We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Restivo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Biggest risk I’ve taken was to leave corporate America and follow my desire to help people on a deeper level through yoga. It was essentially jumping off a cliff with no parachute and only faith and courage and the love I had for the practice. And of course my own experience in which yoga saved my own life and I knew I wanted to share that with others.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’d like to say that I found yoga but I truly believe yoga found me. It started way back in college when I signed up for a yoga class for credit. At the time I was still confronting my past and figuring out being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I was dealing with an immense amount of anxiety and depression major dis connectivity with my body. To my surprise, yoga was the one thing that brought me back to life. I was resuscitated! It wasn’t going to therapy and seeing a talking head. It was getting on the mat. Finding the space to release all the trauma stored in my body. And from there my real journey began. (Side note- highly recommend the book The Body Keeps Score if you’re dealing with trauma)

So my journey began and for the last 17 years I’ve been studying and practicing yoga, dance, pilates, meditation, and wellness and healing practices. I teach several modalities but focus heavily on vinyasa based classes, while incorporating synergistic methods and experience acquired through years of searching for the things in life that fed my soul.

And then yoga saved my life again. I was told, after a crippling back injury, that I would never run, swim, bike, dance, or engage in any strenuous physical activity again. Having yoga in my life immediately changed. It helped me heal physically as well as emotionally; nursing me through some of life’s darkest chapters. It is my great pleasure to share this gift of knowledge in order to help others. I believe that mental, spiritual, and physical wellness allows us to a find a foundation to enjoy the rhythm of life on and off the mat. It’s about gaining consciousness and listening to our bodies and minds. Yoga connects the mind with the body, allowing us to express ourselves through the gift we have all been given: Our natural breath. With every class, it allows you to embark on a new journey. Allowing healing and growth on the mat that then transfers off the mat. That is yoga’s great and most beautiful gift.

Luckily I was able to transcend teaching from studio life into long term residential healthcare programs where I’ve been working with adolescents and women who are faced with the struggles of trauma, mental health, addiction, and neurodiverse challenges. Working with both individuals on a private level and in group settings.

My teaching has brought me as far as Africa where I had the opportunity to share yoga and meditation in Kibera. A community in Kenya that is considered one of the largest slums of the world. A place where yoga didn’t exist. As well as no water, electricity, and a high level of poverty. This was one of the greatest gifts yoga brought me in life so far. I truly believe yoga should be for everyone and especially those that don’t have access to such wellness practices. And I look forward to one day furthering this.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My most recent experience with resilience and is still ongoing, started with Covid. I unfortunately was injured by my second injection which created SIRVA. This was a shoulder related vaccine injury that created arthritis, bursitis, and Tendonitis in my shoulder. I had to take a severely long break from my own practice which lead to extreme pain, weight gain and depression. I was still able to teach others but my own practice suffered immensely. It wasn’t until I finally received stem cell therapy in Mexico from a Dr my family helped find as they have lived there for almost 20 years now. The healing process has taken over two years but I didn’t give up. I’m slowly getting back to my physical practice but luckily I was able to still maintain my spiritual practice accompanied by some yin yoga and again it saved my life.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think success comes with choosing what it is you love the most. Choosing what you’re most passionate about and following that path. I think it’s important to always be teaching outside the box and to not limit yourself to one environment. I truly believe it’s important to teach from your own heart and your own personal experiences. And not to be afraid of being vulnerable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @restivo_yoga
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Betsy Martinez