SharedBliss: Interview with Just Breathe's Nadine Fawell

A bit of a mischievously grinning yoga teacher!
(As I think they should be!)

Listening to: Not the exact country, but this genius of a singer/songwriter hails from the same part of the globe that is Nadine's new home.

Today's Bliss Formula: A ride along the bluff to the library today. I get to work the reference desk! I like that very much. Oh! And I'm going to start writing for another blog periodically -- I'll let you all know when and what and where some time very soon.

Yoga-specific blogs are some of my favorites. They are often written by teachers, who are supremely conscious of the energies that they put out into the world. So, yoga-teacher blogs tend to be uplifting and encouraging and inspirational. Just my thing.

And Just Breathe: The Yogamad Blog is one of my top five favorites, easily.

Written by Nadine Fawell, it's informative but not pedantic. And Nadine is never afraid to be vulnerable as a teacher, to show she makes mistakes too, gets caught up in trifles like the rest of us, and is susceptible to the same foibles as her students. It makes her endearing, to say the least.

To see some really great photos of her time at a yoga school in India, go here.

Recently, Nadine has made a big move in her life -- literally. She moved from South Africa to Melbourne, Australia. Without ever having visited. She points out that her yoga practice is what gave her the equanimity to be able to handle this.

She moved, because "I have lost faith in the future in South Africa: every day the news tells us more horror stories of violence, crime, mayhem and corruption. The politicians I thought were trustworthy turn out to be just as bad as all the rest, and our infrastructure is crumbling. Worst of all, I have lost faith that my vote will actually make any difference to all of this."

For the full entry regarding her choice, go here.

If you spend some time on Nadine's blog, you'll know that this decision was beyond difficult, that she is not someone who typically "loses faith."

Quite the opposite, Nadine is someone (it seems to me) who is constantly looking for that silver lining ... or at least a way to create it.

Describe the PrimaryBliss of your life. How did you come to know that this was your PrimaryBliss?

Oh, it's yoga! I knew this was it from the first yoga class I took as an overweight, depressed, purposeless 20-something. It was like coming home.

What types of choices and sacrifices did you make to be able to craft this bliss-filled life?

I have been very lucky. My yoga career evolved mostly on its own; I wanted to teach full-time but didn't think I could make a living from it. By word of mouth, I built up a practice that more than covered my financial needs and for that I am grateful. That said, I live fairly modestly, making the choice to live in this way so that I can do work I love. I have just moved from South Africa to Melbourne, Australia and now find myself having to build up a business from scratch. It's going to be an interesting few months!

How does your PrimaryBliss radiate out into the rest of your life?

Yoga is what keeps me centered and pain-free, and it is why I can negotiate huge changes like moving to a country I have never visited with a fair degree of equanimity. I say fair, not total! I find that strangers will often come up to me and tell me I have a nice smile. Apparently, I smile randomly at strangers quite a bit. That's gotta be good, right?

My love of yoga is why I teach it, and I love to see the deep and amazing transformations yoga can nurture in people.

What are some other activities that also give you this sense of bliss? Things that make you lose track of time?

Mmm. Reading, as long as the book is well written and not too riddled with spelling or punctuation mistakes. Knitting. Walking under trees.

What is your daily or weekly spiritual practice?

Every day, I practice asana. I have been attending lots of classes lately, but I find that in order for a practice to link me to the divine, it is best to be alone, at the start of the day, in silence. After my physical practice, there is some breathing, some quiet reflection. I am also fond of chanting and ritual, but these are not as fixed in my routine. They come and go as I need them.

What music is your bliss?

The sound of wind in the trees. Failing that, I like Jai Uttal, Ben Leinbach, that sort of thing.

Name books or authors/poets or people who are your bliss, who influenced your bliss.

TKV Desikachar, Mark Whitwell, Ann Behrend (my teacher in South Africa), Kahlil Gibran

What advice would you give to someone who feels they have not yet discovered their PrimaryBliss?

Keep looking! You never know when it will click that this is it, but if you don't try new things, you don't give yourself a chance to find out.

Do you have a favorite quote you would like to share?

It's not a yoga quote - it's the Nike catch-phrase: Just do it.

Fears hold so many of us back from what we could be doing, feeling, enjoying. It is my experience that action cures fear.

Nadine in a truly Blisschick approved (where'd she get
that bag!?) outfit in her new home city.

As you can see, Nadine exhibits both flexibility and fearlessness in life and in yoga. If she feels the need for chant, she chants; if she feels the call to move across the globe, she moves. She responds, it seems, day to day as if she were new -- not stuck.

A good role-model, I would say.