Yoga Blogger Interview: Tonya of Ultima Healing
Yoga Blogger Interview: Tonya of Ultima Healing
Today is second week of our 8 week interview series where we’ll present interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and we release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.
For our second interview, we were pleased to interview Tonya of Ultima Healing. We connected with Tonya a few months back after our readers had asked us questions about Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga. We decided to interview Tonya because of her expertise in practicing on the water!
Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Tonya in the comments section.
3. Being former collegiate athletes, we’re drawn to the combination of yoga and athletics to make for stronger, more dynamic athletes. Have you had any experience on the water with athletes? How long does it take for most athletes to be able to practice asana on a board?
I have had athletes in my class, but in general SUP Yoga is something you want to try more than one time. Each time you bring your yoga practice to the water you connect. All of my students improved each time on the paddle board. Improve may not be the word, I think connect is probably better. They became more connected, the first time is so exciting and something new but each time you return you let go a little more. Allowing yourself to connect to the water, wind and beauty of taking your yoga practice to a different level. Disconnecting to our very connected world and breathing into each pose while on the water. SUP Yoga is definitely a slower practice than most Vinyasa classes.
As an athlete, for conditioning you engage so many different muscle groups while maintaining balance on the board. As students become more comfortable I see poses that I can’t believe can be done on a paddle board. I teach an introduction to SUP Yoga class which I suggest for someone new to yoga and or paddle boarding. I lead 2 all-levels classes each week and I know that students can intensify their practice or take it down a level. The best part is trying fun things you thought to be impossible on a paddle board. I always joke “the first person in the water gets a prize” someone always falls in and then usually everyone falls in. I love all the smiles and laughter!
For athletes SUP Yoga adds an amazing opportunity to condition the body in a new way. This past summer, I incorporated Yin Yoga in classes. A Yin Yoga practice is great for athletes after other conditioning, bringing this practice to the water and board really allows any tension to release from the body.
4. What are some of the experiences and emotions you feel both physically and mentally while practicing asana on the water?
Personally, when I practice on the water, I feel a calmness that takes my practice to a different level. Even when I am doing a self practice that may be intense, I feel so free. Physically you engage different muscles while maintaining your balance on the paddle board. I can practice on the water for hours. It allows you to let go of your expectations and flow with the water.
5. How often do you practice SUP yoga in comparison to your regular yoga practice? Why?
During the season, which is usually 5 months here in Pittsburgh, I practice on the mat and SUP Yoga 6 days a week. That is the great thing about The Yoga Deck (28ft. pontoon boat) my floating yoga studio. I practice SUP Yoga and then I can practice on the mat outside on The Yoga Deck.
It is so important for me to do a self practice. It balances me and allows me to practice with my breath, to flow, connect and be with self. I love taking my practice outdoors. During the winter months I continue my self practice indoors. I do miss the water but I appreciate the seasons and know Spring is just around the corner. I stay connected to nature always. I love our snowy winters and being outdoors regardless of the temperature.
[Bonus Question] What are the main differences between a standard hatha practice in a room, shala, or platform vs. practice on a board in the middle of the water?
I feel the main difference is letting go of your expectations this allows connection to unfold. When you are new to SUP Yoga you have to connect. At times on your mat you may move through your practice not connected and with the mind wandering…On the water you are connected to nature and many elements. You are more conscious of your breath. Your practice can not be without the breath. Even after practicing for years, I still find myself accidentally holding my breath while on the mat at times.
On your paddle board without the breath, you soon meet the water. Your practice on the water evolves in time. I think that is the magic, what once was achieved on the mat is new on the water. The difference is connection.
6. What yoga or wellness books have had the biggest impact on you?
I read numerous books at one time. I love anatomy and meditations books, an amazing book I love is The Psoas Book by Liz Koch. I recently finished Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and it has the most beautiful messages! I am currently reading Sacred Space by Denise Linn, I love books about energy and balance!
7. On what form of social media do you connect w/ other yogis/yoginis most effectively?
I love all social media as it connects us to people we may not normally have access to. Instagram is one of my favorites because I have loved photography since I was a child. Photography is one of my many jobs and passions. Instagram has a wonderful group of yoginis and yogis!
I love to post and participate in challenges. I just finished co-hosting my second SUP Yoga challenge. The first one was #YoSUPtember and the most recent was #supyogachallenge. I enjoy connecting with other yoga teachers, spreading the SUP Yoga love and also bringing people into the world of paddle boarding. All of our SUP Yoga challenges are for everyone, we encourage people to join on a paddle board or on the mat!
8. What advice do you have for people who are just beginning to study & practice yoga?
I think finding a teacher that you connect with is very important. Find a home studio and focus on you and your practice. I love yoga workshops, usually they are all-levels so I encourage you to try new classes or different styles of yoga.Most cities have amazing teachers that travel and teach workshops that can offer new insights for your practice.
If you are new to yoga I think it is important to do a self practice at home. This provides a place for you to really focus on yourself.
Finally I believe meditation is one of the most amazing aspectss I have discovered through my love of yoga. Taking the time daily, to sit, reflect, and breathe, can open yourself up to your own true knowing…
I meditate everyday. Meditation can be anything. You can meditate while you take a walk in nature, before you go to bed, on your yoga mat or my favorite, on a paddle board. Meditation can be sitting with self drawing in the breath, it can be 2 minutes or 20. Guided meditations are amazing also, they can provide beautiful visualizations and can help with focus. Every breath allows peace and space in the body…healing begins within!
Tonya’s Bio:
Tonya Kapis has been practicing yoga since the late nineties. In 2009 she began a dedicated yoga practice and in 2010 became a 200RYT with Yoga Alliance. Her teaching style is Vinyasa based focusing on the breath and personal alignment that allows her students to guide themselves deeper or gentler into each pose. Using the breath and never forcing any pose is always a focus in her class, to flow with ease. Every practice is different, we all have days that we flow with our breath and other days where our balance eludes us.
In 2012 she started teaching SUP Yoga and in 2013 she opened The Yoga Deck. The Yoga Deck, LLC is a floating yoga studio, a 28ft Pontoon Boat. During the Spring/Summer/Fall seasons she teaches outdoors, on the boat and SUP Yoga. Taking your practice outside the studio allows for a connection to nature, water, and all of the elements. Each class ends with a guided meditation to further connect or guide the student inward to higher self and peace.
Tonya lives outside the Pittsburgh area and most likely will be found at The Yoga Deck or discovering the beautiful waters of Pennsylvania. This past fall she launched her website, Ultima Healing where she shares blog posts, photos, SUP Yoga, art and her love of Leg Warmers that she up-cylces!
You can also find Tonya on Instagram as freespiritbeauty, or on Twitter and Facebook.
8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted every Saturday at 8am. Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview. Click to see the first interview of this series, conducted last week with Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini.
Please leave a comment or question for Tonya in the comments section!
Keep shinning your light to this world!