Episode 81: How Present Are You? An Opportunity to be Mindful with Patricia Pinto
Podcast
Episode 81: How Present Are You? An Opportunity to be Mindful with Patricia Pinto
“What's my boundary? How does this make me feel? How how am I contributing to my community? How am I feeding into a situation? How can I make this situation better? There's so much inquiry that comes behind what I just said… it's an opportunity for always being mindful..” — Patricia Pinto
Welcome to this week’s episode of Show Up Fully! I’m joined by Patricia Pinto, co-founder of Lila Flow Yoga and Pilates Trainings. She’s also a Shaman Practitioner and full-time teacher of meditation, yoga, and pilates therapies.
In my conversation, Patricia shares her rituals an how she practices resilience in the chaos of life. Patricia lets us in on various ways to give yourself grace when showing up is a struggle and highlights why it is essential to say ‘no’ when you need to and take the time to heal from within.
Her Shaman practices expose the layers we all have and allow for acceptance of the things we cannot change while empowering us to change the things we can.
Join me on today’s episode as Patricia describes ways to be more mindful and how to shift into a joyful mindset.
Topics Covered:
● Learning new things to find out what sticks
● What does ‘showing up’ mean for you?
● Why you need to take time for yourself
● The importance of aligning your thoughts and actions
● What happens when you look for one miracle every day
● Why it’s important to say ‘no’ and to understand how to protect your peace
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Tag us @chefcarlacontreras and @thenycyogini #showupfully to continue the conversation.
Eat Well,
xo Chef Carla
PS: Listen to the Pilates Mat Training Journey Podcast here
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About Patricia Pinto
Patricia turned to exercise right after September 11, 2001, where she worked a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. After the attacks, the downtown health and fitness community was giving away free yoga, Reiki and gym passes for those affected locally, and she took full advantage, introducing her to the holistic and mindful ways of healing with mindfulness.
She received her first certification of yoga back in 2008 in a classical Power Yoga form from the lineage of Baron Baptiste Power Yoga. Since then, she has completed over 800 hours of trainings through various styles, including Kula Yoga Flow advanced teacher training, Conquering Lion teacher training (Jivamukti lineage) Kundalini, Kids Yoga, Pilates mat, Barre, and Pilates Reformer/Cadillac training. She is a Shamanic Practictioner, and Level III Reiki certified.
Patricia teaches meditation for numerous corporations including The United Nations and Banesco Bank in Spain. Lastly, Patricia was the first RKYT (Registered Kids Yoga Teacher) to create and certify teachers to teach in Asia and developed a widely recognized Kids Yoga Teacher Training used by Om Factory globally.
In addition to her yoga practice and teaching, Patricia is an avid surfer and lover of the ocean. She has combined her passions of yoga and the water by founding Love Surf Yoga and curates many retreats around the world based on the practices of yoga and surfing.
Patricia is based in New York City and Miami Beach and is a full time yoga and Pilates teacher. She teaches at Exhale, Equinox, Lucent Yoga and for many private clients.
Find + Work With Patricia:
Visit Patricia Pinto's Yoga Website
00:00.00
Carla Contreras
Hey, it's Chef Carla and welcome to show up fully. This is a podcast where I share what it's like to show up for your real life if you don't know me I'm a food stylist photographer and health coach. You can find me. It's Carla Contreras on Instagram and more information in today's show notes. This episode has been a long one in the making I am so excited to have my friend my pilates teacher Patricia Pinto we met a million years ago in Brooklyn at this yoga studio is called. Go yoga in Williamsburg I feel like it was like 2011 ish and we literally became fast friends ever since Patricia you do so many different things I would love for you to introduce yourself and how you serve the worlds.
00:51.39
Patricia Pinto
Well first of all, thank you for having me and when you talk about go yoga I think of like it used to be like this little hole in between like a thai restaurant and in Williamsburg in an area that's now so fancy and beautiful that the spot. Probably doesn't even exist and it's definitely it brings me back to a really magical time. Um, and with that said I feel like you know that my introduction would be that I am first maybe a yoga teacher. Since I've been teaching yoga for the longest time and ah and and that's opened up into a lot of entrepreneurial kind of programs and and and trainings that I do so I have lila flow which is my. You know I co-founded which is yoga teacher trainings and Pilates trainings which is the training that you did and then I do love surf yoga which started with me doing retreats with like my yoga teacher funds you know. Our first one my first one was twenty fourteen and now I've done about 50 yoga retreats I know and now I'm transitioning so that I just organize the retreats and teachers go instead of me. Um, and then um, personally. I'm a yoga therapist I'm a meditation instructor I teach meditation for the united nations actually and so I teach meditation for the refugees. The employees in the refugee camps in a bunch of different programs within Africa. So that's a big passion of mine meditation pilates obviously Andic Therapeutics I think you know from a yoga teacher to now I consider myself a yoga therapist with that in. Under. It's just so I feel like I'm like a little but then from I know from the yoga therapy I also became really interested in the shamanic work which we talked about briefly before we even started recording and the shamanic work is a
03:05.60
Carla Contreras
You do a lot.
03:22.22
Patricia Pinto
Studied under one teacher in particular but 2 teachers in the it's like South American shamanic energetic work that I have found from a skeptical eye to be really powerful and life changing. And with that is it's like where I am today.
03:46.72
Carla Contreras
It's amazing. It's amazing to watch. You know we've been friends for a long time and to watch your journey because you document this through Instagram as well like all the things that you're learning all of the trainings that you're going to and that it's like ah. It's like a constant evolution and you're always I feel like you know learning there's always something to learn There's always something to I don't know if we're like looking at an onion There's like layers right.
04:15.95
Patricia Pinto
And you're very similar to me so I feel like you're always doing that too. Yeah I think it's just having this ah curiosity I'm I'm always very curious and if something sparks my interest I kind of like want to know all about it and then if. If I don't like it then I just I learned all about it and I let it go but if I like it and I find it powerful and and that it serves you know it's something that I want to share that I feel. It's useful then I keep it. You know so.
04:49.74
Carla Contreras
Same same same I feel like I learn a bunch of different things. You know obviously people are listening to this I'm a trained Chef food styles Photographer I mean the list can go on and on I did Polati's teacher training and I feel like.
04:52.80
Patricia Pinto
Ah, yeah I think it's similar to you? yeah.
05:08.17
Carla Contreras
You know? yes you take what you like and you just leave the rest like I mean that's really the philosophy of it I would love to chat about food. What was your last meal and now you're in Miami so I'm curious.
05:19.26
Patricia Pinto
Well, this is so random because you would think like well you know as a new yorker that like I've been through this whole you know new change moving here I actually moved here and. I found that the food in New York was healthier than the food down here isn't that crazy I think it's like the latin influence like it's like and empanadas everywhere right? and empanadas are deep fried or I mean they could be baked but mostly they're deep fried you know and it's like. I don't know I felt like maybe because in New York you walked around and it was like juice press everywhere and anyway so I know all I do is cook at home and I know all I do is cook at home.
06:07.70
Carla Contreras
Oh wow.
06:13.19
Patricia Pinto
And my last meal actually was my lunge and it was a taco. It was tacos made with grass-fed ground beef corn cotija cheese and. Almond flour tortillas I know pretty Yuy but because I've I've had to really change I've had to consciously just like cook and and and eat much more healthy I think also covid too like.
06:31.28
Carla Contreras
Ah, that sounds delicious. That sounds so good.
06:49.21
Patricia Pinto
After Covid the eating out it just never came back to me anyway. So now I just cook a lot.
06:57.90
Carla Contreras
That's so beautiful I Love that I love that as a practice too I feel like it's for me and you know this I have a cooking meditation album like I feel like there is a process in this. Thank you I Want to talk about showing up.
06:58.89
Patricia Pinto
Yeah.
07:05.84
Patricia Pinto
I Love that? yeah.
07:14.11
Carla Contreras
And the reason that I named this podcast showing up fully is that we're asked in all these different and we listed some of the spaces like spirituality Wellness business entrepreneurship. Our relationships all of these different spaces. We're asked to show up but no one actually defines what showing up means and I would love to know how you define showing up and the ways that you show up in your life.
07:44.97
Patricia Pinto
You know when you when you brought that question up. Ah, the first thing I thought about is that you can't show up unless you prepare and prepare is what it takes for you to be present right? So you know. Everything from for me a routine is really important and honoring that the routine that I need to have this routine for me to feel like myself so the routine of going to bed early eating healthy. Um. You know, having time to do the little things like taking my dogs for a long walk and there there are habits routines. You can call them rituals so showing up means that I have to be conscious in how I am. Treating myself so that I can show up because I feel that when I do that and it's it's when I feel myself and and I feel really good when I when I am in my body. And I am very present my my decisions my interactions I feel like I'm fully there. So in short I think the answer is what do I do how do I show up fully is prepare for. Showing up fully just really taking care of myself and that's not just me like oh you know doing the rituals too. But it's like what is important to me and make sure that I have time for that and that also includes like. You know I talked about my dogs I mean they're right here I'm looking at them right now, but it's like for me. Yeah you know them and for me, it's like spending time with my family is very important spending time with my nephews and nieces is very important going to the ocean is very important things like that. So. It's making time for yourself and the things are important to you because otherwise you can't show up fully.
10:00.23
Carla Contreras
At All and I do feel like you know the type of work that you do whether it's yoga or Pilates or working with one on one clients or shamanic or like any of these different things. You are a space holder for other people Regardless of. What you're doing with them and I feel like being that space holder and this is just for me. Personally, you know I talked about this on another podcast that I was like I have like a laundry list of things that I do to. Show up for myself and it might seem like it's a lot to other people. But for me all of the things that I do in my life like I Love that you said that that you do these things so that you can feel fully yourself and and what's important to you and what do you define As. And.
10:49.62
Patricia Pinto
Yeah.
10:55.33
Carla Contreras
Important and I I really want to emphasize that and like underline and circle it like what does that mean to? whoever's listening to this right now like what does that mean to you? What's important for you to feel fully present in yourself.
11:09.91
Patricia Pinto
Yeah, exactly. So if it means that you know for me waking up really early is very important because feeling rushed and it makes me feel very uncomfortable. So it. Whatever, whatever that it's very personal to everyone. So The things that you find very important to you and and it's not about keeping yourself like from doing the things that don't work for you because life is life and sometimes. Things are going to happen. You know, but if you have an idea of how you can work with what you got you? You will still be able to show up for yourself. No matter what has happened show up fully not just for yourself. No matter what it's happening.
12:07.79
Carla Contreras
Oh this makes me think about the pilates podcast that I did is about and I'll put a link to that I talked about the pilates training that I did with you. It really makes me think about therapeutics and it makes me think about like how pilates is literally for everybody.
12:11.34
Patricia Pinto
Oh.
12:19.54
Patricia Pinto
Over.
12:27.56
Carla Contreras
Um, and that you can make it work for you like it really makes me think about what you said during teacher training that you know these poses can be done by every single person and the way that.
12:30.31
Patricia Pinto
Yeah.
12:44.40
Carla Contreras
You use Therapeutics is what makes it accessible.
12:45.77
Patricia Pinto
Yeah, exactly and in in thinking of your life in that way like how can I make this work for me today. What have I done you know what can I do and just.
12:56.89
Carla Contreras
I Love that.
13:05.39
Patricia Pinto
You know and and going back to feeling yourself because when I feel myself is when I feel when when I am able to um for to connect and um, execute. In a way that feels really aligned I know you know what I mean because there's like this really when when you are constantly like you know you do many things and you're doing so many different things. It's really important to feel aligned with what you're doing otherwise you're just like a robot. Doing from 1 thing to the other to the other and they lose their meaning so this way of thinking. What do I have to do today. What can I do or what I have today where am I today. How am I going to show up fully today I have these tools. Okay I can do this it kind of works in that way.
14:05.27
Carla Contreras
Ah, hundred percent and I feel like this also ties into I'm in your meditation group for this month and you gave us a journaling assignment that can we talk a little bit about that because I feel like this is an alignment with what you're saying.
14:14.40
Patricia Pinto
Um, oh yeah, yeah.
14:23.65
Carla Contreras
I Would love for you to explain it to people that don't know about this practice I Love it.
14:24.34
Patricia Pinto
Oh god that you liked it? Um, so it's it's called a 6 time book and I was introduced to it in a teacher training that I did in 2011 actually with Kelly Morris who now she does like a meditation called. Do you know her.
14:41.47
Carla Contreras
Yeah I remember we were talking about her training back then.
14:44.15
Patricia Pinto
yeah yeah back then yeah I was say you know it was such a long time ago, but it it was ah in the training we had to do this book and it was the book is. It's called the 6 time book and it's basically an. Ah, daily practice of setting an intention for yourself and visiting the book the journal 6 times in a day to reflect on how you have worked towards that goal and then at the. End of the day you give yourself kind of like a little gratitude affirmation for to seal the practice and then the day after you start over it doesn't have. It's really powerful when it's the same thing for a long time right? So let's say. Joy you know that's that's a very broad 1 but finding joy on on my day-to-day if you work on how you're finding joy and 6 times a day you reflect on how joy is showing up or how your. Seeking to find joy I mean imagine doing that for three weeks straight you you're going to be a happier person after three weeks you know so it goes with everything. It's like you could do different. Intentions every day but it works better when it's the same intention for a long time because it's it's that same that's like you know you are what you think what? you you think? what? you do you do who you are I don't whatever. However, that.
16:14.23
Carla Contreras
I Love it.
16:27.10
Patricia Pinto
Saying is it's like it's I don't even know people say anyone from the buddha to gandhi to you know the Dalai Lama has said I don't know who said that quote but it's like this thing where it's like what you think you do what you do you become. And it's just that.
16:47.12
Carla Contreras
I love it I love it I love it I love it so much and I do yeah I am I'm doing it and I and I I like this looking for the 1 thing because I feel like I did a course in miracles.
16:50.86
Patricia Pinto
Ah, so cool. You're doing it.
17:04.50
Patricia Pinto
Oh.
17:06.56
Carla Contreras
Teacher training a couple of years ago and for one full year I looked for the miracles and I feel like I'm I'm on the verge of restarting that journey but I do.
17:15.17
Patricia Pinto
Yeah I feel like people's lives change when they do the course of miracles because of that.
17:20.86
Carla Contreras
It is a hundred percent life changing um work and you know I feel like as as you were talking I'm like ooh I'm going to put look for the miracle.
17:36.86
Patricia Pinto
Oh.
17:39.11
Carla Contreras
Because if I could look for the miracle 6 times a day now who knows what that could be. You know it. It could be that I have a nice glass of cold water next to me, you know that it literally is a miracle. Um, you know when people don't have water in the world like it literally.
17:48.54
Patricia Pinto
Yeah, it is a miracle exactly? yeah oh 100% yeah
17:58.55
Carla Contreras
It literally is a miracle so I'm I'm I'm going to report back to you what this? What my practice looks like but I do feel like anybody listening to this that this practice resonates you know what is that 1 thing that you want to look for what is that 1 feeling. You know that you want to embody like how how life changing is that.
18:17.86
Patricia Pinto
Yeah, yeah, excited and and then think because you know this practice is. It's not a new practice but they usually do it like um during the new moon and the full moon right? that this is like the most ah popular one. Or maybe once a day sit an intention every day or if you go to yoga they ask you to send an intention. But if you're sitting with this intention and you visit it 6 times a day. It's really really powerful. Yeah.
18:48.33
Carla Contreras
This is so cool I'm gonna shift into asking you what you do when you don't want to show up and because you work with clients I Want to ask you to because I.
18:59.53
Patricia Pinto
Who who.
19:05.16
Carla Contreras
Right? I know that you have gems here and even myself I will throw myself out there did not want to show up for that teacher training and I did a whole I did a whole podcast of my resistance to Pilates to Pilate’s teacher training and so.
19:13.86
Patricia Pinto
Yeah, there is assistance.
19:24.62
Carla Contreras
I Would love to know personally. But if you want to throw in you know client because you are such an incredible inspiration and I feel like oh well thank you for being my teacher. Um I Really appreciate you because it it.
19:33.33
Patricia Pinto
Oh thank you? oh.
19:44.36
Patricia Pinto
Oh well. Thank you I think like um, what do I do if I don't want to show up. There's been times in my life where I.
20:01.76
Patricia Pinto
Literally have not been able to show up right because of grief because of life you know curveballs that knock you down and it's important for us to to. Say no right? But know why we are saying no and and standing behind it right? So it's it's it's there's a thin line between. I'm feeling a b and c let's put I didn't sleep. Well last night and I have 4 clients today which which has happened to me and I I just told you like I have this whole thing like I need to sleep and because I like to be there for my clients and classes and stuff. So let's pretend that I don't sleep well, um, then comes this this question like I don't want to show up because I'm tired and I'm not going to be there in my best self. So what can I do to shift to my best self. So maybe it's canceling one of those clients but it's not all of them right? It's maybe giving myself a nap in the afternoon so that I can then go teach my last 2 classes of the day or lead the meditation that I need to do. In situations that are like that it's pivoting right? Covid is a pivoting huge lesson for everybody including like you know for lila flow and and everything that we did. But then there are times where you really if you can't show up like again. The. Bigger things. It's it's being okay with that so that you can take the time to heal so that then you can show up right? because there's going to be different. There's going to be different levels. Of um density to not being able to show up right? So it's knowing where you are in that scale and and and just being responsible about it right? It's not responsible. To your clients only it's being responsible to yourself too honoring what you're feeling knowing that there's a balance between resting and being lazy I feel like this is like as ah, you know I love Netflix. And binging Netflix and and staying home and and relaxing and and cooking and and I've really been able to look at what it means to relax or to be lazy and then being okay with that too by. So identifying where you are in that scale and then tweak as needed if it needs if you need a week off because you just need. It's something huge then you take a week off if it's something that. You could perhaps work with and and know that you're just being like a resistance type thing. It's recognizing that resistance and that only comes from practices in which we inquire. You know, constantly inquiring where am I what is this? What's my boundary. How does this make me feel how how am I contributing to my community. How am I um, feeding into a situation. How can I make this situation better if there's so much inquiry that comes behind what I just said so it's a lot of mindful. Um, it's like ah it's an opportunity for always being mindful.
24:26.34
Carla Contreras
Oh I Love that it is an opportunity always be mindful I think that that's so powerful and it's a beautiful way to look at it I Want to ask you because I know that shamanic healing is part of that journey too and I feel like this plays into. That healing and knowing where you are for the deeper things. So I Want to ask you because I know that you approach this from a skeptical lens and can we talk a little bit about that.
24:46.86
Patricia Pinto
Oh yeah, totally oh.
24:56.48
Patricia Pinto
Yes, and yeah, and so so you know this shamanic work that I do ah you know as a yoga teacher then pilates teacher teaching in New York City you know private clients and. Equinox with 60 people in every class and just like this like very active heavy. Um, you know, retreats and traveling and trainings and blah blah and then you know my mom passed away and. And I literally could not show up any longer like I didn't have it in me I I actually didn't want to talk to people you know, um and that's all I do is talk to people all day. So so this. Retraction then allowed me then allowed me to to acknowledge that I was in the deepest depression I've ever been in my life. You know I was because when you're going and going and going. If you're depressed like so you you have responsibilities right? So it's like I'm depressed but I have to teach so you show up and you teach I slow down it was because I couldn't physically do it anymore and doing. During this time realizing that I was very depressed. My hair was falling out I don't know if you knew that I feel like we've on and off talked for you know so long but my hair was falling out. Um I had just moved down here to Florida and. My money situation was horrific so I was very depressed and like in and just going through different really challenging things in my life I was gifted a session with um, my teacher who now is in Australia. But I was gifted a session in person with my teacher. Um, and it was such a powerful experience because after my first session it felt like I had cried for. 20 hours which is maybe what I needed to do energetically or I don't know that's just how how I feel it and I also felt the sense of expanding that I hadn't felt you know when you're depressed and even in somatic psychology like depressed.
27:47.10
Patricia Pinto
People round their shoulders their heart sinks back. Their chin is tucked in I literally felt like this expansive quality to how my body was and I continue to go to these sessions and then after I healed then I decided to. Study what this technique was because it was so powerful to me and there was this. It was heavy duty observation from rock bottom. To the subtle things that were changing and then to now like because whenever I explained you know clients when I have new clients and it doesn't happen in 1 session but a lot can happen in 1 session but over time what's happened to me. That I feel like a completely different person and not different in a way that I'm another. You know Patricia Pinto but it's like it's more like. The layers have been peeled and now it's like me but that was far away so from a skeptic to saying stuff like this. I'm really proud to have taken the steps to train into this work because I would have never thought that I would unless. Ah, you know I had to go through it and experience it and and still to this day I like sometimes read things on like social media and I'm just like oh this makes me cringe so I don't want to be that person that makes other people cringe. Ah.
29:50.91
Carla Contreras
Thank you so much for sharing your journey I am so so honored and so grateful that our paths crossed in Brooklyn many many moons ago.
29:59.50
Patricia Pinto
I know I'm so I'm so glad that um, it's It's so inspiring to see everything that you do and it truly is you know you say like thank you,? It's like I say thank you everything that you do is always. So outstanding and and like we were talking about that really that podcast that you talked about the Pilates training and how it changed your life and it you're so honest. In all that you offer and it's so it comes from such a good place that it's so well received and and I receive it with an open heart every time anything that you do. It's just so inspiring and beautiful and and I'm so glad that you do so much too because I.
30:54.44
Patricia Pinto
Feel I'm sure you get it from like your students too. But it's like you really have something special and beautiful to offer to the world. So thank you too.
31:05.18
Carla Contreras
Ah, my goodness Patricia how can we work with you. How can we find you? How can we support you.
31:12.22
Patricia Pinto
So I think patriciapintoyoga.com is probably like my overall where I post about my retreats and lila flow trainings and my meditation circles. It's the it's there because. Otherwise so it's http://lilaflow.com for my trainings http://lovesurfyoga.com for my retreats and Patricia Pinto yoga for like it's almost like my my blog like so I tell you I'm going here I'm doing this and so all those. 3 if it's not a lot. So.
31:51.18
Carla Contreras
That's perfect and I'll put all of the links in the show notes. Thank you so much for coming on and everyone listening if you could please leave a review on Itunes.
31:54.99
Patricia Pinto
Thank you.
32:05.00
Carla Contreras
Send this as a text message or an email or do an Instagram story and tag me and Patricia sending you all love bye.