Meet Anita Silvestro
1- In less than a minute, tell us who you are and why we keep hearing good things about you.
I don’t like to think of myself as a survivor, more of a listener to the great wisdom my mother taught me through the years whether I realized she was doing it or not. Overcoming adversity and loss is not an option in my life. We all go through things, that’s part of life, but between my amazing mother, the Unites States Marine Corps and my new love for Yoga, I have the tools to persevere through the toughest times in life we all face. I wear my heart on my sleeve so what you see is what you get, which is why my family to include all the wonderful people I have met through Warrior Flow School are so important to me and drive me to strive to be a better person, and do things for others to make them feel good and smile.
2- What inspired you, if any, to join the Warrior Flow 200-Hour Yoga Training’s faculty?
After going through WFS YTT-200 training, I realized this is where I belong. I believe in the principals, and the work that Adrian and everyone at Warrior Flow School stands for and am honored to be part of this amazing team making yoga inclusive and accessible to those who may not have the opportunity otherwise to realize what it can offer them.
3- In simple words, what does yoga mean to you?
Yoga to me is the space in between my mind and my body where I can go to move and heal physically, mentally and emotionally.
4- What is the main difference between learning yoga now and when you took your first yoga training?
Well, before I found Adrian on Insight Timer, the only yoga I did was on workout videos, so I had a lot to learn. I couldn’t be happier though that my first real introduction to yoga was through Adrian and then The Warrior Flow School because it has made me a more compassionate person to myself and others as well as a yoga facilitator.
5- In your opinion, why is this a key moment in time to learn yoga?
I feel that this world is in need of a lot of love. During and post pandemic yoga changed to be more accessible for those who couldn’t or felt like they did not belong in a yoga studio. I was one of them! Being able to take a class online without feeling out of place, or that I was doing something wrong then being taught in such a loving trauma informed way opened something in me that I could only hope to be able to give back to others. Between the traumas we all face in life and the fast pace the world lives in, slowing down and noticing your breath for even 5 minutes could be a game changer for so many who desperately need it.
6- Who would you be without yoga?
Yoga has become my anchor that holds me still when life is spinning out of control. It is so much more than the time spent on the mat and physical asanas. Yoga is a life line for me….a life line to my own heart.
7- Who were your role models? And what pushed you to learn and become who you are today?
And what pushed you to learn and become who you are? My grandmother and my mother were two very strong, independent woman who I learned that when life hits you hard, you have to be stronger. I watched my mother persevere through some really dark things, but always held her head high and kept to her principles. She is the reason I am who I am today from every positive angle. I spent my life trying to make her proud, and even though she is no longer physically here on earth… I know she is proud of me for doing something for myself for once that I love while helping others in the process.
8- What were the pivotal roadblocks and challenges you encountered along the way that helped you define your path?
Losing my father at a very young age brought many hurdles in my life. Growing up with my mother constantly working to make sure I had what I needed showed me to work hard and appreciate what you have but also meant I had little direction in growing up. After realizing I was not ready for college, I found myself in the US Marine Corps and my life was forever changed in many ways. In 2010 I accidentally walked off of a roof landing on my head/shoulder but walked away, not unscathed though as my body reminds me daily. Losing my mother to brain cancer but being blessed with the ability and time to take care of her in the end made me realize that the best thing I could ever give her was to make myself happy for me and to give back to others whenever I could, This is what Yoga has done for me and I still get to make others happy by sharing it.
9- What can we all do right now to make this world a better place?