Mind, body, spirit — yoga is a holistic experience for many. But did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

definitely to settle my mind — I picked up a steady yoga practice during law school to deal with the stress of it, I continued through my legal career to deal with the toll it took on me, and I turned to it in a desperate time for mental clarity and balance after my kids were born

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

both! the mindfulness and connection with how I’m feeling provide equilibrium in my life

How long have you been practicing yoga?

since 2003

How frequently do you practice now?

daily

How long did you practice yoga before you started teaching it?

about fifteen years

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa — I grew up dancing and choreographing concert dance so the flow of vinyasa definitely appeals to my affinity for moving bodies in harmony individually and as a group

When you first took up yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

keeping conscious awareness on the breath always was and still is the most challenging thing for me to do

From your experience teaching yoga to children, can you generalize about what comes easiest for young people and what is more challenging?

for children, certain pranayama work is not recommended such as holding the breath and other control techniques — children’s lung capacities are smaller and their hearts are beating faster than an adults so in general, yes, it’s difficult to teach them how to utilize the breath in conjunction with their asana practice — settling their busy minds is also a challenge — their minds are full of humming birds darting from one place to another without stopping for very long in any one spot!

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

there are so many benefits I’ve felt — I would have to say the most valuable for me was less anxiety and better sleep — after my second child was born, yoga pulled me out of an abyss of post-partum anxiety and insomnia — it has helped me in every aspect of my life and my relationships at home and at work

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

every night before I go to sleep, I meditate with simple breathing exercises and a focus on executing an asana sequence in my mind — it calms me down, keeps me grounded, and sets me off to sleep — I also do body-scans daily prior to my physical practice and I listen to guided positive affirmations while driving

outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which poses and where?

absolutely — in front of the TV I like to do legs up the wall (or couch), or supine pigeon pose, happy baby, supine twist or supported bridge — also, whenever I go with my kids to a ball game, I’m always the weird mom doing stretches on the fence or playground — we have such a sedentary slouching culture; I take every opportunity to take backbends big and small wherever I am

You have a choice: lead a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

I guess my answer is “it depends” — if that small comfortable indoor space is heated to 100 degrees, I want to do it there — if it’s 90 degrees or higher outside, let’s go to the outdoor spot — in other words, I like it hot for yoga — helps open the physical body, presents cardiovascular benefits and lung capacity expansion, and purges toxins through the system — for me, distractions are a part of practice — there will always be something — the challenge is staying present, no matter what!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit. But did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

ha! I was 11 years old when I first began to dabble in yoga because I wanted to be cool like my older sister who was trying out Kareen Zebroff’s yoga on T.V. — in my early 20’s I was more serious and was equally interested in all aspects (body, mind, spirit), although to start I mostly focused on the body

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

for sure these elements are more in balance now … (and when they are out of balance, they are all out of balance together!)

How long have you been practicing yoga, and how frequently do you practice now?

if you included my dabbling in yoga, I have been practicing yoga for 50 years — for me, yoga is like brushing your teeth and for sure I practice some form of yoga every day

How long did you practice yoga before you started teaching it?

20 years (not including the dabbling)

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I have practiced many styles but what calls to me most are the slower, more gentle approaches to asana and pranayama (breathing) so that the practice becomes a moving meditation

When you first took up yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

my greatest challenge in yoga (and life) has always been to learn not to try so hard — like many, I began the practice of yoga wanting to “rock the poses” and look amazing — with time and practice and steady, mindful breathing, I slowly began to learn not to push, or force, or strive but instead relax and soften and open and become less concerned with how I looked and more receptive to what the body (and life) was trying to show me — I think this was one of my reasons for wanting to teach — they say we should teach what we most want to learn — I wanted to feel more connected . . . with myself, with others and with the earth

From your experience sharing yoga with children, can you generalize about what comes easiest for young people and what is more challenging?

kids are such natural yogis — they are like little gurus — they have so much to teach us about being in the body and in the moment — of course, “every body’s different” and some kids are easily discouraged or distracted — sharing ways to focus energy, calm energy, release energy can be very powerful (and fun) and kids tend to latch onto this quite quickly — I always tell kids that being “good” at yoga doesn’t mean touching your toes or perfect balance, it means being good at listening to your body, listening to your feelings, listening to your heart

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

oh wow! I think the benefits are endless — yoga helped me through my teens and through my pregnancies and the births of my babies — it has helped me with confidence and patience and a stronger back and calmer mind — I “played” yoga with my children and that yoga became our lifeline through the storms of teens — (later, through university and professional careers, two of my daughters taught yoga and another shared yoga with children and other teachers in her school) — yoga helps to improve my health and my sleep and my relationships and truly touches every aspect of my life in a powerful and profound way — I believe yoga is a gift we give ourselves

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

yes, I practice pranayama, (breathing practice) meditation, (in different forms, walking, sitting, body scans, sound etc.) mantra and yoga nidra

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which pose(s) and where?

absolutely, I often balance or practice a hip stretch while brushing my teeth, I’ve been known to squat while watching TV or sit in hero’s pose if I’m digesting a large meal, or tuck into tortoise pose during ads, and sometimes I will swing my legs up the wall while chatting with my sister on the phone

You have a choice: lead a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

as much as I love to connect with nature, if I am leading the class, I would choose the indoor space in order to better build and contain the energy

If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go?

Polynesia!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Mind, body, spirit — did one element or another first draw you to yoga? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

body and spirit

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

I feel more vulnerable and raw, it feeds my spirit more

How long have you been practicing yoga, and how frequently do you practice yoga now?

23 years on and off, and just a little now — mainly stretches and static poses

For you, what are the benefits of classes at a studio vs practicing yoga at home?

studio = adjustments, both physical and vocal

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

hatha, restorative, yin yoga, yoga nidra….

When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

easiest was just how natural it felt, hardest was comparing myself to other practitioners

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

flexibility, wisdom, awareness of body and breath

A character in When the Stars Lead to You, your debut novel, says “morning yoga [is] the very best yoga.” Is that also a strong-held conviction for you in real life?

not at all, I’m not a morning person!

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

breathing, short body scans, journaling

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

dancing!

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which pose(s) and where?

all the time, in bed, on the couch, especially in a nice warm bath

You have a choice: take a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

outdoors on a beautiful day!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Mind, body, spirit — did one element or another first draw you to yoga? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

definitely the body element, I loved how the asanas felt in my body — I’m not a very spiritual person and this aspect of the practice developed over time

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

100% more in balance now, they have equal weight — yoga helped me quieten my anxious mind, and I’ve found my own definition of spirituality over the years

How long have you been practicing yoga?

10 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

every single day, in one way or another — (sometimes it’s 10 minutes of pranayama, sometimes it’s 3 hours of asana)

How long did you practice yoga before you started teaching it?

2.5 years

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

therapeutic yoga — a blend of vinyasa, yin, pranayama, mobility and self-massage

When you were starting your yoga journey, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

I was naturally flexible, so that was the easy part — the hardest part was letting go of my need to be able to perform all of the postures

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

feeling more peaceful in my life in general — and a strong connection and appreciation for my body

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I do a lot of pranayama (breathwork) and gratitude practice — I intentionally pause to appreciate the good moments in my life — highly recommend it, game changer

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I lift weights and do pole dancing — I also love bouldering but don’t practice often enough

You are French, teaching in Germany, and anyone who connects with you online knows your English is better than that of many native speakers. Do you find any difference in students of different nationalities?

thank you for the compliment! I have so many different nationalities in my students and I absolutely love that — I wish I had a funny answer, but to be honest, I don’t see much difference between nationalities — the only thing that comes to mind is that Americans are generally a lot more enthusiastic about everything, haha!

You have a choice: lead a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

indoor, every time — I was taught to always limit distractions as much as possible, and I live by this — (this would probably make my students laugh because my chinchilla is in my home studio and she loves to participate in my classes…)

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit. But did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

I was trying to give my body a break after intense martial arts training — I fought competitively for years and I was uncomfortable “resting” and never made time to stretch, so I started yoga

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

it’s difficult to separate — I’m no longer teaching, so it’s very nice to be a student again — less pressure and I can just accept what’s being given to me in the class — I often feel rushed and like I’m “fitting it in,” but I always feel better after class — mentally and physically

How long have you been practicing yoga, and how frequently do you hit the mat?

somewhere between ten and fifteen years — I don’t remember when I started doing it regularly — I try to take a class once a week, but I do a short stretch with breath on my own before bed most nights

How long did you practice before you started teaching, and how long did you teach?

that’s also difficult as I started teaching in stages — we’ll say I practiced five to ten years before teaching full time — I taught fitness for a decade, but adding yoga in was a gradual thing as I got various certifications

For you, what are the benefits of classes at a studio vs practicing yoga at home?

accountability and distractions — I live in a small house with my husband and two enormous cats — to get any peace I’d have to practice outside — and then I’d feel like I’m performing for the neighborhood — I like classes because there is a set time to be there — I can feel anonymous among the other students, but the instructor is there if I have a question — I don’t have to create my own sequence, I can follow and let my mind go

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I got my 200 hour with an Ashtanga school, so I’ll always have a fondness for Ashtanga — I prefer a Vinyasa style over a Hatha — I need to move in order to get my mind to still — the meditation at the end is always best for me if I’m worn out

When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

I’ve always had good body awareness, so as long as I had a teacher good at cuing, I could get the posture correct — blocking out distractions is probably the most difficult — that’s one thing I like about the Ashtanga primary, all those vinyasas at the beginning are good for settling in

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

it’s a yin to my yang — stillness without stagnation — it settles my mind and my body always feels better afterward — I have thoracic scoliosis, so it’s good for that as well

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I like guided meditation, especially when I’m having trouble sleeping, but there are so many different kinds — there’s an app called Insight Timer where you can pick everything from the type of meditation you’re looking for to the time you have to meditate — I like it because, although the goal is to be able to meditate for a decent length of time, five minutes of meditation is better than no minutes, and the app allows for that if that’s what you need

You fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves, ran the Chicago Marathon, and competed for team U.S.A. in the savate world championships. Was your yoga practice particularly valuable as a supplement to one of those activities?

for the marathon for sure — I’ve mentioned that I’m terrible at stretching, and running is such a solo activity for me, no on is around who’s going to make me cool down and stretch — with the fighting, I always had teammates and coaches — I was doing yoga two to three times a week when I was training for the marathon

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which pose(s) and where?

I will if I’m feeling tight (which seems to increase in frequency as I age) — I stretch my hips a lot — I’ll do baddha konasana while sitting at my desk

You have a choice: take part in a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

overlooking the ocean — I did a retreat in St. Lucia once and we had a view of the ocean — the sound of the waves is a great addition

—interview © Marshal Zeringue