Veda Ela’s Story
Dancing Stages
Veda Ela is a dancer. As a child, dancing was her greatest passion. She started with ballet classes at the age of five and from there branched out into dance styles like contemporary, jazz and contact dance, as well as Flamenco. By the age of 12 she had her own dance studio and not long after she went professional.
India’s Lessons
As an adult, her dance expanded beyond the stage and across the world. She went all over Europe and eventually arrived on Indian shores. There, everything changed. She found gurus and masters, endured the country’s singular hardships, studied the Indian yoga tradition, came to understand life and death from their perspective and ultimately was reborn.
“I met Osho. Under his guidance I understood that nothing was wrong with me for leaving my home country, staying away from my blood family, being rebellious and wild and wanting to always dance!”
A Wise Guru
Soon after, she met Yoga Master Indra Devi (from the Krishnamakarya tradition) who accepted her as a student. “I fell in love with this tiny, strong, independent and yet soft woman ... and I thought: ‘when I grow up, I would like to be like her!’”
“I prayed I could keep dancing in other ways, with a focus more on my inner landscape.” She embraced stillness and her journey of discovery turned inwards.
Once she’d drunk her fill from the cup of India, she returned to Europe. There, she sought out new yoga teachers and material which she then fused with what she’d learned in India to create something of her own.
Alternative Lifestyle Community
Her teaching eventually took her to Costa Rica, where she helped found an alternative lifestyle community, Pachamama. “We started a community there 20 years ago, with the intention of building a place far from society, together with Tyohar our spiritual guide and our inspiration. To live an alternative life based on awareness and meditation.”
She still lives and teaches there today. But that doesn’t mean her global dance is over. Every year, she still travels to Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, as well as Argentina.
