Meet the passionate, caring, and experienced Janet Corvino!
Janet was the Centre Manager for NeoWhistler YYoga for 5 years and a yogi for 17 years. Janet is both a YYoga Instructor, Teacher Trainer and an innovator of hosting yoga retreats. Her trainings are Anusara based with outcroppings in Therapeutics, Vinyasa & Power, and YHot. Janet loves to have her students play on the mat, explore and create deep openings in body and spirit . Her classes are a mix of alignment cues, laughs and wisdom based themes.
Janet is part of the YYoga Teacher training faculty in Vancouver, BC. Janet instructs trainees in a 200 hour and the YHot certification programs. Janet has a graduate degree in interdisciplinary Education and loves teaching teachers how to teach. She has worked as a learning specialist for 20 years, and mentored Columbia University Graduate Education students while living in NYC before becoming a devoted yogi and yoga instructor.
She is generous with her support and deeply devoted to her students.
Real life yoga for everyday living.
True Nature had the pleasure of getting to know Janet a little better. Check out her interview below, and be sure to sign-up for her Italy retreat here!
TNE: What does it mean to you, when you refer to “real yoga for real life?” as part of your yoga practice, teaching, and your intentions for the upcoming retreat?
Janet: I have been a practicing yogi for 18 years. When I first started the practice was all about the poses(asana). I wanted to be able to do handstand, arm balances and other” tricked out” yoga moves. I thought this made me a yogi. After many years of study on the mat and off the mat, I realized that being able to do “tricked out” yoga poses did not have much to do with being a true yogi after all. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sensations of moving my body, feeling its strength and flexibility and the peace that comes with a solid daily physical practice. But after many years of study, I realized the Yoga Sutras written by the sage Patanjali detailed a way to embrace yoga on a daily level. I began to put into practice the Yamas and Niyamas, the yoga code for a yogic lifestyle of being a kind, truthful. disciplined and compassionate person to yourself and others, hence a connection to the Divine. Yes the asanas bring great calm to the body and mind but needed in this brew of tranquility is meditation, breath work and a code of internal and external behaviors to guide us through life. As a yoga teacher, I break down the body, mind and spiritual practice found in the Sutras for modern day life . Everyone can practice yoga every day in a very simple form if needed due to demands of a busy life to a more complex study if time is available. I work to provide easy, simple techniques to use gain peace in the body, mind and spirit.
TNE: Who has been your greatest influence and why?
Janet: I have to say I had some incredible teachers guide me- Chris Chavez, Jonas Westring, and Christina Sell are the top contemporary hits but the three greats Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois and Desikachar are my foundation. However, every class, teacher training, and yoga retreat I teach, I learn the most from my students… I am forever in awe and filled with gratitude for my students
TNE: If there was a yoga pose or mediation practice that described you – what would it be and why?
Janet: I don’t think I could be so bold to say they describe me but I do love Forearm stand (Pincha Mayurasana) and Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril prananyama). They each invigorate and calm me at the same time. I am a mix of stability and gypsy. I love a stable home life and yet travelling whispers to me constantly.
TNE: Other than yoga and meditation – what are some of your passions? You mentioned the retreat will delve into the theme of re igniting your passion, can you share a little more?
Janet: I do not like to get stale.. I am constantly reading, taking courses etc.. I love to learn! I like to expand my horizons of who I am. Just when I have learned something, I will take on another challenge, this keeps me fresh, young and very alive. I love the feeling of stepping outside my comfort zone and into my passions. Many individuals are hesitant about taking on new challenges such as learning a new skill or taking on new career challenges. The transformation of going from the known to the unknown can be very un-grounding, but this is the space where true self growth takes place. In the Happiness Project written by Grethen Rubin, evidence now points to this time of transformation as the Happiness zone. We become most alive when we are evolving and growing. On the retreat “Stoke the Fire” we will explore new asanas on the mat which take us out of our comfort zone and see how we react to them. What we practice on the mat is a mirror to how we are in the world. If we can become comfortable with the discomfort of learning new skills, new images of who we think we are on the mat we can then transfer this experience to our daily lives. Besides our daily yoga practice, we will unwind from our lives back home through delicious meals and luxurious surroundings to unfold into. Often when we stop working and immerse ourselves in a new beautiful setting away from family and work commitments we get a chance to be objective about our lives, the creativity reignites and a spark of passion begins to surface.
TNE: What is on your “Italy bucket list” and what are you most excited about?
Janet: I am very excited to be taking part in an authentic Italian Ashram, who knew such a thing existed? Once I heard, I had my bags packed! Italians are passionate about just everything- food, wine, life! Being around positive, passionate people is so contagious, I am looking forward to diving into yoga, food, culture, and just to listen to the Italian language it sweeps me off my feet. We have a few day trips planned to nearby coastal towns which are know for their beauty and for an Olive Oil tasting session. Yoga, travel, good food and passionate people, this my kind of retreat.
TNE: Is there a saying or quote that really resonates with you and your upcoming retreat?
Janet: Nelson Mandela said it best “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” So many of us are deep into work, daily chores etc.. we forget how to be in the moment and fully engaged with our surroundings and the people we share them with. Life can easily pass us by in a blink of an eye. The Italy retreat is great opportunity to pause in the beauty of Italy and re-examine your intentions for your life and to bring your passions for life to the surface. How would you live your life if failure was just a stepping stone to living large?
We are ready to live large with Janet! Are you?
