Yoga Pathways

About You

Name, age, occupation

Bea Bertilucci, 27, Trade Union Official

How did you first connect with Jordanna or join her classes?

I had a friend who was attending Jordanna’s classes. I started by coming to the Thursday
sessions with that friend and then moved to the Tuesday classes.

How long have you been part of our yoga community?

Nearly three years now as I started in early January 2023.

Your Yoga Journey

Can you share a little about how you got into yoga?

Yoga has always infused my weeks. I have attended dance classes since I was a child and
yoga poses are usually included in warm-ups and conditioning. However, until I started
Jordanna’s classes, I had never attended dedicated yoga sessions.

Yoga intimidated me. I shied away from yoga classes for a long time as I thought attending would be an act of self flagellation: I struggle with balancing, I can’t concentrate long enough to ever be present and my upper body strength has always been elusive. I am also not very good at not being very good. Patience is another virtue I aspire to but the lack of it I have for myself means that accepting slow progress is also tricky.

Luckily, I got older and over myself. Mostly. The impact yoga has had on me will read as very twee. Regardless of its twee-ness, it’s still true.

What motivated you to start, and what keeps you coming back?

My first session with Jordanna was at the Hunter Club and coincided with a very dark moment in my life. I’m sure hints of this were visible as I’ve never been very good at hiding anything, but everyone was far too polite to ask. My mental health and I have historically had a tumultuous relationship. At that time, this was compounded by a series of difficult events, the fact I was working in a really toxic environment and that I had been physically poorly for over a year and only just starting to recover. As I mentioned beforehand, patience towards myself has never been my strongest trait, but I was ready to change my habits and routines. I was both anxious and excited about that first class. I am so grateful my friend convinced me to attend as Jordanna’s classes were one of the first building blocks I used to reshape my life.

The classes were a challenge. Multiple challenges, every single session, to be honest. They helped me confront my perfectionism and taught me to be more comfortable when I was uncomfortable. My confidence and resilience grew. I’m not sure Jordanna or the yoga community are aware of the impact they have had on me over the years but I hope my thank you reaches you all now.

Within 5 months of starting yoga, I had changed job, healed from my illness and started
dancing again. I continue yoga because I can’t imagine my life without it. I hope it always
remains a challenge, even if the challenge changes form over time. I hope I keep on learning to learn, to never expect a finish line but to see the journey as the entire point. And to have the patience to actually believe in it.

How has yoga surprised you over time?

I have been surprised by the slow improvements. I remember the first time I had an “a-ha” moment. I had tried to do yoga at home during the lockdowns by following Youtube videos. I am neurodivergent and discovered very quickly that I need the accountability of a regular in-person class to actually practice yoga. Once the dopamine hit seeps out of a video, I will never come back to it until I randomly remember it again 4 years later. I also didn’t find the videos hard to abandon because I couldn’t do most of the poses. I could never extend the opposing arm and leg whilst in table top position. I could never achieve lunges of any height. Any balancing pose would only happen fleetingly.

It’s not a flashy pose nor is it particularly note-worthy, but I remember the first time I
managed to extend my arm and leg in table top. It was about a year into my classes with
Jordanna. I was so proud of myself, especially because I managed to refrain from screeching with joy and disturbing the mindful tranquility of the class.

Practice & Preferences

Favourite yoga pose or sequence—and the story behind it?

At the moment, headstand. Up until the last few weeks, it has always featured in my list of top 10 most hated poses as I had never had the combination of strength and courage to do it. However, during the last round of sessions, I have managed to do headstands for the first time.

Least favourite yoga pose (and why)?

It’s hard to pick just one as two in particular are tied for first place. Crow as I still can’t find
what I call my biting point: the part where I can push myself to move into the position without stalling. Half moon as well as I am yet to learn how to balance successfully in this pose. A block does help put feels like cheating. Yoga has improved my perfectionism but clearly not cured it entirely!

Bonus: Most unusual location you’ve tried a yoga pose?

I am a performer at heart so there are many, many unusual locations where I have attempted a yoga pose. The most recent has been the kitchen of our office. I was challenged by my colleagues who didn’t believe me when I said I had learnt how to do a side plank with an extended leg. So I did it, right there in the kitchen. This resulted in me getting teas made for me for an entire week!

Life Off the Mat

What are some hobbies or passions beyond yoga?

My main hobby is dance. I have always loved to dance and started lessons at a young age. I have tried and competed in all sorts of styles. I am currently focusing on latin and ballroom. I do competitions with my dance partner, as well as within a latin formation team called XS Latin based in Cambridge. When I was training as a teenager, one of the reigning unhealthy beliefs was that everyone retired at 22. I tried retiring at that age but wasn’t very good at it. One of the things I love most about both the dance and yoga community is that they are populated by diverse cohorts. I find it very inspiring seeing motivation and practices at all ages and wish I could tell my younger self that I’d end up being one of the youngest, even at 27.

I am also an activist and, though I moan about it and sometimes have to miss yoga because of it, I am passionate about my job as an organiser for a Trade Union. To decompress, I love writing and have recently started poetry and creative writing classes. When I visit my father and friends in Italy, I love going for long walks. I grew up in a small village in the foothills of the Apennines which offer beautiful views and excellent hikes.

Mind-Body Connection

How does your practice shape your mindset or mood?

My body and mind feel it whenever I miss a yoga session. I promise Jordanna hasn’t bribed me to say that, I truly feel it. I feel less tethered to the ground and notice a heightened underlying frequency which leans towards the rushed and frantic side. Yoga feels like a dedicated hour in my week when I can slow down. Even when being mindful is too difficult, I aim to be honest and accept where I am at and not berate myself for it.

Wellness Wisdom

Share a tip for keeping balanced on busy days?

Watch this space as learning how to balance on busy days is still on my to do list.

Growth & Inspiration

Is there a quote, mantra, or affirmation that lights you up?

Comparisons are the thieves of joy. Though I like learning from others and gain a lot from interactions within a class, I like to focus on my own mat and my progress, rather than letting my mind slip into unhelpful comparisons. Everyone has a different anatomy. Everyone has different strengths. Everyone is concentrating on not punctuating every move with a sound effect. Even the ones who don’t seem like they are.

Passing it On

Advice for beginners or newcomers—even if it’s unconventional?

Throw yourself into it. Don’t worry what you look like or which level you are at: classes work best when they are judgement-free zones. I preface the following with the fact that, generally, I find this an unhelpful, impractical and annoying mantra. However, I do begrudgingly concede that, on occasion, it does have a use: go with the flow. Maybe “surrender to the process” is more digestible. Either way, learn to love the process itself. The learning curve is the fun part as it’s the one that, usually, lasts the longest and has the biggest reward. Similarly, celebrate milestones. If you couldn’t touch your toes three months ago but can now skim them, celebrate! Paying attention to how your body adjusts to your practice is a form of mindfulness in itself and fosters pride which is always a good motivator.

How do you stay motivated when you’d rather nap than flow?

Napping is a passion of mine which I erroneously left out of the previous answer! However, I lean into precedent as I know I always feel better when I come to yoga.

Looking Forward

Yoga goals or dreams for the future?

I am hypermobile. Though the flexibility might appear externally as a great side effect, there are a lot of downsides. I have a lot of joint pain and can’t maintain muscular strength. Rather than flopping into poses, I’d like to learn how to be more mindful and restrain the hypermobility to actually be more effective. I would also like to throw myself into trying harder poses and having a more consistent practice to build strength.

If you could invent a new yoga pose, what would it be called and why?

The Alpine Goat pose. Specific, I know, but stay with me, Jordanna asked me to send 3 pictures of myself. I sent a 4th which is pertinent to this answer and, technically isn’t of me so doesn’t count! Whilst doing a hike in Livigno in northern Lombardy, my friend and I paused as we were enjoying the cacophony of bells produced by a herd of mountain goats. All of a sudden, one very performative goat (in the picture and, yes, I did connect with it for this reason) stood up on its back legs, placed its front hooves on a tree and did the most dramatic backbend I have ever witnessed. Just for the drama level alone, I think it should be a new yoga pose. I propose we use it as a pose to close off each class, a flourishing exit if you will.