Wir teilen, was wir sind. Danke Tara und Mike für das Interview und unsere Community.

The Beauty of Partnership

Move easy, everything you’ve got, in every direction you can. It’s a Strala mantra for practice, and of course how we practice is how we are. Expanding the comfort zone in this way can lead to some pretty awesome adventures. It’s my pleasure to share Strala Guides who inspire. It’s a long list so get ready for a steady stream of good vibes. Presenting Anna Kleb, Founder of Yogaliebe, a Strala studio in Germany, and Super Guide Julia Buck. The two of them make co conspirators of ease and have unfolded a flurry of projects, adventures, and fun. Enjoy our conversation on the joy of partnership.

Tell us how you both met and how any ideas of partnering together sparked.

ANNA & JULIA:Believe it or not, we studied economics together and that’s where we became good friends. Both of us made our experiences in the economy world, with the career ladder and in the rat race. We’ve been on similar but yet different paths and made our experiences. At that time our relation was a bit more loose for some time. As we know today, envy and unfulfilled desires played a role in that too. We started the “yoga way” independent from each other, but it brought us back to a closer relation slowly but surely. We took off old patterns and roles and followed our hearts. The more each of us grew and developed for herself, the more space unfolded to grow together. It came to happen that we saw each other more often again and our talks came to a new level of deepness and honesty. Through everything we’ve experienced and how amazed we’ve been by our own ways of personal growths we’ve been inspired to co-create something without even knowing exactly what it will be. We carried the idea with us and today I’d say, we let it mellow inside of us. Summer 2017 was somehow our breakthrough to get into action to work together, as it has been a time for personal transformation for both of us too.

What do you think the most important thing to keep in mind about partnership is?

ANNA:Good question. I think there are many essential qualities a partnership should be based on, but it all starts with openness. I really have to say that Julia and I got very good at this over the last months, because we practice it every day. We both knew from our time in the corporate business how we don’t want to work together. We know, how problems begin when transparency and communication fails. It’s a point when suspicions arise and a lack of trust can kill any kind of relationship.

Being open and transparent about what you’re looking to achieve in a partnership is key to developing a healthy, stable and reliable relationship. We know, that communication is not always easy, especially when it comes to different opinions, envy or critical topics… but we also know it’s worth sharing everything.

JULIA:You have to built a we and keep up the individual you. Each partner has to be free and independent as an individual and with that you can become even more in partnership. As important the inside job is for your own personal growth, as important is this inside job when it comes to a partnership. For Anna and me living our practice is essential. We observe very consciously how we are feeling and thinking about the other one and us. Is there envy, is there a strange feeling with something, is there fear? Yes, all of this exists in partnerships too and we became so much more when we started talking about it. It is a big enrichment when you understand the gift of accepting your partner as a mirror. We give a lot of feedback to each other.

I guess, seeing us from the outside, especially via social media, one could think this feedback looks like: you are so amazing, you are doing so great, it is all rainbows and unicorns. And of course, all of this is true in one way. But we are searching for hints like, where did you possibly hold back something, where could you give more of yourself, where did it feel like it wasn’t you. We do that after every yoga and meditation we guide as well as after business meetings. When we talk and discuss situations, we are sometimes in something like a teacher and student situation in a very good way. Both of us are both. We remind ourselves about stuff like, I think you are taking something personal now that has nothing to do with you; It seems like you are judging something that doesn’t need to be judged.

We constantly ask how do you feel about it? We listen to each other deeply. And we try to never give advice, as we strongly believe, that we have the answers inside of us. That may sound weird, because why would you want a partner then? For us the partnership means growth. We are learning so much out of this practice. And to stay in this practice sometimes one of us has to give the reminder to do so. All in all I would say, we are living our conscious practice in our partnership. But what is the most important thing? Love.

What’s your favorite thing about collaborating with your partner?

ANNA:The more we share, the more we have… as individuals and together.

JULIA:The endless possibilities we see, every time we are together.

What are your current projects? Future plans?

ANNA:Oh, we have some projects we are constantly working on that support personal growth of our community and us including workshops, retreats and Strala Yoga classes all over Germany (www.heysoulmates.de). Moreover I love to spend time at the Studio YOGALIEBE (www.yoga-liebe.de)guiding Strala classes every day and having Julia quite regular for a visit. I really appreciate the Yogaliebe community and how everyone is diving into the Strala way of life. That’s enough to do.

Our next big project will be more socially committed… we keep you posted.

JULIA:An ongoing project for both of us is personal growth. That is something that is very dear to both of us. We like to support each other with that. And we like the idea to support others with their individual journey of personal growth too. At the moment that happens through workshops and retreats and by building communities. We like it to happen in an organic way and to see what comes along that suits and fits our ideas. For the future we have also something in our minds and hearts that is about giving back and social involvement.

What’s your favorite color? What’s your partners favorite color?

ANNA:Oh, I was never good in choosing one color. It totally depends on my mood, the time of the year and my feelings. If I have to choose one right in this moment, it’s blue. For me, blue is a cool and calming color that shows creativity and intelligence. It is a color that symbolizes loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust.

I feel good to say that it’s the same for Julia.

JULIA:I love all the colors including the non-colors black and white and everything you can mix from that. I guess, Anna is also about all the colors of this universe.

What advise would you give to someone looking to find a good partner or make a partnership healthy & vibrant?

ANNA:Talk to each other. Give feedback. Learn from each other. …and don’t forget to love & cherish the qualities of your partner.

JULIA:I am sure you have to get into action to see whether the partnership has potential or not. It’s like with everything. We can talk about working together and going into a partnership. Finding the pros and cons, analyzing, planning and so on. And then we start with doing and it comes different than in theory. So, if you have someone you would like to partner up with, go and try with a small project or something. That way you’ve got the opportunity to get to know each other in this certain context. And from there the journey starts. Observe. Talk about what you notice. Become aware of similarities and differences. Find a way to use them in the most prosper manner. Be open and fearless for the first unpleasant situation. That’s where you can find a better way and navigate into growth together. Don’t take anything personal. Stay true to yourself and from there be radically honest to your partner.

To answer this question I was wondering, why do I trust Anna so much? Why are there no expectations and disappointments? Why do we act so in tune together and why do we get that feedback from other people too?  Especially in yoga we are talking about being one and unity. You give what you are. And people realize when you’re not giving your true self. We are giving us as one. Funnily it sometimes happens that people who don’t know us get confused with who’s Anna and who’s Julia and we often say, it doesn’t matter, we are one.

We are really, really similar. When we are together sometimes we don’t speak a lot. Sometimes because we are in our “resting in existence” mood. But other times it’s also because we are such a fine completion. As much as we are similar, we have different roles and also different ways in our characters. As a very practical example, when we cook together it can be that without saying something we share the dishes. Or I will start preparing the food, Anna sends some emails we spoke about and will clean up while I am cooking. But this is also a thing that often happens in our yoga classes. Anna transports the more dynamic part of the class with energetic movements and I tune in with the more relaxing part and guide the meditation. Both of us can do both, but we go intuitively into the parts where we are especially good out of who we are. We are similar enough to vibe on the same frequency and yet we are different enough to complement each other. That’s one of the reasons why we are more together.