Hi there, I am Alicia. I support conscious humans in uncovering their inner voice, giving them the tools to align their life and lighting up the way to their most authentic selves. My life didn’t always look like this, and it used to look a lot different. You see, my story first began as an athlete. I left home at the age of 15 to become a professional swimmer, where I participated in high-level (and high-intensity) competitions for over a decade – the stress of which wreaked havoc on my body and my mind.
My life was rigorous, and I was highly disciplined with myself and my routine. I felt utterly exhausted, mentally, emotionally, and physically from these years of high-intensity competition and training for more than ten years.
After a severe physical injury from years of strenuous exercise, I began searching for a more gentle way to keep active that had a lower impact on my body. My sports psychologist had previously suggested trying meditation to help deal with the pressure that came hand in hand with competitive swimming, and I figured, why not give it a go? He taught me Mindfulness Meditation, and I started practicing every day and before a significant competition. Little did I know that saying yes was about to change the course of my life as I knew it.
Shortly after being introduced to meditation, I discovered yoga, and it didn’t take long until I was all in. Once I began to experience the dramatic impact these practices had on my body, mind, and overall well-being, there was no turning back. All I could think was, why didn’t I try this before? If I had been introduced long before that, it could have helped me more during my athlete career. But it was actually at the end of it, but it marked the beginning of another path.
Meditation and yoga helped me transition from a professional athlete into a new journey, a new career, and a new life. Leaving the life I knew for such a long time wasn’t easy, and it all happened simultaneously. I didn’t know where this new stage of my life would take me, but I knew it would transform me from the inside out.
After graduating from university, I booked myself a one-way ticket to Asia and embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. I dove headfirst into a new way of life (I was a swimmer at heart, after all) and immersed myself fully into yoga and spirituality, learning as much as possible through retreats, workshops, studies, and of course, a daily devotional practice. Soon, I discovered that nurturing my mind, heart, and body were crucial elements to embodying a soul-filled life.
This experience led me to dedicate the last nine years of my life to studying different lineages and styles of yoga in India, Thailand, and Bali, where I learned from some of the best teachers in both traditional schools of yoga and more modern interpretations too. After experiencing weeks of silent retreats in Thailand, exploring bodywork with different healing disciplines, and discovering the powerful knowledge and wisdom from ancient yoga practices, my entire world turned upside down.
I started to understand that sharing my passion for these healing arts with others was the road that I was destined to walk all along. Since then, I have become a Reiki Master & Teacher and a Craniosacral Therapist. I combine these healing modalities with yoga and meditation to assist people in their healing path.
Since taking the plunge, this sacred journey of mine has taken me to places that were once only possible in my wildest dreams. Over the past nine years, I have been fortunate enough to be a senior teacher at Vikasa Yoga Academy and lead Yoga Teacher Training in Thailand and Bali. I have the opportunity to guide countless of my classes and workshops in all corners of the globe.
On my first Yoga Teacher Training in Thailand, I studied Ashtanga Vinyasa & Rocket Yoga under the lineage of Larry Schultz. This first training had a significant impact on my life and teachings, as I loved teaching strong and powerful vinyasa classes. A couple of years after my first teacher training, I went to India to study Traditional Hatha Yoga under Yogrishi Vishvketu in an ashram in Rishikesh. I had the honor to learn and live as the Indian yogis did in the past and get fully immersed in this place’s magical and profound energy.
Even though I got a taste of what traditional Hatha Yoga was, it wasn’t until I got involved in my first Yin Yoga course that I discovered the healing power of Yin. I have to say that Yin completely changed my life. It was and is a practice, so I needed so much to find the balance and equilibrium in every aspect of my being.
“Yin and yang, male and female, strong and weak, rigid and tender, heaven and earth, light and darkness, thunder and lightning, cold and warmth, good and evil…the interplay of opposite principles constitute the universe.” –Confucius–
In my case, I am naturally very active, always busy, with plans and projects to do, and Vinyasa & Hatha yoga has always been an inspiring practice for me. But Yin, wow, it transformed me where I can’t even recognize myself. Yin Yoga has softened me and brought so much calmness and peace from within. For this reason, I need to share the teaching of Yin Yoga with those who need it too.
Yin Yoga can benefit everyone, including people from a very active and busy background, like me. It’s incredible for athletes, people with injuries, beginners and advanced practitioners, pregnant women, etc. The slow, calm pace of the practice gives you time to feel, be mindful, be gentle, and be kind to yourself and with everything that arises from within.
I had the privilege to study Yin Yoga with Sarah Power, Tina Nance, and other inspiring teachers. The training and teachers allowed me to bring together Traditional Hatha Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mindfulness Meditation, Buddhism, Reiki, and all other bodywork therapies that I studied previously. The result of the past ten years of my life is these Yin Yoga Teacher Training programs I teach online and in-person in Bali and Thailand.
I intended to share this training in person, but since people couldn’t travel, I decided to create an Online version that complements the training in person. I wanted to keep supporting people during these special times, as I consider that everyone needs to find a safe space where they feel grounded, nourished, and loved from within, and that is why I decided to create this Yin training.
I feel so passionate about sharing the teachings of Yin Yoga since it changed my life, and I want to assist others in doing the same, helping them to come back into their bodies, feel, to heal, and to come back into a state of joy, balance, and harmony within themselves. This is how powerful the practice of Yin is, and I cannot wait to keep sharing this with the entire world.
It’s pretty amazing where your heart can take you when you choose to step into your truth and embody it fully.
Are you curious to see where your heart will take you?
If yes, I invite you to practice Yin Yoga with me. This class is dedicated to athletes (and everyone else) that needs to create more space in their bodies and release tension.
And if you would like to deepen your Yin and meditation practice and learn more about it, you can download the Yin Yoga Ebook to learn more about Yin Yoga and this training: https://yogaliciacasillas.com/50-hour-yin-yoga-teacher-training/
Welcome to the Yin Side.