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?

for me, most definitely the body initially, I was trying to repair damage I had done from running to my back and knees — but the calming aspect came as an added bonus

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 probably more in balance now – there has been a lot of change in my life in past two years, I have changed countries and jobs and it’s been a positive but not stress free change and yoga gives me space to release the physical and mental stress of the transition and focus on the joy of the change

How long have you been practicing yoga?

on and off twenty years, it is like an old friend that comes back into my life whenever I need it

How frequently do you practice yoga?

at the moment I am on a roll of about two to three times a week as I am trying to wrestle my body back from the jagged teeth of menopause — regular yoga is helping me feel back in control of a body that often does not feel like my own just now and often feels out of my control

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

I am inherently lazy so I prefer a class as I will challenge myself more if I am in a structured class but sometimes on a sat morning there is nothing nicer than having a coffee, lighting a candle, rolling out the mat and having a quiet stretch

You’re a psychology professor — is there much of a connection between your professional and scholarly interests and your yoga practice?

there isn’t a direct link between my academic research and my yoga practice in that I don’t research it as a topic but I am generally interested in well-being and human behaviour so there are parallels

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

all of it was hard, I am inflexible, have rubbish balance and a very, very busy mind but I like a challenge and I like the feeling of seeing the change in these as you practice, I still find the busy mind the hardest

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

greater flexibility and less pain, it keeps me well enough to run which I love but as I get older also the feeling of calm

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

I need to be outside and need regular fixes of the sea — I find it so restorative being outside so I like to swim outdoors or run — that’s my meditation

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

yes, as above, I swim and I run – which all makes me sound fitter than I am – both I do slowly

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch?

in the office, I sit at the computer a lot so I will often stretch out my back after long time seated

You have a choice: join 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?

always, always, always outdoors and even better if near water

—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?

the physical element is what originally drew me to yoga — I simply needed to work on myself

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?

yoga feeds my spirit and quiets my mind — the physical benefits to my body are a side effect

How long have you been practicing yoga?

seven years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

as often as my schedule permits — if I’m lucky: 3-5 days / week

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa

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

at first my mind would go nuts focusing on the outside world, comparing poses to other students and judging myself — over time, I learned how to use the breath to drop in and focus within, to discover the real magical part of the yoga practice: the moving meditation and the discovery of Self

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

better sleep, better attitude, more loving connection with others, more patience with my family, eliminated “stress” back pain, improved my self-confidence and appreciation for my own body — body image insecurities are gone! I exude a more loving and kind energy as I move throughout the world and my day

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

I practice about 20 minutes of seated meditation daily, and pranayama as part of my yoga practice

You have a lot of experience leading yoga classes of teens. What aspects of that are more challenging–or easier–than teaching adults?

aside from very tight hamstrings, teens are much less familiar with their bodies and very concerned with what others think — poses can be embarrassing or weird for them so some are less apt to fully try their best — they always giggle when first practicing cat / cow (just because they have to stick their booties up) — I organize their mats in a circle in the room so everyone’s booty faces a wall and not a pair of eyes — teens can also be “softies” when it comes to enduring uncomfortability (holding a chair pose or plank will have them collapsing on the floor in exasperation) — all these lessons are precisely what they need to work through — they are an incredible gift to work with

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

Ragdoll all the time — not uncommon to bust out a dancer’s pose or a reverse warrior in the kitchen or waiting in line in public

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

expenses paid and yoga: I’d go anywhere! Costa Rica would be fantastic though!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

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 spiritual nature?

initially I thought it was for ‘exercise’ — almost immediately, however, I noticed the greatest impact on my mind — from day one my yoga practice helped me gain mastery over my anxiety

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 still tends to every facet of my being, but now is predominantly a spiritual practice for me

How long have you practiced yoga?

I began dabbling about 22 years ago, but have been studying and practicing with commitment for 13 years

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

lightly for about 12 years, but seriously for 3 — since then I have not stopped studying — my study and practice have only intensified

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I study, practice, and teach Traditional Tantric Hatha and Classical Yoga — under the guidance of the Himalayan Tradition

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

as a former dancer, I ‘thought’ the postures came easily, but soon realized I was missing the point entirely — loosening my effort was the most challenging, and making peace with the neurotic tendencies in my mind

From your experience as a teacher, can you generalize about what comes easiest for beginners and what is more challenging?

dissociating yoga from exercise seems to be the most challenging because in the west we’ve sold yoga as a workout — it isn’t — it’s a spiritual practice which utilizes the body to gain access to the breath, the breath to gain access to the mind, the mind to gain access to the soul — reframing students’ expectations which are based on a western misinterpretation of yoga is my greatest challenge as a teacher

What are the more difficult poses for beginners to execute?

Savasana and a Meditation Seat

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

more peace within my own mind and continuous joy in the midst of challenging circumstances

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

I practice a traditional Yogic meditation called Vishoka Meditation, as well as traditional Yoga Nidra — these both incorporate pranayama (techniques for gaining mastery over the breath)

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I do — I love to hike, swim in the ocean, garden, and play with my dog

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

I often find myself utilizing yoga asanas to create more freedom and ease in my body — I try to be subtle about it in public so as not to draw too much attention, but when I’m at home I’ll stretch and twist and enjoy savasana just about anywhere

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 love practicing outside and find it to be more comfortable and accessible for a lot of people — it’s a great way to reconnect to something bigger than ourselves

—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?

I knew very little about it and I was curious to know what yoga was

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?

body originally, spirit more recently — I love the peacefulness

How long have you been practicing yoga?

since I was pregnant with my daughter, now in her 40s! — she’s much better at yoga than I

How frequently do you practice yoga?

2-3 times per week

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

I love my yoga class for the direction and encouragement

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

not really, but the gentler the better

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

getting the posture and holding it — but I still have trouble blocking out distractions

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

less body pain, greater flexibility

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

a friend recently told me about walking meditation and we do it together

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I walk a lot and love my water aerobics classes

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

absolutely! — mostly stretches at my kitchen counter, but I’ve been known to strike a tree pose almost anywhere

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?

easy one — I choose outdoors, even if it’s not a beautiful day — but circumstances mostly keep me indoors

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

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 spiritual nature?

I became interested in yoga in college, but didn’t take a class until after college when I took my first job — the yogic and Hindu philosophy, present moment awareness, and meditation was what actually drew me in the first place — I am very much a seeker and a college philosophy course really sparked my interest — I was already doing physical activity, and the movement practice was more about the body/mind connection — although flexibility is a great secondary benefit!

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?

yoga over the past 20+ years for me now feeds every aspect of my life — as I now have more of a desk job, the physical aspect of stretching is actually more important to keeping me pain free — I also use breathwork and yoga nidra for relaxation — and teaching yoga and owning a studio also feeds a creative need in me — the process of putting together a yoga class and maybe some music to complement it is really enjoyable

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

I practiced yoga for about 2 years before teaching — I knew I wanted a deeper knowledge of yoga, so the teacher training was more for me, at first — but our little community needed actual yoga teachers, so I began teaching as a way to bring it to others in 2003

When you’re teaching regularly, can you lead classes too often? How many times a week, and a day, might be too much?

since I also have another job, I only teach about 4-5 classes a week — there was a point where I taught 3 classes in one day — that was a lot, both mentally and physically, and wasn’t really sustainable with everything else going on — two classes in a day is plenty — I try to balance my yoga so that it doesn’t feel like work! — it’s my passion and I want to protect that

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

my go to practice is Vinyasa flow or Yin Yoga — but I enjoy getting to practice Kundalini and Iyengar for some of the benefits more specific to each

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

settling my “monkey” mind was often one of the hardest things — but I loved when I could really tune in during a practice or savasana and catch those times of “thoughtlessness”

From your experience as a teacher, can you generalize about what comes easiest for beginners and what is more challenging?

I don’t know if there is an easy part for beginners — but not because the practice is hard, but because of the mindset of forcing and not allowing — I find so many people intimidated to even start because they don’t want to “do it wrong” or “look wrong” — the beginner mindset is that it’s not okay to be a beginner — it has to be perfect right away — that’s the hard part… allowing yourself to be a beginner and open yourself up to learning and not looking or being perfect, because there is no perfect — after 20 years there are things that I can’t physically do, whether it’s because my body isn’t physically able to bend in a certain way or because I haven’t taken the time to really cultivate practicing certain things — and either way, that’s okay

What are the more difficult poses for beginners to execute?

unless it is set up well, I don’t think most people need to put the compression on the cervical spine that shoulderstand creates — our modern forward slumping shoulders already exacerbates that — until it is learned safely (at the wall and with props), I don’t think the benefits outweigh the risks — another asana that I think beginners should learn with a teacher so they can do them safely is Ardha chandrasana (standing half moon) — understanding rooting/grounding and even using a block or a wall to find alignment if the hip isn’t open enough can make a lot of difference to the balance and enjoyment of that pose

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

learning to observe my thoughts in the moment before I act on something — being present for wonderful things that I might miss otherwise — breathwork, meditation and flexibility have helped me with both of my pregnancies and childbirth — and I get to meet some pretty amazing people as both teachers and students from being a yogini — shoutouts to a few of my amazing teachers: Anna Pittman, Paul Grilley, Eric Schiffman, and Katie Silcox

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

I practice yoga nidra, especially for sleep — walking and being in nature — my seated meditation is on and off — I also find painting to be a mindfulness practice, especially outdoors

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

mostly walking or hiking

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

twists in bed first thing in the morning — squatting is great for some back traction — and legs up the wall on an acupressure mat when I get a migraine

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’m a forester by profession and an outdoorsy person in general — outdoors anytime, anywhere — I’m spoiled to live in a beautiful place in the mountains where outdoor yoga is just magical

—interview © Marshal Zeringue