People
EMBRACING CHANGE THROUGH MOVEMENT
People Paula Ayet left her big city life and career in fashion to develop her yoga practice in the Pyrenees, and carve out her own route to creative work. As the big wave of transition is about to pass, she’s ready to pick the fruit of her hard work.
Paula Ayet absorbs things to figure out what moves her. It’s part of who she is: she tries, fails and learns, and embraces the elements of life that are chance and change.
Her yoga practice began around the time she left synchronised swimming at 16. Keeping it a passion, she pursued other creative desires in her city of birth, Barcelona: fashion design, acting, styling and photography. At a certain point, she found herself dealing with feelings of pressure and anxiety.
‘I collapsed, and those are the times you stop and try to understand what’s happening.’
Ayet decided to shift her focus and develop her passion for yoga, as a new way to express herself creatively, more in line with who she was and what she felt. ‘With the progression of time and exploration of myself, it helped me heal and regulate myself.’
After a gap year, partly spent indulging in the teachings of Jivamukti in India, Ayet settled in Andorra, high in the Pyrenees. Away from the big city but also from the presence of her yoga teachers and the yoga community that she knew, the move brought about new rituals. ‘I’m not good with rules. Discipline is important, but for me, it’s also important to explore.’ In February, Ayet is leaving for Bali and another training by Katonah teachers, and she’s excited to see how it will affect her teaching at a retreat in Alt Empordà right afterwards.
Living in the mountains suits her well. Nature reminds her that life is meant to hold the unexpected and slightly flawed. ‘It teaches us that absolute precision is an illusion. Chaos has its own order. Gentle movement of our bodies can be the spark to get out from whatever dark place we are in.’
Breath work, or pranayama, is also a passion of Ayet’s. ’No-one really teaches us to breathe, but there are so many techniques that make breathing something conscious. Focusing on our breath can help us face ourselves, develop awareness and improve active listening. It can help us regulate our heartbeat rhythm and the speed of our thoughts.’