who
Meet our in-house teacher, Tina Kontogiannopoulos
Setting out from Economics and moving on to travel journalism and advertising, Tina entered the path of yoga in 2004. One asana led to another and in 2010 she received the Iyengar Yoga teaching certification. During the past twenty-two years, yoga has shaped her body, mind and attitude towards the world. Her motto “my mat is my home’’ poetically describes her relationship to it.
Throughout the years Tina has worked with world-class yoga teachers, as she’s always seeking to develop and deepen her practical and theoretical skills. Curiosity, playfulness and openness shape her teaching style, which incorporates elements from Tai massage and other practices she has encountered and loved. For her, yoga is about exploring the body and mind, surpassing physical and emotional boundaries and establishing a deeper connection to self. She teaches yoga classes in Athens, Greece.
Tina is the heart and soul of Blue Yoga Serifos. Her love for Serifos and her passion for yoga came together to create this extraordinary island retreat, this unique experience she can now share with others. As your hostess, she will cater for all your needs both on and off the mat.
what
All-time, all-embracing, all-inclusive yoga. As yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar sharply puts it, “it is wrong to differentiate traditional yoga from Iyengar Yoga, as it is also not fair to brand Yoga, as Raja-yoga, Hatha-yoga, Laya-yoga, Kundalini-yoga, Taraka-yoga and so forth. There is no distinction between one Yoga and another. Yoga, like God is one.”
An integral approach to yoga that incorporates the alignment and precision of Iyengar yoga, not as an end, but as a means to move deeper into asanas, explore hidden, unknown parts of the body and establish an honest and conscious connection to them. It is through this process of mindful self-discovery that emotions come to surface and psychological processes naturally unleash; overcoming fears, expanding the boundaries of acceptance, gratitude and respect, to name a few.
The creative use of props “unlocks” asanas adding variety and play and making them accessible to all. The guided asana work, together with meditation and breathing offers students the powerful tools to reconnect with themselves and the present time and deeply experience who they are.
when
Our daily yoga classes are designed to keep us in tune with ourselves and nature around us. In the morning, a 2-hour energizing practice focuses on dynamic postures and flows in order to fully awaken the body and mind.
In the evening, the 1,5-hour restorative class teaches us how to take deep care of ourselves and to center our breath and body by practicing stillness, gentle openings and twists and bolster supported postures.
Classes are open to all levels of yoga. The teacher offers modifications and variations to meet all individual needs.
