Rhonda Sesto

“The journey of yoga is always a continuous learning experience every day, every moment, embrace and share the journey” On the serious side; I am a student of the Buddhist traditions and practice Buddhism’s core beliefs. I live my life understanding the importance of love, laughter, harmony, compassion, forgiveness, balanced attitudes and positive thinking. These attributes are brought forth in Buddhabellyyoga in my teaching. I had a very defining moment in my life that allowed me to look at my life. I choose to live life with laughter, with healthier and wiser decisions, with more compassion for myself and others. With the understanding that life is full of diversity, this diversity, if looked at with compassion and an open mind and heart can be a wonderful tool for life’s lessons. Through Yoga I found the courage to nourish these ideals. Integrating Yoga into my daily life has allowed me to bring peace, confidence, a voice and love that always resided within me to myself and others. My Yoga experience started very humbly at a gym. I turned to Yoga, seeing it as a challenge; a way to expel my negative energy and found an appreciation for life as I connected with my mind, body and spirit. The challenge I thought was going to be just the physical aspect. The discovery that came unexpectedly was so profound. I learnt about my spirit, my strengths, weakness’ and the compassion I wanted to share with others. I have been blessed and honored with the teachers I have and still continue to study with. I will always be inspired by their knowledge and generosity to share their knowledge. Thank you. My Teachings The philosophy I teach from is “to honor your body, mind and spirit”. I guide my students with compassion and with fine detailed instruction to support their Yoga practice. My focus is on proper alignment in poses and breath awareness. There is always a modification for a pose; to have the pose adjusted for the student’s physical ability, and then they will be able to connect with the pose from the inside out. Laughter has always been a staple when I teach. Life is here to enjoy and having moments of laughter, calmness and a ha moments are all part of the way I enjoy teaching. I would like my teachings of Yoga to be healing to others because it was and still is for me. I learn everyday from my students and this is one of the many benefits of teaching for me. I continue to study under my teachers and believe in the importance of passing this knowledge forth to my students. Restorative Yoga When I finished my first restorative practice session I had a huge "aha" moment where I found strength and insight to make a change in my life. This convinced me to seek more knowledge about Restorative Yoga. I decided to meet the guru of Restorative Yoga, Judith Lasater, I loved the way she spoke; I understood her words and connected her teachings to myself and for my future students. Judith asked me to be one of her assistants. When I assist Judith, I learn more about Yoga and myself. I continue to be inspired by Judith, and her awareness of how to connect life and YOGA.