Meet Gabriela Citlalli | Non-Binary Ashtangi | Hand Balancing and Contortion Practitioner | Diversity and Inclusion Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriela Citlalli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriela, how do you think about risk?
I think it’s important to give some background that not everyone knows about me to start:

Growing up, I was exposed to the life of academia at a young age. Most of my immediate family has PhDs or masters degrees and I grew up around PhD students. There is nothing wrong with such exposure but it led me to stress about the future for as long as I can remember.

So, to move onto the question at hand: there was a risk associated with pursuing things that truly make me happy, even if they are not the “best” option, like a career in STEM. For example, it took me years to be able to accept that I was a creative person. It was not until 2018 that I changed my major, for the third time, to graphic design.

But another risk – and this is the main risk I hope to discuss: was my Ashtanga yoga practice and what would come after: hand balancing and contortion.

I took a huge risk making an instagram account to share my progress with my Ashtanga practice and sharing a side of me that I often keep hidden from most of the outside world. When I added on the practices of hand balancing and contortion, it elevated that to another level. I put myself out there to work with yoga brands, yoga teachers, coaches, and photographers to immerse myself into those communities.

As someone who does not like being the center of attention, that’s all my account is! It’s incredibly vulnerable, especially now that I have started sharing about topics relating to neurodivergence and the lgbtq+ community on top of already advocating for diversity and inclusion on my platform.

Taking that risk has led me to meet some incredible people and communities. It has led me to amazing partnerships and opportunities while also helping me learn to follow my intuition and not invest energy in what does not serve me.

Most importantly, somehow, in the midst of sharing what makes me happy – I have discovered that I have managed to inspire others to do the same. It’s crazy!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I practice Ashtanga Yoga 6x a week. On top of that I also practice hand balancing and contortion throughout the week. All while juggling college!

As an overview: what brought me to the level of advancement in my yoga practice and other practices was just disciplined, consistent practice. Finding a teacher (or teachers) I resonated with, then going from there. It’s not glamorous or easy. Instagram makes it seem that way but once the excitement of something new wears off, that’s where the true journey begins.

I found Ashtanga yoga around the age of 17, and it took me about 5 years to stick to it. There’s nothing particularly special about my process with this practice because it is my sadhana, or my daily spiritual practice. If I can do nothing else – I will always do my yoga practice above all else. It has now been over 3 years since I have been able to be truly devoted and dedicated to my practice. For Ashtanga, it is simply the question of whether you can show up. When I decided to be serious about my practice when I started again, my goal was to practice no matter what time it was. Even if it was 3AM (true story, I have practiced that late). As a neurodivergent person who struggles with routine, that’s what I needed. But it looks different for everyone.

Hand balancing is an interesting story! It was 2am on a random night, I put on some yoga clothes since I couldn’t sleep and I discovered that I could do a handstand. It was then that I realized that I had the capability of being strong. I never had the goal to handstand, I didn’t think it was in the cards for me. It just happened, literally overnight! It’s been over a year since then and now I train this skill throughout the week. It also introduced me to the rabbit hole of contortion.

With contortion, I have always had an affinity for backbends but discovering this art form has led me to learn so much about myself, in particular my nervous system and how that relates to flexibility. I also learned that in order to be flexible, it’s important to also be strong. Now, with anything related to flexibility – I always approach it with strength mindset. I have to do a shout out to my coach Irene Pappas for that!

I have also explored acrobatics on top of these things. As you can probably tell, I have an infinite amount of love for movement! At this moment, I am now in the works of possible teaching workshops and yoga classes. One day it would be great to give privates as well!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am not that well rounded to form an entire itinerary so here are places that I would recommend in general:

Practice Ashtanga at Mysore Phoenix. Although if you aren’t an Ashtangi, I have heard wonderful things about Arizona Yoga Company that has donation based yoga classes!

Eating at Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee area is a must. They have some of the best vegan food in the valley in my opinion.

There are so many great vegan spots (I’m an ovo-vegetarian) just in general to discover. Some gems in Downtown Phoenix are Cha Chas Tea lounge or Dark Hall Coffee: great spots for vegan coffee, tea, and pastries. The Giving Tree Café and Coronado Phoenix are fantastic breakfast, lunch, or dinner spots.

I always recommend going to First Friday in Downtown Phoenix which is always a great time! Art museums, galleries, and clubs have fun events at that time.

Tempe area always has some great eating spots, especially on Mill Avenue. But Tempe can be quite the packed college town when classes are in session at ASU.

If they are queer, Queerizona holds meetups on Wednesdays at Brickroad Coffee in Tempe as well.

However, if there’s a chance to visit Sedona and/or Flagstaff, I would do that as well. Both areas have wonderful hiking trails, sights, and local eats. Don’t forget about the Grand Canyon!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For me, I think it would have to be my Ashtanga teacher Karen Kelley who runs Mysore Phoenix in Arizona and Omstars, owned by Kino MacGregor.

I have known Karen since I was 18 and she has seen me through various stages of my life. She also had amazing patience for 4+ years as I fell in and out of my Ashtanga practice until I could finally maintain the discipline to practice 6x a week. Her nonjudgemental approach and her ability tell me what I need to hear (versus what I want to hear) are characteristics that I sincerely respect and hope to carry on throughout my own life. I have enormous gratitude for her guidance throughout my practice. I would not have made it this far with another teacher.

Second, I interned for Kino at Omstars as a graphic designer during the pandemic when I took a break from college. I was also their social media manager for about a year. During that time and even when I left, they gave my small yoga account a chance by asking me to be an ambassador. This boosted my exposure to the yoga community tremendously and it also led me to meet so many more teachers on the way. I would like to add that Kino has been an amazing teacher through the developing parts of my yoga practice! I practiced with her in Miami and in Arizona, where each time I would always obtain new diamonds of information. The strength and dedication of my practice have greatly improved under her guidance as well as I continue to progress!

Website: https://gebestalt.com/

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Image Credits
Nia Jayy Photography Tyler Preston Art of Yoga Photography – Nicole Curtin Fully Alive Photography