to be patient (especially in Italy hehe), to live in the present moment, to connect with your surroundings and to respect nature. There is also a lot of spirituality in surfing.

This is why in my opinion every surfer should practice Yoga. But also to stretch the muscles (pre and post surf), to improve balance and centrality. And last but not least, to educate the breath.

I confess that after this chat I feel ready to immerse myself in the Flow! And to better understand what it means to be in the Flow, I'm going to browse Denise's blog, where I find, among an endless series of posts that are very useful for those who, like me, are not yet practitioners, a yoga video at Lake Braies, that makes you want to rush to sign up.