|
|
|
|
Q
& A with Johnna Smith, Yoga One
March,
06 |
|
|
What
is your athletic background?
Both my parents were track stars in school,
and though I may have the genes for that,
an early diagnosis of asthma kept me from
running. I did find a love for snow skiing
and was on the ski team in college, later
enjoying boarding. Then I found yoga and that
was it for me — mentally, emotionally,
physically.
What is your typical weekly fitness routine?
I practice yoga — personal ashtanga practice
5 days a week and a few vinyasa classes to
be inspired by other teachers. Ashtanga is
the complete practice for me. It encompasses
a physical workout, combining mental agility
of “best effort” and surrender,
both produce a peaceful calm that comes from
having lived in each moment breathing moving
and giving my best and my all to the experience.
Combining breath and movement (vinyasa flow
yoga) has such a calming, centering effect.
However, fitness is also a mental concept
so I practice a daily meditation to balance
the thinking mind.
What motivates you to be consistent with
your exercise routine?
I am motivated by the feeling afterward. Every
time it is a new experience — it never
gets old. I unroll my mat each day to learn
new things about my body and my mind, a challenging
posture gives one the opportunity to practice
staying calm and breathing thru the challenge,
rather than giving up, getting angry or placing
blame. I practice on my mat in order to release
physical and emotional resistances so that
off the mat I am a more balanced person, coworker
and friend. |
|
|
|
|
What
is your typical daily diet?
I am a vegetarian. My daily menu consists
of: Morning - grapefruit or oatmeal, coffee,
and lemon water and maybe a few almonds.
Recently, I have started having miso soup
for breakfast! Midday is my biggest meal
usually consisting of spinach salad, tomato
soup (Dish’s is my favorite) steamed
vegetables and some type of sea vegetable.
Also good, is homemade sushi wraps —
mini salads wrapped in nori. Evening for
me is time for soup and chai tea.
Why did you decide to make yoga your
profession?
Quite honestly, yoga empowered me to regain
focus on the important things in life- to
take care of myself from the inside out.
To know that my worth was not what I had
on the outside, but instead it was who I
was on the inside. Why love these things
that can’t love back? What car I drove
or house I had or bank account balance didn’t
matter. What did matter were the people
in my life and how I treated others. So,
I stopped focusing on the next big paycheck
and decided to devote more time to sharing
yoga. Daily I practice to remind myself
and others that at our core we are meant
to be strong, healthy, wealthy and beautiful.
We already are. We forget this so easily,
but it is the most important thing to remember.
|
|
Where
do you work and why?
I work at Yoga One yoga studio – on
the corner of Hawthorne and Central. The
studio is so welcoming. As soon as you walk
in the experience begins. My fellow teachers
are amazing and you can tell the owners
(whom are also teachers) put in a lot of
thought, heart and dedication into the space.
What sets Yoga One apart from other Yoga
studios?
The teachers — definitely! The instructors
at Yoga One are yoga teachers — that
is all that they do aside from family. We
all strive to be the best we can and you
can tell. The students and fellow practioners
are the life blood of the studio- we all
enjoy practicing and being there.
|
|
to Physique Main Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
