Yogi of the Month!
____________________________
November 2011
Brandy Leigh
How did you 1st find Yoga?
Brandy Leigh
On Capitol Hill, my boyfriend knew I was curious and gave me gift certificate for sessions at Yoga Arts as a birthday gift. My impression after my 1st class was one of wonder and beautiful calm.
What is your favorite Yoga pose and why?
Wheel. The expansive, heart opening quality of this pose electrifies me every time.
What feeds your soul?
Moments of sitting still and staring out the window with my journal and a steaming cup of Diablo, usually in the early morning. Being a mom, a joy, pleasure, honor that I believed I would not ever discover. Living here; the lush, verdant landscape of the Pacific Northwest, smelling blackberries ripening on the vine, catching a magnificent glimpse of Mt. Rainier motoring south on Rainier.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Moments of still now that I have a 7 month old son!
If you could only have 3 movies, or books, in your collection, what would they be?
I sincerely can not answer this question. It rattles me to distill life into absolutes!
What is your definition of strong?
Grace, flexibility, staying present and recognizing the gift in every moment, challenging or not.
What keeps you coming back to yoga?
See above! The practice completely informs and nurtures every part of me; emotional, spiritual, physical. So happy I practiced consistently for the three years before giving birth. Every time I do a deep knee bend to retrieve a dropped baby item, holding a 20 lb baby, I whisper a reverent prayer of gratitude for yoga!!
What classes do you usually attend at Lotus?
Sunrise practice is such a beautiful way to start my day.
What is your favorite quote?
“Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.” ~Helen Keller
____________________________
July 2011
David Kearney
How did you 1st find Yoga?
I was first introduced to yoga when a yoga and Pilates studio opened down the street from me in the Mt. Baker neighborhood. I had prior instruction and experience with meditation practice, and I wanted to explore other forms – I was curious about yoga. I signed up for a multi-week introductory series, and only one other person signed up. That person dropped out after the second week, so I was fortunate to have had one-on-one yoga instruction for weeks to come. My teacher was Katerina Wen, and I’ve always remembered the first instruction she gave, which was to the effect of: “It’s always better to stay with your breath than to stay with the movement but lose track of your breath.”
What is your favorite Yoga pose and why?
Tea pose. Not to be confused with tree pose. Tea pose is when I reach over and take a sip from a travel mug of green tea I’ve placed carefully beside my mat. My second most favorite is a nice, long 15-20 minute savasana practice after an hour or so of movement.
What feeds your soul?
Music. I think I’ve got a bit of a healthy addiction to classical piano sonatas going on.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Banya 5 Russian spa.
If you could only have 3 movies, or books, in your collection, what would they be?
- The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – starring a young Catherine Deneuve
- Dead Poets Society, with Robin Williams
- The Poetry of Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell
- Dead Poets Society, with Robin Williams
- The Poetry of Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell
What is your definition of strong?
The ability to make an authentic expression of myself in any situation.
What keeps you coming back to yoga?
The experience of doing yoga, and how it affects my experience throughout the day.
What classes do you usually attend at Lotus?
Early morning, 6 am classes.
What is your favorite quote?
“Oh, if I had been loved at the age of seventeen, what an idiot I would be today. Happiness is like smallpox: if you catch it too soon, it can completely ruin your constitution.”
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
____________________________
June 2011
Carolyn Lubow Stern
How did you 1st find Yoga?
I discovered prenatal yoga 20 years ago when I was six months pregnant. It made such a dramatic difference that I continued to post-natal yoga, then regular classes and just kept on practicing throughout the years.
What is your favorite Yoga pose and why?
I love doing wheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) or backbends because of the intense stretching and opening and the enormous energy boost – even better than a latte!
What feeds your soul?
Daily longs walks along Lake Washington Blvd., Seward Park or in the neighborhood, especially in the company of friends or family. Weekly singing (off-key) with Columbia City Community Chorus.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Cayenne mocha at Empire Espresso on a wet winter Saturday morning after yoga class, a little vitamin C (Chocolate) after dinner and my daughter’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.
If you could only have 3 movies, or books, in your collection, what would they be?
What a hard question for a Gemini to narrow down to just three!
-The movie Monsoon Wedding –
directed by Mira Nair, starring the most beautiful actress Shefali Shetty – a story focusing on an Indian arranged marriage involving a family in transition adjusting to new values while maintaining the old ones. A visual feast to the eyes!
-The movie Monsoon Wedding –
directed by Mira Nair, starring the most beautiful actress Shefali Shetty – a story focusing on an Indian arranged marriage involving a family in transition adjusting to new values while maintaining the old ones. A visual feast to the eyes!
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
Noises Off by Michael Frayn- Brilliantly funny play and book.
What is your definition of strong?
During challenging times, remembering joy and light and asking for support from friends and family.
What keeps you coming back to yoga?
Yoga is a chance to create time,space, integration and balance in my life. There is nothing else like it! With my life roles as teacher, spouse, mother and friend, I give to the world, while in yoga I recharge. No matter how I feel, I go to class and always feel much better spiritually, emotionally and physically.
What classes do you usually attend at Lotus?
I love Lotus Yoga and have had an unlimited pass for several years. My favorite classes are Saturday AM– with Maia, Monday and Thursday with Alia, Wednesday PM with Laura, and Friday AM with Adi.
What is your favorite quote?
“I used to be plastic, but now I’m elastic. I’m flexible”
by Martin Mull as often quoted by beloved college friends and “gurus” Marie and Tony.
by Martin Mull as often quoted by beloved college friends and “gurus” Marie and Tony.
“There’s nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
William Shakespeare as told by my dear friend Kristin T.
William Shakespeare as told by my dear friend Kristin T.
____________________________
May 2011
Glenn Chinn
How did you 1st find Yoga?
I first came to yoga to limber up after my daily early morning walks around Seward Park. I only had intended to do it for a month, then return to my walking routine. Rather quickly I realized yoga was like the study of music: I could find pleasure working on basic poses, and there were always more challenging poses to tackle if that was where I wanted to go. Yoga replaced my walking routine.
What is your favorite Yoga pose and why?
Salamba Sirsasana (aka Head Stand). It helps me appreciate the world differently. It requires me to focus.
What feeds your soul?
Doing what I can to make this world a better place.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Observing people on the street: how they carry themselves, how they move, then how I personally feel and respond.
If you could only have 3 movies, or books, in your collection, what would they be?
- Laura Wilder’s series of Little House on the Prairie
- Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind
- Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
What is your definition of strong?
Quiet perseverance, mindful flexibility, emotion awareness.
What classes do you usually attend at Lotus?
I usually attend the early morning, sunrise classes.
What is your favorite quote?
“The journey is the destination.”
