Meet Shailza Vanacore: Artist & Yoga Teacher

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

Hi Shailza, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Anthony Robbins said, “It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” I truly believe in that statement. Habits make us who we are. And to change something, you have to change old habits and make new ones. Consistency is the key to success. Everyday I follow a routine that sets me up to have a successful and fulfilling day. Some of the habits that I follow are –
1. I wake up early every morning to do yoga and meditation
2. I start my day by drinking warm water with fresh lemon juice in it
3. I drink my morning tea and read couple of pages from a motivational book
4. To keep my mind sharp, I learn a new language for 10 minutes
I try to do everything with an intention. I often ask myself ‘why am I doing this’, and if the answer does not serve my goals, then I realize that I need to reassess my actions.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I joined IT industry right out of college and have been working in IT over 10 years. I appreciate my IT job and the opportunities that come with it but I always craved to fulfill my spiritual and creative needs.

I was born and raised in India. When I moved to United States, I was all by myself and did not know anyone, that’s when my journey to my true self took off. I started doing more and more yoga and meditation, which helped me to get attuned with my true nature and to get introduced to like minded people in the community.

In summer of 2018, I decided to become certified yoga teacher so I could share my love for yoga with others. Practicing yoga is the very first thing I do every morning, it is an essential part of my living. I love meditating and chanting in addition to doing yoga. I see yoga as not just a physical practice but a union of mind, body and soul. I have heard a lot of healing stories from my students and experienced it myself. My teaching style is a fusion between Vinyasa and Hatha. I love the flow but also emphasize on diving deep in every posture. I teach private and group yoga classes. I cater the postures as per students’ needs.

I do different forms of meditations as per my need and love to share my knowledge. I have transformational experience in many meditation sittings and it is hard to believe until you experience it yourself. I have written a book ‘The Sweet Green Rock’, which is available on Amazon. This book is a collection of poems which were inspired during many meditation sessions. The pictures included in the book were taken by me during my long walks around Columbus, Georgia, USA. Since my early childhood, I have been intrigued by the human life and the planet we inhabit. I try to find answers to the infinite questions about this universe though meditations.

I also teach Cultivating Intuition and Chanting workshops. I want everyone to try chanting workshop at least once to experience the energy shift themselves.

While yoga and meditation satisfy my spiritual needs, painting satisfies my creative needs. I love to paint with bright colors and create patterns with lines. I also love being involved in community and uplifting other artists. I see a lot of people who need a little motivation to pursue their creative skills which in turn makes their life happier. So to help others have a platform to share their creative skills and feel connected to similar minded people, I organize Art Pop Ups. I include artists who are new to the field, it is a delight to see people coming in and appreciating their work while also supporting local artists and vendors. I put in hard work to introduce the participants to the community and have a successful show.

Zelda Arts and Movement, is all about arts, yoga and community. I love helping people to be the best version of themselves and lead a healthier and happy life. After all we have only one to live.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I definitely like to introduce everyone new to town to the Riverwalk. Columbus has this long trail along the Chattahoochee river, you can walk or bike along the water for hours. It is incredibly beautiful. I would have them rent a bike from Rides On Bikes on Broadway and bike the Riverwalk. Then come back to Banks Food Hall after the bike ride. Grab a beer from Maltitude at the Banks. Then head to Nonic restaurant for drinks and dinner. One evening we would go to Saltceller for dinner and then head to Hotel Indigo Rooftop Bar for drinks.
Another afternoon, we would go to Vertigo Fusion Kitchen or Chili Thai and then take a stroll on Broadway checking out the old Victorian houses.
Then one day we would hike Pine mountain, or Providence Canyon, or Chewacla National Park- depending on weather.
There is a lot of cool stuff to do in my town. I love southern hospitality. You can expect a good conversation with just about anyone.

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?
I am very grateful for having a partner who is my biggest motivator and best critic. He has been a pillar of support in all my endeavors. It would be have been difficult to be where I am without his love and support.

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