Tina
Name: Tina Myntz Zymarakis
Live in: Athens, Greece, near the newly-trendy Plateia Proskopon (the border between Pangrati and Kolonaki, a few minutes’ walk from midtown and the historic center)
From: I was born in New York City, raised in and around Athens. I went back to New York for college and while I always planned on moving back home to Greece, New York City seduced me. I stayed in New York for many years after college because I had access to some of the best yoga teachers in the world and loved my life there. In 2010, I decided to relocate back to Greece.
Occupation: I’ve been a yoga practice and philosophy teacher for over 20 years. I also teach meditation and corrective exercise for a wide range of conditions.
Tell us your first three jobs (ever!): Summer school assistant for kids under five years old, then I was a flower delivery girl and then a hair salon assistant (all attempted while I was under the age of ten!). For the flower delivery job, my mom paid my salary and followed me on deliveries to make sure I was always safe since I was about seven years old… 🙂
Zodiac sign?: Libra, with a bunch of ascendant Sagittarius fire.
What do you love about Greece: So much! I moved back here from New York in 2010 and have not regretted a single day!! I love saying hello to my neighbors and local shop keepers; I enjoy living close to both sea and mountain; I appreciate the weekly ritual of the local farmers’ market; I love how the sun streams through my windows most days.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you: I have nine cats! I also know many neighborhood strays by name and care for a dog who lives in a garage. It is possible to be both a cat and a dog person, at once. 🙂
Where we are most likely to find you in Lynn’s Kundalini Yoga: You will find me co-teaching with Lynn on Friday, April 10th. We hope to see you there!
The first time you tried Kundalini Yoga? New York City in 2000 with Gurmukh.
Tell us your top tip to combat climate change: Staying and buying local, as best we can.
Anything else you’d like us to know?: Although I’m a Sanskritist, Indology student, and yoga philosophy geek, my approach to teaching and practicing is very much informed by various modalities and exercise science to best suit the Western body-mind-heart.
Technology has been the miracle glue to connect with students from all over via Zoom, and this time of social isolation has yielded stronger bonds, enhanced wellness, and healing on many levels.