Hi, I'm Şelale.
I'm a yoga teacher, dancer, and the person behind Seloaktif. I've been practicing and studying yoga since 2012 and dancing for over 35 years — movement has always been my way of connecting with people and sharing life energy.
I love working with breath and nature-inspired imagery. I aim for my classes to be as humorous and invigorating as they are nurturing and meditative — a practice that's challenging, grounded, accessible, and human.
My story
Dance came first - ballet, dance fitness, hip hop, and more than 35 years of movement, elements of which still find their way into my flow. Yoga followed in 2012, during my time in Montañita, Ecuador, opening up another way to move, breathe and explore.
Since then I've practiced power yoga and vinyasa with Travis Eliot, completed my Ashtanga teacher training with David Swenson, became Yoga Alliance Professionals certified through the Daoist Yoga teacher training of Mimi Kuo-Deemer and Jean Hall, and completed Mandala Yoga instructor training with Katarina Rayburn.
I've been teaching since 2019. For me, yoga should be accessible to all - a way to ground, return to your essence, and keep growing. I want to share that joyous gift with others.
My teaching philosophy
- Practice as a model for life. How we meet challenges on the mat reflects how we meet life. Yoga lets us notice our patterns and practice different responses.
- Nature as teacher. Nature offers direct lessons in rhythm, adaptation, balance, and change. Powered by natural elements and imagery, practice explores when to use effort, when to soften, and when to let go.
- Discipline creates freedom. There's no substitute for showing up. Consistency is what enables choice - in the body, in attention, in how we respond. Discipline also means respecting our limits and knowing when to ease back.
- Equanimity, curiosity and play. Challenge without hostility. Success, struggle, balance and falling are all part of practice. Take the practice seriously, yourself a little less so.
- Individual practice, shared experience. Every body and practice is different. We follow our own path while moving, breathing and learning alongside others, without comparison or competition.