Yoga has now become one of the most loved and practiced form of exercise. It is because yoga is not only an exercise for one’s physical well-being, but also their mental health. So on the wonderful occasion of International Yoga Day, Women Fitness presents to you 6 Yoga influencers that will surely make you want to try out an asana.
1. Karissa Becker – The Giving Mom
Instagram: @thegivingmom
1. When did you start with yoga?
I began practicing yoga after my second child was born, 7 years ago. I was so grateful to find the practice because not only has it given me the gift of strength and resilience it has also given me the tools to teach my children how to meditate and find inner peace within themselves.
2. One word to define yoga?
Life
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Definitely both!
4. One benefit of yoga?
The best benefit of yoga is the inward journey it takes you on. It’s different for each of us, but the concept is the same — through the meditations and physical asanas we dive deeper into learning about ourselves and what we need to feel healthy, happy and fulfilled in our lives.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay?
I will absolutely be doing some fun Acroyoga with my two kids here in our home on the Oregon Coast! (And of course, sharing on IG (@thegivingmom) snippets of our time on our mat!
2. Ava Johanna
Instagram: @avajohanna
1. When did you start with yoga?
In the midst of crisis and 10 hour work days, I had what I now recognize as an “intuitive hit” that there was something I was missing in my life. I had always been an athlete, but through stressful work deadlines and dedication to my corporate job, I lost my connection to any physical practice and was mostly sedentary. I downloaded ClassPass and attended a heated Vinyasa class at a boutique studio. That class and teacher changed the entire trajectory of my life and I vividly remember laying on my mat in savasana, covered in sweat, thinking to myself, “I need to make people feel as good as I feel.”
2. One word to define yoga?
Expansive
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Morning
4. One benefit of yoga?
Yoga supports the establishment and development of awareness.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay?
Meditation and pranayama followed by a Vinyasa – the sweatier the better!
3. Lara Heimann
Instagram: @lara.heimann
1. When did you start with yoga?
I started practicing yoga 25 years ago and shortly after, became a teacher. I was already a Physical Therapist and specialized in neurodevelopmental treatment. Over those years, I honed my own style of yoga, called LYT (Lara’s Yoga Training) by applying my physical therapy background to the practice. It started in a small studio space in my home that could fit 5 students and has grown into a large public yoga studio in Princeton, NJ along with a brand new online studio, called LYT Daily, where I host daily classes to students around the globe as part of my Movement by Lara brand.
2. One word to define yoga?
Awareness
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Yoga in the morning is the most beneficial because you can establish good movement and thought patterns right away and then put them into use all day long. When you wake up, your body and brain are more likely to default to their compensatory habits and imbalances. Break free of those by doing yoga first thing to create a better brain map for your body to follow during the day. That said, an evening practice is very helpful to reset any suboptimal movements you made during the day.
4. One benefit of yoga
Unshakable confidence. When you learn how to engage your physical core in new ways, it ignites your spiritual core and center of personal power. Discovering new ways you can move your body with deeper awareness expands what you think is possible in every area of your life.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay (June 21)
On International Yoga Day, I will be finishing a 3-week hike across Wales with my husband and two children (13 and 16) to benefit Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s largest and most effective farm animal rescue and protection organization. The hike is called Coast to Coast for Compassion and it is my family’s third year doing it. In 2015 we hiked across Northern England and in 2017 we hiked across Scotland. Between those two hikes, we raised $ 45,000 for Humane Education. Before that, my husband and I biked 4,000 miles across the US to raise awareness and $ 25,000 for Parkinson’s Disease research.
4. Rachel Brathen
Instagram: @Yoga_Girl
1. When did you start with yoga?
The first time I ever took a yoga class was on the beach in Thailand on a family vacation. I was a young teenager. I didn’t pick up the asana practice just then, but I remember feeling something during that class – like it was a coming home. I didn’t find yoga in the typical way. I began with a very disciplined mediation practice. I used to mediate on the beach everyday when I lived in Costa Rica. Most people practice asana to mediate afterwards! I was so scared to start an asana practice because of severe pain I had in my back. Eventually and slowly, I grew to love the physical side of the practice as well.
2: One word to define yoga?
Home
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Both! I usually practice in the morning as the sun rises. It is a great way to start your day and prepares you for anything to come! But, it is also beautiful just before bed to get rid of those little places of tension before falling into a deep night’s sleep. We all lead busy lives – whenever you can fit yoga into your day is great.
4. One benefit of yoga?
It always pulls me into the present moment. No matter what struggles may be going on in my life, when I am practicing I am one with my breath and can focus on the right here, right now. Which is all that we ever have anyways! Yoga brings me back to my heart, again and again.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay?
Hopefully I will find some time to step on my mat! Lately my daughter has been so close to me it seems we have merged into one person and it has been hard to find time for myself. But that is the practice of yoga too… If I can’t find time on my mat, I find it in the little practices of every day when I encounter something difficult and take a moment to pause before reacting. Taking these little moments to check back in with yourself and with how you are feeling is yoga, off the mat. When we are able to expand our practice beyond asana is when we start to become of true service to ourselves and the world around us.
5. Claire Grieve
Instagram: @claire_grieve
1. When did you start with yoga?
I started practicing over a decade ago. I immediately became obsessed with learning as much as I could from all of the local masters.
2. One word to define yoga?
Calm. Getting onto my mat allows me to turn off the world for a bit.
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Both! I practice an energizing yoga flow and meditation in the morning to get my day started and enjoy a restorative practice at night to help me wind down and release the stress from the day.
4. One benefit of yoga?
Mindfulness. Yoga cultivates a mindfulness that extends beyond the mat into all aspects of life. It is truly transformative.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay?
I’m going to go all in on relaxation. After working with my clients, I’ll do a sound bath meditation and a deep and restful restorative yoga practice followed by a long epsom salt bath.
6. Kat Flowers
Instagram: @creatingkatflowers
1. When did you start with yoga?
I began practicing yoga at age 20 to help with depression and anxiety. (4 years ago)
2. One word to define yoga?
Sanctuary.
3. Yoga in the morning or evening?
Upbeat vinyasa in the morning and restorative yoga in the evening
4. One benefit of yoga?
Yoga focuses on breath and stillness, which are integral parts of my coping with extreme anxiety.
5. How would you be celebrating #InternationalYogaDay?
I celebrate International Yoga Day by practicing on my own, and then offering foundational classes to beginner yogis, so that they can begin their journey with the practice. I use International Yoga Day to spread word about the practice, and find to ways to help others with similar issues who are curious if yoga can also support their mental health journey