Sonja Breuer is a Ayurveda Expert and the owner of ‘Tapas Ayuveda & Yoga Eco Farm’ She is bringing numerous Ayurveda events to Spain so I wanted to find out more about ‘Ayurveda’ and what benefits it provides to our health and wellbeing.
Hello Sonja, how did you end up living in sunny Spain?
I was in London Wembley and working in my ayurvedic clinics and teaching yoga. My original plan was to move from London to the countryside; I was ready to move out of the city. I was actually in the process of house hunting in England when the Brexit Referendum took place. After hearing the result, I decided to perhaps move abroad and that’s how I left England where I had been living for the last 30 years.
You now live in Malaga – give us three reasons why we should move there too
- it’s an international community that is important to me
- it’s relatively green for the south of Spain and gets green every year after the summer
- there is lots to do, if you wanted to you could be booked out every night or day for that matter
One of your specialities is as a ‘Ayurveda Specialist’ and you have an MSc degree from a British University in Ayurveda- what is Ayurveda?
The university says, it is a traditional medicine of India, which includes prevention and treatment or management of health conditions. But I say, Ayurveda is the art of living in tune with your essence, using diet and lifestyle to achieve this balanced life, everybody has a unique body type.
How does your unique body type affect your health and wellbeing?
Everybody is seen to have a unique body type, made up of the five elements space, wind, fire, water and earth. There is so much we can do naturally, when we understand each body type comes with strength and weaknesses, sometimes they are seasonal and sometimes they are diet and lifestyle related. So you can support your body type or go against it with food and lifestyle. It is obviously better when you support your body type because that means you will feel better and be healthier.
And World Ayurveda Day is on the 25th October – how will you be celebrating?
Yes exactly! We have international oncology and dermatology expert coming from India for a series of events, including a gala dinner on the 29th, workshops, presentations and personal 1:1 consultations.
Here a list of the upcoming events
Who is Dr.Gaurang and why did you bring him to Spain?
Dr. Gaurang is well travelled and a famous ayurvedic speaker. He helps people all over the world and is a nice guy. He is in Spain anyways, as he is lecturing at Salamanca university in Madrid. So he will be taking a little detour to come and visit us too.
What is the biggest misconception people have about Yoga?
I don’t know if people have misconceptions about yoga, but perhaps not everybody knows the whole of yoga, which is understandable. There is only one yoga! It is documented by a person called pantanjali thousands of years ago. Most yoga styles take a few aspects of the whole, and it becomes a yoga style simply by missing out the rest. It’s half yoga I suppose.
You offer virtual Yoga – how has it benefited you personally?
That is a really good question and a difficult question. It’s hard to answer because, now I would have to imagine, who I would be, had I not found yoga and ayurveda. It’s a bit like asking how has personal development changed you? And therein lies the answer I suppose, for me, it’s a form of personal development, becoming a more integrated human being.
Find out more at “Yoga Online”
What are Hatha and Kundalini practices?
Hatha is a style of yoga and kundalini yoga is said to be the mother of all yogas. There are all or most of all the yoga elements still intact. The person who brought kundalini yoga to us was a yogi and travelling sales man with a degree in economics. Because of that the managed to travel all over India and experienced traditional yoga as it was practiced for thousands of years. But Kundalini Yoga is also very versatile it can be used as a yoga practice or an exercise class alike. But why would you want to use it as an exercise class only, it is so rich and that is its strength!
What has been your greatest challenge, whether personal or business?
I thrive on challenges and so always take a challenge. I have lived and worked in Germany, Canada, England, India and now I am in Spain, so I have done a few things before. But, I studied for my A-levels in night classes, whilst working full time and I studied for my masters degree, while working full time. Doing something like that is pretty hard. To me the day to day, the mundane, the hanging in there, the moments I can’t change anything but have to keep going regardless of how tired I am, are probably my greatest challenges. I think it is important to keep the goal in mind and keep on fighting through these moments.
Book you read during 2019 which has impacted your life and why?
I am actually writing one, but this is currently on hold until next year. The book I have had on the go for a while is about ‘’food forest gardens’ how we can grow food and change the way we practice agriculture. You may have heard that our modern agriculture and food growing methods are not so good for the climate. Growing food ecologically in a food forest, which is exactly what is says on the tin, growing food and trees together, is another passion of mine.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given
Never forget what dad said to me once a while back. He said Sonja you don’t always have to play in the first row. It’s ok to take the back seat sometimes and let somebody else do the hard work. I am still trying to take his advice. But, I am not sure I manage that, because if I see work to be done, I just end up doing it.
What will you achieve before the end of 2019?
Much the same, plus find a bigger Eco-Finca for the Yoga and Ayurveda Project and continue to offer ayurveda and yoga, food and holistic life-style ideas. And of course grow my tribe of Ayurveda Lovers!
I will be teaching yoga at Stars Community Cafe in Alhaurin. I am also planning a half day yoga workshop in December, so I want to invite you for this.
I will be reaching out with Ayurveda to individuals and businesses. You can buy my special herbal tea blends now online too hand blended for health benefits and taste.
How can we find out more?
You can either join my mailing list on www.thenutritionhealer.com or follow my facebook page for announcements and join the group for a more personal stories.
Thank you Sonja!