My name is Penny Leventou, I have studies in the Maritime field and worked for many years in this industry.
During those years, I gained valuable and useful knowledge and experience, I met remarkable people and thanks to this experience I can say with great confidence that I know well the situations that a person working in an office goes through, the daily stress, and their needs to decompress.
I came into contact with Yoga during a difficult period in my life, where my relationship, my job, my friends, my other activities, were no longer keeping up with me.
I felt that I needed to discover more about myself, my likes, my dislikes, my personal path, or my purpose in life, but mostly that it was time to let go of who I thought I was, according to the beliefs I carried from family, school, friends, and relationships
It was around 2007, when I started practicing yoga at the gym, on a more physical level.
I enjoyed the intense practice and felt good during and after, so I moved even deeper in my practice.
I enrolled in a studio, and loved the dynamic practices & Ashtanga Yoga, I learned breathing techniques, I did inversions, and I got a lot stronger. I gained flexibility and when I practiced I felt like there was nothing in the world but me and my breath.
Later on and as I was becoming more capable in many asanas, I began to wonder if this is what yoga is all about. So that my purpose was? a scorpio or some other demanding position?
On another level, however, I had begun to realize and experience changes in character, habits and a cleansing of beliefs and patterns that no longer served me.
From my different experiences, through different styles of practice, but also the changes I noticed in my self and my life, I realized that yoga is not about training the body and is not limited to 1-1.5 hours of practice in a studio
Yoga is a more conscious way of life.
Just as in a yoga class you engage every part of your body and consciously go in and breathe and hold the asana, the same is in the everyday life. You commit every part of your being to be conscious in every aspect, choosing how to breathe, speak, act, respond, act, eat, listen, engage.
When I consciously took responsibility for my thoughts, words, and actions, my life changed. I'm not saying that necessarily it has gotten easier or that it's a comfortable process, but it comes with a feeling of authenticity and clarity that pushes me to delineate my space and change the things I don't like and take on things I like and even I accept things I don't like but can't change.
In 2014 I completed my first teacher training course and got to know the philosophy of yoga more deeply. By noticing the positive changes in me, I felt like I could make a difference in the lives of my friends and their friends.
In 2018 I made the decision and left my corporate job and traveled to India and Nepal where I received trainings in yoga, meditation, philosophy, yoga music and sound therapy, as well as Ayurveda.
Through the inner and outer changes I experienced, especially after my first training, Atmashakti Yoga was born
Atma in Sanskrit means Soul, Shakti means Power, Creative Energy and Yoga is the Union.
Today I live according to the yogic way of life and teach what I have fully understood and experienced myself.
One thing I have to tell to you, that you are thinking to start yoga but hesitate is that, like me when I started, one does not need to be strong, flexible or fit to start practicing Yoga.
Start where you are with what you have and in a year from now you will see how far you walked and thank yourself for your dedication and courage.
