In his teacher spotlight, Miles shares his journey from a curious admirer of yoga to a passionate instructor. He started practicing yoga regularly during the 2020 lockdown, blending it with his love for calisthenics. His teaching philosophy centers on creating a safe, supportive environment while emphasizing the importance of patience and building a solid foundation for progress. Miles incorporates yoga, inversions, and calisthenics into his practice, believing the combination enhances strength, flexibility, and mindfulness. He offers helpful tips for overcoming mental blocks in inversions and advises new students to seek guidance, be patient, and enjoy the journey.
How did you find yoga and what was your path from student to teacher?
I have always been a great admirer of yoga, even though my primary training routine followed other protocols. It wasn’t until the first lockdown in 2020 that I finally committed to practicing yoga regularly. Before long, I began integrating more and more yoga practices into my main workout regimen. By the end of 2020, I found myself designing my own lessons, drawing inspiration from the sequences I had learned and blending them with the aspect of yoga that captivated me the most: hand and arm balances. After dedicating countless hours to writing, structuring, testing, and practicing, I finally felt confident enough to start offering lessons.
Do you have any tips for balancing your personal practice and teaching?
Like the majority of fellow practitioners, I also struggled at first finding the right balance. It’s something that can happen in the beginning, when your main focus is to expand your client base, and that work-overload not only compensates your practice, but also worsens your services. The turning point for me was, when I decided to reconsider my priorities, and always find time for my practice. Saying no, might at first feel wrong, or even scary, but in the long run it’ll pay dividends.
What’s your approach/philosophy to your teaching?
My role as a teacher is multifaceted. Beyond crafting a training program tailored to each client’s unique needs, I’m responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly, creating a safe and welcoming environment where they feel comfortable and have fun, and providing mental support—especially during moments when progress feels slower than they’d hoped. Striking the right balance is no easy feat. I believe honesty from the very beginning is crucial: explaining to every client that progress takes time, it’s not always linear, and emphasizing the importance of building a strong foundation for sustainable growth. This approach fosters improvement and organic development. And above all, I always remind them to enjoy the journey.
What inspired you to specialize in calisthenics and how did you first encounter this practice?
I first discovered calisthenics in 2016 through a YouTube video. It was a simple demonstration of basic bodyweight exercises, but what caught my attention was the name itself: calisthenics. The word comes from the Greek terms “κάλλος” (beauty) and “σθένος” (strength), and that immediately sparked my curiosity. As I dug deeper, I learned that calisthenics was originally a fundamental strength-training method used by Spartan soldiers to prepare for combat. Their routines focused on bodyweight exercises, complemented by acrobatic movements performed in pairs or groups—movements that, today, could even be likened to dance flows. The purpose wasn’t just to build strength and flexibility, but also to enhance proprioception and foster seamless coordination and communication among soldiers.While the modern form of calisthenics has evolved, the core principle—becoming strong and flexible using your own body—immediately resonated with me. From my very first practice, I was hooked. There’s something incredibly rewarding about pulling or pushing your own body, a sensation I had missed with traditional weight training. And when I started exploring skills and acrobatic movements, I knew I had found my true passion.
Are there particular teachers, athletes, or experiences that have influenced your teaching style?
There are so many! I had the privilege to get to know, work and be coached by a lot of talented people, like Leo Gashi & Denis Piccolo, the guys behind the Sthenics team, Giorgos Votsis, who owns the Art of Calisthenics studio in my hometown, Thessaloniki, and of course Elpida Tsintsifa, a person who has dedicated her whole life in the science of Sport, and I was lucky enough to have as a mentor, on my early days.
For those new to the practice, could you explain what calisthenics is and what distinguishes the practice from other strength trainings?
Calisthenics is an anaerobic bodyweight strength training protocol. Similar to other bodyweight-based systems like Pilates or Yoga, it combines basic exercises (pull-ups, push-ups, leg raises) with skill-based moves, like front levers, planches, or Victorians. The main goal is to build strength across the widest range of motion possible while also gaining muscle and improving flexibility, making it a well-rounded training method. One of the best things about calisthenics is how little equipment you need—a pull-up bar, the floor, and maybe a wall are more than enough. What really sets it apart, though, is the way the movements flow together, kind of like what you’d see with ring gymnasts or yogis, but with its own style.
How do you see yoga, inversions, and calisthenics complementing each other?
I think Yoga, Inversions, and Calisthenics complement each other beautifully because they each bring something unique to the table. Yoga keeps me grounded—it builds body awareness, and offers me a sense of calm. Inversions are where I test that balance and alignment, pushing my limits while staying mindful. Then calisthenics adds the raw strength and power to take things to the next level, like flowing through dynamic movements. Together, they create this perfect blend of strength, control, and flow that keeps me both challenged and inspired.
What is your approach to helping students overcome fear or mental blocks with inversions?
This is actually one of the most common fears my clients face! It’s usually about not fully trusting themselves—worrying their hands won’t hold them, that they’ll collapse, or worse, face plant! So, in the beginning, it’s all about building the necessary strength while introducing some basic inversion poses, like the crow pose, to help them get comfortable. Once they’re ready, we move on to simple handstand exercises, using the wall for support. After just a couple of sets, the smiles on their faces and the adrenaline kicking in usually wipe away any remaining fears or worries!
How do you balance the focus on strength and flexibility in your classes?
Flexibility is a key part of our practice. To me, a complete athlete is someone who is strong, explosive, fast, durable, and flexible. While being strong in a limited range of motion might work for other training styles, in our practice, mobility and flexibility are essential—not just for maintaining healthy muscles and joints, but also for unlocking challenging skills and movements. That’s why I focus on improving flexibility from all angles, combining both active and passive techniques.
Can you share a favorite progression or technique you use to help students build strength for inversions?
Strong shoulders can make a world of difference when you’re starting out with inversions. Pike push-ups are one of the best exercises for building upper-body strength, especially in the shoulders and triceps. That said, I also think it’s just as important to practice the movement itself. For example, when it comes to handstands, chest-to-wall handstand holds are an incredible all-around drill. They help you learn proper body alignment, maintain tension, and strengthen the shoulder muscles at the same time
What challenges have you faced as a teacher combining these practices, and how have you overcome them?
Finding the right formula wasn’t easy. I had to experiment with different approaches, constantly tweaking and adjusting. The biggest challenge was not having enough data to really evaluate whether the plan was working. It felt like a lot of trial and error—you just have to test things out because there’s no way to know if they’ll work otherwise. But over time, things started to click, and I grew more confident. Now, I feel like I’ve found the right balance.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their journey with inversions or calisthenics?
Seek for guidance and a good coach, always warm up properly, listen to the body, be patient and mostly, fall in love with the process.
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Find Miles on Instagram or visit his website.
