My name is Ali, short for Albena. I was born in Bulgaria, I grew up in Sofia. I practiced gymnastics and track and field as a child. I went to school in Sofia for Public Administration, part of the philosophy department in Sofia University. I moved to the United States at the age of 22. I've lived mostly in Los Angeles with the exception of a couple of years spent in Las Vegas. I discovered yoga while living in Las Vegas where I also became an avid rock climber. My journey into yoga is a continuation of a spiritual quest I have been on since I was a teenager, and maybe way before that. I was always very drawn to the spiritual in terms of trying to understand our purpose here on Earth and the evolution of our souls in the great scheme of things. And the search into the depths of my psyche has been a very natural and intuitive process. I started my yoga path by studying on my own. From the very first second I did yoga I felt an old familiarity with it. I felt like I "got it" from the very first second I started my practice, like an old lover who was long lost but I knew so well and so intimately. :)
Then I studied to become a yoga teacher, and ended up getting my 500 hours RYT. After that when I came back to LA I was fortunate enough to meet and start working for my biggest yoga inspiration. A soul I highly value and a "guru" (who would never admit he is a guru hehe) who influenced my view on yoga the most. I started teaching at MARK BLANCHARD'S POWER YOGA studios. And Mark's influence was a bench mark (no pun intended) in my understanding of the subtleties, fluidity, freedom and creativity in yoga. I discovered freedom in yoga through his teachings; dance and flow was there all along but I was able to see it and feel it more clearly than I ever had before. I developed my own style based on dance, high intensity interval training, bodybuilding, athletics and power yoga... and INTERVAL YOGA was born.
For years I was teaching up to 20 classes a week and when I was getting burned out and ready to quit I discovered YouTube. It has allowed me to capture the essence of my teachings and style and place the freedom and flexibility back into my students hands.
Thanks for all you warm messages and support.
So lets write the next INTERVAL YOGA Chapter together!
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND ALL MY LOVE TO YOU!
NAMASTE
