Host Highlight: Sydney Burkhardt

Meet Sydney Burkhardt, Terra & Tu’s Wellness Host! In addition to instructing yoga and mindfulness practices, Sydney accompanies guests on all excursions, ensuring everyone is enjoying their time in Tuscany to the fullest. 

As a Charleston, South Carolina native, Sydney immersed herself in the movement arts at an early age.  She has an extensive background in classical ballet and gymnastics—as both a performer and coach—as well as 15 years practicing yoga. After earning a 200-hour certification with the Authentic Movements school (a Yoga Alliance accredited school) in 2019, Sydney set her sights on a new endeavor: working towards her 500-hour credential.

 Sydney enjoys teaching dynamic and creative vinyasa-based flows as well as more yin-based material—always with an emphasis on maintaining a safe and balanced practice and deepening the mind-body connection.

Terra & Tu combines many of Sydney’s passions, as she received her BA in Romance Languages, with a focus on Italian language and culture, from Colorado College in 2019. She looks forward to practicing together and sharing experiences in such a beautiful and unique setting. 

Read on for a Q&A with Sydney! 

When did your passion for the movement arts begin? How did your dance and gymnastic experiences help shape your mind and body for a transition into yoga?

I've been involved in movement arts for as long as I can remember. Having that outlet growing up allowed me to playfully experiment with shapes and forms. As I developed spatial awareness and balance, I was able to explore more technically precise movements. Strengthening your mind-body connection is not only really helpful for yoga, but it also allows you to be more in-tune with the greater environment.

I realized how truly passionate I was about this art form when I took a year off of dance and resumed in college. This was the first time I could translate the rigidness of ballet into full freedom of expression; it was the first time I could dance for myself. I was with other women who were in the same stage of life and same head space as I was. This supportive setting encouraged me to push the limits of my body and branch out from all that I knew, to all that I could possibly become.

Which aspects of ballet are most represented in yoga? What about yoga is most unique from ballet?

I think the biggest similarity between ballet and yoga is that to the untrained eye, a single movement looks quite simple and effortless; however, in reality, every muscle is engaged and each position requires a great deal of focus. 

Ballet is about telling your body what to do and when to do it—even if that means ignoring what your body needs, which can result in fatigue, pain and sometimes injury. Yoga is more of a conversation with your body. It’s about listening to what your body needs and expressing gratitude for all that your body can do. What I love about yoga is that you don’t have to be perfect or look perfect in order to feel strong and beautiful. 

Our Terra & Tu guests join us after a long day of traveling. Which movements are best to get in the yoga flow but can be done without much guidance or available space?

Lately I've been teaching some contortion classes so I've been thinking a lot about active versus passive stretching, range of mobility, and functional range conditioning. It’s good to challenge yourself, but you should always practice safe stretching and not push your body too hard before it’s ready. 

My favorite pose is actually super accessible; it is a forward fold. Like a rag doll, make a big bend in the knees, hang the chest on the thighs, and let the head and arms totally dangle. Shake it out! Let go of any tension and relax all those neck and shoulder muscles. If you want to get more of a stretch in, breathe in and when you breathe out, reach farther down to your toes, hug your knees, or if you can, place your palms on the floor. I love a nice gravity assisted stretch like that.  

Where in Italy do you feel most connected to nature and most at peace with your mind and body? 

It’s hard to beat Tuscany. Other than its incredible natural beauty, my favorite thing about the region is probably the energy of the people. Everyone is so warm and welcoming, while still being completely genuine. People in Tuscany really go out of their way to help others—it’s the kind of community ethos I admire most. 

One of my favorite places to visit in Tuscany is the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which is very close to our villa in Asciano! Not only is this 15th-century monastery stunning, but the history and stories behind the frescoes are so entertaining and interesting. The experience makes me feel so connected to everything we see.

Outside of Tuscany, I really love the mountains in the north of Italy; the Tyrol region—or as they say in Italian—Tirolo. 

I discovered this quaint village called Vattaro, by accident actually…I booked a hotel at the incorrect address and ended up an hour or so outside of the city I intended to stay in. This little pocket in the middle of the mountains had a population of maybe one-thousand residents. I met the sweetest, most genuine locals and spent each day going on solo hikes. The pace of life here and the access to the outdoors made me want to stay even longer.

Places like this—the ones off the beaten path—that you kind of just stumble upon, allow for a lot of time and space to look inward and self-reflect. Especially without much internet service, I was able to disconnect from social media and reconnect with humanity. 

How do you fuel your body for a day of movement? 

I take my first practice of the day without any food in my stomach (I think it's best for early morning breath-work and movement). Then, usually right after my first movement of the day, I eat a nice big meal and drink an insane amount of water. I carry around a huge water bottle with me everywhere I go. I'll eat maybe two huge meals in a day and snack a lot in between. I love fresh fruit, veggies, and hummus.

Viewing food as fuel and as a valuable source of energy has influenced my life in such a positive way. It not only allows me to maintain an active lifestyle, but I sleep better, think better, and feel happier overall. I love the approach that Italians takes towards cuisine. Rather than promoting diet culture or obsessing over calories, they embrace eating what makes you feel right. At Terra & Tu, you won’t find us force feeding you the latest trendy “wellness foods” or restricting the foods you eat. Instead, our chefs offer a wide variety of Italian dishes using locally sourced, natural ingredients (yes, that includes dessert!)

What is your favorite Italian dish, and how do you order it in the Italian language?

I am a huge foodie, so narrowing that down is going to be next to impossible for me. I will pretty much eat any type of pasta; anything with mozzarella and tomatoes; and everything with balsamic or olive oil. For dessert, I would order my favorite by saying: “Avrò il tiramisù per favore.”

I've actually tried cooking it once! Part of my major in college involved studying the history of Italian food-culture. These two Italian chefs who cooked for the Pope came to CC for two weeks to teach our class. After graduating, I flew to Italy and interned under them for two months. They were perfectionists, so even the most simple dishes required a lot of care. For example; I learned I’m horrible at making gnocchi…I just could not master the flick of the wrist. But, thanks to Terra & Tu, I’m working towards redeeming myself. Something guests can look forward to at our Villa in Tuscany is an authentic cooking class where we learn to make pasta from scratch!

Now that our stomachs are satisfied, could you give us a preview of what a typical Vinyasa flow might look like during a morning yoga session?

We start the morning around 7 or closer to 8, depending on how much wine we have with dinner the night before. The session is about 45 minutes of vinyasa flow, with a period of time dedicated to cooling down and meditating, or journaling to neutralize mind and body. The morning classes are more intensive than the evening classes because we focus on waking up our bodies and gradually building up energy and heat. Each day I set a different movement goal for the group and I adjust the pace and difficulty based on everyone’s abilities. 

Just as I said before, yoga is a conversation with your body; so I will make sure to listen and adapt the class structure to how your bodies are feeling in the moment. One day may be a heart-opening class, one day may be working on hip flexibility. The nice thing about small groups is that I can really personalize the experience. I also love to teach fun acrobatic skills. Want to learn how to do a handstand? Let’s do it!

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