Sabina Maschi

Studio: Abhyasa Yoga Center Brooklyn

Website: SabinaMaschi.com

Sabina was the first yoga teacher (in my 8 years of practicing yoga) to take the time before class to teach the technical aspects of Ujjayi (yoga breath). Her class is all about connecting the body to the breath and being aware of how the breath moves you. The pace is slow with only a short sequence of flow, with most of the time being spent on holding longer poses and working with your breath.

How long have you been teaching yoga?

2 years

What is YOUR yoga?

My yoga class is really about focusing on sensations that come up for you. That’s really important for me because when you start feeling ‘this is expanding, this is buzzing, this is feeling loose, this is feeling soft...’ you’re able to get reacquainted with your instincts and for you to really connect your mind with your body so that you become more aware with yourself and your surroundings.

For me it’s really important to connect with what’s going on below the head. Consciousness, awareness and sensations in the body is what my practice is all about.

What were you doing before you were teaching?

My background is film and tv production and from that I moved into acting and voiceover work. My main focus just before yoga was acting and what I found was that yoga was really helping me be in the moment and be present.

In acting you're always chasing the role and you think “I'm not good right now, I won’t be until I get that role” but with yoga, it’s all about “you’re okay right now, you’re perfect where you are”.

Are you still doing work in acting and voiceover?

I tend to focus on and am happier doing voiceover work. The voice is very much connected to the body and to me that’s what good acting is, when your voice is connected and you’re fully whole, that’s when you sound honest and when people believe you. That’s why voiceover work is more interesting to me, you can't really get away with bull shitting.

I’m going to try and guess where your accent is from…

okay, good luck [laughs]

You have a bit of a nordic tinge but also I hear some island…

I was born and raised in singapore, my dad is italian and my mom is german.

Why are you a yoga teacher?

I really fell into yoga unexpectedly. There was a moment in my life when I was miserable and I started coming to class at 7am (and I’m not a morning person) so there was a sense of pride that motivated and excited me.

One day the owner of the studio approached me and asked me if I was interested in becoming a yoga teacher and at first I said no. He offered me a scholarship because he wanted someone who knew the studio in the training program. So I decided to do it for fun and I found myself getting so into it. After I finished he asked if I wanted to teach a class and I originally said no, but he got me to do it and I had so much fun and eventually started to teach more and more classes.

I’m really really grateful for the owner of Abhyasa, J. brown, for seeing something in me, and offering me this opportunity.

What’s your favorite part of teaching or practicing?

One of my favorites is seeing peoples energies change at the end of class. When they’re so happy and say “oh I feel so much better”, when you see that tension release. The fact that i’ve contributed to this person's life is really touching for me.

My favorite part about practicing is definitely making my body a priority for an hour and fifteen minutes and feeling strength happen in my body while I’m practicing, I like that I'm not trying hard but I’m getting so much out of it.

What do you do when you’re not teaching or practicing?

I’m cycling around the city, braving the streets of New York on my bike. I love travelling; any moment I can, I will. I’m such an explorer, I love going to different places because I was born somewhere that wasn’t really ‘my’ country.

I love cooking, or being my boyfriends sous chef, he’s in charge in the kitchen.

What’s you’re favorite pose right now or a pose that you’re challenging yourself to work on?

Well I will say none, because I feel that this practice isn’t about accomplishing. I never feel like i’m overcoming something in a pose. However I do notice a shift in poses I like or don’t like.

For me abyasha is a hidden gem in the city, I would like to encourage people who may be intimidated by yoga to try abhyasa because it’s going to feel simple and easeful but you’re going to get so much out of it without turning yourself into a pretzel.

#instructor #brooklyn