There are many teachers who show some of their personal practice, classes and knowledge through the internet. One of these professionals is Carlo Guaragna, from Porto Alegre. He has a Youtube channel that talks about Yoga, postures and more.
We talked to Carlo and he told us a little about his life and what Yoga means to him. Check out the interview!
Eu sem Fronteiras – Tell me a little about yourself, where you were born, live, what you like to do:
Carlo Guaragna: I was born in Porto Alegre (RS) and have lived here since then. I like to do many things. One of the ones that fascinates and involves me the most is my own “work”, which is enclosed in quotation marks precisely because I do not interpret what I do as the etymology of the word proposes. Besides working, I really enjoy being with friends and knowing that I have people I can count on. I enjoy practicing Yoga, surfing, playing beach tennis, staying at home, reading, eating good food and traveling.
Eu sem Fronteiras – How did you get interested in Yoga?
Carlo Guaragna: The interest in Yoga was very shy in me since I was 16 years old, when I visited the first school to practice and, unfortunately, I didn't start the practices, maybe because I didn't have any friends engaged in the proposal and no greater incentive. With the strength of an almost disinterested interest, I enrolled to practice at 20 years old and never stopped, today at 27 I regret not having started at 16. Unlike many people, I did not seek Yoga for something, I simply sought because I was curious.
Eu sem Fronteiras – Where did you train?
Carlo Guaragna: I did my training at Casa Bela Vista, a school here in Porto Alegre where I learned everything I know and continue to learn daily. I have been teaching since 2013, but I effectively graduated as an instructor in 2014.
Eu sem Fronteiras – How did the idea for the videos on Youtube come about?
Carlo Guaragna: The videos came up with the idea of ​​transmitting to as many people as possible a practical knowledge of how to improve the quality of life, well being, in their own homes. It's a way of disseminating what made my life change for the better, not only with my face-to-face students, but with a much larger network.
Eu sem Fronteiras – What else did you learn from Yoga?
Carlo Guaragna: Hard question! Even because everything I am, I learned through practice. I can say that what I learned the most is that we can be better than we think, in every way.
Me without Borders – What is the biggest challenge found in Yoga?
Carlo Guaragna: The biggest challenge found in Yoga is getting people to understand its true value.
Me without Borders – Today many people are interested in Yoga, but sometimes it ends up being seen as mere gymnastics. And we know there's a whole philosophy behind it. How do you try to pass this question on to your students?
Carlo Guaragna: This is the biggest challenge, removing a caricatured image of Yoga, gymnastics or stretching, and framing it as a philosophy of life in the student's head, as something that demands discipline, involvement, willpower, where the results are remarkable throughout of the walk, but the goal is only reached after many years of practice. Since the first class, I have commented with the students, asking: “Who knows what we practice for?” Nobody ever knows (laughs). But I have made it clear since then that the practice is mental, it aims at meditation.
Me without Borders – What is the biggest reward in working and living with Yoga?
Carlo Guaragna: That alone is the greatest reward: working and living permeated by this philosophy.
Me without Borders – Feel free to write something:
Carlo Guaragna: Yoga is a philosophy of life, it is a system of conception of life, of interpretation of existence. A philosophy that improves the way you eat, relate, see the facts, see yourself. It is a point of view, a prism from which life is presented in a simple and uncomplicated way. It is much more than practice, than sádhana, it is philosophy of life, for life.
See one of their videos:
- Interview conducted by Angelica Weise from the Eu Sem Fronteiras team.
