Aida Artiles: "Yoga brought me back to life".

Conscious TV

June 20, 2021

It has changed the lives of many of us. Yoga is gaining more and more followers and those who make it their daily routine quickly realise the exponential benefits that this ancient discipline has on our body and mind. Canarian model, Aida Artiles, is a lover of yoga and has integrated it into her life at all levels. We are sure that her passion will rub off on you. In the following interview she shares her vision and personal experience, a path of pure transformation.

1. When did you enter the wonderful world of yoga and what brought you to yoga?

I started a long time ago with Bikram yoga. I liked it a lot at the beginning, I found it a challenge, the temperature, the humidity... but after a year of practising it I started to feel a bit of rejection and I gave it up. I admit that it helped me a lot, above all it taught me to be and remain in stillness despite my thoughts playing tricks on me.

In 2011 I tried Jivamukti in New York. At first I didn't really understand the concept but I kept going and started researching more about it. Since then I fell in love and every time I travelled there seasonally there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't attend my class. I just memorised the classes, the mantras and, when I returned to Spain, I practised it alone at home.

I also approached yoga out of curiosity, for moments of stress, looking for inner calm. I have always been a girl of movement, sport, energy and I knew that my body needed something different, something to make me stop. 

2. It has changed many people's lives. Has it happened to you? 

"It hasn't changed my life, it has brought me back to life". Being aware of yourself, of what surrounds you, that you must learn to love yourself to be able to understand the rest. Now I am not in a hurry, now I enjoy the changes, the process, the journeys, the solitude. It has taught me so much that I could talk for hours and hours.

3. What style of yoga do you like the most?

 As for a style of yoga, I wouldn't know. For me the Jivamukti practice is the most complete. Its asana flow is dynamic, fluid and at the same time conscious. It combines vinyasa with very Ashtanga sequences, it has a very important part for me which is the chanting of mantras, meditation, dialogue and satsangs.

4. What is your perfect time to do yoga?

I used to practice in the evening, now I like to do it in the morning when everyone else is asleep. If I can't do it, I find another time of the day. It's always a good time to practice.

5. Which posture is a challenge for you and which do you enjoy the most?

 I used to find arm balances impossible, I thought I lacked strength. With practice you realise that it is only your mind that prevents you from doing them. The more you practice the closer you get to achieving your goal.

6. Conscious Television was born with the intention of bringing the practice of yoga to everyone. What would you say to a person who is thinking about starting to practice yoga?

I would tell them to try different styles, teachers, moments... There are days and days. We must be aware of how we are in each moment. There are times when we are not ready to sit on a mat but if we practice daily, without giving prominence to those "whims" that our mind plays on us, in the end everything is achieved, everything comes. We must leave our comfort zone, cross that threshold to know and feel reality.

7. Part of the yogi-mood is food, how do you eat? What are your routines? Give us some food tips to start the day with energy.

Food has always been very important to me. I have to say that I have been changing my thoughts during all this journey and I finally believe that the best way to eat is the one that makes us cook, to get in touch with the nature of food. Getting close to them and savouring them as they are offered to us by the earth, by nature. Avoid plastic and endless packaging. I am in favour of simplicity and natural food. 

Sugar has not been on my food list for a long time, nor dairy (for intolerance and health reasons for me), nor processed foods. Cooking makes you more aware of what you eat. Both in quality and quantity. Eat what you need, without stuffing yourself and saturating your body. Anxiety eating is one of the most common problems today. We don't realise it but half the time we fill our stomachs simply out of anxiety, "eating for the sake of eating".

Food naturally cooked by us satiates and soothes us on a conscious level. I follow a diet high in vegetables, legumes, nuts, seasonal fruits, vegetable drinks, grains... I cook everything "traditional" style, using extra virgin olive oil, steamed, grilled, baked, using spices, aromatic herbs... and above all with love, lots of love.

8. Most yogis have a favourite mat that they feel at home on. Do you feel that way too? 

I have two mats. Both from Jade Yoga, for me the best for my practice. I have a very thin one to take on trips and a thicker one that is a dream, perfect for not hurting my bones.

9. At Conscious Television we are committed to working on the mind-body-spirit tandem. Do you think so too? What do you think? 

The practice of yoga takes you where you need to go. I am sure that most people start practicing yoga from a more fitness, more physical point of view, it seems that this is what we are taught from an early age. Yoga is wise and as you get deeper into it everything changes, it is subtle but effective. It teaches us to be aware of our breathing, of what is happening inside us. All this takes time, perseverance, the important thing is the path.

10. You practice meditation. Do you understand meditation as part of your practice?

 Yes, this last year I have put a lot of emphasis on meditation. I think you can meditate in many ways. I like to do it on the beach or at the end of my practice.

11. What skills do you think yoga has given you that help you in your daily life?

 It has taught me to stop, to relax. It has given me the strength to decide what I always wanted. To be where I am now and lead the life I lead now. 

12. What is your relationship with your own body and what changes have you experienced since you started practising yoga?

The relationship I have now with my body is one of pure love. I take care of it in a different way, I respect it and I love every little part of my body as I never did before. There is nothing about it that I don't like. I don't look at it with demanding eyes, I no longer allow anything to change this way of looking at it and treating it.

13. Do you think yoga makes you happier?

I think yoga is a lifestyle that makes you more aware. It makes you more grateful for what you have now, to live without thinking about the future. You feel that you want to enjoy the simple things, the little things, in the end that's all that matters. We have to work, we have to earn money but without being obsessed, we don't need so much, really.

14. You are training as a teacher, what was your motivation? What do you think teaching yoga will bring you?

 My motivation was the same as when I studied nutrition. Wanting to share what gave me my life back. It's not that I didn't have it until now, but it made me wake up and that's what I want to share with my hands, with my voice.

15. Why do you think yoga is attracting so many people?

I think we are in a very delicate moment. We are saturated and we are crying out to STOP but society is taking us to the extreme. Technology has changed our understanding. Social networks make us believe that we need things we don't need, they set the patterns of how our lives should be.

16. Recommend a yogi reading to the readers of Conscious Television.

It's not a yogi read but it's a book that I really liked. "The Universe has your back" by Gabrielle Berstein. 

17. An inspiring quote?

“ Lokah Samantha Sukhino Bhavantu “ – «May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all».

18. From what you are currently doing, what would you like to share with us, what enriches you and what can enrich those of us who are reading you?

I want to share everything that is yet to come. Every publication I make, video, story, phrase, I try to make it reach you in a way that makes you think, that touches your heart a little bit. To awaken and encourage change, to love ourselves more, to respect ourselves more, to admire ourselves more. In short, to see life in a different way.

If you also want to start practising yoga and enjoy a much more conscious philosophy of life, subscribe to Conscious Television.

Conscious Television is your ultimate platform to enjoy guided yoga, meditation, healthy eating and personal development classes without limits or limitations. You will never be late for class again because you decide where, how and when. 

All content is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Enjoy Conscious TV from your mobile, tablet, computer, Smart TV and Conscious TV mobile app (Android and iPhone). Our payment plans are tailored to suit you, monthly Premium for €9.99 or annual Premium for €68.99* (*FREE Yoga Chair with annual premium plan).

Hundreds of classes explained step by step with demonstrative videos divided by different themes, yoga styles, duration and purpose. The best teachers will guide your practice by anticipating your posture to adjust and internalise each movement. 

The selection of personalised content is very wide. Each of them is designed to address different intentions, from introductory courses in yoga, nutrition, meditation, traditional Indian medicine, medicinal plants, making your own natural cosmetics, mindfulness, insomnia, stress, anxiety, menstrual pain (especially endometriosis), emotional blockages, strengthening the back, weight loss and many others. In addition to all this you can also enjoy films and documentaries on conscious living.

"Every day it is not what happens around you that matters, but what happens inside you. Your transformation begins today".