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 — my first classes were at a Crunch Fitness

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?

things are generally more in balance — but there’s an ebb and a flow there

How long have you been practicing yoga?

off and on for more than ten years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

I aim for three times a week but sometimes life (namely, my small kids) gets in the way

What are the benefits of classes at a studio vs practicing yoga at home?

I love the community of a yoga studio — and I find that I challenge myself more in a classroom setting

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa, although I did my teacher training in Hatha

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

the mind-body connection was most difficult for me at the start — I could move my body in the right shapes but didn’t feel it

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

everything! when I practice regularly, my entire body just works better

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

occasionally I try meditation but it never sticks

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

running

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

yes! Tree pose and Warrior III are my go-tos

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

Bali

—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 true, spiritual nature?

it started as a cross trainer for my work outs after college and focus on balance, core and flexibility

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 a majority of people start with the physical side of yoga and after awhile begin to explore the subtle side of yoga — so, yes, it took me many years to really understand and appreciate meditation, inquiry, philosophy — I feel more connected now to the whole concept of yoga- mind, body, spirit

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

I began practicing somewhere around 2001/2002 but didn’t really get into until 2003 when my husband was deployed for a year — dad my first training in 2007

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

yes, you can definitely burnout and it the biggest piece of advice for teachers, don’t forget your practice — every teacher has their various limits that correspond to their life — I’ve maintained 4-6 classes but I do take breaks so I’m excited to come back and teach

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

my preferred style is Power Yoga followed by Vinyasa — Power feels more athletic and I connect easily to that — It’s straight forward, structured and does a great job of weaving in the subtle yogic concepts

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

I have a tendency to be hyper mobile/flexible so stretchy stuff was easy — therefore the strength aspect was a challenge — for lots of guys the opposite is true, they love the strength portions and loathe the stretches

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

hands down one of the biggest hurdles to get over when you first start out is learning how to hold your arms up — we do this with so many poses and your arms get so heavy — I speak a lot about how to attain full engagement of arms/legs… how to have them hold themselves up versus weighing you down

What are the more difficult poses for beginners to execute?

Crow and Headstand — not that they are hard they just take a few classes to learn the hang of it

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

how to breathe, how to take control back from the stimulus, how to be in my body and how to meditate or be in the final resting pose

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation like breathing exercises, walking meditation, or body-scan meditation?

yes, all of the above! — they can all be experienced on their own and it’s good to practice bits here and there on their own — learning how to access mindfulness is one of the biggest superpowers we can build for ourselves — I teach students to drop out if the mind and fall into our body — we over analyze and overthink and it takes us out of the moment so learning when you’re in your head and how to use tolls to get in your body

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

all. the. time — Wall Dog —stand a few feet away from a wall, put your arms up the wall while pushing hips back, can sway side to side

while sitting — lean to one side, then other — twist to one side then other — then seated cat/cow, hands on knees, pull chest through and look up then round shoulders/back drop head

I do a handstand against the wall if things get too crazy

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

I think always the beach, it’s just a good place to chill and reconnect — I like a nice white sand, Gulf of Mexico kind of beach!

—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 can’t really explain what drew me to yoga other than it was an intense pull that I just had to start a yoga practice — but my physical body was what really needed it first before the other two followed

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?

all three equally — it calms the mind, makes my body feels alive, and allows me to feels connected to source

How long have you been practicing yoga?

9 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

everyday — even if it’s only for a few minutes

What are the benefits of classes at a studio vs practicing yoga at home?

practicing in a studio takes away all distractions — you have to be very disciplined to keep up with a consistent home practice, but studio classes are definitely worth it

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I have only practiced Hatha yoga and Vinyasa — I also incorporate a lot of Yin Yoga into my practice

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

the most challenging for me was getting the posture correct due to being very inflexible, but simply sticking with my practice cured that — the easiest for me was breathing because I was already a very experienced Meditator

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

physically, the greatest benefit is flexibility — overall, self acceptance and patience with myself

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

I practice Meditation every day as well — I do both guided meditation, Vipassana meditation, and occasionally transcendental meditation

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

daily walking

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

always! — when my body is calling for it I stretch, do a yogi squat, downward dog, or child’s pose

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

Costa Rica

—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 interested in learning more bodily control

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?

everything about me is in better balance now: mind/body/spirit

As a yoga professional, what aspects — mind, body, spirit — do you pitch to someone who has never done yoga but is open to the possibility?

I try not to proselytize, but I share concepts

How long did you practice yoga before becoming a teacher?

six years

Do you have a preferred yoga style? Do you teach others?

all physical yoga is “Hatha Yoga” — I blend styles

Do you have a particularly strong tie to any teachings or texts?

my roots were with Swami Muktananda and Swami Vishnudevananda — I pattern my classes around the teachings of Patanjali

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

younger beginners have shorter attention spans, prefer movement

How about for students coming to yoga later in life?

seniors often need to modify poses

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

I consider all mindfulness, whether sitting, walking, breathing and/or movement to be yoga

Say you have a beginning student who has come to yoga for help with a bad back. They are already pretty chill, and you intuit they are only looking for the physical benefits from yoga. Do you leave it at that, or do you look for opportunities to promote the non-physical benefits?

I mention, but do not “promote,” yoga philosophy — I believe that physical power without a philosophy of unselfishness can be dangerous

I know you are a poet as well as a yoga teacher. Is there a poem or two that reflects the influence of yoga on your writing?

my own poems “Yoga Class, the Teacher Speaks” and “Solstice Poem” both available on blogger (google title, my name, and blogger) are directly connected to my practice of yoga — (as are all my poems, but less obviously)

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 would absolutely choose an outdoor space on a beautiful day to a comfortable minimalist indoor space

—interview © Marshal Zeringue