The Necessities of Success: One Mantra at a Time

Durga Devi yoga teacher

All successful people have their own experience, pain, bonds, sacrifices and lessons which have been given by life itself. Durga Devi is the given name to Denise Teperino by her beloved teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life. She is one of the top ten yoga teachers in London. She is a former dancer and a competitive gymnast who grew up in New York City.

She arrived in London from the USA in 2005 to help open the first Jivamukti Yoga Centre with Manizeh Rimer. It took time to find her place in the UK. Although she had to face tough challenges in her life during the last 20 years, she still stood on her yoga mat and chanted her mantras through her soul and to the room, to the air, to the Universe every day. What is the secret of her success? Persistence, faith, passion, humility? I think you will redefine the meaning of the word ‘success’ at the end of this interview or you will redefine yourself. Who knows? We are all transforming. I’m curious about your opinion.

What is the meaning of your given name?

Goddess Durga

Durga Ma is a warrior Goddess who came into the world at a mythical time when the world was, just like we experience today, in great imbalance. Riding on a tiger, she entered the battlefield of chaos, greed and conflict rooted in an unfathomable clarity of vision. Through our devotion to truth, we discover an unshakable capacity to take leadership of the vision in our hearts, and not to take it for granted or hold it as lesser. Willing to stay in the discomfort of birthing the next step of evolution, rising rooted from the depths of love, we gather the strength, clarity and resilience needed for the times ahead. Devi is the Sanskrit word for goddess, meaning ‘heavenly, divine, anything of excellence’.

Do you feel anything like that?

I try everyday to the best of my ability! I think that being an athlete in my younger years helped to attain both an inner and outer discipline and strength which I’ve always brought to my practice and life.

You arrived in London in 2005. How do the Americans and English differ?

The article was published in the Issue 3 of BOAST MAGAZINE. You can download the digital edition here. Or you can purchase the print edition here.

Boast Magazine Issue 3