YOGAEMBODY
Story
THE JOURNEY BEHIND YOGAEMBODY
Hello my name is Giada!
I am an experienced Personal Trainer and passionate Yoga and Pilates Instructor.
My Journey into Movement
My journey into movement began over 25 years ago, first through dance and later through equestrian vaulting — a discipline that taught me from an early age about strength, balance, coordination and the profound connection between body and mind.
My fascination with the body, movement and different forms of physical expression has always been an essential part of who I am. After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Oriental Languages, driven by curiosity and a desire to explore, I began travelling and living abroad.
I didn’t know it at the time, but those experiences would shape the path that eventually led me to create YogaEmbody.
From Exploration to Yoga
My journey into Yoga began in Dubai.
One day, almost by chance and simply out of curiosity, I stepped into a Yoga class taught by a fiery and energetic Indian teacher.
I kept attending her classes for the rest of my time in the UAE. That first experience gave me just a glimpse of a practice that felt beautiful, fascinating and deeply different from anything I had experienced before.
Something inside me knew I wanted to explore it further.
In 2016, I earned my Personal Training Certification in Italy and, shortly afterwards, moved to India. I wanted to immerse myself in the culture of this fascinating country while also discovering the depth of my new passion: Yoga.
I eventually found myself in Rishikesh, known as the Yoga Capital of the World, where I completed a 250-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course.
I began teaching Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga, both in group classes and with private clients.
Learning Through Travel
In 2017, I moved to England, where I worked as a Personal Trainer and Functional Group Trainer in gyms across London, while taking my first steps into one-to-one Yoga teaching.
A year later, I moved to Sydney, where I completed my Pilates Instructor certification through the Elixr School of Pilates, one of Australia’s leading Pilates teacher training programmes.
I spent five years in Sydney working as a Personal Trainer, Yoga Teacher and Pilates Instructor across gyms, studios and private settings.
Every class, every client and every hour of practice taught me something new, gradually shaping the teacher I am today.
But my journey went far beyond professional training.
I continued to travel, explore, practise and immerse myself in different cultures and traditions.
During a solo journey through Nepal, I completed a 12-day trek in the Annapurna region — an experience that brought me even deeper into presence, nature, resilience and self-awareness.
In Kerala, I spent a month at the Sivananda Ashram, dedicating myself to practice and immersing myself in the philosophy and discipline of Yoga.
In South America, I travelled through Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru and Brazil. In Nicaragua, I had the opportunity to teach Yoga within a tantric community on the shores of Lake Nicaragua.
In Peru, I explored the connection between Yoga, Ayurveda and shamanic traditions, experiencing practices that expanded my understanding of the body, nature and spirituality.
My journey to Machu Picchu was another profound experience of connection with the history, nature and ancestral traditions of the land.
In South America, I recognised in different forms some of the principles I had encountered in India: the relationship with nature, the importance of ritual, the sense of community and the understanding of the body as a doorway to deeper awareness.
I returned to Bali several times, continuing to deepen my practice and my journey both as a teacher and as a student.
All these encounters with different cultures, traditions, rituals and practices have continued to shape the way I live and teach Yoga. They still influence the experiences I create today, including my Full Moon Circles, where movement, meditation, breath, ritual, sound, nature and reflection come together.
Coming Home
When I eventually returned to Italy, something had finally become clear.
All the experiences, disciplines, countries and people I had encountered along the way had brought me to the same place: a desire to share what I had discovered through my own body, through my travels and through my experiences.
For me, Yoga is not simply about performing postures.
It is about developing a deeper relationship with ourselves — learning to listen, to feel, to move consciously and to create space for both strength and softness.
This is what teaching Yoga means to me.
Yoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in. And this is the point of spiritual practice; to make us teachable; to open up our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are.
YogaEmbody
Today, I am a full-time Yoga teacher and the founder of YogaEmbody.
My approach brings together everything I have studied, practised and experienced throughout my journey: Yoga, Pilates, functional movement, mobility, strength, flexibility, breath, meditation and embodied awareness.
YogaEmbody is an invitation to move from the inside out — to listen to the body rather than simply moving it, and to create a space where movement and presence can meet.
I love creating conscious and creative sequences that allow the body to express itself, finding a natural balance between strength and softness, stability and freedom.
Looking back, I never planned this journey.
But every step — from dance and equestrian vaulting, to India, London, Sydney, Bali, Nepal and South America — brought me closer to the person and teacher I am today.
I am deeply grateful that I had the courage to nurture this passion, to challenge myself and embrace the unknown, and that I eventually turned it into a profession that fills my everyday life with joy, love and a deeper sense of awareness.
What Yoga Means to Me
When I am asked what Yoga means to me, the answer comes from the heart.
Yoga is passion.
A way of moving, and a way of living.
When I practise Yoga, I feel a profound sense of love — for myself and for others, for life and for Mother Earth.
Yoga is presence.
It is choosing life, again and again.
It is unity, grace and kindness.
It is learning to honour both the body and the soul.
Through movement, I feel I am giving the body the freedom to express itself. Through the breath, I feel I am learning — and teaching others — how to be present, how to listen, and how to truly appreciate each moment of this beautiful life.
This is the Yoga I believe in.
This is the Yoga I love to share.
GIADA GIOVANNONI
I’m so grateful I was so determined to cultivate this passion, that I found the courage to challenge myself with something new, and finally I am so grateful this became my job which fills my everyday life with joy, love and consciousness.
“ We must act on our passions before we can fully experience them."
