Sofia Ananda Kaas
I once asked my mother why did she called me Sofía Ananda, and her reply was, “Because your dad and I were looking for baby names in a book, and we choose those because we wanted you to be wise (Sofía) and happy (Ananda).” I believe that this choice marked my path in life, or as yogis call it, my dharma. As I certainly grew to be a happy and curious child who loved reading, daydreaming and asking a huge amount of questions. My mum even had to set me a limit of 3 questions a day, which only helped me to curate them a lot more. Maybe following this passion for asking questions, I started studying a B.A. in Philosophy, where I discovered some of the thinkers that would shape my vision of the world, honoring my first name.
In my third year of college I attended my first ever yoga class. It was an ashtanga yoga
class. I remember clearly how hard it was for my weak wrists to hold my first downward
dog, and how wobbly my triangle pose felt, but what I remember most clearly was the
feeling of lightness and clarity in my body and mind after I left the class. I kept attending those classes and practicing at home the few things I could remember. Until I found in a second hand shop a book called The Great Book of Yoga, by Ramiro Calle and became amazed to the depth of the yoga practice, so I started to incorporate breath work and meditation into my practice, as well as the poses depicted on the book and holding informal classes for my mum and sister in the living room.
After finishing my degree I felt I had enough information in my head, so I started
exploring ways to work more with my body. My body craved movement and my mind
craved stillness. I realized that the more I moved my body, the easier to switch off my
restless mind, so I along with my yoga practice, I started training some circus skills like
acrobalance and cyr wheel. This was really empowering for me, as I became stronger and more confident in my body, and learned to do things that I never thought I would ever be able to do. This experience allowed me to take my yoga practice off the mat, learning to be more present in my body and allowing me find even more joy and playfulness in my practice. I became amazed with all forms of movement, and found that constant exploration of movement as a way to connect with body and mind.
In the summer of 2016 I became a certified yoga teacher, with the aim of sharing the
simple joy of moving our bodies and awakening the inner (and outer!) strength that is in
all of us. I like to meet my students where they are, and I strive to find the balance
between encouraging them to make the choices that are better suited for their practice
and challenging their physical and mental boundaries, thus making their practice joyful
and empowering.
I am grateful for all the circumstances, including my parents choice of names, that have
allowed me walk this path of Ananda, exploring both movement and inner stillness in my
teaching and my own practice.
