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ABOUT YOUR GUIDES: JACOB YOUNG AND SILVIA MORDINI

Jake Young

[dropcaps]T[/dropcaps]ravel is the enemy of prejudice.”
–Mark Twain

$15 at a yard sale in rural New Hampshire bought me freedom and forever ingrained my love of travel. My steel-framed 10-speed Peugeot opened my eyes—and my world—to a much larger arena. Born in California, raised in New Hampshire, resident of the world, at home in the Pacific Northwest. My passion is discovering the hidden gems and local customs of a region and then showing these new secrets to people and creating an experience.

I realized this passion for guiding in the year 1999 on Mt. Rainier. I guided a few friends to the top of this amazing peak, saw the look on their faces, and was hooked. Since then, I have been blessed to live and guide in some amazing places. Some of my favorites include Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Moab, Sonoma, San Juan Islands, New Zealand, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Silvia and I started Alchemy Tours with the vision of offering clients something amazing. A remarkable thing happens on trip with us—whether it is a long weekend, or a more intensive Teacher Training program abroad (coming soon). We are always inspired by Paolo Coehlo’s The Alchemist and love to see this wonderful blend of yoga and active movement (cycling, hiking, surfing, horseback riding, running and more) turn to veritable gold. People learn more about themselves, and the yoga journey that Silvia takes us on while on retreat is her to the max.

When not guiding, you’ll find me back in Seattle enjoying quality time with those I love. I enjoy trail running, cycling, reading, cooking and educating myself about fine wines and craft ales. An ideal day includes stopping at the farmer’s market to dream up an elaborate dinner, then cooking and enjoying with family and friends.

As those closest to me can attest, I always urge you to, “Try Life. Live it!” Hope to see you soon…

Various things you likely don’t know about me:

• I speak fluent Italian
• I’ve lived in Florence, Paris & a southern Oregon town with population 499
• I don’t watch tv
• I’ve eaten marsupial and reptile
• I bleached my hair white blond once
• I don’t sing in the shower but do sing everywhere else
• I want everyone else to win. I’m not competitive.
• I am competitive in playing scrabble
• I’ve climbed Mount Rainier
• I had an iguana as a kid my siblings had newts, snails, cat, dog, hamster, and a rare mouse
• My dog was named daisy
• I’m third of four kids
• I can juggle
• I’ve jumped out of a plane

Silvia Mordini

[dropcaps]O[/dropcaps] ne could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood. My Father Enrico was an adventurer, my Mother’s parents were serious spiritual seekers. I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant. I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world shouldn’t surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America; my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language. And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible. I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself. Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.

I want to inspire in you what my family inspired in me: To see with the eyes of my heart by transforming the ecology of mind that happens naturally when you change the routine pattern of daily life. And to not apologize for being different and wanting to learn more about how big the universe is. You see, I am not fearless, I haven’t climbed Mount Everest or even Mount Rainier or cycled 100 miles in one day (my co-guide Jacob has though!) but I am willing to try anything. I practice yoga every day to go on an internal adventure, to meet new people and push the boundaries of learning others ideas. Yoga stokes my Rebel Spirit.

It’s funny (not haha, but funny weird) how yoga revealed itself to me. Yoga has been my faithful companion since a car ran me over more than a decade ago. My doctor prescribed yoga as part of my recovery routine, and my body and spirit began to transform. From my first class, I dedicated myself to live more fully. My loving Anusara-inspired Vinyasa Flow teaching style is influenced by more than 10 years of Hatha yoga study and I am gratefully committed to my three primary teachers: Shiva Rea, John Friend, and my students.

My teaching style is upbeat and fun, serious and informative, supportive and authentic. I use my own intuition and demonstrations along with people’s questions and past experiences to deepen the learning process. My teaching intention is that while connected to their breath, students might feel each pose with an open heart and a quiet mind. Yoga then becomes a means to explore oneself more deeply in order to better face life’s challenges and open to the endless possibilities that exist for all of us.

Less interesting but somewhat important: While in the corporate world, I worked as the HR Director for both Inc 500 and Fortune 500 companies, specializing in Training & Development. This parlayed well into opening my own Yoga studio in 2002 and teaching full-time. With over 7,500 hours of yoga teaching experience, I bring inspiration, enthusiasm and playfulness through creative, flowing sequencing and a delightful combination of yoga philosophy and healthy physical alignment all supported by inspiring music. My life has a soundtrack, my yoga does too.

Just like music nurtures my spirit I want to support you to be more curious about your life. One things for sure, going on a trip together will stoke the fire of creativity inside you, you will regain trust like what the Alchemist says “the universe is on your side” and you will learn to embrace uncertainty. You will become part of our tribe of Alchemy Adventure Seekers, or at the very least, you won’t be afraid to try new stuff. To send me a personal email, write silvia@alchemytours.com. I’d LOVE to hear from you.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JAKE AND SILVIA

WTK: How did the two of you meet?
Jacob: We met on a train in Italy…yes, it was one of those romantic things you read about in books, and yes, we get asked every trip about it. Perhaps that is one of the incentives for coming on one of our trips?

Silvia: The way Jacob tells the story makes everyone cry every single time. It was exactly as Rumi writes, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” In that moment of meeting I was returning from a Yoga Retreat in Tuscany where I had found much healing and growth. I had ever more fully let go of the barriers to loving myself. I was truly awake and more openhearted than ever before. And that is when Jacob found me.

WTK: What came first your love of travel or movement (yoga, cycling, hiking)?
Jacob: Certainly, for me, it was the movement that came first. Growing up in small-town New Hampshire was not confining to me, because it was all I knew. But from the moment I learned to ride on two wheels, I was gone. I stretched my boundaries constantly, and when I moved across the country my senior year of High School, I became aware of a bigger place around me. Living in Europe the past 8 years (Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain) and guiding in those regions really expanded upon that.

Silvia: For me it would be travel although from an early age my parents tell me I could ski before I could walk, I danced formally and for the pleasure of it, and I was always doing something active Tennis, Swimteam, Biking, Hiking, Running. But even so travel was my greater influence and first love. My Father, Enrico, was at heart a pure adventurer and my Mother’s parents were serious spiritual seekers.
I grew up traveling all over the world with my brother and parents from the time I was an infant. I guess the fact that I love to show other people the beauty of the world through Yoga Retreats and Active Vacations shouldn’t surprise anyone since I was born in Ecuador, South America and my Father is from Northern Italy near Modena, and English was my third language.

One could say being a citizen of the world is in my blood. And I learned from my Father, this spirit of Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, to dream the impossible. I saw with my own eyes, touched and tasted new flavors, experienced new landscapes and as a result I learned about myself. Every time I traveled somewhere I came back different, I was changed and knew that anything was possible.

WTK: What is your favorite part about going on retreat?
Jacob: Getting past the small talk and really getting to know people. Then, sharing with them the best parts of this new region they are visiting is fulfilling in a very unique way.
Silvia: I am always humbled by the ways our small tribes of Alchemy Tours grow fond of one another and unconditionally supportive of each others growth. In the corporate world we used to talk about teaming together, but you wouldn’t often really see it. Experiencing the loving group dynamic gives me great hope that little by little all people everywhere will one day be able to share this same yoga, or union of spirit and respect.

WTK: How do you see people changed by going on retreat?
Jacob: Without fail, people change after our retreats. Mark Twain sums it up when he says, “The enemy of prejudice is travel.” People learn more about themselves, and the yoga that Silvia teaches while on retreat is her to the max. If you have never experienced a Silvia class, you are in for a treat.

WTK: When did you last have the most fun?
Silvia: Today. Without a doubt, I wake up and say to myself and all those around me “this is the best day ever”. And it is. I can make fun out of anything and anywhere, even chair pose or going up a crazy steep climb on two wheels.