My Story
„Embracing the name 'stretching panda,' I am Elle Todorova
My journey into yoga was anything but conventional. At the age of 18, I followed my heart's call, leaving Belgium for Munich to train as a musical performer. But the universe had its own plan, as it often does: a serious injury turned my life and future plans upside down. After completing my Master of Arts in Cultural Studies at LMU Munich in 2009, I I founded my own company in 2014.
Over a decade, I've thrived as an art director and project manager. My yoga odyssey commenced in 2015 during a transformative trip to India. There, in Goa, I undertook my inaugural Ashtanga / Vinyasa Yoga teacher training. Subsequently, I pursued Ashtanga Primary Series training with Kristina Karitinou in Crete. I honed my expertise through Liquid Flow Yoga training with Simon Park in Munich, along with Kundalini Bodywork Level 1 & 2 training under Elliott Saxby.
In 2019, four years post-India, I founded Stretching Panda—a holistic health haven devoted to fortifying both body and spirit. My offerings encompass yoga asana, meditation, kundalini bodywork, and transmission sessions. Guiding annual retreats, I craft a conscious space for healing, transformation, and evolution, liberating individuals from the stresses of everyday life.
By the way, the name "stretching panda", like everything I have created, is inspired by my children. They are my greatest teachers. The panda, a cherished creature to them, also embodies my power animal due to its serene essence. Its hues evoke Yin and Yang, symbolizing life's dualities: light and darkness, sun and moon. Our mission is to foster equilibrium, allowing these contrasts to harmonize and enrich one another. Significantly, yoga features a pose named 'Anahatasana,' or 'the panda stretch,' aligning with this vision. Like pandas, we stretch, for it nurtures us."
stretching panda family
Yoga is about much more than just the practice. Yoga is a lifestyle, an everyday attitude to life that challenges us to constantly develop, to grow beyond ourselves, to observe ourselves and to get out of judgment so that space for inner peace can arise. We are not walking this path alone stretching panda family is a place for inspiring and supporting each other and together on the way to a fulfilling life of progress by sharing holistic approaches such as yoga, meditation, energy work and personal development. By exchanging knowledge, experiences and positive energy we can encourage each other to develop our full potential and to achieve a harmonious balance between body, mind and soul. Become part of the stretching panda family. Join one of our next Reset & Restart Retreat or sign up for the newsletter to get all the latest news.
