Nest Community Feature - Carolina Czechowska

Tell us about yourself, Carro.

I'm Carro! A professional contemporary dancer and Pilates studio owner/teacher, born and raised in Stockholm, but I've been in San Francisco/Oakland since 2009. I started dancing at age 4, attended a rigorous national classical ballet school, and, through my love of dancing (and traveling), moved to the States for the first time at age 18. 

Photo by RJ MUNA

What do you love the most about practicing mindful movement?

It makes me grounded and de-stresses my nervous system. After practice, I can see and feel things more clearly.  Overall, it's such a luxury to make time for oneself and indulge in practice. No matter what's going on, it will always make you feel better.

What do you love the most about teaching?

I primarily teach Pilates, so I will answer from that perspective. I love seeing my students problem-solve on their own. I teach a lot of privates, and it's very satisfying when my students report back that they were able to troubleshoot an obstacle using the tools I've given them. You teach your students a language and then they get to write on their own—thrilling!

What are your favorite poses to practice?

After two decades of practising, so many! Since I like the overall feeling of being wrung out, I'm always a fan of deep twists; however, I'm going to choose the full expression of Utthita Vasisthasan. It makes me feel like a bowstring about to release an arrow. I love the stretch it provides, yet the immense side-body stability. Great for my scoliosis!

From a Pilates perspective, I love Control Balance; it's a very different flavor than the other exercises.

What is your least favorite pose?

I don't enjoy Ustrasana, particularly on my knees, and the main reason is the wear and tear from years of performing.

Photo by Kegan Marling

What is your favorite place to visit OR a place you'd like to go someday?

My partner and I have been wanting to go to Japan for a long time, but are waiting for our daughter to get a little older—currently she's sixteen months old :)

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

A few years ago, I took a challenging Harvard business certificate course because I wanted to prove to myself that I could exercise my brain in a completely different way and understand statistics and problem-solving from a new lens.

Maybe a better "fun fact" is mentioning that my Grandma is almost 102!

What is your favorite quote or your favorite piece of advice?

Growing up, I had Thoreau's quote on my closet wall: "Live the life you've imagined," and even if it's a little simplistic and trite, I genuinely believe that one must chase their dreams to live a happy, fulfilled life. Everything else will fall into place. 

What else would you like our community to know about you?

A lifetime of performing has given me a lot of empathy for injuries, aches, and pains. But I also know that the impossible becomes attainable through hard work. Pilates is a mirror to our imbalances, and as humbling as it is to see the truth eye to eye, this is the only way to transformation. I hope to see you in my class! 

If you're still curious about me, check out my website.

Photo by Cera Hensley

Nest Community Feature - Ann Thu Cung

Tell us about yourself, Ann Thu.

I'm a former consultant-turned-yoga-teacher. Working as a consultant brought me to New York and then San Francisco, and throughout this time I focused on the physical aspects of yoga, seeking a refuge from daily stressors. Gradually, my yoga practice shifted inward, and yoga offered me so many avenues and connections to people that helped me reconnect to what is true. I love living in the East Bay; it has all the things I'm fond of: beautiful coastlines, bold communities, my family, and just enough rainfall to make you appreciate the sunny days.

What do you love the most about practicing yoga? 

I love the connection to breath. The practice of coming back to the breath to calm the mind and the body is something I practice both on and off my mat. It recenters me throughout my day and keeps me mindful and present.

What do you love the most about teaching yoga? 

Creating and holding space for folks to feel at home and empowered in their own bodies. Teaching yoga is an act of service, and I feel humbled and honored to reach so many people every day. My hope is that through this practice, folks not only feel more grounded in their bodies but also more connected to what lives in their hearts. May we all act from this place.   

What is your favorite yoga pose?

Interesting...I do have asanas I turn to for different ailments...one I've come to appreciate is salamba sirsasana (headstand). 

What is your favorite place to visit OR a place you'd like to go someday? 

I've been to Vietnam a couple of times to visit family (both of my parents are from there). There remain countless sights and cities in Vietnam I've yet to see and it would mean a lot to me to explore more of the country of my ancestors.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? 

I really enjoy playing tennis! My dad taught my siblings and I to play, and it is a sport I've come to embrace. My father was a refugee following the Vietnam War, and he learned to play tennis here in the US; he loves the sport. In a way, the court offered a level playing field. My dad has a knack for creating community through tennis. Wherever he goes, he'll find a tennis court and inevitably make new friends (some might say tennis rivals :)

What is your favorite quote, or your favorite piece of advice?

PYS 2.33

~ Translation by Manorama

This sutra is one of my favorites. It is simple yet effective. How elegant! When I catch my mind spiraling, I use this sutra to check my thoughts and change my thinking. In doing so, I shift my energy and act more mindfully.  

What else would you like our community to know about you? 

I'm always looking to grow and find new ways to share yoga. If you want to learn more about me or stay in touch, reach out! You can find me at plantingpeaceyoga.com.

Nest Community Feature - Yael Haar

Tell us about yourself, Yael.

Hi friends! My names Yael and I am a creative, kundalini yoga + meditation teacher and dancer. I’m an Oakland native and have an interest in building regenerative community via holistic wellness and food systems. 

What do you love the most about practicing yoga?

What I love most about practicing yoga is the ability to tune my body and mind and experience a clearer union with myself and Creation. 

What do you love the most about teaching yoga?

I love the supporting students in creating more clarity and experiencing more peace through working with their energy. The positive insights, growth and benefits that others receive through my guidance keep me inspired to keep teaching myself. 

What is your favorite yoga pose?

For kundalini yoga “Ego eradicatior” 

in hatha warrior 1.

What is your least favorite yoga pose?

In kundalini yoga - kundalini “chair pose”

Camel pose for hatha 

What is your favorite place to visit OR a place you'd like to go someday?

I love visiting the carribean coast of Costa Rica. It’s a second home to me. Someday I’d love to visit the Blue Lagoon hot springs in Iceland. 

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I competed in ballroom (voguing) dancing. I used to invest in walking balls and moved to NY to learn about street style dances like voguing, house and AfroDance.

What is your favorite quote, or your favorite piece of advice?

“There is a voice that doesn’t use words, listen.” - Rumi

What else would you like our community to know about you?

I’m happy to be teaching in my hometown of Oakland! :) full circle moments. 

Nest Community Feature - Maggie Zebrine

Tell us about yourself, Maggie.

Howdy! I’m Maggie and I’ve been teaching movement based practices for over 10 years. I teach yoga designed to shake the dust, luxuriate in the experience of living in a body, and have fun doing it. I believe in joy and find a way to experience it each day. I feel it when the sun and hits my skin, every time I cook a new recipe, when I connect with strangers in unexpected places, in my weekly Taoism class, and when I’m eating a really good snack.

What do you love the most about teaching yoga?

I love playing with language and metaphor to invite students to engage imaginatively. It’s an incredible gift to witness students get out of their own way to get curious and playful. I also love how communal the experience of class can be— we learn from each other along the way and we move through it together.

What is your favorite yoga pose?

Supported virasana for pranayama— my true favorite part of practice.

What is your least favorite yoga pose?

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1) is revealing of many of my habits so we have a complicated, yet necessary relationship.

What is your favorite place to visit?

My favorite place to visit is an island in Greece called Syros. My husband is half Greek so we are lucky to spend some time there each year. The Aegean Sea is pure magic to me. The slow lingering days, the vibrant sun and the salty water, figs straight off the tree— it’s where I can take the most potent exhales.

What is your favorite quote, or your favorite piece of advice?

Most recently I’ve been digesting this: 

“Do you see this glass?” he asked. “I love this glass. It holds the water admirably. When the sun shines on it, it reflects the light beautifully. When I tap it, it has a lovely ring. Yet for me, this glass is already broken. When the wind knocks it over or my elbow knocks it off the shelf and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ But when I understand that this glass is already broken, every minute with it is precious.” — from one of my favorite books, The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, by Frank Ostaseski

What else would you like our community to know about you?

I just adore being at Nest! Y’all are simply the best— inquisitive students, incredible teachers, and thoughtful staff. This community shines bright and I feel lucky every time I get to take or teach class. 

New Community Feature - Zahzah Love

Tell us about yourself, Zahzah.

I’m Tirzah Love, a chef, wellness facilitator, pleasure priestess, and mama. After more than a decade feeding bodies as a private chef, I now also nourish souls through yoga, movement, and ritual. I teach Yin Yoga and Sultry Stretch as pathways to embodiment, sensuality, and deep rest. I’m passionate about helping people return to themselves; through breath, stillness, sound, and movement. My work is rooted in softness, soul, and self-liberation.

What do you love the most about practicing yoga?

Yoga is where I come home to my body. It reminds me that I don’t have to earn rest, that pleasure is a birthright, and that stillness can be just as powerful as movement.

What do you love the most about teaching yoga?

I love guiding people into their pleasure, helping them drop out of their heads and into their hips, their breath, their longing. When someone allows themselves to release, to moan, cry, smile, or sigh. I know something sacred has happened. Being trusted to hold space for that is a true honor.

What is your favorite yoga pose?

Supported butterfly, hips open, chest soft, heart wide. It feels like an altar I can rest on.

What is your least favorite yoga pose?

Plank. My wrists have a very vocal opinion about it.

What is your favorite place to visit OR a place you’d like to go someday?

I recently fell in love with Paris, but I deeply long to visit West Africa—Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria—to honor my ancestral lineage and experience the land firsthand.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I used to cook for NBA players and Fortune 500 execs, and now I’m a barefoot mama teaching sultry stretch in a candlelit room with Sade playing in the background. I’m also a pole hobbyist, it’s one of my favorite ways to celebrate my body and reclaim joy through movement.

What is your favorite quote, or your favorite piece of advice?

“Your softness is not a weakness. It is your superpower.” I teach this. I live this. I believe in the power of softness, especially for those of us taught to be hard.

What else would you like our community to know about you?

I’m not here to teach you how to be flexible. I’m here to help you feel: pleasure, presence, power. As a pleasure priestess, I believe embodiment is a form of prayer. Whether I’m guiding breath, stretching hips, or sharing a meal, my mission is always the same: to help you come home to your body, your truth, and your joy.