Namastecita had the privilege of participating in the creation of yoga mats for an extraordinary person: Dara. With a captivating personality, Dara radiates passion and positivity from a position of empowerment.
When Dara first contacted us, we gave her a quick look at her profile, as we always do at Namastecita. We were surprised by how naturally she spoke; she showed herself as she is, without posing, even in pajamas. We said: she has to be a brand ambassador! And so a beautiful relationship began. Little by little, her studio began to fill up with Namastecita mats, and a few months ago she had a great idea: to have her own personalized yoga mat. So we got to work.
In this interview, we'll get to know her a little better, both as a person, as an instructor, and as the founder of a yoga studio. Their stories teach us that true freedom is found wherever one chooses to seek it, showing us that yoga is more than a practice; it's a path to fulfillment and well-being.
Hi Dara! Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us. To begin, tell us a little about yourself and how your relationship with yoga began.
My relationship with yoga began in a strange way because I've always been a bit anti-exercise. It's not that I want to classify yoga as a sport, but anything that involved movement seemed tiresome to me. Added to the fact that I've always been told I'm super nervous, going to "stand in yoga" seemed like a chore. But hey, sometimes life repeats things until you see them, and that's a bit what happened to me.
After my father's death, I started doing a million activities to avoid listening to my mind and trying to untangle that knot. And yoga ended up being one of those things. The problem is that shortly after signing up, I got pregnant, and I had to take a break (motherhood is intense and full of horrors 🫨 ). But over time, yoga went from being a hobby to being the sustenance of all the intensity of life.
What led you to the decision to open your own yoga studio?
The truth is, opening the yoga studio wasn't my idea. In fact, I didn't think I was going back to being self-employed. But a conversation with my tutor from one of the training sessions made me understand a lot of things. I realized I was already running a studio because I had about 50 students whom I managed myself, including enrollment, classes, etc., each month.
I understood from that conversation that, ultimately, the difference between having a studio or not was only the space, because I was already managing a studio. So, my husband, who was more clear-eyed, took me to see spaces. I thought they were all bad, but he pushed me to understand that we just had to work on adapting the spaces ourselves. That way, we'd invest less money, although it would mean more free time to spruce up the spaces.
Tell us a little more about the challenges you faced when opening your own studio and how you overcame them. We know it's not always easy. Are there any anecdotes you can share?
The challenges of starting something from scratch are intense. It's true that my studio is in a small town, where I think bureaucratic procedures are easier than in a larger location. But you know that life encourages us not to live too comfortably, and here I'll share the great anecdote.
The anecdote is quite common and has made me realize the work yoga does. After only eight months of opening, we literally had to gut the entire studio because some sewage drains burst beneath the floor, leaking all the sewage from the building. (I'll add my tip of the day here: if you're looking for a space, make sure the sewage drains are in good condition, or better yet, don't have any.) I had to close my classes for a month, and everything seemed to be starting from scratch.
And this is where I noticed yoga. My attitude was surprising; I'm still grateful for having been so well during this intense time. I always felt I couldn't close classes because everything would go bust, but it was the opposite. All my students responded wonderfully, and when we were able to return to our space, it was like an incredible reunion. I think this process has given me a confidence I didn't have before.
"I always felt like I couldn't close classes because everything would go bankrupt, but it was the other way around. All my students responded wonderfully, and when we were able to return to our space, it was like an incredible reunion."
And what do you think sets your studio apart from other yoga studios? We've always been intrigued by how each studio has its own unique essence, and we'd love to hear more about yours.
The only thing that makes my studio different from others is, as you say, the fact that each of us is unique, and that's our superpower. I'd say my yoga is very earthy, very natural, very made for life. I'm also a very humorous person, although I vary a lot in class, but I always end up with an approach that makes us all smile.
Specifically, I'm also someone who doesn't have that beautiful Cirque du Soleil photo physique, so I always feel comfortable understanding new people, and I think I'm good at accompanying people who are discovering yoga for the first time.
Now, moving on to something very special, we recently collaborated with you to create a custom mat. What was that process like for you? Were there any highlights during the collaboration?
The process of creating this project has been incredible because over the years, thanks to social media, many brands have reached out to collaborate, but I'm not a person who's motivated by anything financial (that's how it goes for me 😜 ). So, I didn't want to do things just for the sake of it, and in the end, knowing how to wait led me to find you.
In general, I don't usually feel deserving of the good things that happen to me, or worse, I'm always on guard because if something good happens, I know some setback is coming next. So at first, I had this feeling of "wow, this is real!" And as we worked together, I could only feel grateful, not only for the beautiful collection we've released, but because I've truly seen how the brand has committed and let me do my thing. Both Namastecita and Amanda ("a yogi in modern life") trusted someone as crazy as me, and that's commendable. We were able to create such a unique design with Namastecita's quality materials, allowing me to let people know about this collection.
What specific features did you want in your mat, and why are they important to you? If I may ask, are there any details you consider essential in a yoga mat?
It may not fit the description of material things, but I think what I was looking for was humanity, and I think Namastecita has that. It's a friendly company that always tries to adjust not only the prices but also the discounts so that everyone can access a mat of these standards.
As a practitioner or even as a studio owner, if you're looking for a non-slip material, you'd want it to last for years. I felt very uncomfortable putting out a mat with my name on it without the quality I've enjoyed with your brand. For me, it's a real discovery to have a mat that lasts 14 classes a week for a long time, almost without changing from the first day to the last.
Do you have any final advice for those considering opening their own yoga studio? We're sure your experience will be invaluable to many.
Well, I would tell anyone who has doubts that it's better to accept that it didn't go well than to be left wondering what would have happened. I don't want to mislead anyone, and yes, being self-employed in Spain isn't easy. You won't have a salary of €3,000 to buy all the incense on the planet, but I can tell you that if you do things from love, from sincerity, and being real, you'll find a space where you can be 100% yourself. I have a test to know if I'm good at something, and in each savasana, I look at my students and ask myself: "Am I where I want to be?" And here I get a tingling sensation in my stomach that makes the answer clear to me.
"It's better to believe that it didn't work out than to be left wondering what would have happened."
What are your future plans for your yoga studio and for yourself as an instructor? We'd love to hear more about your upcoming projects and dreams.
I always love learning or getting involved in new things, so I'm open to anything life throws my way. The most common future project I'm offered is creating a platform to make yoga accessible to everyone. Well, more than yoga, it's my way of seeing yoga.
It's true that I'm very lazy. I'm a very natural person on social media, and I don't pay much attention to aesthetics or the things I do; I simply transfer what I think to the screen or how I experience the circumstances. And the thought of creating this content, recording, or creating a website to do something online with yoga makes me very lazy. Because it couldn't be something so natural; it would have to have a more serious structure.
Now I feel at a point where I need to take care of my child, who is my study, and enjoy it for a while longer, peacefully, without any new developments. Putting energy into other things would take too much time away from something I love so much, like studying right now. But I have to admit, all I need is a clap to start dancing, so welcome to any future plans.
"If you do things with love, sincerity, and being real, you'll find a space where you can be 100% yourself."
