Collective Spotlight: Fran Astino
Photo Credit: Daniela Marchione
Meet Fran Astino, a yoga teacher and Sound Meditation Facilitator.
Why did you want to become a yoga teacher?
I was a yoga student with a regular personal practice for about 2 years before I considered becoming a teacher. The more I practiced, the more I realized that no one teaching looked like me. I wanted to create space for folks that didn’t fit into the mold of what we in the West have decided is a “yoga body.” When you dive deeper into the ancient teachings of yoga, we learn that EVERY body is a yoga body and that yoga asana (the physical postures) is only one of the many aspects of the practice of yoga.
What have you gained from this work?
Through this work I have gained confidence and a regular gratitude practice. These have both allowed me to look inward and learn more about myself, creating a sense of self-love that I never knew was possible.
What do you hope your clients feel after working with you?
I hope that after working with me, students and clients feel a sense of peace, ease, and liberation.
How does your healing work inform your activism or understanding of the world?
Though I hold identities that lessen my privilege, like being fat and queer, I am still a cis white woman leading yoga asana classes in the US. Recognizing this privilege and through continuing education courses and my own self-study, I have learned that the intersection of yoga and social justice is where the real magic happens. Passion for this practice and the fire underneath me as an activist has helped me to better understand the world, and has aligned my yoga practice with principles of equity and justice. One of my teachers, Susanna Barkataki, says it best in her book, Embrace Yoga’s Roots. “There is no yoga without justice. There is no peace without yoga. No justice, no peace.”
Photo Credit: Daniela Marchione
What's your favorite season of the year and why?
My favorite season of the year is Fall because there is nowhere better to do it than Western Mass! I am from a beach town, so I grew up believing that Summer was my favorite season, but in reality I love everything about the Fall. The temperature is perfect and I love to drive around to see all the changing leaves in the mountains.
What has made you smile recently that you feel the need to share?
My partner and I just adopted a kitten and seeing him and my older cat start to get along and even sometimes cuddle has me smiling so big. We don’t deserve cats!
