We were lucky to catch up with Rianne Vestuto recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rianne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned to do what I do mostly by following my own inner guidance, and collecting the training and experience I’ve needed along the way. Though I didn’t know exactly what I was working towards, I always knew that I wanted to teach creative movement.

With a yoga practice that began when I was three years old, mindful movement has always been a central piece of my life. I practiced yoga through my teens and was certified to teach in my early twenties by Shiva Rea, and then by Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee.

I’ve always been so captivated by ancient dance, and how dance is a form of body prayer around the world. I ended up pursuing a degree in Somatic Healing  (which I co-created with the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies,) blending my interests in dance therapy, feminine movement, yoga therapy, expressive arts, and somatic psychology. At the same time I was apprenticing in energy healing, and facilitating women’s circles around New York City.

Aura Toning really crystalized for me during 2020. During quarantine I was spending so much time in my own energy, which helped find the courage to let go of who I thought I should be. I went through a phase of becoming a student of Aura Toning…learning how to listen inwardly with as much respect for my own inner guidance as I held for the guidance that came from my teachers.

Learning to heed my intuition has been an ongoing journey. Had I been able to trust myself more thoroughly and stand behind my intuition sooner, I could have avoided a whole lot of mistakes. At times it felt easier to trust others more than myself, but I’ve learned that if you want to create your own offering, you have to believe in it and call the shots.

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

I created a movement class called Aura Toning, which is a unique workout to cleanse & bless that waters of your body and transform your energy.

Aura Toning works with the waters of the body, emphasizing the facia, lymphatic system, and energy channels, to transform stagnant energy into new, alive energy (light.)

Each of our workouts is a water blessing – we use movement to cleanse, bless, and harmonize the waters of our bodies to help us radiate intrinsic beauty and strength in our auras. The class is 65 minutes, and creates a class experience that is both energizing and relaxing, leaving you feeling clear, centered, and connected.

Members of Aura Toning have called this modality “a lymphatic drain for the body and the aura,” which I think is such a beautiful description of how Aura Toning makes you feel.

Aura Toning is offered in the form of classes, workshops, and retreats. We also have cleanses online for those who want to go into a more immersive experience, and our next one begins in January.

Classes are mostly online, but I pop up for workshops through Laguna, Los Angeles, and New York.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

A lot of people from the outside looking in may think that this is an easy path… it’s definitely not. It takes a lot of hard work, patience, listening, trusting, and even soul searching.

But, if you are really passionate or called by a creative path, it all feels worth it.

I think I a lot of people can relate to the feeling of doing something that may not be easy or make a whole lot of logical sense, but something in your heart says to keep going…

It’s kind of like being in love. It’s hard to explain, it can make you do crazy things, but you know in your heart that it’s right.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m really passionate about helping people create a softer relationship with their bodies. I think so much of our suffering comes from being so hard on ourselves. And so much healing can happen through redefining how we see ourselves.

This class is for all body types, and while it will help you tone your body, it will also help you love and celebrate the life force you were given.

I really believe in bringing a love-based lens to exercising. Aura Toning is a way to remind us that we are water…which means that we are love.

I wanted to create something that not only inspires us to love and respect ourselves, but to love and respect all life. This class is way for us to cultivate and cleanse our own energy from within, so that we can feel our own auras in relation to the world around us. So we can be centered in ourselves meeting the world with a soft, open heart. I hope that this is how people feel after working with me.