OMTalks #01 How Yoga Reduced My Stress and Increase My Concentration with Javier Wilensky

We are excited to announce the start of a brand new series of blog posts titled OM Talks, where we will be featuring interviews with people from different walks of life who have come through the doors of Om’echaye Wellness and Fitness Center and wish to share and inspire others on their journey to a happier and healthier life.

Today’s interview features none other than Javier Wilensky, co-founder of Om’echaye Wellness & Fitness Center. Javier is deeply experienced and committed to the practice of Iyengar Yoga having taught thousands of students. His goal is to heal the bodies, expand the hearts, and balance the minds of his students. Through both humor and discipline, he inspires his students to stretch beyond their comfort zone to realign their bodies, relieve stress and pain, and move towards happiness.

Hello Javier, thank you so much for joining me today for this interview, in your own words please tell me how has yoga changed your life?

My yoga journey began some 20 years ago back in my home country Argentina. Briefly, I was at a point in my life where I was working and studying a lot and it all began to take a toll on my physical and mental health. I was standing for prolonged periods of the time and as someone who suffered from ADHD I was very distracted, stressed out, and just all over the place. On top of all that suddenly at the ripe age of 21 I was diagnosed with sciatica, I was limping.

The path to recovery was long and difficult but I gradually began to improve. At around the same time, I turned to an astrologist for some guidance and she suggested I start a yoga practice, which I did and I noticed an instant shift happening within me. I found that I was able to calm down my mind, improve my focus and deepen my concentration. Little by little the lower back pain and sciatica that I used to have went away as well and I realized that I didn’t need all the drugs that I was taking. Yoga was really starting to grow on me, it was a great realization of self care and self love; it made me feel better about myself and it started to dawn on me that I wanted to continue my yoga practice for the rest of my life. Now, had you asked me if I wanted to teach yoga I would have vehemently said no! That was not my vision with yoga at the time, it was still a very personal practice for me.

Fast forward to living in Miami, Florida some years later I was finally at a point where I was practicing every day as I had envisioned for myself. It was then that I noticed my diet becoming more balanced, at the same time I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking weed all together. Each day that I did yoga I was building up more confidence, happiness and security within myself and taking things into my own hands and creating a better life for myself. That’s when my path turned to one of teaching others yoga and the rest is history; suddenly it’s been over 10 years that Om’echaye Wellness and Fitness Center has been open to the public and I’m teaching various classes throughout the week, running a 200hr yoga teacher training course as well as leading various workshops in yoga. My life is not without its challenges but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I truly feel fulfilled in what I do. That is what yoga did for me, it made me be myself.

If you are interested in developing a regular yoga practice please visit https://www.omechaye.com/services/yoga-meditation to find out more about the physical and mental benefits of yoga as well as the right yoga class for you.