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Jody Tull de Salis is a certified therapeutic yoga instructor with 16 years of international teaching experience in Europe and the USA. She received her Masters Degree in Education from Columbia University. She teaches Sivananda (Hatha) Yoga classes and gives private tuition in Ann Arbor, MI (USA).

A word from Jody

I first encountered yoga during a long airplane ride from NYC to LA. The woman seated next to me suggested I stand in the aisle and focus on my breath, while bending all the way over to the right, and then over to the left. Moments later, I felt 200% better. She informed me that I had just done a yoga pose, and recommended a book called “Richard Hittleman’s 28 Days to Yoga”. In LA, I went straight to the bookstore and purchased the book, which launched me into a new way of life and my life’s passion.

On the 28th day, to the day, I happened to be walking by the Sivananda Yoga Center (in NYC), where a yoga intensive was to begin the next day. Amazingly, I had vacation days already arranged – and I registered for the course. It was during the first day of that yoga intensive that I effortlessly released pent up tension I never knew I had, creating a remarkable transformation in the way I felt.

Twenty-five years ago, I began a journey that has led me into excellent health, well being, inspiring friendships and wonderful work experiences. The yoga stretches and breathing exercises, combined with the insights and ideas that come as a result of my practice, have in every way shaped my life. My yoga practice has deepened my connection with my faith, myself and my ever-expanding community; it has taken me to vistas I couldn’t have imagined possible. Yoga students frequently hear me say the only thing better than taking a yoga class is teaching a yoga class. I am humbled to be part of the lineage of yoga teachers that impart such simple, yet profound, wisdom.

The Sivananda style of teaching yoga is gentle, meditative and collaborative – the body, the mind and the breath all work together to get energy moving through the body, unobstructed. When that happens, all of the senses come to life so that colors are absolutely vibrant, smells are rich with fragrance, the sense of taste is enhanced – it’s like the opening of a flower.

For the past 20 years, I’ve taught yoga mostly in Ann Arbor, Michigan and also just outside London, England. My training has taken me from the States to Canada, England, Europe and India. Yoga is a process that builds strength emotionally and physically while tapping into a reservoir of sweetness and energy like a fresh breeze and refreshment - better than a glass of lemonade on a hot day. Helping others awaken these riches is what I love most about teaching yoga. When people ask me about myself, I often say that it is my aim to be part of the solution. There is no doubt that, if everyone in the world practiced yoga, we’d live in a peaceful and harmonious world. One of my favorite quotes is “Be the change you would like to see in others” (Gandhi).

Part of my dream in starting our business was to lead retreats that offered an opportunity for all levels of yoga students to deepen their practice, while connecting with nature in the most beautiful parts of the world. When I first saw Soglio, a Swiss village that my husband’s ancestors helped found one thousand years ago, I knew it was the place that would host my first retreat. Because that retreat was so successful, we decided to make it an annual tradition - a celebration of yoga, the Alps and its people and the yoga participants. Part of the synchronicity was meeting the owner of a beautiful yoga studio who, along with her yoga teacher, chose Soglio as the perfect retreat for their yoga training. Most of our yoga classes are held in Hermine’s idyllic Swiss studio with its ever-so-pure energy. Our accommodation is in a big Swiss house, with amazing artefacts collected during the owner’s travels throughout the world. It is no coincidence that their teacher’s teacher was Swami Sivananda – also my teacher’s teacher. The village and surrounding areas, most especially Sils, Stampa and Chiavenna (Italy) -- all part of the magic of the retreat -- are part of the experience we attempt to capture in the photos. Though we get such positive feedback from the photos, there is nothing like experiencing it first hand.

One inspiring feature is the people who find their way to our Soglio retreat. Some come solo, some with partners, some with family clans. All bring a wonderful sense of adventure and a lifetime of experiences. We welcome all. We only ask that participants have a thirst to contribute to their own health and well-being as well as to the health and well-being of the group, which is why this is a non-smoking and mostly alcohol-free retreat. It is a region of such relaxed elegance. It is a time to step into a simple routine that is nurturing and nourishing – a homecoming in the Swiss Alps.

It is our aim for you to feel totally rejuvenated, because of our retreat, and for you to take back home a new point of reference for feeling fantastically alive -- an experience which you can bring home and refer to, in your day in, day out, everyday life. For you to step into total relaxation, renewal and refreshment, while enjoying the stunning beauty of the Swiss Alps, is the purpose of our retreat. Rupert and I look forward to welcoming and getting to know you during this mega-adventure.

P.S.
I shall always be filled with gratitude towards the woman on the plane for her generosity in spirit, which has served as a guiding light for me. Such kindness, from someone who asked nothing in return, is at the heart of yoga.

Links:

Sils
www.sils.ch

Soglio
www.en.wikipedia.org

Map of Soglio
www.viamichelin.com

Chiavenna
www.images.google.com

Val Bregaglia
www.switzerland.isyours.com

Stampa and Giacometti family
www.bregaglia.ch

Castelmur
www.myswitzerland.com