Interview by @loretosocorro
Thania Socorro - yoga teacher, alternative therapies and meditations - and Judit Suárez Pérez - process companion, Theta Healer and floral therapist -, at the Mar8Garita Yoga Center (Telde)
The space where we find Thania and Judit is next to La Garita beach. They receive us with a joy that is only perceived when sincere hugs are given. We descend a staircase leaving aside a heated seawater pool.
How long have you been with this project of alternative therapies and yoga?
"The beginnings date back to June 2019. Thania - Judit comments - started with kundalini yoga, after years of dedicating herself to sports classes ”.
What sports did you teach before “Mar8Garita” Thania?
"Before I did zumba, spinning and a thousand other things ... very versatile - she laughs and explains herself amusingly and moving her hands - but I wanted to work on "my calm", from yoga and breathing and, little by little, that way of doing and living It was becoming more and more important to me, until I fully dedicated myself to it and decided to take the leap. "
And, in addition, you combine it with therapies ...
"I use aromatherapy and work with the chakras, to align them. This harmonizes and balances the person. I do this work with essential oils and also with gems and crystals, in holistic therapies. It is a whole.
Judit tells us - while putting on the turban with mastery - that she lived for years in Mexico where she was trained in alternative therapies and, in addition, accompanied women in childbirth.
"I had two great-great-grandmothers who were midwives and now, among other accompaniments, I support pregnant women and during the postpartum period. "
Judit, what processes do you work and how do you do it?
"I accompany cwith alternative therapies such as Bach flowers, Reiki or massages ... and this accompaniment is valid for any life process, from pregnancies to griefs through other situations that the person wishes to overcome. I give a help to get stronger. "
They are both Yoga Teachers, what kind of yoga can we learn and practice in Mar8Garita?
"We work here three types of yoga for adults. One is dynamic, with a lot of physical work. There is another yoga where, above all else, breathing is worked and then there is Yin Yoga which is totally static and very feminine, with a lot of meditation, to get the body to completely relax where connecting and letting go is worked. "
Who can do yoga?
"Anyone can do yoga, from girls and boys to the elderly. Even if they have physical problems, the postures are only adapted with supports, aids and, with personalized advice, to each person and their body.
It is possible to do a complete but adapted class, perhaps starting with a chair instead of sitting on the floor or positioning the body in a way that is pleasant and, at the same time, achieves the same thing. "
How do you know which type of yoga is the most suitable?
"When someone approaches "Mar8garita" they usually have an idea or ask and we inquire. You have to know if the person is dynamic or if they like static more and if they have any pathology or not. There are people who want to meditate because the body is already prepared in a different way and there are those who ask to work on breathing or muscle tone. "
What does yoga bring to those who practice it?
"Yoga means union. The union of body, mind and something else, energy. You can activate the body to connect and combine this with breathing. Learn to breathe. Yoga gives you the space to sit, stop, and look at yourself. Be with you."
"It has side effects " - Judit apostille-.
What side effects are you talking about Judit?
"It brings peace, more personal awareness of your processes, getting to know yourself and realizing that every day you are not the same, you rest better, it is a bet on the quality of life because it reduces anxiety. Small changes are made, on a day-to-day basis, that balance the person doing yoga. "
How was the experience during the confinement?
"We did online sessions. Now we have already been doing face-to-face, with the capacity limits. Coming here is very positive because it implies a disconnection from the routine. This space is prepared, with adequate silence, - Judit closes her eyes and smiles like a girl- with the whisper of the sea. This energy and relaxation is not found in the house and also the one that gives the group of people that is mutual support. "
Judtih, what is Theta Healing therapy?
"It is an energy therapy that works with the change of beliefs and that works with theta waves, which are those that are associated with the first stages of sleep. It consists of working with the patterns of behavior that are repeated in people because everything we believe comes from the same place: there is usually a belief behind each pattern, which is believed and accepted, because at the time it was something necessary. "
Is it easy to change those patterns?
“The key is to understand it. Behavior can be looked at, recognized and worked on, but it is not changed if it is not understood. In Theta what we do is understand what is behind a recurring situation. It can be said that it is investigated deep and hidden with the help that theta waves allow. "
Thania positions herself to do some yoga poses and breathtaking breath comes out of her small, toned body. Thania, do you have a dragon inside of you?
"This conscious breathing is like a flame going through and out of the body. Anyone can do it. You concentrate and breathe. There is a science of breathing where different types of breathing are worked, depending on what is desired either to activate or to relax. "
Is it important to know how to breathe?
"If you have some training in breathing you can change the way of life since you balance the body. What's more, mindful breathing is mindful muscle toning. Toning the body is not about increasing muscle mass but maintaining muscle tone. "
Thania and Judit, before leaving the room, invite us to listen again to the swaying of the waves.
"It is as if we were on the same shore of the beach. And on top of that, it's on Calle Margarita, which is very important to me. - Tania tells us- because my grandmother was called Margarita. "
This space shelters like a mother. We do not close our eyes but we open ourselves completely to these women who are teachers of light and yoga and who teach us from their knowledge and with their good energies.