Meet Our New Ambassadors!

Svenja Borchers

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Svenja Borchers, of @YogaWesermarsch is a yoga instructor in Elsfleth, Germany. We found Svenja through Instagram, as she participates in many yoga challenges, and has formed a community of yogis around her both in her “real-life” and on Instagram. We think she makes an excellent Milochie ambassador because of her dedication to the principle, ahimsa, which means that all humans have a divine spiritual energy and to hurt another is to hurt oneself. At Milochie, we are constantly striving to live this principle, which is why we work with sustainably sourced fabrics, and create clothes that are made in fair working conditions.
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Svenja embodies #LiveFairBuyFair through her ethical mindset and awareness of the impact her purchases can have on the environment and people involved in manufacturing. We’re thrilled she’s decided to come on board with us! If you want to learn more about Svenja, make sure to check out her Instagram and read more about her below. 


Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Svenja and I am 33 years old. I live in the countryside in Northern Germany near Oldenburg and Bremen but also not far from the sea. I enjoy living in the middle of a lot of green surrounded by lots of animals (my two wonderful cats but also, in my neighborhood, there are many dogs, cows, horses, sheep, and birds). This area spreads so much peace and joy and it is my daily source of energy (besides my yoga practice :)).   



When did you discover your passion for yoga?

I began practicing yoga in 2005 when I was living in Montreal, Canada, when I was in the middle of my studies. I loved yoga right away because I felt the positive effects. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the beginning of 2013 when I found exactly what I needed: a studio with a wonderful yoga teacher who taught Vinyasa and Jivamukti yoga and shared her philosophical knowledge effortlessly. I completely fell in love with it and completed my first teacher training in the following year because I wanted to learn more about yoga and teach others about it.


How has yoga changed you/your life?
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Having studied neuroscience and having worked as a researcher I always believed in numbers and logic. To be honest, I was very skeptical about spirituality when I started practicing yoga. Now I have come to love especially yoga philosophy and all the lessons we can learn from it. It has changed my view and it changes me  every day. That’s what I love about yoga: you never stop learning. Yoga has taught me to have faith, to open my heart and to simply be myself.  


Why are you a Milochie ambassador?

I love how Milochie succeeds in creating stylish and functional yoga equipment, yet has a clear focus on eco-consciousness and sustainability. To me it is always very important that I support fairness wherever I can. Plus, I love their designs and appreciate the high quality of their products. It is so important that you feel comfortable when you practice yoga and that you don’t need to adjust the clothing after every sun salutation because it simply fits perfectly.

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How do you #LiveFairBuyFair in your everyday life?

In a world where everything is available everywhere at any time, I think it is necessary to reflect on what it means when we buy these products and how a purchase supports everything that is related to it (the fabric, the manufacturing, the shipping, etc…). If possible, I try to buy mostly fair and regional products that have not caused any suffering or massive pollution. To me it is important to find a balance and do something good whenever I can.


What does #LiveFairBuyFair mean to you?

#LiveFairBuyFair basically means to me to really live the principle of ahimsa (non-violence), not only in my yoga class but in my everyday life. Ask yourself how you can reduce unfairness and spread kindness with your actions, with your words and with your thoughts.


What is your motivation for being an advocate for conscious clothing?

If I preach ahimsa and kindness in my yoga classes I also want to wear clothes that respect these principles. That’s part of being authentic, I think. And, of course, I love to encourage people to do the same.


What is your greatest passion?

As much as I love to practice yoga myself, I also love to teach. Teaching yoga and seeing the happy faces afterwards is a pure gift. I love enabling my students to feel confident and balanced in their body, and to help them see the beauty of themselves and of this world. I believe that when you spread love and compassion you can make this world a better place and that begins with each single person. I also believe that neuroscience has indeed much more in common with yoga then I once thought and I would love to spread the word about how we all can become more happy, considerate and full of peace using all the knowledge and experience that we have.


What’s your favorite yoga pose?

I love all kinds of arm-balances and especially crow pose / bakasana. This pose trains your core and shoulder strength but also teaches you much more about yourself. It requires you to have faith in yourself, to let go of your ego and to allow yourself to fly.


Who is your favorite person to do yoga with?

There are so many great people to do yoga with and no matter whether it’s a teacher, a student or a friend, you always learn something new about yourself and about yoga through practicing with another person.


What’s a fun fact about you, that most people don’t know?

Even if many people don’t expect this at first, I can be quite a giggly person. At times I even laugh during sleeping waking up others and sometimes even myself. :)
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Gandha Savio

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Gandha Savio is a beautiful embodiment of zen. She lives and works as a yoga instructor in London and does her part to #LiveFairBuyFair in her daily life. She’s been practicing yoga for many years as an adult, but yoga truly is in her blood, as both of her parents were yoga teachers! When we found her through Instagram, we knew she’d make an amazing ambassador for Milochie and fortunately for us, she agreed to come on! 
 
We’re thrilled to welcome Gandha to the Milochie family. If you’re interested, she writes a great blog (http://www.yogawithgandha.com/blog/), and lives on Instagram as @Park_yoga_girl and on Facebook and Twitter as @YogawithGandha. If you live in the London area, check out her fantastic classes. Get to know Gandha a bit better below. 

Tell us a little about yourself: 

Hello! My name is Gandha, I was born and raised in Italy and moved to the UK at the age of 22 (almost 9 years ago!). I have been happily living in London for the past 8 years. I often travel to escape the cold and one of my favourite destinations to travel to are the Greek Islands. 


When did you discover your passion for yoga? 

This is a very long story! It starts before I was born, in fact. My mum started practicing yoga in her teens and travelled to India before I was born. She practiced and studied yoga there and has been a yoga teacher for the past 30 years or so! My dad taught yoga too for a few years, when I was a child. While I discovered yoga through my parents, I really developed a passion for it and a regular practice when I moved to London.


How has yoga changed you/your life? 

Physically yoga has made me stronger. I gained weight since I started a regular practice and I am super pleased with that! Muscles give me a less skinny appearance. Mentally, yoga helps me daily to stay centred and positively affects the way I think, act and react.


Why are you a Milochie ambassador? 

I am the kind of girl who goes on the beach and ends up with a bag full of plastic bottles and mixed trash that people leave behind. It’s just naturally what I do. I care for the environment and so do Milochie with their ecofriendly and ethically sourced clothes. We share the same values here!


What is your greatest passion? 

Yoga and healthy living


What’s a fun fact about you, that most people don’t know? 

For years during my childhood and teens I studied ballet and I was totally hopeless at it! So many people think I have a dance background as I’m petite and have a ballet kind of body apparently - But you really don’t want to see me dance, I promise!

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