Hispanic Heritage Month: Teacher Q&A with Noemi Nunez

At CorePower Yoga, we know that it’s the unique and diverse voices within our communities that make CorePower what it is, and we are dedicated to uplifting and amplifying these voices every day. We want to share stories that enrich the CorePower community and expand perspectives by sharing other people’s points of view. To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, our CEO Niki Leondakis sat down with Colorado teacher, Noemi Nunez, for a passionate conversation about her yoga journey.

They discuss what powers Noemi’s deep commitment to bringing mindful movement and wellness practices to the Spanish-speaking community and what inspired her to teach for CorePower.

Niki: Noemi, first of all, thank you for doing this. I’m super excited to talk to you!

Noemi: Hi Niki. I’m excited as well. Thank you for having me!

Niki: To kick things off, can you tell me a little about your CorePower Yoga background? I know you’re a teacher in Colorado, but how did you find CorePower and how long have you been teaching?

Noemi: I actually started as a student with CorePower before I became one of your teachers. I started practicing about 15 years ago. I became a teacher after committing to years of practice, and was teaching elsewhere for a few years before finally landing at CorePower. I’ve been teaching here for over a year now.

Niki: So you’re a fairly new teacher at CorePower, but not new to the community. That’s wonderful, Noemi. You know, I came to CorePower similarly. I was a student for several years before I became CEO. And you were a yoga instructor before teaching at CorePower, so you brought the wisdom of that experience with you. Did you then complete any CorePower intensive teacher trainings?

Noemi: Yes, I have done several intensives to get acquainted with the framework and the CorePower format, which I have found to be incredibly effective. I admit I was a little worried the formula might limit my creativity, but it hasn’t at all! I’ve found I’m really able to apply all my different trainings and lineages within the CorePower approach.

Niki: I love hearing that. What brought you to eventually teach at CorePower? What is your WHY?

Noemi: I was invited by one of the Denver studio managers at the time, Kaileigh S. I was so touched that she thought of me. I was a regular in her classes at the Broadway studio and she kept urging me to teach here, but I didn’t believe I was ready. She continued to encourage me, but it wasn’t until she asked me to teach my bilingual format classes here that she was able to persuade me because that tied it to my WHY. I knew teaching at CorePower meant I could reach the most people with bilingual classes, in this case English and Spanish, and serve a demographic that for the longest time has been underserved, or even ignored.

So these two things came together – my passions for teaching yoga and for serving the Spanish-speaking community. I’m grateful CorePower was open to offering this, and I’m so appreciative of Kaileigh’s invitation, initiative, and leadership.

Niki: What a powerful story. I'm so grateful that you accepted the invitation to teach a bilingual format, enabling us to serve a broader audience and particularly, the underserved. Noemi, can you talk about a time when you were taking a class as a student at CorePower, and something really impactful happened with the teacher, or in the class, that left an imprint on you personally, aside from the invitation to teach.

Noemi: I can immediately think of two experiences with different teachers who both had a big impact on me, as a student of yoga and as a teacher. Even though there is over a decade between these experiences, they are very much related. These two teachers had the devotion, the passion, and the knowledge to impart pieces of information throughout class that provided an opportunity for education and introspection. They each had such definitive styles in their teachings and their personalities and brought an authentic voice to the class that really stuck with me. They had a way of making the practice approachable and inspirational, and I’ve never forgotten that.

Niki: That’s really wonderful. I'm listening to you and I can tell this was really impactful on you. Is there anything from those experiences that you've taken and made your own to create a similar impact for the students in your classes?

Noemi: I’m constantly working to create a sense of community, and to make people feel that showing up to their mat, in this space, is an extension of home. I think it's by creating a safe space that you make the practice approachable. I want my classes to be enticing and challenging, but with an intelligent edge. It is an edge, but it's an informed one. When a teacher can do this effectively, it can be very powerful.

I’m aware that in any given class I may have folks using their first free week as well as those with decades of yoga expertise. So I’m always challenging myself to make my class approachable yet challenging for a wide-range of students and their different levels of experience. It’s one of the things that motivates me on a daily basis to be the best teacher that I can be. There's always that fresh challenge to make the studentship of yoga contagious.

Niki: Noemi, your passion is contagious. Our conversation will be transcribed into an article, and I’m just wishing our community could hear the passion in your voice. It’s so clear to me that you have this deep commitment to ensuring each person in your class - whether they’re on a free week trial, new to yoga, or they’ve been practicing for years and years - feels like you've designed the class specifically for them. What a gift!

Creating a class that’s approachable to the new student, and also challenging for the very experienced practitioner, is not easy. And yet I can feel your enthusiasm for ensuring that your classes offer this. The ability for a wide range of practitioners to fully engage in class creates that sense of belonging, connectedness, and community.

Noemi: Yes, I want everyone to find commonality with the person on the mat next to them. When you bring them into the same intention, of tending to their very particular needs, then a community is forming.

The community is in that interconnectivity between complete strangers – they may be trying a challenging pose, or a fun transition, and they’re looking in the mirrors at one another and they’re smiling. You find that a tacit rapport forms in those 60 minutes. By tacit rapport I mean the connection that organically develops amongst the students in these moments. You’re not necessarily discussing it, but you can see the smiles, you can see the glances, and it's just magical to witness, and be a contributor, to that creation. I believe it’s this tacit rapport that keeps bringing people back to their mat.

You can see the glances, and it's just magical to witness, and be a contributor, to that creation.

Niki: Amazing. I love the phrase tacit rapport. I've experienced what you're describing and there’s nothing like it. When a group of people are in a heated room together with their breath, coordinated movement, finding the struggle and the ease together. Even if you never speak a word, you feel the connection. It's an energetic connection.

Noemi: Yes, because you're not alone in your efforts. This is something I tell my students in almost every class of mine. I tell them to give more to themselves, and know that they are not alone, not the only one sweating and groaning. Your neighbor is doing it, I'm doing it, we're all doing it, and we’ve got this! It’s binding, you know, like a spiritual glue for the community.

Niki: Spiritual glue. Beautifully said. The fact you facilitate that experience with intention is so remarkable. I can’t wait to take one of your classes.

Noemi: I would love to have you!

Niki: As you know, last year we put words to CorePower’s higher purpose. And that is to power love from the inside out. Can you share what powering love from the inside out means to you?

Noemi: You know, this statement was a challenging one for me. When I first heard the words of our purpose, it seemed like a very tall order. To me, being comfortable, and at peace, with oneself is what creates the ability to put love out there and be of service to others.

Yoga is a lifestyle, and Asana is just one of the eight limbs of the yoga path. The connection of mind and body allows you to align with yourself and check in, rather than check out. Work in, rather than work out. And set an intention for yourself. That's what will give you the strength to outwardly love. This practice, what we do at CorePower Yoga, is one of those mindful movement practices that enables our ability to give ourselves the care we need, so we can love outwardly. We have to start within.

Invariably, I am a better version of myself when I leave my mat. If I'm running from my office to meet my partner for dinner, he’ll ask me right away if I’ve gone to yoga. If I say no, then he tells me to go to yoga first, then we’ll meet for dinner. I know (and apparently, he does too) that I will be a better partner, a better human being altogether, if I go to yoga first and take care of myself. I don't think we can really show up in service of others if we are not grounded, and feeling comfortable in our own skin. We all live with constant stressors and distractions, whether it's work, TV, our phones, you name it, because some of us cannot sit with ourselves and our thoughts. It’s hard.

I don't think we can really show up in service of others if we are not grounded, and feeling comfortable in our own skin.

I think that's the real work. Learning to sit with ourselves and acknowledge our thoughts, to become comfortable with ourselves by engaging in actionable growth and betterment. I hope we all get the message of what powering love from the inside out really signifies. I hope we all do the necessary work for ourselves first, it's an investment.

Niki: Absolutely and I could not agree more, Noemi. We cannot love others if we don't love ourselves first. And how we begin to love ourselves is the real question. We have to do the work, and we have to turn our focus inward. It's not a one-time, check the box. It's not going on a retreat. It’s an ongoing journey. It's a process, and it's daily. We have to fill our own cup, and take care of ourselves, before we can be of service. The self-study, the understanding, the grounding, finding the compassion for ourselves has to happen before we can successfully and sustainably love externally.

It's the same for me. If I have to catch an early flight, or there’s a morning crisis or meeting that prevents me from doing yoga first-thing, it shows in how I handle myself, react to stress or curve balls or challenges. I'm so much better when I get time on my mat. I can't be there for others, if I'm not there for myself first. It took me many, many years to learn this. I thought I should put everybody before me, but I was always running on empty. And that doesn't serve anyone, because there's nothing there to give.

Niki: Thank you for your eloquent interpretation of powering love from the inside out. Okay, shifting gears a little bit. What is something people might be surprised to know about you?

Noemi: I’d like to think I am a private person, but depending on the circumstances some students and peers may know more than others about my life. However, I wager that very few people know that I took custody of my two younger sisters when I was about 18 years old. It’s quite personal, and I don’t share it often, but it has been very formative in my life.

Niki: Wow, that's incredible. You took custody of your two younger sisters when you were 18. That is not a typical commitment for someone at that stage of life. You obviously have deep, deep love and commitment to your siblings. That's beautiful, Noemi. Thank you for sharing that.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, do you have a story about your life, or a specific experience, that helped shaped who you are today?

Noemi: In the context of my yoga work, before I graduated from my first 200-hour teacher training, I already knew I wanted to bring something different to the table that would have staying power and some longevity in my community. So, I developed a bilingual yoga format, a class taught both in English and in Spanish.

My mother died very young, about 50 years old. I genuinely believe that the reason we lost her so early was a combination of uninformed decisions that impacted her lifestyle choices. She really didn't know any better. My mother didn't have access to the wellness and mindful movement practices that you and I know so intimately. I am a firm believer that if she would have, she would still be with us today.

A lot of these practices are still not as approachable or accessible in different communities around the world as they are in this country. I think we are incredibly lucky, if not spoiled, in the Western world to not only have access to traditional yoga, but also an array of related practices and yoga lineages, and toys (props) and gear. In many countries, communities, cultures, these are not available. People may assume that anyone who can speak multiple languages can teach a bilingual class or a movement class to make matters more challenging. Believe it or not, that’s not the case, you need specific training to develop the skill and deliver a clear format. I know a lot of bilingual yoga teachers who have no interest in identifying as Hispanic or Latinx, or to serve this community in this capacity, by teaching bilingual classes. Some people are still doing the work to take pride in their origins, to figure themselves out. And I don’t blame them. For the longest time and for some of them, all they’ve wanted was to fit in. Like everyone, we all crave a sense of belonging. That's exactly what I’m trying to create, a sense of belonging for those who don’t feel it.

I've dedicated most of my teaching career to empower others with not only the knowledge and the know-how, but also equip them with the tools to earn an additional income by certifying them as yoga instructors. I am aware that it’s difficult to meet 100% of your living expenses by teaching yoga alone. But it is one more relevant skill that can empower a household to bring in additional income. This is the reason I created my own 200-hour yoga school registered under Yoga Alliance that has an integrated bilingual component. I co-write grants in partnership with organizations to bring full-ride scholarships for those who are interested in using their bilingual skills to continue to spread the knowledge of yoga, the technology of this wellness.

My mother didn't have options. Maybe if she would have had access to the right class/teacher, a safe place to work within, and also work out, she would be with us today. I am positive she would be. These options have real ramifications in our whole mindset, in our lives. What we eat, what we think, how we act, how we speak. It can impact everything. But these doors were not available to my mother, and this drives my work.

Niki: Noemi, thank you for this beautiful share. Your purpose is clearly fueled from this deep mission, because you lost your mother, because she didn't have access. It's really profound.

I relate to so many things you are saying too. I grew up in an immigrant family, Greek immigrants, and I spent decades abandoning my heritage to try and fit in and be accepted. I was made fun of in school for being different and having parents who spoke a different language, cooked different foods, and did all the things that made us stand out from others. I was embarrassed and shunned, and I know many others who experienced similar feelings of shame. So this is what powers my purpose, my Sankalpa, to help people optimize their potential. It comes from a place of wanting people to be fully themselves, and not try to hide any part of themselves, in order to be accepted or to feel a sense of belonging.

In my culture, the health and wellness practices that I have sought out in my life and that have been available to me, were not exposed to my parents at all. My mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, and there's a lot of research now about how that can be prevented. It's cardiovascular exercise, sleep, eating to feed your brain. It's all these things that we know as part of a yoga lifestyle.

I can tell you come from a deep place of purpose and I feel your passion and how profound it is. Thank you for your vulnerability and sharing that profoundly personal story. I think when we are truly inspired and motivated to have a positive impact on others, it comes from a place of personal experience. And that's when we do our best work.

Niki: Do you have any hopes or dreams for CorePower Yoga, or anything else that you'd like to share with me and our broader community?

Noemi: I just want to tell you how excited I am to be in a conversation with you that's focused on celebrating the diversity that the Latinx community brings to CorePower Yoga at a national and local community level. Knowing that you are in a position of leadership and you also genuinely care about fostering and celebrating the inclusion and the richness of our diversity, I am grateful.

My hope for CorePower is that we leverage our tremendous reach and offer more bilingual content, whether it's weekly classes, or training modules for already certified teachers that may now gravitate towards the idea of expanding their skillset and entertain teaching yoga bilingually. I hope we continue to work on growing our representation so we can provide a welcoming embrace to everyone who is even remotely interested in any and all things yoga. It’s an investment in people so they have an opportunity to create a better version of themselves. That right there elevates our social fabric overall, and ripples out into the world where we really need it. So thank you for doing this, thank you for caring. Thank you.

Niki: Thank you for your kind words, Noemi. I agree with you. At our size and scale, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to make an impact on all of the communities that we have access to. I see it that way too. We have the opportunity and the responsibility to help pave the way to evolve our industry. We’re listening, and we know there is so much more we can do. It's a work in progress, and we are evolving every day.

I would love to continue the conversation with you to explore a bilingual class offering. Thank you for raising the subject with me. I’m grateful for it - truly. I'm grateful we have someone with your drive, and passion, and depth of commitment to making yoga more approachable. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.