How Somatic Awareness Can Alter Your Approach to Ashtanga Yoga
What does it take to hold space for both structure and sensitivity in modern yoga practice? In this warm and wide-ranging episode, Harmony and Russell talk with Leo Castro and Samira Eidi, co-founders of Coletivo Mysore, a thriving Ashtanga yoga community in downtown São Paulo, Brazil. Together, they explore how somatic intelligence and bioenergetic therapy can be integrated with traditional yoga practice to create more inclusive, emotionally aware spaces.
Sami and Leo share their personal stories—how Leo transitioned from a life in aviation to becoming an Ashtanga teacher, and how Sami’s deep dive into bioenergetics has transformed her understanding of embodiment and healing. This episode is a thoughtful examination of tradition, adaptation, and the courage it takes to meet people where they are — whether they’re seeking strength, softness, or something in between.
Harmony also shares exciting news: she’ll be teaching a Mysore intensive at Coletivo Mysore this October! Details below.
🧭 Episode Themes
- Founding a yoga community in the historical center of São Paulo
- Why yoga spaces need to embrace emotional sensitivity
- How Leo balanced life as an airline pilot with a dedicated practice
- The intersection of bioenergetics, trauma, and traditional yoga
- Making adjustments more ethical, intuitive, and embodied
- Emotional energy as a teacher: learning to hold space without control
- Moving from orthodoxy toward curiosity and community
- Co-teaching, disagreement, and the “third space” between teacher and student
- The power of subtle adjustments and energetic presence
- Remembering who we are through the body
🌍 Guest Bio: Samira Eidi & Leo Castro
Samira and Leo are longtime practitioners and teachers of Ashtanga Yoga, and the co-founders of Coletivo Mysore, a community-driven yoga shala located in the historical center of São Paulo, Brazil. With backgrounds that include aviation, bioenergetics, and years of spiritual discipline, their work blends structured practice with somatic intelligence and emotional awareness. They are committed to creating inclusive, non-hierarchical yoga spaces that prioritize embodied transformation over rigid dogma.
Website: https://www.coletivomysore.com
Follow them on Instagram: @coletivo.mysore
🌟 Call to Action
If you’re in South America—or looking for an excuse to visit—Harmony will be teaching a Mysore intensive + weekend workshop at Coletivo Mysore from October 8–12. Come practice in São Paulo and connect with this vibrant, evolving community.
For details and registration, visit: coletivomysore.com
Follow Harmony: @harmonyslaterofficial
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00:00 - Introduction to Finding Harmony Podcast
00:42 - Meet Samira and Leo
01:06 - Upcoming Workshop in Sao Paulo
01:30 - Samira's Journey: Blending Ashtanga Yoga and Somatic Work
02:48 - Leo's Story: From Airline Pilot to Ashtanga Teacher
03:14 - Creating an Inclusive Yoga Community
04:13 - Reflections on Viktor Frankl and Artistic Acts
05:02 - Harmony's Upcoming Visit to Brazil
05:47 - Life in Sao Paulo: Yoga, Community, and Favelas
09:00 - Samira and Leo's Wedding in India
17:00 - The Evolution of Ashtanga Yoga and Authorization
26:25 - Integrating Bioenergetics with Ashtanga Yoga
30:30 - The Importance of Emotional Expression in Yoga
38:56 - Adjustments and Generational Differences in Ashtanga
40:26 - Understanding Bioenergetic Processes
41:08 - The Role of Touch and Energy in Teaching
43:03 - Adjustments and Sensations in Practice
43:56 - The Impact of Light and Hard Adjustments
45:32 - The Power of Presence and Psychic Adjustments
46:49 - Balancing Firm and Gentle Approaches
49:17 - Reflecting on Past Practices and Injuries
50:52 - Embracing Individual Needs in Teaching
56:03 - Personal Journeys and Teaching Philosophy
59:29 - Emotional Release and Acceptance in Practice
01:01:36 - Navigating Disagreements in Teaching Approaches
01:15:17 - Conclusion and Invitation to Community
Russell A. Case
Painter + Ashtanga Yoga Teacher
Russell Altice Case began painting professionally in 1991. However, as a person who wandered from place to place for over a decade, he didn't establish a permanent studio space until settling in San Francisco. In 2016 he has relocated his studio space to Calgary, Canada, where he resides and continues to create stunning works of art.
Russell has been practicing and teaching Ashtanga yoga for more than 25 years. An Authorized level II teacher through Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a humble and refined teacher, Case is known for his joking spirit, and his perpetual eye toward social justice work. When Pattabhi Jois invited him to his pranayama class in 2007 he considered this distinction to be the highest grade.
First and foremost his work is convincing cynical skeptics to the efficacy of mindfulness practice, and his art work is distinctly post-structuralist as it weaves a range of intertextual connections and cultural motifs through its field of view.
That is to say..
Who are we looking at all these things?
Where does the seer reside?
Who is the one doing the looking at all of these things?
Leo Castro & Sami Smidi
Sami Smidi and Leo Castro are the co-leaders of @coletivo.mysore, a Shala located in downtown São Paulo that welcomes and give support to a diverse community of over two hundred Ashtanga Yoga practitioners.
Sami is an Ashtanga Yoga practitioner and Bioenergetic Analyst. She approaches yoga as a holistic integration of the self — working with both the uplifting aspects of the practice as well as with themes such as anxiety, rigidity, and dense emotional states. Her background in Bioenergetic Analysis complements her teaching and personal practice.
Leo Castro has been practicing yoga for over a decade. For many years, he balanced a dedicated yoga practice and study with a demanding professional routine as an airline pilot. This experience made him deeply aware of the challenges modern practitioners face, inspiring an approach that integrates yoga into everyday life — balancing personal, family, and professional commitments. After multiple study trips to Mysore and other Indian cities, he was authorized by Sharath Jois in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition in 2018.
Together, they are committed to the daily study of the Vedas in their living oral tradition, under the guidance of their teacher based in Mysore.
