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?

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 true, spiritual nature?

I sought out yoga initially for the exercise in addition to my daily walks — I still appreciate how great I feel physically after I’ve stretched — but I’ve come to love how practicing it quiets my mind — it’s not unusual for the answers to problems I’m having with my writing to pop up in savasana

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 feeds my body most but that might be because I’ve been doing yoga long enough that I take the mental aspects of it for granted — I was amazed for the first few years at how well it cleared my mind and opened my spirit — I depend on those things now

How long have you been practicing yoga?

about twenty years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

I go to a class at least once a week — I’m not going to lie: my home practice is brief and undisciplined

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

see above! — I’m too easily distracted to practice alone — during Covid, my instructor switched to zoom, which we still mostly do, with good results

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

hatha

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

for me, in the beginning, getting the postures correctly was the hardest — settling my mind enough to enjoy savasana took a couple practices, too — I’m still impatient with breathing — guess I’ll always be a work-in-progress

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

favorite benefit: less body pain — I also enjoy how it helps to calm me, and to settle enough to receive answers to my writing puzzles

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

I think the act of writing is a sort of meditation when I’m in the flow — I strive for that writing flow every day though I don’t always achieve it

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

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

of course! I do leg lifts while watching TV and pull myself into a good standing posture whenever I think about it

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

Costa Rica or Hawaii would be nice, but honestly, I’d go just about anywhere on a yoga retreat!

—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 sought out yoga for my body — as I was aging I needed more flexibility and stretching in my exercise routines

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?

now, I realize that yoga feeds my mind and spirit as much as my body and I relish the overall sensations and balance

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

about 5 years

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

teaching yoga is tiring and to be the best teacher I can be, I must limit how much I teach — 1 or 2 classes a day are best for my psyche

I understand you used to practice Power Yoga and now focus on Yoga for Everybody. When you were practicing Power Yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

I was teaching yoga to college students when I began — they wanted (I thought) a very physical practice and they wanted challenging poses — as I matured in my yoga practice I realized that teaching them pranayama was more important — it was a hard shift but I’m glad I took the hard route for the students — as I I got better at teaching breath and slower movements, I got a better response from the students — at 20 they already have enough physical demands and movement but few know the power of breathwork

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

balance is often what brings the clients into the Yoga for Everybody class — as they learn Warrior and hip openers and they begin to lengthen their calf they find the balance — arm strength is very hard — easiest are the movements they do daily Warrior 1, lunge sagittal plane — opening the side body brings about nice change — sitting on the floor is hard for many new yogis — moving with the breath is hard for beginners — they rush the poses unaware how to match it to their breath

What are the more difficult yoga poses for beginners to execute?

Downward Facing Dog is the hardest pose for most beginners — Chatarange and arm strength, properly executing sphynx for older clients

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

calmer — more present, willing to forgive and forget — yes, better sleep

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

no

Your classes are described as “musically eclectic.” Will you share two song titles that demonstrate that?

ha ha — that would be my barre classes, I think, not my yoga — barre is done in time with the music — two fun barre songs are “America’s Sweetheart” by Elle King and “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye

for Yoga — in Happy Hour I use songs like “Wish You Were Here” by Bliss, “Makambo” by Geoffrey Oryema, and “Easy in the Early” by Uncle Earl (a great spiritual!)

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

all the time — on a paddle board, before and after riding my horse — after dancing — I can’t get through a day without joyful movement

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

awesome, let’s go! — any of the Blue Zones — Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California

—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?

strength, and because I wanted to do arm balances and headstands

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 and mind, definitely

How long have you been practicing yoga?

2007, I think? maybe 2008

How frequently do you practice yoga?

daily

Are you more likely to attend classes at a studio or practice yoga at home?

now, post COVID, definitely home practice

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I’m trained in Viniyoga, but I do love Ashtanga and any fairly kinetic vinyasa practice

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

depends… flexibility, I had, so that was easy — strength came later and from much effort — the yoking of breath to movement, without distraction: that’s the hardest for me, and I’m still working on it

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

I have a more balanced, emotionally level approach to non-physical challenges and frustrations — I strive to be Vulcan! — but I’m not

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

heh — yes — the Litany Against Fear from Dune, when something is scary and I need to calm down ASAP

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I run 3 times a week and walk the other 4

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

sure! — most often some variant of uttanasana

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

Iceland!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue