By Jimmy Britt
RUTLAND—Pyramid Holistic Wellness Center now has a new yoga instructor. Selina Ferrandino has been working at Pyramid since April; it’s clear that she loves what she’s doing, but that wasn’t always the case.
“I kinda didn’t at first,” she explained of the level of enjoyment she felt in her early practice. “I got into the yoga teaching because I wanted to learn more about the philosophy of yoga,” said Ferrandino. “I’d taken some classes with Jim Hagan at Castleton University, some Eastern philosophy courses and I was interested in the practice of yoga and the philosophy that went behind it.”
Though you can read a lot about yoga on the Internet, sometimes you need to actually practice it and do your own study to figure out the philosophy and discourse with the teacher training, she added. Practice lead her down the road to become a teacher.
“I feel like I can only teach as much as I learn,” said Ferrandino. “Every class I learn something new. I know that I don’t have all the answers and that students can teach me as much as I teach them.”
In January, Ferrandino was given the opportunity to teach yoga at Kula Cooperative in Center Rutland before she was certified. When she got her certification in April she began teaching at Pyramid.
“I practice Ashtanga which means eight limbs,” she explained. “My favorite part of that is I’m practicing philosophy with postures. I just love Ashtanga, the whole thing. I love the moving and breath moving,” said Ferrandino.
Yoga has also helped her to let go of the stresses of everyday life.
“Even if I only practice once a week I know it will help me. I don’t freak out about things any more. I used to get anxiety and panic attacks. I’m now able to step outside of the problem, look it and see if it’s something that I can control. If it’s not I step back from it,” said Ferrandino.
Ferrandino said the Ashtanga folks often see online as very advanced, but that shouldn’t intimidate participants; in her classes she wants people to do what is comfortable for them. She is just here to show the way.
Her students have picked up on this as well. Wayne Flewelling has been doing yoga for two years to align his body and spirit, but recently had his first session with Selina and loved it.
Selina is “terrific,” Flewelling said. “She’s very clear with her instructions and has a good disposition.”
Aside from yoga, Ferrandino also enjoys spending time with her 8-year-old, cooking, reading, writing, learning philosophy and loves being outdoors, especially hiking barefoot.
Photo by Jimmy Britt
Selina Ferrandino leads Wayne Flewelling (left) and Brooke Lipman (right) in Ashtanga yoga at Pyramid Wellness.
