Yoga and Athletics Interview : Sage Rountree

We have a special guest interviewee for this week’s interview which is focused mainly on yoga and athletics. This is the final week of our 8 week yoga interview questions and answers series. For each of the past 8 weeks, we’ve presented interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We’ve asked 8 engaging questions and released an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For this week’s interview, we’re both fortunate and delighted to present Sage Rountree from sagerountree.com. Yoga’s explosion in the West within the last fifteen years can be much attributed to Sage and leaders like her. It was Sage who has succeeded in breaking down barriers and stereotypes about yoga. Not too long ago yoga was perceived as taboo in the West — especially for men. Fast forward fifteen years to last week when Sage was teaching yoga to the University of North Carolina Men’s Basketball team. Times have certainly changed and the connection between yoga and peak athletic performance is now a widely accepted scientific fact.

We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to feature Sage on Lucid Practice. In an indirect way, I suspect it was Sage’s books, articles, and views that somehow led Brian and I into a yoga studio for the first time in 2008. We are all connected indeed.

Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Sage in the comments section. And in case you’re wondering, Sage Rountree is indeed her real name!

1)      When and why did you start practicing yoga?

I was turned off by the first few classes I attended—they were both intimidating and humbling, and it was only in my first pregnancy, when I enjoyed the sweetness of prenatal classes and the community of the other students, that I started to enjoy the practice. As I was training for a marathon when my elder daughter was a baby, I found a class to attend regularly, and I realized in the race that the benefits of my practice went far beyond the physical. Thanks to what I learned in yoga, I was able to stay focused, breathe fully, and finish with a smile in a time faster than I’d dreamed.

Sage Rountree

2)      As former college football players, we’re advocates of yoga’s physical and mental benefits for athletes. Can you touch on on a few of these benefits?

Yoga builds strength, flexibility, and focus—both physically and mentally. It also fosters balance, not just of the body in space but in the spaces within the body: the front and the back, the left and the right, the top and the bottom. Better yet, yoga encourages athletes, especially team-sports athletes who have a rigorously scheduled practice calendar, to find balance between work and rest. It gives athletes time and space to settle in to simply being, and thus jumpstarts recovery. (I wrote a whole book on this balance between work and rest, The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery. I call it my guide to how not to work out.)

Sage Rountree yoga books

3)      You’ve worked with collegiate athletes, Olympians, NBA and NFL players. Can you highlight an individual experience where you felt you made a real connection and had a profound impact?

Just last week, I was called in to teach the UNC men’s basketball team. At the time, they were in the midst of a ten- (now twelve-) game winning streak, and many of these games had been played in a very short period of time. My visit was intended as a special treat for the weary players, and their delight at walking in to what they thought would be another hour of practice and drills was completely gratifying. Nothing is more critical to performance than being able to center and relax, and without a quieter yoga practice and time to absorb all the work of training, it’s hard to continue to play at your best. After a hard stretch of pushing themselves to the edge of their abilities, these guys did a great job of relaxing—of playing the other, softer edge (the edge of consciousness).

Sage Teaching Yoga

4)      What are two or three asanas that you think greatly impact athletes? (i.e. what asanas are good for explosion & being a dynamic athlete?)

Some of the more glamorous transitions—jumping back, jumping forward, and jump switches—can help build strength plyometrically, but most serious athletes are best served doing this in more sport-specific ways. The perhaps boring but true answer is that Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is the base for everything else. Learning that well, finding good balance front to back, left to right, and top to bottom, is critical. To increase the challenge, change Tadasana’s relationship to gravity: make it Plank, make it Handstand, bend it at the hips and make it Downward-Facing Dog. Better yet, turn that dog upside down and make it Legs Up the Wall, for recovery!

For any athlete who runs, which is most of us, having a good balance between strength and flexibility in a split-leg stance is important, thus Anjaneyasana (Crescent Lunge) is useful. Any pose that challenges us to pay attention and challenge our perceived limits—repeating a pose one more time, holding a stretch, or letting go even more—is going to make us better athletes.

5)      On the surface it might seem that yoga (noncompetitive) and high level athletics (ultra competitive) are worlds apart. You are both an athlete/coach of competitive sports but you’re also a yoga teacher. How do you approach this apparent dichotomy?

Competition comes from the Latin for “striving together.” Sports challenge us to do our best, regardless of the outcome. This is what yoga teaches, too: practicing effort with nonattachment to results. Here’s one of my more popular posts for my Yoga Journal blog, Active Yogi, on competition.

6)      We’re attuned to the fact that yoga is an effective proactive tool in preventing injuries. In your experience, how beneficial is yoga in helping athletes heal and recover from injury?

As a teacher, I try to be clear that while yoga is good for rehabilitation (find a teacher with a physical therapy background!), it’s far better for injury prevention. Sports injuries come from imbalance. Acute injury stems from a loss of balance in space; overuse injury comes from an imbalance in the body; and burnout—mental injury—comes from an imbalance between work and rest. Yoga practice helps us find and maintain balance on all fronts.

Sage Rountree Books on Athletic Recovery and Mindful Racing

7)      What yoga or wellness books have had the biggest impact on you?

On yoga, Erich Schiffmann’s Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness; T. K. V. Desikachar’s Heart of Yoga; and Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews’s Yoga Anatomy. Most folks buy that latter book for the insightful art, but the opening section on cells, the breath, and the spine is priceless.

Jean Couch’s The Runner’s Yoga Book is a classic in the yoga-for-athletes field; without it and Jean’s work, I wouldn’t have written my books, including The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and The Runner’s Guide to Yoga.

Sage practicing right before the bend

On wellness, I love the work of my friend Matt Fitzgerald, especially his Brain Training for Runners. Matt synthesizes recent research on the brain to explain how we limit ourselves and how we can move beyond false limits. It’s fascinating.

Bonus Question)      What style of yoga do you practice & why?

I combine a range of disciplines, depending where I am in my training cycle. In the off-season and base, there’s more power yoga; as I approach a race, more yin yoga. Throughout, I make a point of complementing my yoga practice with Pilates (though you wouldn’t know it from my gracelessness in many Pilates exercises). The attention to core and glutes has removed a lot of niggling foot pain.

And trail running is the best yoga practice I know. It makes me pay attention—to my footsteps, to my companions, to nature. I go to the forest every day.

8)      Many of our readers are just beginning to practice/study yoga. What advice do you have for beginners?

If your first class, or first few classes, aren’t great for you, keep looking. Just like there are different models of running shoes that suit different runner’s needs, there are different teachers and styles. Keep trying until you find one that fits well—it’s out there, and it will make all the difference.

About Sage:

Sage Rountree is Yoga Journal’s Active Yogi blogger and author of several books including The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and Racing Wisely. With over a decade’s experience teaching yoga, Sage is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the highest level (E-RYT 500) with the Yoga Alliance and sits on the faculty at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Her nationwide workshops include weekends on yoga for athletes; trainings for yoga teachers on working with athletes; and running and yoga retreats. Her students include casual athletes, Olympians, NBA and NFL players, and many University of North Carolina athletes and coaches. Sage competes in running races from the 400m to the ultramarathon and triathlons from the super sprint to the Ironman. She holds coaching certifications from USA Triathlon and the Road Runners Club of America, and she writes for publications including Runner’s World, Yoga Journal, and USA Triathlon Life. She lives with her husband and daughters in Chapel Hill, NC, and co-owns the Carrboro Yoga Company and the Durham Yoga Company. Follow Sage on Twitter and Facebook.

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted each Saturday at 8am.

Stay tuned for our next interview series which will likely be with influential travel bloggers. Check out our previous seven interviews with influential yoga bloggers:

• Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini
• Tonya of The Yoga Deck and Ultima Healing
• Jen and Liz of The Travel Yogi
• Brandon and Anne of The Yoga Nomads
• Roseanne of It’s All Yoga, Baby
• Maria of Daily Downward Dog
• Adriana of Wouldn’t Stop Picking at It

Yoga Interview Questions and Answers : Blogger Adriana Palanca

Today is the 7th week our 8 week yoga interview questions and answers series where we’re presenting interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For this interview, we’re happy to learn more about Adriana from adrianapalanca.com. We originally connected with Adriana after finding her blog and reading about her development as a yoga student. Adriana is a fantastic writer, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading her insights on yoga, travel and life. We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to feature Adriana on Lucid Practice. Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Adriana in the comments section.

Now on to our yoga interview questions and answers :

1)     Can you start by giving us a little bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start practicing? You’re a writer and a yoga teacher. Was blogging about yoga a natural progression?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from a very young age. I was penning stories as soon as I could write. But I didn’t discover yoga until I was 28, when I quite suddenly developed allergies and asthma. I don’t know what (or who) compelled me to take a yoga class, but I desperately wanted to stop being afraid of my body and hoped that yoga could help.

Over the years, my time on the mat helped me to move past my suffering and discover a relationship with myself that I never imagined possible. And it’s been the much experience with my writing. Writing is a perfect foil to the catharsis of the yoga practice, allowing you to document and further explore the revelations discovered on the mat. The more I practice, the more clearly I write. The more clearly I write, the more I seek practice.

2)     How can readers benefit from reading your blog?

For me, blogging is an extension of my yoga practice and of what I teach. Even if I’m not writing about yoga, I’m still practicing what I’ve learned on the mat. That is, I’m expressing my truth in a compassionate way, with clarity, offering a different way of looking at the world, but never losing touch with my sense of humour or love of the ridiculous. I believe that this gives my writing an honesty that readers can truly relate to.

3)     Many of our readers are avid or aspiring travelers. There’s a section on your blog about travel. Tell us what travel means to you and why it is important in terms of spiritual and personal growth.

When you travel, you have no choice but to be in the present moment. Every day is packed with exciting possibility, every new outing brings new marvels or a new encounter. You’re so stimulated by all that’s new, it’s impossible not to be in the present moment.

On a more personal note, in my mind, travel is renewal, allowing me to refresh my body and refuel my creativity. It’s also an opportunity to discover something new about myself. One of my favourite things to do during a trip is to sit at a sidewalk café and sip an espresso while people flow by. This reminds me of how vast and beautiful the world is and it helps me to transcend the usual parade of thoughts that follow me around. And of course, travel also helps me to see my own city with fresh eyes when I return.

4)     You write a lot about presence and breathing during yoga practice. How important are these components?

Breathing is the whole purpose of the yoga practice. Without the breath there is no practice. When you breathe deeply and you can stay with that breath, that’s how you create presence. This is what we learn on the mat and hopefully, take that lesson with us into the world.

5)     Tell us a little bit about one of your top three yoga blog posts.

My favourite blog post about yoga is My Yoga Practice is Nothing Special. It may be a little too esoteric for some, but it expressed a breakthrough moment for me. When I realized that the yoga practice is not magical. It’s what you are able to accomplish through the practice that’s magical. It marked the moment when I stopped treating my yoga practice like it was a precious thing outside myself and realized that it was a part of me. Only took 12 years!

Otherwise, my favourite blog posts don’t directly address yoga, but talk about revelations I came to thanks to the practice.

Adriana’s mascot 🙂

6)     What yoga or wellness book or books have had the biggest impact on you?

Mostly recently, the books of Judith Hanson Lasater, because I’ve fallen in love with the restorative practice. But if I had to name one book that shifted my perspective in a permanent and impactful way, I’d say “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron.

7)     Do you practice a specific style of yoga? If so, why? 

I practice whatever my body is asking for. When I need to stretch and move, it’s vinyasa. When I need to take care of myself, it’s restorative or yin. If I need to stay home, I stay home!

8)     On what form of social media do you connect w/ other yoga practitioners most effectively?

Facebook is the most obvious answer, but I’m discovering that the exchange of ideas is far greater on Twitter.

Bonus Question)     What advice do you have for people who are just beginning to study & practice yoga?

Breathe. If you learn nothing else in the first few classes, you’re fine as long as you continue to breathe.

About Adriana:
Adriana Palanca is a writer and yoga teacher living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. To read more, visit adrianapalanca.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WouldntStopPickingAtIt

Twitter: @apalanca

Instagram: www.instagram.com/apalanca

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted each Saturday at 8am.

Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview and check out or previous six interviews:

• Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini
• Tonya of The Yoga Deck and Ultima Healing
• Jen and Liz of The Travel Yogi
• Brandon and Anne of The Yoga Nomads
• Roseanne of It’s All Yoga, Baby
• Maria of Daily Downward Dog

Yoga Blogger Interview : It’s All Yoga, Baby

Today is the 5th week our 8 week yoga blogger interview series where we’re presenting interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For this interview, we’re happy to learn more about Roseanne from It’s All Yoga, Baby. We originally connected with Roseanne after reading her interesting views on yoga in the west. Roseanne is one of the pioneers of yoga blogging, we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to feature her. Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Roseanne in the comments section.

1) Can you start by giving us a bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start practicing? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it? 

I started practicing yoga casually while I was a university student in the mid-90s, but I got deeply into it 10 years ago. I started blogging, reluctantly, while I was working as editor of ascent, an independent yoga magazine. This was around 2006/7, when the magazine industry hadn’t yet figured out how to work with the internet or these new blog things. When ascent went out of business in early 2009 and I found myself out of a job and with an abundance of free time, I started It’s All Yoga, Baby. I wanted to stay connected to the community of teachers and practitioners I’d met while working at the magazine, and I also wanted a place to develop my voice and opinions on yoga in North American culture, to be able to speak out in a way that I couldn’t when I was at the helm of a magazine. I didn’t expect anybody would actually read it or be interested in it, and for the first three months I kept the blog a secret while I built my confidence. Slowly, from there, I started to comment on other blogs and share my posts with colleagues and friends, and then it just kept growing and growing.

2) It’s All Yoga Baby examines the relationship between yoga and popular culture. Can you touch on general or specific hypocrisies of yoga in the West when compared to the roots of traditional Eastern yoga?

First of all, I don’t think traditional yoga is without its hypocrisies; the roots of yoga are often tangled and complicated, and I’m not interested in idealizing or romanticizing them. Nevertheless, one of the general hypocrisies of modern yoga that I find fascinating is the value system that has gotten lost as yoga has become more popular and mainstream. My feeling is that at its essence, yoga is about living a simple, immaterial life and being content with what we have – but yoga has in many ways, ironically, become a status symbol, with a code of fashion, “spirituality lite” trends, and cult of personality teachers.

3) Tell us a little bit about one of your top three yoga blog posts.

One of my favourite blog posts is my coverage of Yoga Journal’s dismissal of an international boycott of Hyatt Hotels in order to hold their 2013 conference in San Francisco. I had followed that story for six months, interviewed union activists, and published the post just before the January conference. I was amazed at the response and the discussion that ensued (although not surprised at all by YJ’s lack of engagement and their generic corporate reply to the issue) – SF yoga practitioners even showed up at the hotel and picketed in solidarity with workers and activists. The whole thing affirmed that there is a powerful and thoughtful cohort of practitioners who align their yoga practice with a vision for social justice. It was beyond inspiring.

4) There are organizations sprouting up in an effort to preserve traditional yoga and to prevent the rampant commercialization that we see in the West. Do you think these organizations will be successful in decelerating the Westernization of yoga or will the practice continue to be diluted here in the West?

I’m less concerned about the dilution of the practice than I used to be. I think yoga is in a constant state of evolution, and it’s responding to North American culture in diverse and fascinating ways. Some of these are awesome (like yoga as part of this holistic stress reduction program in Toronto schools) and some are ridiculous (like doga, yoga raves, SUP yoga). What will be interesting to see is what has a lasting impression, what forms yoga in the West will take in the next 10, 20, 30 years and beyond. We’re in the midst of a massive boom, and the popularity of yoga is showing no signs of slowing down. I’m curious to see if it will hit a tipping point, and what will happen then.

5) What yoga or wellness book or books have had the biggest impact on you?

Stephen Cope, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self; Swami Radha, Kundalini Yoga for the West; Michael Stone, Yoga for a World Out of Balance.

6) Do you practice a specific style of yoga? If so, why?

I happily practice a no-name unbrand of yoga in my living room, responding to whatever is happening in my body on any given day. My roots are in the service and reflection based Yasodhara Yoga, which I studied at an ashram in western Canada, and I’ve also studied and trained in Anusara Yoga, before that scene imploded. To shake things up, I practice once a week or so at a community studio near my house, and I also love to check out new classes and teachers around town. But my home practice is essential in keeping me grounded, connected and sane.

7) On what form of social media do you connect w/ other yoga practitioners most effectively?

Twitter, for fun conversations and up-to-the-minute news (on not just yoga but culture and politics), and Facebook, where a community of people discuss blog posts and yoga news on the IAYB fanpage.

8) What advice do you have for people who are just beginning to study & practice yoga?

Just do it. There is a practice, teacher and style for everyone, so be willing to experiment and explore until you find something that clicks. Avoid reading yoga blogs. Don’t talk about yoga non-stop with friends and family, you’ll just annoy them.

About Roseanne:
Roseanne Harvey is a writer, editor and geeky girl who lives and loves life in Montreal. She is the founder of It’s All Yoga, Baby, a blog about yoga and other things, with a mission to spark investigation into the relationship between yoga, the body and popular culture. IAYB questions, provokes thought and shines a critical light on yoga culture ~ while celebrating community, service, creativity, the independent spirit and good ol’ fun. Founded in spring 2009, IAYB has grown to be a leading voice in the North American yoga community.

As the former editor of ascent magazine, Roseanne isn’t afraid to use her media literacy skills to call out the hypocrisies and contradictions of modern yoga. She is all for dismantling the dominant hegemony of rock star teachers, expensive class fees and designer clothes/accessories/products. She also loves supporting progressive yoga projects, innovative and independent teachers, and general awesomeness. Active offline as well as online, Roseanne is a co-producer of Yoga Festival Montreal and the co-editor (with Carol Horton) of 21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics & Practice Find Roseanne. You can connect with Roseanne on It’s All Yoga, Baby, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted each Saturday at 8am.

Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview and check out our previous four interviews:

• Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini
• Tonya of The Yoga Deck and Ultima Healing
• Jen and Liz of The Travel Yogi
• Brandon and Anne of The Yoga Nomads

5 Tips for a Successful Interview

Interviews, whether a job interview, college admission interview, or a fellowship interview, can be daunting and intimidating so we put together this list of 5 Tips for a Successful Interview.

I’ve been implementing these amazing 5 tips for the past two years in interviews for fellowships. Follow my tips to absolutely crush your interview and walk away on cloud 9! 🙂

1. Visualization.

Lay down so your back is on the floor, on your mat, or on your bed (just don’t fall asleep!) Close your eyes, picture yourself walking into the room you are going to be interviewed in. If you know the panel, visualize them as vividly as possible sitting in front of you. Visualize the interviewer asking you questions and see yourself answering these questions swiftly and enthusiastically. Your bright energy lights the room and the interviewer is SO convinced you are fit for this. You then leave the room still smiling (since you’ve been smiling LOTS this entire time) and you know you have crushed it. Open your eyes and know this will happen. See it, believe it.

2. Arrive at Your Interview Early

Show up to your interview AT LEAST 15 minutes early. This gives you time to settle into your new environment. You are ready to start manifesting your awesome, confident energy in this new space. You are prepared to crush this interview.

3. Positive Affirmation

5 minutes before your interview, go into the bathroom and look yourself in the mirror. Set your feet hip distance apart. Raise your arms above you in a Power Pose. This power stance has been proven to show positive results in those who do this for 2 minutes before an interview. As you hold this pose, look directly into the mirror and say, “I AM GOING TO CRUSH THIS INTERVIEW.” Repeat this 5 times with complete presence. Confidence, power, and energy will all radiate from you!

4. Practice.

No, not practice your lines. That’s actually the next on this list of tips for a successful interview. 😉 I’m talking ASANA. A few Sun Salutations, Warrior II, Camel, and a Shoulderstand before the interview. These three postures are great for opening your throat and building your self esteem.

Breath is SO important, especially at times like these when your body naturally tenses up and restricts normal rhythm of breath. Some prefer to practice at home beforehand. If the location of your interview has enough space, you can even practice there!  Find quiet space in the bathroom or that small room down the hall that’s calling your name. 🙂

5. Know what you are going to say!

Of course we can’t know EVERY question that will be thrown at us, but we CAN formulate questions that we are pretty sure will be asked of us. The most obvious question is, “Tell me about yourself.” Be prepared for this!

Define what you want the interviewer to take away from you. Define four key points that you will show that you are the right candidate. Tell yourself that you will not leave that interview without making these four points. If you prepare and rehearse, these four qualities/qualifications will be easy for you to remember and express gracefully during your interview. Don’t think too hard, or stress yourself out; remember, this is fun and spontaneity in answers is still so effective! 🙂

One of the cures to nervousness is preparedness!

Conclusion on Tips for a Successful Interview

On top of all these tips for a successful interview — it’s most important to BE YOURSELF AND LOVE YOURSELF! You deserve this and your interviewer deserves to see & hear how fantastic you are! 🙂

I’ve found these tips for a successful interview to be extremely helpful in my preparation. How about you guys? What practices have you found helpful for your interview?

Yoga Blogger Interview: The Yoga Nomads

Today is the 4th week our 8 week interview series where we’re presenting interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and we release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For this interview, we’re happy to learn more about Brandon and Anne of The Yoga Nomads. Brandon and Anne reached out to us on Twitter and we learned that their hometown is right near Danielle’s (in Minnesota.)

Brandon and Anne recently touched down in Mumbai, India. Their mission is similar to Lucid Practice in the sense that they’re creating a travel and yoga community. Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Brandon and Anne in the comments section.

1. Can you start by giving us a bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start practicing? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it?

Deep down I’m a nerd with an insatiable appetite to learn and discover. Constantly seeking new experiences and looking for “it.”

I’m a Minneapolis native (and advocate) and aspiring location independent entrepreneur. Craft beer geek. Live music junkie. Obsessive nomad.

I started practicing yoga a little over 5 years ago. One random Saturday in college, a buddy invited me to tag along for a ‘free yoga class.’ Had nothing to lose so I went along and ended up really liking it. Pretty boring story actually…

My girlfriend (Anne) and I started The Yoga Nomads for a couple reasons:

1. We both have a passion for yoga and want it to be a big part of our life. (and recently completed our 200hr teacher training certification through CorePower Yoga.)
2. We think there is more to life than sitting at our old desk jobs and are striving for a location independent lifestyle

We started The Yoga Nomads in July of 2013. Originally our plan was to teach yoga in exchange for accommodation as we travel the world. We booked up teaching gigs throughout Colombia, Bolovia, and Peru. Then we decided we wanted to do Asia instead and scrapped our entire South American plan. Funny how life goes…

The new focus for The Yoga Nomads is to provide like-minded individuals with the tools needed to practice yoga while traveling. We will create a guide for each country aimed at nomadic yogis, review studios, retreat centers, etc. There are a couple bigger ideas that we’re working towards, but that’s all I can say for now 🙂

Also, we just arrived in Mumbai, India via a 1-way ticket on January 28^th, we’ll be traveling Asia for an undetermined amount of time!

Anne and Brandon – camping in the BWCA (2013)

2. You mentioned that you and Anne never envisioned yourselves creating a career in yoga. How were you introduced to yoga? What has changed since your first practice?

We were both introduced to yoga through friends about 5 years ago (prior to meeting each other). We each spent a few years practicing but not taking it too serious. Then we started dating and our passion for yoga increased, as it was something special that we shared. We ultimately decided to take training through CorePower Yoga. Upon completing teacher training we both knew that a big life change was on the horizon. So we decided to set a date to travel and teach yoga, 6 months later we quit our jobs to do just that.

Since our first few classes, our practice has steadily become a larger part of our life. Early on it was a workout, now it is a way of life. I cannot imagine not having yoga in my life. When we started studying and reading about yoga it took on a deeper meaning. Teacher training also taught us about the rest of yoga… you know, other than the physical practice 🙂

3. Tell us a little bit about one of your top three blog posts.

Since getting serious about my personal yoga journey I’ve often wondered what I can do to improve my practice. I found out that several of my peers felt the same. So, I did my research and compiled 24 ways to supercharge your yoga practice. Students with any experience level can benefit.

4. Many of our readers are interested in earning enough to live sustainable lives while traveling. Can you talk about your preferred ways to earn money while traveling?

Currently, we have relationships with hostels/hotels where we can teach yoga to guests in exchange for accommodation. Although this requires readers to be yoga teachers, I know hostels/hotels offer similar ‘skill exchanges’ such as web development or even tending the hostel/hotel bar.

Bonnaroo music festival

5. Let’s talk experiences — what has been the most memorable experience you’ve had while traveling?

I would have to say trekking in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. We white water rafted, rode elephants, and the scenery was amazing. The reason it was so memorable was because of the people… it’s always about the people! We went in a group of 10-12 people, representing 7 countries. Started off as strangers and ended the 3 day trek as lifelong friends.

6. What yoga or wellness book or books have had the biggest impact on you?

There are 2 books that come to mind. If you want more book suggestions, I wrote a piece on the top 9 books every nomad should read.

• Be Here Now by Ram Das – This book is a work of art and always gets me thinking
• The Wisdom of Yoga by Stephen Cope – Makes the ancient wisdom/benefits of yoga accessible to the average modern yogi.

7. Do you practice a specific style of yoga? If so, why?

We were schooled in Vinyasa style yoga but regularly incorporate the Bikram series in our practice. We both love trying new styles and feel that students can benefit from exploring. We look forward to practicing Ashtanga “mysore style” in Mysore, India in March.

8. On what form of social media do you connect w/ other yoga practitioners most effectively?

We use Facebook and Twitter mainly. Yoga practitioners seems to be more receptive on Twitter. It’s always fun connecting with other like minded individuals. As a matter of fact, our relationship with Lucid Practice started via Twitter!

 Two bonus questions:

9. What advice do you have for people who are just beginning to study & practice yoga?

• Explore multiple styles of yoga. There are many to choose from and people benefit from different styles.
• Realize it’s not a competition and everyone started somewhere. Wherever you are right now is exactly where you’re supposed to be.
• Also, don’t take it so serious, have fun and do what feels right to you!

10. What are your upcoming plans, both travel and non travel?

Anne and I arrived in Mumbai on 1/28. We’ll spend about a month in each country for the foreseeable future. However, our itinerary is very flexible. During our travels, we will be focused on teaching/studying yoga as well as working on The Yoga Nomads with a goal to become location independent.

If you are interested in putting together a yoga retreat, please email brandon.quittem@gmail.com to discuss how we can work together!

About Brandon:
Brandon is a co-founder of The Yoga Nomads which provides the tools needed for you to practice yoga while traveling. Brandon is an avid outdoorsman, yogi, obsessive nomad, craft beer geek, and live music junkie. Favorite country is Thailand. Currently spinning: Tame Impala, Ratatat, Father John Misty, Bassnectar, and Alt-J.

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted each Saturday at 8am.

Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview and check out our previous three interviews:

Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini

Tonya of The Yoga Deck and Ultima Healing

Jen and Liz of The Travel Yogi

Yoga Blogger Interview: Tonya of Ultima Healing

Today is second week of our 8 week interview series where we’ll present interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and we release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For our second interview, we were pleased to interview Tonya of Ultima Healing. We connected with Tonya a few months back after our readers had asked us questions about Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga. We decided to interview Tonya because of her expertise in practicing on the water!

Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Tonya in the comments section.

1. Please tell us a bit about your background and how you created Ultima Healing.

Ultima healing seemed to evolve, I love social media and have my share of pages but many clients and friends have been urging me to do a website. I like to work through referrals with the belief that someone that needs what I have to offer will connect with me somehow…I believe that we are all connected. Ultima means the end…and new beginnings always follow. This past summer I offered healing sessions on The Yoga Deck and it was magical for me to work outdoors & on the water.  Allowing the flow of healing to move through me and see peace within my clients was a gift to me. When I work with clients I always want them to leave with the knowledge & tools to create healing within and on their own.  The most simplest of things is our breath. Our breath heals us if we just take the time to sit with self and focus. The breath balances our bodies and  opens the mind to know, healing is an inside job.

2. When did you start practicing yoga?

I started practicing yoga on my own many years ago probably sometime in 2000. My son was just a few months old and I was walking and doing yoga at home, having a new baby was an adjustment and I had to find something I could do at home. I had a few videos and just did my own thing. That is the great thing about yoga, you really don’t need anything but you and your mat! Fast Forward to 2009 I went to check out a Hot Yoga Studio and 6 months later I enrolled in their first teacher training program at Yoga Flow Pittsburgh. I am a certified Vinyasa Flow Teacher a  200 hr. RYT with Yoga Alliance. I have taught SUP Yoga for 2 years now and enjoyed bringing SUP Yoga to the Pittsburgh area.

I think finding a teacher that you connect with is very important. Find a home studio and focus on you and your practice. I love yoga workshops, usually they are all-levels so I encourage you to try new classes or different styles of yoga.Most cities have amazing teachers that travel and teach workshops that can offer new insights for your practice.

If you are new to yoga I think it is important to do a self practice at home. This provides a place for you to really focus on yourself.

Finally I believe meditation is one of the most amazing aspectss I have discovered through my love of yoga. Taking the time daily, to sit, reflect, and breathe, can open yourself up to your own true knowing…

I meditate everyday. Meditation can be anything. You can meditate while you take a walk in nature, before you go to bed, on your yoga mat or my favorite, on a paddle board. Meditation can be sitting with self drawing in the breath, it can be 2 minutes or 20. Guided meditations are amazing also, they can provide beautiful visualizations and can help with focus. Every breath allows peace and space in the body…healing begins within!

Tonya’s Bio:
Tonya Kapis has been practicing yoga since the late nineties. In 2009 she began a dedicated yoga practice and in 2010 became a 200RYT with Yoga Alliance.  Her teaching style is Vinyasa based focusing on the breath and personal alignment that allows her students to guide themselves deeper or gentler into each pose. Using the breath and never forcing any pose is always a focus in her class, to flow with ease. Every practice is different, we all have days that we flow with our breath and other days where our balance eludes us.
In 2012 she started teaching SUP Yoga and in 2013 she opened The Yoga Deck. The Yoga Deck, LLC is a floating yoga studio, a 28ft Pontoon Boat. During the Spring/Summer/Fall seasons she teaches outdoors, on the boat and SUP Yoga. Taking your practice outside the studio allows for a connection to nature, water, and all of the elements. Each class ends with a guided meditation to further connect or guide the student inward to higher self and peace.
Tonya lives outside the Pittsburgh area and most likely will be found at The Yoga Deck or discovering the beautiful waters of Pennsylvania. This past fall she launched her website, Ultima Healing where she shares blog posts, photos, SUP Yoga, art and her love of Leg Warmers that she up-cylces!
You can also find Tonya on Instagram as freespiritbeauty, or on Twitter and Facebook.

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted every Saturday at 8am. Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview. Click to see the first interview of this series, conducted last week with Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini.

We had the fun opportunity to do an interview for Dave and Vicky’s site, A Couple Travelers. 

1. Can you start by giving us a little bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start traveling? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it?

We’ve been friends for years. After graduating college, while all our friends were getting jobs and “settling down,” we decided to explore the developing Eastern world. In August 2011, we flew into Malaysia and made our way north through South East Asia and eventually China. We had the time of our lives. Our trip was focused on personal growth — reading, learning and connecting with others from around the world. As you know, South East Asia presents a completely different part of the world compared to where we come from — outside NYC in the heart of what we call “the rat race.”

We began reading books about faith, wellness, yoga, and philosophy. We went on a yoga retreat and dived into different aspects of wellness. After the trip we continued to share great reads and links with each other. Lucid Practice is an extension of our sharing of that knowledge. With all of the suffering that goes on in the world, we’re creating a medium that is 100% positive. We hope readers turn to us for information and inspiration as leaders in the thought communities of travel, yoga, and wellness.

2. Let’s talk experiences – what has been the best experience you’ve had on the road? The worst?

We have been blessed to be able to see a lot of the world and hope that we can continue to travel in the future. Our most transformative experience we had was a one week yoga retreat in Koh Phangan, Thailand. We were able to connect with our teacher, Rory Trollen, who led us to the world of yoga and looking internally for validation and happiness instead of looking for validation externally. We also connected with others who we practiced with that week — we’re still in touch and connected to this day. That’s one of our favorite parts about traveling — connecting with locals and other travelers — learning about their cultures, their languages, their history, and their lifestyles.

Looking back, even the experiences that some might label as, “bad” were actually great learning/growing experiences.

Read more about our thoughts on yoga, wellness, and travel .