"Don't Wait Until the Sh*t Hits the Fan" — An Interview with Mark Whitwell and Nico Sarani

Mark Whitwell: So tell me, Nico, how did you as a young woman from Germany transform into a Yogini?

Nico Sarani: My Yoga journey really begun in 2013 when I was studying in New York City at NYU University. At the time I was dealing with a lot of challenges in my personal life, like relationship problems, and the demands of a top American University left me feeling super stressed, leading to episodes of anxiety and panic attacks. To cope with the stress I thought it would be a good idea to go back to yoga classes — which I had done sporadically in the past, but not regularly at that point. Yoga helped me to de-stress, calm my mind and my body, and get out of my head for a moment.

Fast forward a year, and I find myself on the beautiful island of Bali, on my first yoga teacher training. During that training it was as if a whole world opened up to me. Since completing that training, I’ve never again had any panic attacks. To me, just this speaks to the powers of this beautiful practice that is Yoga, and the science behind it.

So then I dove in deeper in the following years, studying with A.G. and Indra Mohan, and their son Ganesh, who are all coming from a more traditional Hatha Yoga background, until I met you and the Heart of Yoga “gang” in Bali in 2017. You were actually recommended to me by Mark Reilly, remember? He transmitted your teachings in an advanced teacher training I took in 2016, and when I heard you were hosting sessions at The Yoga Barn, I just knew I had to go and check you out myself!

MW: When you speak about “the science” behind yoga — what makes you use that word in particular? in your experience make this practice not only powerful, but reliably and transferrably so? 

NS: I think Yoga may be called a science because the practices are based on a particular understanding of the universe, put together in a systematic way. These practices have been around for thousands of years, starting even before the Vedic scriptures were written down by the sages, and have been adapted, developed, and refined by different groups within changing contexts throughout the centuries.

There’s a reason why these practices are still around: Because they actually work. Everybody who’s actually practicing regularly knows how powerful Yoga can be — it can literally change your life, even if you only practice a few minutes a day. Even if it’s always the same postures, things start to shift in beautiful ways. And of course you can also get really specific. If you know the effect that certain movements or breath techniques have on your system, you can use that knowledge to help yourself in certain everyday life situations. It’s like: Hey, feeling anxious or stressed? Try breathing this way, or go for a couple of rounds of nadi shodhana pranayama. Got a physical ailment? Do this posture. Feeling sad? See if this meditation resonates with you, etc.

I call Yoga my “toolkit” that helps me deal with daily life challenges. Because I know I have these tools, it feels easier to take on whatever comes my way. In that way, it’s given me confidence and strength — I know I can trust the practice and its effects.

MW: What is it exactly that you receive from your own practice?

NS: My own practice feels empowering in the way that it makes me realize that I don’t have to believe everything my mind goes rampant about. I can find a moment of internal quietness, “peace” of mind, really, I guess.

It feels like a momentary state of non-grasping, where everything is just fine as it is. Where I can just let go of all the mental (very repetitive)  blah-blah, and find myself in a space of simple beingness, feeling connected to what is. And somehow, out of that sensation of quietness and non-attachment, a feeling of joy arises simultaneously. You know what I mean? That state where you feel held in the moment, held by all that is, feeling intrinsically connected to the whole creation, not wanting anything. I think this is what some may call bliss, or ananda in Sanskrit. And this can happen just by watching the breath, or flowing from one pose to another. How wonderful is that?

But even though that sensation of connectedness and ease during my practice has been so profound and reassuring to me, beautifully trickling into everyday life experience, it factually took me a pretty damn long time to establish a regular Yoga routine for myself! In fact, that was one of the reasons I became a mindset coach: I wanted to know what it takes to build up enough discipline to follow a helpful, certain routine. Without ending up in that ever-improving, relentless modern push-yourself-to-your-limit mindset that you can get so easily entangled in these days.

MW: What was the missing link that finally got you into a regular practice?

NS: You know what it took for me to finally get it going? Unfortunately, it was a moment of desperation, actually, a scary and difficult life situation, when I didn’t know what else to do anymore that would make me feel better. Again, Yoga was the “way out” — or maybe I should say the “way in”?

After that episode, I was just so used to doing my practice, realizing its profound positive influence on my state of mind and my perception of the world, and now I even find myself longing to do my practice. It’s kind of become a lovely love affair! Maybe it really has to do with those 40 days that it apparently takes to establish your own practice/routine — after that things become easier, they say, because the neuro-pathways have been established inside our cute little brains.

My wish, however, is to help people establish a practice before the famous “shit hits the fan,” so deep suffering doesn’t have to be the trigger to finally get a person’s butt on the mat. 

MW: Aside from practicing yourself, what is the motivation to share or teach Yoga?

NS: I just love to share with others what Yoga has given me in my life, as I have gotten so much value out of it — from helping me with the all-pervasive modern phenomenon of anxiety, to being able to trust in the universe and its inherent intelligence more. It’s become an anchor to me, especially when I feel I need to constantly do, move about, or improve. It helps me let go of trying to be “perfect”, when there’s no such thing as perfection anyway. Or, you might say, there’s only such a thing as perfection. And I know these are all common experiences many people struggle with these days. So if I can help someone with the teachings, and through my own experience, who may be looking for a tool that will help them wiggle through life more graciously and with a bigger smile on their face, then that’s what I’ll do. What better can I do with my life?

MW: As both a practitioner and someone who has explored the academic study of Yoga philosophy, how do you feel the specific philosophies of Tantra (coupled with their actual asana practice) can help the modern practitioner (human being) navigate the pitfalls of everyday life?

NS: The Tantras — the sacred texts of the Tantric period — say it over and over again: you’re a divine being. You didn’t come here to struggle and suffer, you came here to explore life, to create, have fun, marvel at the wonder around you, to learn and recognize the stunning beauty of this ever-changing reality, of which you are a part of. Once we can internalize that we, little beams of consciousness, decided to incarnate into this world for the reason of exploring all its facets and beauty, we’re back in the driver’s seat of our lives, and can stop perceiving ourselves as only the victims of our circumstances. In this way, I find the message of the Tantras utterly empowering! It is saying that we co-create this reality — and Yoga helps us participate in that process.

The revelation of the Tantric period in contrast to earlier philosophies is that suddenly everybody is seen as an aspect of the divine, it is recognized that there cannot be anything that is not divine — including you — and, as such, perfect as it is. I feel like especially in today’s fast-paced, status-driven capitalist society, which is constantly creating feelings for everyone of being “not being good enough” or “not having enough,” reinforced by social media, just hearing this message is so important for so many people. I have seen it start them on a beautiful process of remembering their true essence (or own awesomeness).

Philosophies of renunciation or dualistic divide between the worldly and the spiritual don’t feel as applicable and relatable for modern people. A specific message of “you are it, here and now, practice your participation in it on a daily basis” really works for and resonates with those whom I teach in a way that “everything is a dream, move to the monastery” does not.

MW: Thank you for bringing this out into the world, Nico. I know that you are a kind, heartfelt, and genuine person and teacher, and your work is highly appreciated.