Diana Vassilenko is a yoga teacher based out of Sydney, Australia. Today she shares some of her yoga journey on Alive in the Fire.

What led you to yoga? What kept you coming back to your mat?

I discovered yoga when I was 11 years old. I was not devoted to my practice at that time, however: I was practicing yoga on and off for many years until 2019, when I rediscovered yoga for myself. I wanted to find a practice that I can do from the comfort of my home, and YouTube had a plethora of wonderful videos to practice with. Although I was initially drawn to the physical benefits, what kept me coming back was the sense of empowerment, freedom and lightness yoga made me feel. Through yoga, I found myself.

What advice would you have for someone who is new to the practice? Are there any resources that helped you discover which style of yoga you like most, or helped you find teachers who inspire you?

Keep looking until you find a style you like, up until I was 20 I only practiced Iyengar Yoga which is a great practice, but perhaps it wasn't the style for me. So I never was obsessed with yoga up until I discovered Vinyasa. My favourite resource for beginners would be YouTube, it is free and accessible to all, and you can practice from the comfort of your home and your pajamas :)

I highly recommend Boho Beautiful, she teaches wonderful beginner classes on YouTube. I hooked my whole family on Boho three years ago, and each of them found their favourite style to practice.

Alo Moves is a paid platform; however, that is where I discovered some of my favourite teachers and further deepened my practice. Alo Moves does have some free classes on YouTube as well. To really learn the foundations of yoga, I would say get a membership at a yoga studio and try out different classes, studios and teachers, until you find the one for you. The right teacher will help you learn and guide you in the right direction. And to dive very deep, a 200hr yoga teacher training is your answer.

Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to become a teacher? How did you decide which training to do?

Yes, it is funny because I taught my first yoga classes back when I was 13, my yoga teacher would ask me to lead the class, supervise my teaching and give feedback afterwards. I would've never thought that 10 years later that would be my passion and my job. Once I started developing my own practice, I wanted to spread the amazing benefits of yoga to the world, I wanted everyone to have an opportunity to discover yoga, and so I decided to create my own YouTube channel, Flow with Diana. I started looking for a 200-hour teacher training course. I had bookmarked all the potential schools in India that I was interested in, but then the whole world got shut down and I had to do a 200-hour training course locally instead. BodyMindLife is where I did my training, I chose it because of its stellar reputation and great feedback online.

Tell us a little bit about the experience of yoga teacher training. Was it what you expected? What did you enjoy most?

My 200-hour YTT was incredible, I loved everything about it! It was better than anything I imagined, after months of isolation, the community and friendship was the best aspect for me. Yoga friends are the best. :)

Was there anything that wasn't covered in training that you wish had been taught?

Not at all, it was great as a 200hr course. Once you do your first training, you're hooked to keep doing more and more courses. It's a great way to kickstart your curiosity and give you a taste of all the aspects of yoga that you can later dive into.

Were you nervous in the early days of teaching? What helped you build your confidence? What were your biggest challenges as a new teacher and how did you overcome them or work through them?

Teaching yoga feels very natural to me, so I didn't really struggle in the early days to teach. I am just doing my best to pass on the knowledge that should be available to all. I was just lucky to receive this knowledge first.

What does yoga mean to you? How do you practice both on and off the mat?

Yoga means being open, receptive, loving, non-judgmental and kind to myself and others. Yoga is approaching life with a sense of curiosity and joy, a journey to find the balance between everything.

What do you like to do for fun and to relax? What helps you stay balanced in life?

In terms of physical activities, apart from yoga, I like to cycle, do barre, Pilates and pole dance. Some of my favourite ways to pass time are reading, cooking, spending time in nature, visiting art galleries, editing photos and videos, and painting.

Thank you, Diana, for your wise words and for being a part of this series on women in the yoga community! You can connect with Diana on her Instagram @dianavassyoga or watch her videos on YouTube: Flow with Diana. I’m a fan of this one: 15-Minute Yoga Stretch and Flow Class with Diana Vassilenko.

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