q&a

A lovely yoga student interviewed me today for an English project. Here's a bite of our fun little interview:

What inspired you to start yoga?

I remember the moment very vividly. It was around mile 21 of the Houston Marathon. My body literally felt like it might break down, simply give out. But at that same moment, I tapped into something that was bigger than me or my body. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd complete this marathon. At the time I also felt this really amazing connection to my breath. There are unbelievable things that we can accomplish through the power of our mind and our breath. I had never been more aware of that thought. After finishing the marathon I wanted to recapture that same awesome feeling. I'd heard and read a lot about yoga so I decided to give it a try and see what all the hype was about. I was hooked after the first class.

What's the best thing about teaching yoga?

There are many wonderful things about teaching yoga: witnessing a beginning student reach that "aha" moment in a pose, the thrill of an adult face after flipping themselves upside down in a headstand, and feeling that a student is really present is pretty incredible. But the very best is witnessing this transformation that occurs from the moment before class and after class. People come into the studio many times rushed, stressed, tired and/or overwhelmed. Seeing these same people in the quiet, still moments during and following corpse pose is truly an amazing thing. To get to be a part of assisting people to feel more at ease with their body, and helping people find a sense of peace and calm is the absolute best.

Why do you think yoga is important?

We live in such a busy world, constantly going and doing. When we're not actually on the run, we're planning and organizing. And when we're not planning, we're thinking about what we should or shouldn't be doing. Our work, social and family lives are busier than ever. For people practicing yoga, their mat becomes this safe place to retreat to. Even among the crazy, wonderful and wild things going on in our daily lives, the yoga mat provides a place to surrender. A place to relax, renew and/or reinvigorate.

Do you do yoga everyday for yourself, besides teaching your classes?

I fit some part of yoga into my everyday life. I don't consider teaching yoga to be any part of my own personal practice. When I'm teaching, it's all about the students...never about myself. I may not do a 90 minute practice everyday. Some days it might be more, others it might be less. Some days I may only do breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation, but those are equally important as the poses (asanas). I find that my personal practice is what mostly influences my teaching. It's here that I come up with new sequences, discover something new about the poses, and gain overall insight. Yoga is something that you can't simply learn from a book. You have to do the practice...spend time on the mat.

What is the purpose of meditation?

If you were to ask 5 different people what the purpose of meditation is, you'll probably get 5 different answers. For me, the purpose of meditation is resting and quieting my mind. When I'm able to do this I can tap into this place where everything seems clearer. I find that I can live more fully and make decisions that really resonate with me.

Any other questions you blog readers might have? Go ahead, don't be shy. Leave a comment or shoot me an email. :-)