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Liformers are a bunch of dedicated, joyful go-getters who inspire us daily
with their creativity, honesty, and love of yoga. Our "Meet the Liformer"
series gives you the chance to get to know them a little better, find out how they practice, and catch their enthusiasm.
Camille Semiotaite-Whitaker (also known as CamiyogAIR) is the founder of a unique aerial yoga method, an aerial yoga teacher and an Ashtanga practitioner based in Lithuania. She teaches live aerial yoga classes, courses, and inversion workshops at her studio ‘CamiYoga’ and online aerial yoga courses (Level 1-3, Yin) worldwide. Get all the details at www.camiyogair.com.
Where are you from/where do you live?
I am from Lithuania, and I live in the second biggest city in Lithuania, Kaunas.
How did yoga come into your life?
Movement followed me since I was a child - ballet, creating dance routines with my friends, street dance, later contemporary dance along with tai chi practice.
I did try yoga during my teenage years, but at that time, the yoga was taught very strictly like exercise, and I was lacking the depth or holistic side of it. So, the first encounter to yoga wasn’t successful, and I stuck to tai chi.
I loved the fluid movement in the practice while working with the inner energies. Contemporary dance was my soul expression, and both combined into dynamic meditation where I would immerse into this moment where time and space would disappear. I was getting more interested in meditation and transcendental experiences, and this is how I found yoga, or yoga found me.
When did you realize you were hooked on yoga?
When I was in my 20s, I was studying my Bachelor degree in Art and History, and during my Erasmus exchange program in Finland, I tried my very first Ashtanga class, and I loved it. I mean, it was super challenging, but I loved the challenge and then I got all the way into Hatha practice. Yoga became my lifestyle - the practice not only on the mat, but off the mat too.
I was still dancing, practicing tai chi and yoga, and I felt I would like to teach and give something good to people, I just didn’t know the form. Once I released the thought into the Universe, it presented aerial yoga. I attended the seminar and instantly fell in love into this air-element filled practice. In 2014, I opened the first aerial yoga studio in Lithuania and become a pioneer of aerial yoga, since at that time it was still very fresh and in the baby stages.
I was totally in my element - the lightness, the creativity and playfulness while experiencing your body and asanas in 360 degrees.
Through the years of my own aerial yoga practice and teaching my students, I have developed my own unique aerial yoga method that focuses on alignment, adaptation of the poses to every body, and enjoyment of the moment through the practice while incorporating the 8 limbs of yoga.
Besides aerial yoga, I tried various other styles of yoga. I did my first yoga teacher training at Sivananda school in Lithuania and my advanced TTC, which focused more on Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga, I did in India. I have also enriched my practice and knowledge by attending anatomy, Yin yoga, and Thai massage courses, and various yoga workshops and seminars.
Why do you practice?
My yoga practice over 16 years has changed, had its ups and downs, and evolved.
Since I teach aerial yoga classes, teacher training courses, workshops mostly in the air element, my home practice is mostly grounded on the mat to balance out, like yin and yang. In the recent years I’ve stuck to Ashtanga practice mixed with milder Hatha or Yin yoga practices depending on the day.
Aerial yoga is my passion, the creative expression of my practice, while Ashtanga yoga is the grounded anchor of my soul journey and the firm base for my daily life.
Why do you teach?
I love sharing the beauty and uniqueness of aerial yoga with my students, and seeing how, even after their first class, they notice that their back pain is gone, they feel more relaxed, and, once they try Savasana in Cocoon in the hammock, it becomes the cherry on the top they look forward to.
It’s fascinating to spectate the transformational journeys when a person comes to your class for one reason, but it evolves to something different. For example, a person starts to attend classes for the physical exercise only, but after a while their health improves, posture changes, relationship with the body evolves, they become more confident, overcome their fears, their lifestyle changes or even new beginnings unfold. Teaching is so inspiring and I’m very grateful that I’m on this path and have the opportunity to share aerial yoga magic with my student at my studio and all around world through my online courses and classes.
Tell us about your yoga community.
My students are all around the world. Some of my students in my in-person classes have been with me since the start of my studio, practicing with me for over 12 years, some come and go, some come back after gap year. Every few months we do a community gathering to get to know more about each other, share their journey, what drew them to start practicing aerial yoga, and so on. It’s also very inspiring to receive messages from my international students from different countries who have finished my live or online aerial yoga courses. They share how they started teaching, how they’re opening their own studio now, and how their practice goes. Over the years I have taught more than 2000 students and prepared more than 600 aerial yoga teachers.
What’s your favourite yoga pose?
I would say for quick tension release and opening the heart, I always go for a Puppy Pose and Reclined Spinal Twist, or for a quick random burst of Handstands or Pincha Mayurasana while walking in the nature or playing with my dogs in the garden.
What’s your motto?
Trust your body, feel the moment, awaken your inner child and move from your heart.
What are you reading?
Currently I’m reading The Art of Vinyasa by Richard Freeman & Mary Taylor.
You’ve decided to cash in your frequent flier miles. Where are you heading?
My husband and I used to travel a lot to New Zealand (we used live between Lithuania and NZ), Asia, and Europe, but once we settled in our new home here in Lithuania, we kind of over flying and love enjoying the calming and cozy times at home. But if we would go, it will probably be somewhere in Asia. I would love to revisit Japan. I just love how the aesthetics, minimalism, traditional art, Zen philosophy and the connection with nature interlace in their culture.
At the airport, you realize you’ve forgotten the most crucial thing. What is it?
Besides serious essential things like passport, phone, probably next in line are leggings – my second skin.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I was either teaching all of my toys and playing school or creating dance routines, creating music, playing piano or guitar, drawing or other expressive stuff.
What’s your favourite Liforme Mat?
Definitely the Tropical Paradise Yoga Mat with all the fairytale and magical vibes, nature details, and the vibrant colors!
Aside from yoga, what do you love to do?
Next in line after yoga are dogs and nature! I have two sighthound girls -borzoi Gaia (she has also an Instagram) and Tina, the rescued galgo (Spanish greyhound). If I’m not teaching my human students, then I teach my dogs tricks, dog fitness, and prepare them for lure coursing championships, since my “noodle horses” love chasing the lure and running with the wind up to 60 km/h!
But most of the time I like chilling and hanging out with them and my loving husband in nature.
Ask yourself one question.
What would you advice the person who just started yoga or aerial yoga?
Now answer it.
Don’t give up, believe in yourself, and just keep trying, even if it’s one hundred times of failure, that 101 might be the success. Only consistent practice reaps the fruits of yoga and colors the life.
