True Nature was able to spend some time getting to know Yoga Teacher, Shaman, and Spiritual Teacher, Alyssa Snow. Take a glimpse into her upcoming retreat in Guatemala.
TN: How does the idea of “Uncovering Your Essence” play into your upcoming Yoga Retreat, and what themes do you see coming up throughout the journey?
A: We live in such intense times. Oftentimes experiencing information overload and not even realizing it. We become immersed in the roles we play in life. The role we play at home as mother, father, brother, daughter, etc. The role we play in our professional life. Then we layer on top of that our own expectations and ideas of those roles and our emotional experiences that we may express or not express. These become the layers of our being.
And we can feel bogged down with layers that we are not even aware of. They are just part of life.
This yoga retreat is about unraveling those layers. What if we were able to just drop our ideas about who we are, what life should be for us, what people expect of us? What if we just let that go and experienced BEING?
The themes that may come up this week are what makes up these layers? What gets in the way of us experiencing just being? What gets in the way of us experiencing ourselves as Divine? What gets in the way of us experiencing joy? Can we look those themes in the eye and bid them goodbye?
That’s the journey.
TN: Who has been your greatest influence and why?
A: I have had too many to list. I’ll say my mother. She’s my best friend. She has given me the experience of being unconditionally loved from my mother. This experience has shaped who I am as a woman and as a mother to my own four children. It has shaped who I am as teacher of the heart. Her love and capacity to hold space for me in every phase of my life thus far has been one of my life’s greatest gifts. One that I hope to pass on to my own daughters.
TN: If there was a yoga pose or meditation practice that described you – what would it be and why?
A: Breath of fire. Because it’s intense, active and fiery yet neutral and balancing in it’s effect.
TN: Other than yoga and meditation – what are some of your passions? Will these be explored in your retreat?
A: Shamanism has become a great area of study for me. I’ve been teaching yoga for about 17 years and practicing for a little over 20. Shamanism, drumming, journeying and connecting to my spirit guides and masters has become a deep part of my spiritual practice. YES for sure they will be explored during the retreat!
TN: What is on your “Guatemala list” and what are you most excited about?
A: I’m not sure I have a “Guatemala list” but I know I am excited about experiencing the vibration of Lake Atitlan and the indigenous shamanic practices of the local healers. I live in NYC so I’m also extremely excited to immerse in somewhere slower and more quiet.
TN: Is there a saying or quote that really resonates with you and your upcoming retreat?
A: This culture we have, this social media culture and images…I invite you to go deeper. I invite you to become aware of you, your life and how you want to live it.
We invite you to join us in a weeklong exploration to deepen your connection to your highest self and open to love. In this magnificent retreat on Lake Atitlán, we will learn how to shift that balance. Located in the homeland of the indigenous Maya, Lake Atitlán is a magical setting referred to as the belly button of the earth – the center of the universe where God’s seeds of mankind evolved. Immersed in this vibration, you will experience kundalini yoga, hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga, shamanic drumming, and led sharing circles. In all of this, Alyssa will guide you to unravel the patterns that do not serve you so that you can open to the magic of the light within you.
Uncovering Your Essence: A Spiritual Yoga Retreat in Guatemala with Alyssa Snow
July 22 – July 28, 2019
Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Find out more: HERE
ABOUT ALYSSA
Alyssa Snow is a passionate spiritual mentor, yoga teacher and shamanic energy healer with more than 20 years of experience in the field of mind-body therapeutics. Over the course of her career, she has helped thousands of clients discover greater alignment within themselves, within their relationships with others, and within the landscapes of their lives.
Alyssa combines her academic background in accounting and finance and her corporate operations experience with her life roles as a mother, a business owner, yoga teacher, healer and a human being to offer clients a unique, real-world approach to spiritual exploration.
She is the founder of MindBodySoul Yoga Studio in New York City and the author of Yoga and the Process of Awakening. She is the lead creator in MindBodySoul Yoga’s 200-hour teacher training and is the host of Mind Body Soul Radio.
Alyssa is a highly skilled yoga teacher and also offers tremendous heart and the deeply practiced skills of space holding, shamanic journeying, mentorship, intuition, leadership, teaching, empowerment, and facilitation in all of her encounters.
