Dharma Yoga Abroad

Q & A with Dharma Yoga teachers around the world...

This week: Sandra Petra Pintarić – Zagreb, Croatia

By Nicole Sopko

Sandra Pintaric travelled to New York City for the first time in early 2011 to study with Sri Dharma Mittra. Sandra is the only certified Dharma Yoga teacher in Croatia and a great ambassador for Dharma Yoga. She is also a Vastu Adviser, Interior Designer and Artist.

Where do you live?

I live in capitol of Croatia, the city of Zagreb. My life is oriented mainly around the paths of yoga, spirituality, and art. I spend my free time creating art or studying and practicing my Sadhana. I enjoy nature, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. 

Which LOAY trainings have you completed? How did you come to do those trainings?

I graduated from the Dharma Yoga Life of a Yogi 500-hour Teacher Training in 2011.  I came across Sri Dharma Mittra via the internet and was greatly inspired. He touched my heart and I am so grateful that I met him.

What would you say about the people who you met during your trainings? How have they inspired you?
I was very impressed with the many things during the training, especially the flow of it, the organization, and karma yoga. There were many different people in my group, mainly from the US, and I have formed really nice friendships. I really liked our smaller groups with mentors, who all inspired me in their own way. I feel very fortunate to have met such great teachers.

What is one practice that you do every day?
For many years now my Sadhana has remained mostly the same - it includes asana, pranayama, kriya, yoga-nidra and mantra meditation. I usually start early in the morning with Dharma III/IV asanas with some variations, also mudras, and twice a week I do the Psychic Development Techniques. This creates the foundation for the rest of my day. Several times a year I commit to a 40-day uninterrupted cycle of offering or cleansing, which means the same practice, every day, for 2-3 hours (alone or with someone else).

What are you currently working on?

Because I’m the first Dharma Yogateacher in Croatia and the neighboring countries, I’ve invited many senior Dharma Yoga teachers to be my guests. They’ve given our yoga community so much inspiration and support.

Croatia, with its beautiful coastline and numerous islands, is a perfect place for summer retreats and yoga workshops, which we organize every summer (on the island of Hvar, city of Hvar). We have Dharma Yoga retreats on the beautiful island of Silba, which is in itself a perfect place as no vehicles of any kind are allowed on the whole island.

Additionally, I’m working with the founders of “Mandala”, a non-profit organization, to create a retreat center with a focus on perma-culture, animal protection and higher education. The center will include a vegetarian restaurant and an “ashram-motel”. We’ve just produced our first organic harvest and even sold some eco-veggies to some members and friends.  I see my future in this project mainly because it offers a great opportunity for bettering individuals through the paths of yoga and knowledge.

I will be traveling to New York soon to spend time with Sri Dharma Mittra and all the other wonderful teachers at the Dharma Yoga Center. I’m greatly looking forward to it!

How has your experience in the Dharma Yoga LOAY program affected your life outside of training?

It has affected my life in many ways. After seven years of yoga, and the past three years with Dharma Yoga, everything sort of clicked into place… My practice was completely refreshed, which made me more enthusiastic and inspired. The homework and practices we had during the LOAY Teacher Training implanted a special seed inside my heart. And as the title says “Life of a Yogi” - we are encouraged to live in this way, in every aspect of our life.

Can you share a little about your current teaching schedule?
Besides the regular classes I lead on a daily basis in Zagreb, I also conduct workshops. In my free time I travel and spread the teachings of Sri Dharma and Dharma Yoga in surrounding cities. My teaching is usually spontaneous and relaxed and I’m more interested in what’s underneath the surface of this body and mind.

My emphasis is on a daily Sadhana practice, reaching our higher potential by living yoga outside of the yoga room as well. One sentence from Sri Dharma inspires me greatly: “Everything I have is Yours”. I try to share as much knowledge as I receive. 

What else do you do?
I’ve been working on interior designand art. I have also upgraded my interior design degree with higher education in Vastu consulting. Vastu is a holistic concept of Vedic architecture and interior design which respects harmony with nature, and is also the precursor to Feng Shui.

All in all, I try to achieve balance and harmony with everything I do. As an artistic soul, I admire Sri Dharma’s beautiful posters and other things he hand-made, as well as his entire sense for art, beauty and harmony.

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Nicole Sopko(Gopi Om) is a Dharma Yoga teacher living in Chicago, IL where she teaches Dharma Yoga and operates a nationwide vegan natural food company alongside her (life) partner. She takes great care to be always aware of the ways in which these two responsibilities intersect and spends her time promoting compassion in all forms. She is a dedicated and loving student of Sri Dharma’s and visits New York as frequently as possible to absorb the benefits of his holy teachings in person.