Sara Bravo maximizes the potential of online yoga.
Born and raised in Chile, Sara was a hardcore athlete most of her life. While at university, a precancerous diagnosis saw her doctor prescribe daily yoga. Living in Austria for several years, Sara began studying with Indonesian yoga master Soraya Tad and later completed training with Lalit Kumar in Goa, India. Teaching in Austria, Chile, and Boston, Sara is the Director of Yoga in Spanish at Down Under and our On-Demand programming.
"This time in history is thrilling because we can break barriers like never before. Our livestream yoga classes and our on-demand programming are no longer limited by barriers or oceans.Instead we can all meet in one place, defined by our shared love of yoga.
As the Director of Yoga in Spanish, it's my privilege to create a safe and joyful place for all hispanic students in Boston.. and the globe. Language is our connector. My students can always bring a guest so I love that they often meet other Spanish-speakers in Boston and we go for coffee. As our studios grow, I'm eager to bring on other Spanish-speaking teachers. Down Under is a huge community in Boston so the potential to create truly inclusive practice is thrilling.
I'm stepping into leadership not only as part of the Teacher Leadership Council and Spanish program but as the Content Curator for Down Under's On-Demand programming. This platform allows folks to practice at their convenience. Students find our teachers with pre-recorded classes and then meet those teachers in-person or livestream. Down Under faculty also complement live teaching with videos workshopping concepts or asana they don't have time to address in a 75-minute public class. We're adding kids and prenatal offerings this month, Yoga in Spanish, and every major style of yoga.
I want Down Under's on-demand platform to be a resource for yoga students everywhere, to watch the space for more academic and philosophical material.
I plan to let the world know this community of teachers exists, showcasing the unmatched breadth, nuance, knowledge, and decades of experience that exists at this school.
Down Under is not a studio for me. It’s more like a university, an academy of learning. Our teachers are so connected and supportive that together, we are like a vast library. I’m filming 8-10 videos a week encompassing all styles of yoga, Ayurveda, fitness, and wellness. So by the end of the year, we plan to have content on Yamas and Niyamas and Sutras, Yoga History, Effort and Effortlessness, Different Methodologies, Pranayamas, and all the areas of expertise and nuance that these incredible faculty members have.
My work behind the scenes is just an extension of the evolution and gratitude I hope to prompt as a teacher. In my classes, I try to cultivate a conscious state of being, a way to salute ourselves and this body that serves us day in, day out. Beginning with a short pranayama, I pair the asana with music where the rhythm matches our breathing and pacing, using mantra, melody and heartbeat tones to luxuriate in the movement.
I love Andean music from my birthplace: in Chile's national parks, the Andean rangers play this indigenous music to draw the animals out. It is magical - the animals respond to and seek out the natural vibration of the flutes and violins.
I guess I see asana as a way to draw out the spirit, hopefully leaving my students feeling grateful - for their bodies, for life, and for this practice.
