BIO ROAST: Vanessa Fiola
A spin on our usual Friday format of satirical yoga bios, the Bio Roast is when we dig up our old teaching bios and deconstruct them to get to the truth of the matter.
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By Vanessa Fiola
This is a teacher’s bio of mine from a few years ago. Things have changed.
Svadharma in Sanskrit means, loosely, to make one’s own path. [Guys, I don’t know Sanskrit. I barely speak English. A long time ago, my friend Roberto made a cool looking t-shirt with svadharma emblazoned on the front. I asked him what it meant, and then I promptly co-opted it.] Vanessa’s path includes a great day gig [great?] (project manager, in short), that affords her growth and flexibility, very cool friends, [I have friends because I’m a glamorous project manager?] and an amazing community. [At least I didn’t say kula.]
Her training originated in Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga and continues now with Anusara. Her classes reflect both – the fluidity of vinyasa with an awareness toward alignment and heart-centered practice. [I once took a class from a teacher who told me that I had a “heart-centered” practice. I think she was hitting on me. And then I used it in my bio.] Vanessa’s hope is that her enthusiasm for yoga is contagious [like, say, the clap] to all of those she comes in contact with, in and outside the studio. For more information on Vanessa, go to www.vanessafiola.com.
About Vanessa Fiola
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Teachers, dig up your old bios and roast yourselves! submissions@recoveringyogi.com
4 Comments !
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Ryan says:
I LOVE that pic.
jessica says:
i’m pretty sure that soon-ish (not in a stalker way) after i first met you, i read this. i totally thought you were a glamorous projet manager. i totally believed in that, vanessa! are you saying that it wasn’t true??
BIO ROAST: Laura Neal says:
[...] I made a dismaying discovery when I decided to take part in the Recovering Yoga Bio Roast Challenge: I’ve actually gotten more woo-woo over the years! Reading over what I wrote seven years ago, it [...]
Christian O'Neil says:
These bio roasts are a hoot. Great idea.
I got certified to teach at CPY in Denver in ’04. I never actually taught however so I never wrote a bio. If I had I’m it would have had its share of cringe-worthy spiritual rhetoric.
Here’s what my teacher bio would look like now
“When Christian isn’t feeling lazy or sore from other stuff and has nothing better to do, he occasionally will drop in on a yoga class. The hot chicks are his primary inspiration”