Welcome to Episode #52 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça onto the show. My conversation with Alberto, a yoga teacher from East Timor, was really interesting as he really walked us through what his country is like to live in— with no sugar coating— and what yoga is like there as it has been present on the island for less than a decade. I hope that this conversation made you want to learn more about East Timor, and also to consider how yoga in spaces and places, like in prisoners, cooperate offices, and with special Olympic athletes, can be a gift to the whole community. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is about East Timor A to Z, then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça

Alberto Dos Reis Mendonça was introduced to yoga in his late twenties, in 2018, through an introduction yoga class for Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasional (JVN) where he was volunteering. Progressing in his practice quickly, he started to teach his fellow students and share it also with some of his family members. Three months after his journey with yoga started he began a yoga teacher training and internship with Dili Ashtanga Yoga. Alberto also teaches yoga at hotels, public places, many different organizations, government offices, and community classes. He also teaches yoga for the special Olympics and with the people who are in prison. Alberto teaches Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha yoga, and Vinyasa yoga. He completed his yoga teacher training certification program under Ahimsaka who is the founder of Dili Ashtanga Yoga, and he still works there today.

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in East Timor episode?

• Only one yoga studio in an entire country!
• Yoga giving the gift of connection
• Teaching yoga in prisons and with the special olympics
• How yoga and the Baháʼí faith share similarities
• What is East Timor really like?

What to expect in the Yoga In East Timor episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

During our conversation, Alberto walked us through what yoga means to him, and how yoga is growing in his community. As yoga has only been on the island itself for five, six, or seven years according to his estimate— yoga is absolutely still growing there. Alberto teaches yoga in a lot of different places and spaces, like in prisoners, in corporate offices, and with the athletes in the special Olympics. Alberto is enjoying very much, sharing the gifts that yoga can give with his community.

Connect with Alberto

https://diliashtangayoga.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/yogatimorleste/

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https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

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