Your Yoga teachers at Yogaion Retreats!
Shaini Verdon
Shaini (E-RYT500) is the founder & organiser at Yogaion retreats. Her love for yoga started in 2000 after being in the field of dancing, fitness & martial arts from a very young age and always having big philosophical questions about life.
Following different yoga styles, certifying herself over the years in Hatha, Anusara & Iyengar yoga. After many years of training she got certified in 2017 as a level 2 Iyengar, but in 2022 decided to let go of her Iyengar teacher status as she wants to be able to explore different types of Yoga & other movement modalities in her own practice & teaching.
Besides her Yoga certificates she is also a FRC® mobility specialist & ISSA® corrective exercise specialist. She uses all these different modalities to create a mindful movement experience. She is immensely fascinated by how the human body moves & the inner workings of the mind.
She also has a deep passion for the feminine side of yoga, working with the female cycles to encourage female health & create a profound connection to our ever-changing bodies. Her connection to the female side of Yoga started when she suffered for a long time from undiagnosed endometriosis of which she was finally able to heal through a combination of allopathic medicine, alternative medicine including diet, cycle awareness & herbal medicine and through her yoga practice which gave her an immersed sensitivity to her own body.
Her teaching is based on creating awareness through mindful movement. Exploring functionality, mobility & stability within the body & soul. Staying playful along the way. Through verbal alignment, precise hands-on adjustments and bringing awareness into the practice she creates a warm, joyful safe & loving space.
Accreditations:
-
Corrective exercise specialist at Issa trainer
-
FRCms (functional range conditioning specialist)
-
IYENGAR® Yoga introductory level 2
-
Anusara® Yoga certified
-
Health coach at Integrative nutrition
-
Hatha Yoga certified at school of Yoga institute
-
Sportmassage therapist
-
Currently Pilates teacher training
Guest teacher
Cata was introduced to yoga about 2 decades ago. It was a persistent backache that called her to try Yoga, and the Iyengar practice was the one that brought her to the Yoga mat, she starts her practice with Ines Forjaz in Sintra, Portugal. What started as a physical practice became deeper with meditation and yoga philosophy infusing her life.
After about 12 years of being a practitioner of different styles, Cata feels very drawn to study more.
So she goes on a long, slow trip to Kerala in the south of India, where she studies Hatha, Ashtanga Yoga and Ayurveda and she becomes a certified Yoga instructor.
In Amsterdam, where Cata lived for a few years, she studies Yoga Nidra with Matsyendra, an inspiring man who was a direct student of Satyananda, and dived into the meditative aspect of the practice.
A few years ago, she got in touch with the power of softness when she starts to deepen Yin Yoga practice. This brings balance to her life and opens an awareness of the restorative aspects of the asana practice.
Cata decides to study Yoga Anatomy, functional Yoga, the Meridian theory and TCM principles (Traditional chinese medicine) and to attend a Yin Yoga training with Sebastien Pucelle and Murielle Burelier in Bali.
Most recently in her work/study travels she has a Breath and Meditation training with Christopher Perkins at Yandara, in Mexico.
Cata has been teaching yoga to different bodies for about 6 years in locations like Portugal, The Netherlands, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. Now based in Aljezur, Portugal, last year she opens Coração Shala, in Aljezur, together with Diana Capitao - a space for yoga and therapies.
"Through a functional approach to the Yoga practice, I want to guide people to feel at home in their bodies, to experience presence and to cultivate awareness throughout their lives."
