Well known around Melbourne City, NSW Australia. This Women, for us, need not an introduction...
When we heard that Nina Alfers, Yoga teacher & Massage therapist agreed to taking "AN INTERVIEW WITH..." by equilibrio felice we were so excited!
German born, tall, blonde, slightly strict but extremely relevant within her teachings and in her way. This lady is something else and locals and short stayers are lucky to experience her teachings and massage which can be found throughout the streets of the city.
You'll find Nina teaching Yoga classes and workshops in Fitzroy at Dance of Life Yoga studio community space. Her workshops and classes are not to be missed, detailing the importance and refinement of alignment , intention & strength in every session. Working through theme specific enquiry and picking apart asana's and the more subtle aspects in each session.
This lady sets the bar when it comes to the practice and the teaching of this age old practice.
When she isn't feeling the weather that the Melbourne winter can bring you can find her in Bali for her annual Teacher training's and retreats
You can keep up to date by registering or viewing Nina's site http://www.svastha-yoga.com/ where you will find a blog including detailed write ups on a number of workshops Nina has held, dates of Yoga retreats and planned Hatha Yoga Teacher training courses.
We have taken too much time already so, with much excitement, without any further introduction, here it is, an interview with Nina Alfers...
Nina, we would love to know what is your Design, your Purpose, your Being?
" I’m a yoga instructor and massage therapist - Touch is my medium, and if too much time passes without me touching and engaging in a body I get fidgety. Everything else I do is built around that. I read a lot, spend time in nature, and work things out on the mat "
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Where is it that you currently reside?
Fitzroy, Melbourne
What’s the most beautiful word in the world?
“ Discernment "
What’s your favourite smell?
Rain on hot tarmac
Whats the best advise you have ever been given?
" Life is going to repeat itself until you’ve learnt your lesson "
What inspires you?
Dissonance
What’s your favourite time of day?
Early morning, when the birds wake up
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?
The Australian Outback at dusk
Whom do you secretly admire?
Anyone who stays kind in the face of adversity and who can be gentle when challenged by their own fears
What do you cook better than anyone?
Pancakes
What’s the first thing you notice about people?
The relationship between their eyes and hands
When was the last time you cried?
When I hugged a friend in despair
Greatest Weakness?
Stubbornness
Greatest Strength?
Stubbornness
What are you grateful for today?
" The sun keeps peeking through the clouds"
What is your Mantra?
" Om namaha"
Do you believe in a higher power?
No
How did you know you had found your Design, Purpose, Being?
"All my life, I looked at my hands thinking ‘there’s got to be a purpose for you guys’. I tried playing the piano – that was not it; I tried crafts – definitely not!; I tried building – liked it but didn’t like the blokey culture; I tried carpentry – and found I’m lacking the patience; then one day I was stretching out a friend after an Aikido session and they said ‘you should massage, you’re awesome’. I thought ‘ewwww, touching strangers???’ and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I became a massage therapist; and feeling that that career was not going to see me through to old age because it was so hard on my body, I took my teachers up on the request to become a yoga instructor under them. Yoga made me fitter and stronger than I had ever been, and the combination of knowledge about the body and seeing bodies’ discomfort in asanas has allowed me to hone my intuition for teaching yoga. "
What are some of the struggles you have faced on your path?
A critical inner voice is not your friend when you try to break the shackles of your previous investment in an academic career. It took a long time to shift from that critical person to the more accepting and forgiving person I am today. To permit myself to have fun and be light and still do my best, rather than push and shove myself into and through adverse situations
What words do you have for those trying to find their expression?
"Be kind, be forgiving, be loving, try again. "
Describe your everyday rituals & routines...
I start my day with coffee... always.
What do you do to keep Motivated & Focused?
I give myself permission to wander and I have a to-do list for the sole purpose to stick my tongue out to it and walk away to sit in the sun and read a book
How do you spend your free time?
I don’t think I don’t have anything but free time. I love what I do and do a lot of it. Voluntarily and with joy.
How do you find Balance?
See above. I know that I have intense periods of one thing, so I make sure I give the intensity its space and due, without stressing about what will come after.
In my experience, if you think you have a few busy weeks coming up and you ‘hang in there’ until they finish, there will only be more intense weeks accumulating after them. So I just go with it and create space in the interstices
What are your thoughts on mindfulness?
Sadly, a very overused and blown-out term, but aside from that very useful! I prefer to reference it as ‘attention and intention’ to prevent the practitioner from switching off in the face of a too-known term. This way, we’re also able to focus on the practitioners’ agency more strongly. That aside, I am loving the ever increasing popular engagement with mindfulness and am fully supportive of it
What can we find you indulging in?
Coffee. Trashy novels. Sunshine
Whats next for Nina Alfers?
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I’ve been feeling pretty settled in Melbourne and haven’t been teaching or seeking to teach away from home. This trend seems to be continuing on, which I don’t mind in the least as it allows me to focus on my relationships with both yogis and massage patients. I’ve started co-facilitating YTTs here in town and love the ongoing engagement with those students.
Wishing Nina all the luck to continue doing what she was designed to do. Working with her hand.
Nina, may your hands work well throughout your remaining time gifted to those around you.
You can follow Nina's Journey through social media and you can read more details regarding Workshops and teacher training's.
An lastly if you find yourself in Melbourne take a class with Nina and send her love from me.
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