Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Places I've Been | Daniela Olds
Winter 2020 | Wild Fronteirs | Teacher Highlight
I was born in Slovakia, a long time ago. Remembering my early years I always dreamt of escaping elsewhere. Anywhere. Into the big-wide exciting world. I am not sure if it was due to the Communism regime, the strictest of the strict father figure and the restriction of reality, or just a personal dream or wish. I knew I would not stay. After I turned 18 years old, becoming an adult in charge of my own choices and my own reality, I started to plan my journey and finally moved.
I started with England, for no other reason than it was easiest. I hoped to go anywhere but Slovakia as soon as my nationality, passport, politics and capitalism, money allowed. Destiny, of course, played a part.
Some years later, still in the UK and at the beginning of my thirties, I decided to embark on my Yoga career. That brought some profound changes to who I was yet to become. Putting behind me a past of an unsuccessful “family and marriage” with two stepkids and narcissist of a husband, the tragic loss of my mother, the subsequent failed relationship with a heroin addict - I was deliberately and aimlessly chasing love, happiness and stability of some kind. Soon I realised this was the beginning and not the end and my path is not meant to be an easy one.
Yoga started to open its door to guide me through my losses, my difficulties, and ultimately changed the course of my destiny. I became true believer that you can change your path. You can change the course of where you are meant to be and also where to go. With yoga as a practice, I became more confident, more determined, eventually more open minded and more open hearted. I soon discovered, life can be full of joy, but also became aware of how we can deal with all the sadness within us.
I completed my yoga teacher training in 2012 and my journey of being a free spirited yoga teacher, student, traveller, gypsy, nomad began! I loved the next few years of discovery. I was able to connect with like minded individuals, started to expand myself, and swam confidently towards my dreams and my future. Throughout the next few years, I have found love, happiness, confidence, a strong self belief system, determination, and a drive to success.
I created a dream and made that dream happen all the while working hard and flying high. I found myself in many places that made my heart sing - the home of yoga and my own yoga business - India, Thailand, Mexico, Europe, and the US. Whilst I placed an importance to my physical travels and loved every minute of being on the move, whether be it on a plane or train, part of my traveler's mentality was I would not change a thing, I was in my element to be here,there, and everywhere. The biggest journey was yet to be discovered.
Falling off a scooter in Thailand, travelling to authentic Rajasthan to lay rest to my tooth, surfing in storms and rainbows in Mexico, dancing and swimming under the stars in Goa, realising my self worth in Texas. My travels led me to meet beautiful and inspiring souls on every corner of the world, What I have started to value and experience was a reminder of my old childhood dreams to escape restrictions and be free.
Without realising it, all of these travels were (without being a cliche) me desperately trying to “find myself.” I chased happiness, connection, friendship, and freedom around the globe. I loved and failed many times. I lost and found friends, hair, and weight. Throughout all of this I discovered that at the end of my path of pain, suffering, and self discovery is a rough jewel of a diamond inside of me. My goal is to polish it and embrace it, while valuing the rough parts that taught me the most.
Yoga is and always has been a journey of self discovery. It’s not something anyone can teach you, it is something you need to open yourself up to. It is a learning curve, it is sitting in the classroom and studying your own behaviour, your own actions, your own silence, your ways of thinking, your shadows and change of perspective. All those places that we travel to, both externally and internally, over years, countries, failures, dark times all one day bring us back home to ourselves.
Looking back I am so grateful I have not had it easy. The shy teenager that came to the UK is now a wise and open woman. I would not change a thing. I look forward to the changes still to come that will take me on a path full of ups and downs, positives and negatives, light and darkness, failures and successes, love and heartbreak, happiness and sadness. We all have journeys we have been on and we all have journeys to come that will enlighten our sparkle.
ABOUT DANIELAI
aim to be more than just a yoga teacher, I am here to be empath and spiritual worker, to share wisdom and knowledge, to inspire, to hug, to talk, to listen, to connect, to honour and to fly high and to sit low. I am here to study and discover the depth of my own soul, my heart, my connection to myself and those around me.
Daniela is teaching in a variety of London’s studios while running her own retreats in Goa and Thailand. Her next yoga retreat is in Goa in March of 2020.
AUTHOR
Christina Hunt
Related posts
Fri 8 Sep 2023 • Christina Hunt
Glastonbury 2023 with The Pop-Up Hotel
Wed 21 Dec 2022 • Ella Wroath
PRESENCE | Daily Plunging with Ella
Tue 20 Dec 2022 • Christina Hunt
PRESENCE | Meditating with Michael
Tue 20 Dec 2022 • Christina Hunt
PRESENCE | EFT with Emily
Tue 20 Dec 2022 • Christina Hunt
PRESENCE | August's Garden
Tue 20 Dec 2022 • Christina Hunt
PRESENCE | Innercamp + Breathwork
Thu 22 Sep 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Humans of Soul Circus | Caroline from Colour Flow Active Wear
Thu 22 Sep 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Humans of Soul Circus | Maxine + Sarah
Thu 22 Sep 2022 • Christina Hunt
Soul Circus Fashion
Wed 20 Jul 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Benefits of Kid's Yoga
Tue 21 Jun 2022 • Christina Hunt
Mindful Pleasure in Every Sip
Tue 21 Jun 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Granthis & The Three Suns Meditation
Mon 13 Jun 2022 • Christina Hunt
Forget everything you think you know about Tantra
Sat 7 May 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Truth About Healing | Stephanie Hilborn
Wed 23 Mar 2022 • Ella Wroath
We Are All Connected
Mon 21 Mar 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Benefits of Shadow Work
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 11
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 10
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 9
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 8
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 7
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 6
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 5
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 4
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 3
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 2
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Humans of Soul Circus | Part 1
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration | Genre Bending with DJ Yoda
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
Finding Inspiration | Slowing Down in Thailand with Jamie
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Sunshine in Portugal
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
Black Lives Matter, the Pandemic, and Everything in Between
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
Surviving Kids in Lockdown
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
Community in the Time of Corona
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
On The Bright Side
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Planting a Soul Circus Forest | Christina Hunt
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Personal and Social Codes | Emily Young
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Sleep Posture: A Cheat’s Guide To Quality Sleep | Levitex Sleep
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
How Holos Started Brewing For Good | Naomi Partridge
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Yoga is Political | Amuna Schmid
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Harvesting the Moon's Magic | Bex Milford
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Art of Play | Andy Nathan
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Healing Your Root Chakra Through Sound | With Kayce
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Raising Vibrations Through Devotion | What are we REALLY devoted to? With Robert
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Raising Your Vibration Through Science | With Jake
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration | Molly the Sunshine Yogini and the Musician
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration | Photography with Emily
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration | Pivoting with Brandon
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration | In Nature with Helen
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Finding Inspiration In Your Why | Racquel
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Rest, Restore and Rejuvenate Your Soul with Reiki | Bridget Hooper
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Science of Sleep, Anxiety and Stress | Stephanie Romiszewski
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Creating a Solid Sleep Routine | Caroline Cornish
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
The Sense and Power of Community | Evntmkrs
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Eco-Friendly Deodorant Brand Doing Its Bit For The Climate-Friendly Community | Wild
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Bringing Everybody & Every Body Together Through Yoga | Yogi Bare
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Building an Authentic Community | Dan Peppiat
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Build a Bridge to Spring | Academy Healing Nutrition London
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Eating With Your Gut in Mind | Ms Holistic
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Regeneration Through Work | Vicky Shilling
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
How to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Getting Lost to Find Yourself | Dijana Krnjajic
Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Ella Wroath
Becoming the Circus