Welcome to Episode #15 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Bonolo Phaladze onto the show. She is a yoga studio owner and yoga teacher from Botswana. The way that Bonolo describes yoga, as a fairy godmother was such a surprise! But a delight to hear and to listen to her share her thoughts on yoga in Botswana and how yoga makes her feel. As a yoga studio owner of one of the few yoga studios in Botswana, Bonolo describes what it was like for her to find yoga herself, and her journey to find a yoga teacher— it was harder than she expected! Get ready for a fun conversation filled with laughter and creative analogies and metaphors! Yoga in Botswana, here we come! Tell me more about Bonolo Phaladze… Bonolo Phaladze is the founder and lead teacher at Yownn Yoga, a yoga studio based in Gaborone, Botswana. The studio offers yoga retreats in Southern Africa, and yoga classes both in person and online. Bonolo is a Registered Yoga Teacher, RYT200 with Yoga Alliance, she specializes in yoga for beginners primarily because the yoga scene in Botswana is relatively new, and there is a lot of work to be done to introduce more people to yoga. Bonolo's first encounter with yoga was not enthusiastic, it was a doctor's recommendation. In 2013 due to a high risk pregnancy she had no choice but to accede to her doctor's demands to abandon her regular high intensity train for something low impact and gentle like yoga. She was skeptical of yoga, maybe even judgmental, she had never once considered yoga a fitness activity. The first yoga session sparked a curiosity and respect in her that propelled her to keep returning to the mat.  What to expect in the Yoga In Botswana episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Bonolo kicks off the conversation by revealing how she first came to yoga, as her bio indicates, it wasn’t enthusiastically. She first saw people at the gym just lying around on their yoga mats (apparently!) and she judged yoga as something too boring and easy. Now, it is her passion to teach new students what yoga is and what yoga can be. As yoga in Botswana is still not mainstream, the majority of her students are new to the practice. She loves walking alongside her students on their journey of yoga and showing them that it is more than just handstands and headstands. The emotional and mental presence involved in yoga is where the magic lies. While yoga in Botswana may be relatively “unpopular” as its not mainstream yet, Bonolo describes Botswana as an oasis for those seeking peace, and as she jokes “a place to sleep.” Curious about yoga in Botswana? Let’s go straight to the source! Tap into our conversation wherever you listen to podcasts. For the skimmers - What’s in the Yoga in Botswana episode? Yoga is a Fairy Godmother The Joy of Yoga - A Sun Burst! Teaching Beginners & Walking with Them On Their Journey Stress, Anxiety, Insomnia, and Back Pain Connect with Bonolo Phaladze https://yownnyoga.com/retreats-workshops/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCilnPwG29SD7RIfIQ_YgamQ https://www.instagram.com/yownnyoga/ https://www.facebook.com/yownnyoga/ Want more? Head on over to my website https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/ Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe