Wellington Yoga Teacher & Freelance Writer: Seka Ojdrovic

Freelance writer and yogi Seka Ojdrovic at Paekakariki Beach

Like many of us, Seka is a yogi with several passions. She teaches yoga in Wellington through Yoga Sangha (now at Yoga Unlimited) plus she writes heart-felt articles about it. She’s written several articles for The Yoga Lunchbox, and I just knew my readers would like to know more about the woman behind the name.

Seka brings a grace, ease and beauty to her yoga that warms the heart and calms the mind. You can see it in that photo of her sitting in the splits on a damp Paekakariki beach on a chilly winter’s evening – big smile and all.

It’s the same quality she brings to her writing – grace, ease and beauty.

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Check out the bottom of her Q & A for links to her other Yoga Lunchbox articles, and also details for how to get in touch with her in case you need an excellent freelance writer.

1. What style of yoga do you practice?
I’m an eclectic yogini… I started off doing basic Hatha yoga, mixed in with a bit of Pilates (which I’ve since come to loathe).  After about two years of sporadic bouts of twice-weekly classes, I moved to New Zealand and began to practice Prana Flow.  I’ve also done Iyengar and an Anusara workshop – which I loved!

At the moment I have a consistent Astanga practice that fulfils me.  I’m dangerously close to calling myself an Astangi.

2. How did you come to yoga?
It started off with the goal of getting fit.  Inevitably, I began to understand that yoga has so much more to offer than mere fitness.  The mind-body connection encourages natural health, and the idea of taking care of yourself holistically.  Yoga also teaches that a happy individual makes for a happy society, which makes for a happy world.

3. When did the yoga bug really get you?
It’s hard to put my finger on it.  After moving to New Zealand, I met a great group of yoga people who introduced me to the deeper aspects of yoga.

The more you learn about perpetuating peace by living a peaceful life, the more you embody it, and try to teach others; not by preaching, but by listening and experiencing.

So… I guess you could say that the ‘yoga bug’ gets me every time I wake up in the morning!

4. How has yoga transformed your life?
I’ve learned to be the author of my own life, partly because of yoga.  Yoga teaches balance in all aspects, so it would be dishonest to say that yoga is solely the reason I feel more empowered in my life.  However, yoga also teaches us to experience each moment for what it is.  The freedom that comes with that is in itself empowering.  I’m (slowly) learning to devote my energy to this moment and no other.

5. What is your home practice like?
Practicing Astanga has really helped me maintain a steady home practice since remembering the sequence means I have an automatic go-to practice.

On Fridays I usually create a sequence based around a challenging peak pose.  I find it’s better to practice these poses at home because I feel more freedom to really play around with balance, strength, and my ‘intelligent edge’ of flexibility.  People tend to be more self-conscious in a classroom full of people, but I’m never afraid to fall in the comfort of my own home.

On Saturdays it may be surprising to find that my yoga practice is… running!  Getting outside and getting the heart rate going is such a great moving meditation for me.  My mind is very clear, and I can think and think for as long as I like.  I never push myself too hard; I usually choose a flat track and just run in circles for about an hour.  I’m amazed at the kinds of things I think of on these runs.  I’ve had days when I have an entire article written in my head by the time I get home.  Just last weekend, I outlined the first chapter of a novel before stepping back inside my house!

Sundays are reserved for either a led Astanga class in the morning, or a self-led Astanga practice at home.

6. How did you get into writing?
I’ve been writing my whole life!  When I was younger I wrote purely for the fun of it, sitting down at our old Macintosh computer for a few hours.  I wrote things that I would be interested in reading, so young adult fiction was right at the top of the list.

I also wrote in times of sadness to help me cope.  When I was about 13, my young colt had an accident and was put down.  It was the most traumatic thing I had experienced in my young life, and writing down everything about him and our short time together helped me make peace with my loss.

As an adult, I write because it’s what I’m most passionate about.  It’s funny, because I’d gone on a many-years hiatus from writing for the pleasure of it – mostly because I was too busy writing papers for Uni – and I forgot how much I got from it.  Now I write to challenge myself, question myself, and improve myself.

7. What do you love most about writing, and what do you most love to write?
A human being’s life is so rich with experience, and it’s important that we all share our perspectives with one another.  For me, it’s easiest to do this through my writing.  While some people can sit down with a guitar and sing their life story out loud, and some people can create an entire world with a few paints and a canvas, I depend my writing voice to do justice to my perspective, and the perspectives of those I talk with.

I’m currently writing for Lucire magazine, as well as other publications and assignments that come my way.  I love to write about living a healthy lifestyle, because it’s something that I can personally vouch for.  I have written articles on natural beauty techniques, including skin care, and – of course – yoga!  I also love to write about human experience of any kind, through travel, heartbreak and triumph, relationships, and success.

Online articles are great, because I get to write about what’s pertinent to my life at the moment (planning for my destination wedding being one of those pertinent life moments…).

My ‘medium’ is writing magazine articles and online articles.  Although I also have my mind’s eye on finishing a novel by the end of the year…

8. How does practicing yoga inform your writing?
Yoga is all about enhancing our personal experience of life.  As a writer, you’re attuned to the world around you: all of the senses.  Practicing yoga helps me connect more closely with my senses.

9. When people ask you, “What is Yoga?”, what do you say?
Yoga is expressing appreciation for this gift of life we have been given, especially in moments of overwhelming gratitude.

10. What role do you see yoga playing in our world?
I don’t think that one thing works for all people, but if yoga works for someone, I think they should practice with all their heart.  It just so happens that yoga works in my life, but I do not judge anyone who doesn’t connect with the practice of yoga.

Having said that, there are universal truths in yoga: love, compassion, understanding, peace.  If everyone found a way to tune into these truths, we would all be living in heaven on earth.

11. Where do you want your writing to take you?
I hope that I continue to discover more about myself through my writing, as well as more about those I love.

12.  Anything else you’d like to say?
I’m always looking for a new writing challenge, and I’m willing to talk about almost any type of freelance writing job.  If you are looking to hire a freelance writer, please send me an email – bringwordstolife[at]gmail[dot]com.

My passion is magazine work, but I’m also interested in diversifying my portfolio to include more ad and marketing copy writing.

If you’re looking for a creative person with a passion for the written word, I’m your writer!

13. And finally, how do people hire you to write?
Please visit my page on Suite101.  There you will find my cache of online articles, as well as my contact information.  Or you can email me directly on bringwordstolife[at]gmail[dot]com.

I’m also hoping to get a web page going soon, which will be devoted entirely to my freelance writing – watch this space!

Read Seka’s Yoga Lunchbox articles:

• How to use the creativity of yoga to unleash the child within
• How practicing yoga builds internal strength for day to day living
• How to approach challenging yoga poses with patience and self-kindness