Joaquin Gomez | Movement Stories

Born in Argentina, raised in Ibiza and at home in London, movement has always been part of life for Joaquin Gomez. From a competitive athlete as a teenager to a hedonistic musician in the city to finding his place as a yoga teacher and movement enthusiast in London. Let Joaquin take you on a journey of connection, harmony and self-expression.

Filmed by: Harvey Gibson
Featuring: Joaquin Gomez
Music by: Arc de Soleil

Joaquin wears our Solace Yoga Shorts in Charcoal and our E.C.O. T-Shirt in Ash.

I believe there is something natural about physicality in me. I've always been connected.

My name is Joaquin Gomez, and movement to me is the relationship we have with ourselves and with the world around us.

My parents drove me to do athletics because I was moving all the time. Like (you know) as a kid, you're like hyperactive, like breaking things. They wanted me to take all that energy and shift it into something positive. I did athletics for about 10 years. I learned that that type of lifestyle wasn't for me.

You become chained to your practice, to your discipline.

And I decided to move into music, which was my second passion. After a few years, I realised that that wasn't also the lifestyle I wanted to pursue. My mood shifted from being very committed and positive about things to completely the opposite. And I start to comparing myself with other musicians, bringing myself down every time.

When I restricted my movement, I stopped for five years, doing nothing. Literally I was just playing music, but my body was not in the equation. I was lost.

When I discovered yoga, I sat on the floor. I didn't even have a mat. The first class I took, it was life-changing. I felt I was in the moment. I didn't think about any of the worries I had. My mind, like completely stopped overthinking, and I was just there. My body was there. My breath was there. My mind was with me.

When it comes to music and yoga, it's pretty much the same 'cause when you start moving, when you start playing an instrument, you first need to get used to being with that instrument. In this case, your instrument is your body. And after that, you learn different ways that you can create sound. You first learn how to move. Then you learn how to express yourself with the movement. So eventually it becomes something else than just doing a physical exercise, it becomes a form of expression. Other aspects of the practice starts to kick in like the breath, as well as the meditation or the mindfulness within those movements.

Music is all about combination of sound and space. Same thing happens with movement. When you are moving from one place to the other, there is a gap. The space between both positions allow for that harmony that you are creating.

It's challenging, and I like to be challenged. It's part of who I am, I would say. Without challenge, then is when you get lost.

In yoga, it's not about being the best in comparison to others, but trying to be the best you can be on each moment.