Meet Sissy Castillo

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sissy Castillo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sissy, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I’m a yoga teacher and studio owner by trade, but my passion and purpose is helping people feel empowered and make positive transformations in their lives through the yoga practice. I found yoga at a time when I was struggling with my own mental health and thought it was a losing battle. An inspiring woman taught me the yoga practice, and I learned I was worth fighting for. I found something that was too good not to share- and so my purpose became teaching and sharing the same practice that helped save me. The more involved I get the more I want to share. The more I learn, the more I can help others grow, transform, and get through their hard times as well.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I grew up a Myrtle Beach local and while I love the beach, I also love to travel. I’ve been lucky enough to combine my love of yoga with traveling and getting to learn from some really amazing teachers. I’m influenced by traditional yoga, philosophy, meditation teachers, the concepts of traditional Chinese Medicine and Ashtanga yoga, so I provide students with a teaching style that takes them beyond a workout. I focus on using the poses and physical practice to help students get into their bodies, listen, and hear the story which each individual body is telling. We are so much more expansive than just the physical layer, and the yoga practice can help us connect to what’s going on deep within, work through our mental & emotional stuff, and address our subconscious fears/insecurities/beliefs. My highest goal as an instructor is empowering people to believe that change, healing, and growth are possible. The best thing in the world to me is watching this light go off in a students mind when they connect to their body for the first time on their mat, watching a student accomplish a pose they’ve struggled with, watching the transformation that happens when people show up for themselves and gain confidence.

This year, I hosted a 200 hour yoga teacher training and witnessed 8 new yogis step into a new chapter of their lives. It was the best. And this fall, we’re doing it again! Our next training starts in October 2024 and I cannot wait to work with this new group of people. Yoga is both healing and incredibly healing for so many people, it’s such a gift to share that with the community.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Open mindedness, or the willingness to learn.
determination, as in the refusal to give up on my dream
and compassion, both for others and for my self. acceptance goes a long way.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

Going all in on your strengths is great, and it works well for some. But in my experience, the moments I’ve grown the most from, learned the most, or gained something I couldn’t have before…have all been times I’ve pushed outside of my comfort zone. Out of that safe place where I know I’m good at this or that, and won’t have any surprises or risks. I think success depends on how willing you are to do what’s uncomfortable and/or difficult. Sometimes that entails working on the stuff you really don’t like…which for me is public speaking. A college course I did terribly in, a deep fear of mine, and not something I’d ever volunteer to do. But as both a teacher who speaks to many people daily, and a business owner trying to grow her small business, public speaking is not optional! Over the last 4 years of biz ownership I’ve had to get comfortable with being real uncomfortable and TALKING to people about what I do, who I am, how yoga can help humanity, and my own personal experience. That idea used to make me want to throw up or run and hide. I’ve worked on it, hard. And now I can talk to anyone (with little to no complaining) confidently. We get scared to put ourselves out there because we think we’ll be rejected. But no one is better than you! Everyone eats, breathes, sleeps, cries, gets sick…passes gas hahaha. I overcame this huge fear with the belief that what I have to say is worth being heard. That no one is on a pedestal, and that if rejection happens that was just not the right door for me to walk through. There are always other doors.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jon Stell Photography

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