Ásta Arnardóttir
Yogateacher, mountainguide and actress.
Ásta Arnardóttir is educated as a yogateacher, highlandguide and actress. She has tought yoga since 1999 and worked as a guide in the highlands of Iceland since 1991. From 1998 she has been active in the campaign for protecting the icelandic wilderness.
She organized treks of Augnablik along with Ósk Vilhjálmsdóttir 2003 - 2006 to the endangered wilderness of Kárahnjúkar northeast of glacier Vatnajökull. They hiked with variety of people young and old, experienced montaineers and people new to hiking, creating an opportunity for people to visit the unique wilderness of glacial rivers, waterfalls, diverse vegitation and wetland endangered by the building of the hydroelectric powerstation. Some of the treks included hiking over the glacier to visit the remote area of Kringilsárrani; the hapitat of the pink-fooded Geese and reindeer, an area of the highland known to very few people at the time. For four summers they walked with about thousend people in the remote area of the northeast highlands which is now under a big reservoir of the hydroelectric powerstation Kárahnjúkar dam build to provide energy for aluminium smelter.
Ásta has since 2002 organized expeditions to remote aeras of remarkeble beauty where participants have the opportunity to exsperience the transformative power of the natural world and the ancient wisdom of the science of yoga. The treks are rooted in the campaign for nature perservation. The goal of the trips is to awaken the importance of nature perservation. The treks offered now attrakt attention to unique wilderness areas that await to be included in the National Park Vatnajökull and a future National Park of Hofsjökull. See further information.
Ásta has tought yoga since 1999, she was a cofounder and teacher at Lotus yogasetur 2002 - 2012 and is a founder and a director of Yogavin 2014 where she teaches yoga and mindfulness. She recieved a diploma as a yogateacher Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health 1999 and has sought education and practised yoga and meditation in The United States, England and India. She has participated in silent retreats at Gaia House in England, Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Center in USA. She is a cofounder and a dharmaholder of the nonprofit meditation organization Felag um vipassana hugleiðslu in Iceland and has tought mindfulness and silent retreats for the organization. In 2005 and 2007 she took courses in "living food lifestyle" at Ann Wigmore Health Institude í Puerto Rico.
She has a background in the theater and worked for 15 years as an actress, director and teacher. She has given many workshops and lectures about yoga, creativity and healthy lifstyle.
She was in the board of The Iceland Nature Conservation Association (INCA) 1999 – 2003 and in the Environment Committee of The Iceland Tourist Guide Association 2000 – 20003. She was in the board of The Yogateacher Association 2005 – 2007 and the president of the association 2006 – 2007. Ásta Arnardóttir was along with Ósk Vilhjálmsdóttir nominated for the Nordic Council's Nature and Environment Prize 2009