Maria and Antonio approached yoga at different times. Today they are a couple in work and in life, managing a yoga center together, with branches in Milan and Monza. Their story speaks of awareness and radical choices, of an inner and external "fire" that helps break patterns, free from conditioning, and listen to oneself.
A JOURNEY WITHIN YOURSELF
In his previous life, Antonio was a successful manager, focused on his career, success, and money. All aspects that suddenly seemed meaningless to him.
"I realized I was traveling without marveling at the places I visited," Antonio says. "I was passing by myself without wonder, while the journey I needed was the one within myself."
The encounter with yoga was like lifting a corner of a sheet and discovering an entire world. A world of ancient texts, to be studied and gradually made one's own. A world of self-awareness, deep well-being, and energy that needed to be shared. Hence the decision to leave everything, embark on the journey to become a teacher, and eventually open the Spera Hot Yoga center, an oasis of peace in the heart of Milan.
"I like the idea that those who attend our center feel part of my own change," Antonio says. "Over the years, I've seen hundreds of people transform their lives, finding the courage within themselves to overturn patterns."
YOGA DOESN'T TAKE TIME,
IT GIVES YOU BACK TIME.
THE BREATH THAT CHANGES LIFE
When she began attending Antonio's yoga center, Maria was responsible for events at a prestigious fashion brand.
"Everything had to be impeccable, perfect," Maria says. "I followed schedules and deliveries obsessively, but I had stopped listening to myself and my own timing. Yoga was a transition from something I didn't know, which was me, to something I now hold dear: myself, my body, my emotions."
The decision to leave her job and fully dedicate herself to yoga matured naturally and with great awareness. "In the end, mine wasn't a rejection," Maria explains. "I had learned to manage stress, but above all, to accept what I couldn't change and change what I could no longer accept. I made a choice, directed toward what made me happier."
Antonio and Maria's yoga center is made special by a pellet stove that provides atmosphere, warmth, and top performance.
THE INNER FIRE
Antonio strongly wanted a stove to create the right atmosphere in the yoga room. During a vacation, he was impressed by the ceramic stoves typical of alpine areas and the natural, positive vibe they gave to rooms. In those models, however, the fire was often not visible, while Antonio wanted to see the flame and use its light to give the room a completely different charm.
The pellet stove, practical to manage and programmable, turned out to be the perfect choice. When practicing Bikram Yoga or Hot Yoga, temperatures can reach 35-40°C. Muscles relax, calories and toxins are burned, along with anxieties and stress, for complete well-being.
"In class, I like to use the stove as a metaphor," Antonio says. "In Ayurveda, fire, Agni, is the fundamental component of life itself. Keeping our inner stove lit helps us burn everything we put into our bodies, including emotions and negative experiences, and consequently process the rest of our lives better."
Large spaces and a constant temperature around 30°C: the heating needs in this context are very specific.
THE NATURAL HEAT CREATED BY THE STOVE
WARMS ME INSIDE AND OUT.
IT MAKES ME FEEL COMPLETELY WRAPPED UP,
AS IF I WERE AT HOME.
– Maria Avaro
