Meet My Favorite Yoga Teacher: Elka Haeckel

I’m so excited to introduce you today to my yoga teacher and mentor, Elka Haeckel!

I call her the best because she really is. Elka Haeckel changed yoga for me. I’ve been practicing since I was 15, but I’ve yet to come across another teacher who’s as knowledgable about both the physical asana (“poses”) practice as she is about living yoga.

In addition to knowing about the deep history and philosophies of yoga and its sister science Ayurveda, Elka radiates authenticity. She speaks with intention, and teaches from her heart. This is what she teaches to her yoga teacher trainees, which is why I found her YTT so transformative.

I first met Elka by pure intuition.

I was in a really painful period of my life, deep in the process of trying to learn about the body to heal my chronic pain. Elka Haeckel had just opened her new studio in San Diego, Elka Yoga & Wellness Center, which has a gorgeous outdoor aerial yoga deck. I was newly into aerial yoga and went to her studio for a class in Dec 2015.

I hadn’t even met Elka herself yet when a Facebook ad popped up for their upcoming yoga teacher training that coming Jan-Feb. I’d thought about doing a yoga teacher training before, but not seriously. But after reading about the training on her website, a voice inside me (my intuition) whispered loud and clear: Do it.

So I did, and it set me on a path that would change everything.

I wanted to do yoga teacher training partially because I knew I might teach it (I was already teaching barre, spin, and Pilates at that time), but mostly because I was seeking the deeper side of yoga. I knew my pain was worsened by my lifelong anxiety, and that yoga was supposed to be good for that.

I’d taken yoga classes all my life but really knew nothing about its rich history, about the teachings that help bring mental peace. I wanted to go beyond doing Warrior 2 pose and find out what the real juice was behind yoga. What gives it its healing power.

And let me tell you: Elka brings the juice.

Keeping life juicy is one of Elka’s most common sayings—and she fully embodies this. I learned so much from Elka, not only how to teach yoga to others but also about who I am and how I want to live through a yogic lens.

She continues to be a powerful mentor and friend for me, and I know you’ll love her as much as I do. If you’re in San Diego, be sure to visit her incredible studio/wellness center and learn from her in person! Otherwise, read to the bottom for ways to work with Elka online from around the world.

Elka Haeckel is the founder of Elka Yoga and Co-Owner of Elka Yoga & Wellness Center in San Diego.

Elka has been teaching yoga since 2004. She is a worldwide yoga instructor who has developed her own juicy, unique yoga practices in addition to traditional styles. Follow Elka on Instagram for free classes and teachings!

She’s a certified Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 Hatha Yoga instructor with additional certifications in Ayurveda, Reiki, Prana Flow, Restorative Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, SUP Yoga, Yoga Therapy and Thai Medical Massage. She is also a certified life coach.

Elka’s exuberance and passion for teaching, extensive knowledge of yoga philosophy, and holistic health, combined with her experience of owning a successful San Diego yoga studio, international training, workshops, retreats and teacher training makes her a positive force to be reckoned with. Elka’s friendly approach to students, friends and business partners inspires an inner transformation within everyone she meets. As she likes to remind everyone:

“We are just getting started on this journey, so open your heart and your mind to see your true possibilities!”

Hi Elka! Tell me about how you began your yoga journey—what got you into yoga?

My journey with yoga started when I moved here to the USA in 1999. I was born in northeast Brazil.  Today I’ve been in the U.S. for half of my life.

When I was 23 years old I had my first episode of a panic attack and consequently, I suffered severely from depression and anxiety.

It was then I found yoga. After years of treatment with medication along with doing yoga and meditation, I was able to get off of the medication and I continued my path as a holistic health practitioner.

Yoga was an awakening for me.

I was very wild in my 20’s, partying too much and very disconnected to my sacred temple: my body. Yoga brought me a strong connection to the ground of my being, as well as led me to my purpose which is to LOVE by helping others.

When did you decide to train to be a teacher yourself?

I took my very first teacher training in 2003, but the training I did was about following a script. I wasn’t really thinking about teaching yoga, but I was doing yoga every single day.

One day, my teacher offered to train me for free if I would teach at his studio. And that was the moment when the seed of teaching yoga was planted in my heart.

In 2003 I also got married, and my husband and I took one semester off to surf in Costa Rica, Peru, and Brazil. We stayed 4 months in Costa Rica, but we spent all of our money in the first month. So we both had to start working in Costa Rica.

I started teaching yoga in a gym in Costa Rica for trade, so I could use their gym. It worked out great as I was practicing my yoga teaching as well as my Spanish.

In 2004 we came back to the U.S., and I started teaching the right way—from the heart. In 2005 I took an amazing teacher training with Kathy Lee (in memory) and Diane Ambrosini where I became ERYT (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance). Since then I have continued my path as a yoga student as well.

How did you build your career as a teacher in San Diego?

After a few months teaching for a few studios in San Diego, I started to teach yoga by the bay outdoors, and it became very popular.

However, when the winter came, it got too cold to continue. I decided to take the risk and open my own yoga studio, called Namaste Yoga Center in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

The space was very small but very cozy and warm. The studio became popular fast in the community. In 2007, I had to expand for a bigger location.

What led you to create the Elka Yoga & Wellness Center?

In 2012, I went through a divorce and decided to sell Namaste Yoga Center to have some time for my personal life. I was still teaching yoga in a few different places in San Diego, and leading teacher trainings.

I was also learning more about additional wellness therapies. I had become a holistic health practitioner specializing in Thai Medical Massage in 2008. I did many other wellness trainings as well, including Ayur-Yoga, Craniosacral, and Prenatal.

In 2015, me and Anna Fernandez (my soul sister and business partner) decided to open a center that would offer both yoga and wellness. And Elka Yoga & Wellness Center was born!

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I always say “teaching is healing for me”. When I am teaching, I am so present with each one of my students. Even nowadays, connecting with each other virtually, I can still feel them.

Teaching is a feeling. Sometimes I think about how many years I’ve been teaching and it never gets old to me. I am always inspired to learn more, to serve more.

And mostly, it is priceless to me to witness the healing process of my students. I have a range of ages of students, from 15-90’s, and I absolutely love all of them. I learn from all of their differences and limitations. They are my greatest teachers.

I always say during the training, “Your best teachers are your students, so practice teaching people who have never done yoga before. They will challenge you to think with the beginner’s mind.”

My passion is not only teaching yoga but also leading yoga teacher trainings. I’ve been leading YTTs since 2011 and this Fall will be my number 22, including one in Brazil.

I’ve trained over 200 people and it only gets juicier every time. The program that I’ve created for the last decade is beyond becoming a yoga teacher. For me it is rewarding to see the way those beautiful souls unfold themselves into a powerful, life-transformational experience. I absolutely LOVE doing the trainings. And what I love about it the most is the community we create.

How can we practice with you online if we’re not in San Diego?

I have a YouTube Channel with short yoga videos for those who don’t have a full hour but at least 15-20 minutes.

I currently offer life-coaching sessions through Zoom—find out more here.

I also lead yoga retreats once a year somewhere around the globe. I’ve done them in Mexico, Costa Rica, Bali, and Spain. 2021 will be Brazil if the Universe allows.

About Elka Yoga & Wellness Center:

Elka Yoga and Wellness Center (EYWC) is an educational sanctuary in Ocean Beach, San Diego.

From the beginner student to the advanced teacher, we offer the tools to become the best version of oneself. Students discover how to empower themselves to live their most healthy life and teachers come to further their knowledge and skills, not only allowing them to become better teachers, but healthier and happier individuals.

The intention of EYWC is to assist students and teachers in their continued development of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.  We offer daily yoga classes (both mat & aerial) in addition to workshops (many offering certified CEUs), 200-hour RYT teacher training, specialty training, events, and retreats (300-hour teacher training coming soon!).  We are also passionate about giving back to our community… We offer many free community classes and workshops to help support Casa Hogar, an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico with over 50 children.

Elka Yoga & Wellness Center features the most professional, compassionate teachers who are leaders in their fields and love what they do. Additionally, we host workshops and training from world-renowned teachers who are masters at their crafts, bringing the highest quality curriculum to Point Loma and Ocean Beach in San Diego!

» Song Vibes «

xo,

Amy

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Photos courtesy of Elka Haeckel