Teacher Feature: Luna Castilho, pt. 1

‘The Wild Heart’ Yoga retreat is right around the corner, and I’m excited and honored to be co-leading with the amazing Luna Castilho. A colleague at Sui Yoga, Luna has an incredibly inviting persona, a tender approach and a sensibility for the practice that is unique to her experiences and love for the history, science and energetics of yoga. Get to know her with this feature… and it’s only part one. 

QUESTION: What is your favorite yoga pose/why?  

LUNA: “Savasana. Do I really need to explain myself? (laughing emoji) 
Savasana or corpse pose according to yoga traditions is the hardest pose of all yoga. It’s the moment of true surrender, it’s the moment you meant to truly quiet the mind and the body.. and that's extremely hard to do.
As I started my yoga journey, I didn’t see any value in Savasana, and that used to be the moment when I started to plan the rest of my day. 
Nowadays however, if you leave me in savasana for a full hour, I’ll happily stay! 
It’s my moment of true surrender, to be truly with myself, truly present, truly here!”

QUESTION: What is your least favorite pose right now/why?  

LUNA: “I was really into forearm stand and scorpio variation for a while, but currently practicing Mukta Hasta Sirsasana Six has been my guilty pleasure. Mukta means free. Hasta means hands. Mukta Hasta Sirsasana Sixs, is a free headstand pose, in reality the hands are fully extended in front of you with the palms facing up the sky.”

QUESTION: What lessons from the yoga mat have you applied off your mat?  

LUNA: “Remembering to breathe and to play. I have always been an anxious person. I’ve always been a perfectionist, and the reality is that life is messy! 
Life will throw you on your knees, twist you and turn you upside down.. When we are in the midst of chaos taking a long deep breath can completely change how you react with whatever is coming your way. Remembering to play, to be silly, to be weird without being concerned about what others will think, can be deeply healing. Being fully yourself, laughing and dancing, remembering that we don’t need to be too serious, that life doesn’t need to be that hard! Just have fun!
I find that the older I get the more and more the things that I used to do as a kid, are the ones who truly bring me joy! Be like a kid again! And don’t forget to take a deep breath!”

QUESTION:  Do you have a guilty pleasure/binge watch anything etc. (fave TV show or movie)?  

LUNA: “Who doesn’t love to binge watch a TV show?! I’m one of these people that can finish an entire season in one day. (laughs) I finished the entire 8 seasons of Game of Thrones in one month when I finally surrendered to the trend. Absolutely loved it! You can call me a nerd when it comes from TV shows, love superhero movies, any sci-fi, or anything that seems unreal or futuristic.. Very aquarius of me!
But my one and only guilty pleasure is to sleep at the beach sunbathing with the sound of the ocean in the background. I can wait for our Retreat in Tulum!!”

QUESTION: What is your post-class meal craving?   

LUNA: “Anything cold! A smoothie, açai bowl or even a gatorade! Anything to cool me off from the hot room and replenish my energies.”


Follow Luna on Instagram HERE and check out her official website: HERE. 

Part two of our interview… coming soon.

To secure your spot to our wonderful retreat, go here: https://suiyoga.com/retreats/
Tulum Mexico… from March 31 - April 6, 2024. Villa Pescadores will be our venue… lock in NOW!