Mind, body, spirit — did one element or another first draw you to yoga? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

the physical element is what originally drew me to yoga — I simply needed to work on myself

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

yoga feeds my spirit and quiets my mind — the physical benefits to my body are a side effect

How long have you been practicing yoga?

seven years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

as often as my schedule permits — if I’m lucky: 3-5 days / week

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa

When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

at first my mind would go nuts focusing on the outside world, comparing poses to other students and judging myself — over time, I learned how to use the breath to drop in and focus within, to discover the real magical part of the yoga practice: the moving meditation and the discovery of Self

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

better sleep, better attitude, more loving connection with others, more patience with my family, eliminated “stress” back pain, improved my self-confidence and appreciation for my own body — body image insecurities are gone! I exude a more loving and kind energy as I move throughout the world and my day

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I practice about 20 minutes of seated meditation daily, and pranayama as part of my yoga practice

You have a lot of experience leading yoga classes of teens. What aspects of that are more challenging–or easier–than teaching adults?

aside from very tight hamstrings, teens are much less familiar with their bodies and very concerned with what others think — poses can be embarrassing or weird for them so some are less apt to fully try their best — they always giggle when first practicing cat / cow (just because they have to stick their booties up) — I organize their mats in a circle in the room so everyone’s booty faces a wall and not a pair of eyes — teens can also be “softies” when it comes to enduring uncomfortability (holding a chair pose or plank will have them collapsing on the floor in exasperation) — all these lessons are precisely what they need to work through — they are an incredible gift to work with

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which pose(s) and where?

Ragdoll all the time — not uncommon to bust out a dancer’s pose or a reverse warrior in the kitchen or waiting in line in public

If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go?

expenses paid and yoga: I’d go anywhere! Costa Rica would be fantastic though!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit — but did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

I was interested in learning more bodily control

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

everything about me is in better balance now: mind/body/spirit

As a yoga professional, what aspects — mind, body, spirit — do you pitch to someone who has never done yoga but is open to the possibility?

I try not to proselytize, but I share concepts

How long did you practice yoga before becoming a teacher?

six years

Do you have a preferred yoga style? Do you teach others?

all physical yoga is “Hatha Yoga” — I blend styles

Do you have a particularly strong tie to any teachings or texts?

my roots were with Swami Muktananda and Swami Vishnudevananda — I pattern my classes around the teachings of Patanjali

From your experience as a teacher, can you generalize about what comes easiest for younger beginners and what is more challenging?

younger beginners have shorter attention spans, prefer movement

How about for students coming to yoga later in life?

seniors often need to modify poses

Apart from yoga, do you recommend other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I consider all mindfulness, whether sitting, walking, breathing and/or movement to be yoga

Say you have a beginning student who has come to yoga for help with a bad back. They are already pretty chill, and you intuit they are only looking for the physical benefits from yoga. Do you leave it at that, or do you look for opportunities to promote the non-physical benefits?

I mention, but do not “promote,” yoga philosophy — I believe that physical power without a philosophy of unselfishness can be dangerous

I know you are a poet as well as a yoga teacher. Is there a poem or two that reflects the influence of yoga on your writing?

my own poems “Yoga Class, the Teacher Speaks” and “Solstice Poem” both available on blogger (google title, my name, and blogger) are directly connected to my practice of yoga — (as are all my poems, but less obviously)

You have a choice: lead a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

I would absolutely choose an outdoor space on a beautiful day to a comfortable minimalist indoor space

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Mind, body, spirit — did one element or another first draw you to yoga? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

I can’t really explain what drew me to yoga other than it was an intense pull that I just had to start a yoga practice — but my physical body was what really needed it first before the other two followed

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

all three equally — it calms the mind, makes my body feels alive, and allows me to feels connected to source

How long have you been practicing yoga?

9 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

everyday — even if it’s only for a few minutes

What are the benefits of classes at a studio vs practicing yoga at home?

practicing in a studio takes away all distractions — you have to be very disciplined to keep up with a consistent home practice, but studio classes are definitely worth it

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I have only practiced Hatha yoga and Vinyasa — I also incorporate a lot of Yin Yoga into my practice

When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

the most challenging for me was getting the posture correct due to being very inflexible, but simply sticking with my practice cured that — the easiest for me was breathing because I was already a very experienced Meditator

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

physically, the greatest benefit is flexibility — overall, self acceptance and patience with myself

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I practice Meditation every day as well — I do both guided meditation, Vipassana meditation, and occasionally transcendental meditation

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

daily walking

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? If so, which poses and where?

always! — when my body is calling for it I stretch, do a yogi squat, downward dog, or child’s pose

If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go?

Costa Rica

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit. But did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

I sought out yoga for my body — as I was aging I needed more flexibility and stretching in my exercise routines

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

now, I realize that yoga feeds my mind and spirit as much as my body and I relish the overall sensations and balance

How long did you practice yoga before you started teaching it?

about 5 years

When you’re teaching regularly, can you lead classes too often? How many times a week, and a day, might be too much?

teaching yoga is tiring and to be the best teacher I can be, I must limit how much I teach — 1 or 2 classes a day are best for my psyche

I understand you used to practice Power Yoga and now focus on Yoga for Everybody. When you were practicing Power Yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

I was teaching yoga to college students when I began — they wanted (I thought) a very physical practice and they wanted challenging poses — as I matured in my yoga practice I realized that teaching them pranayama was more important — it was a hard shift but I’m glad I took the hard route for the students — as I I got better at teaching breath and slower movements, I got a better response from the students — at 20 they already have enough physical demands and movement but few know the power of breathwork

From your experience as a teacher of Yoga for Everybody, can you generalize about what comes easiest for beginners and what is more challenging?

balance is often what brings the clients into the Yoga for Everybody class — as they learn Warrior and hip openers and they begin to lengthen their calf they find the balance — arm strength is very hard — easiest are the movements they do daily Warrior 1, lunge sagittal plane — opening the side body brings about nice change — sitting on the floor is hard for many new yogis — moving with the breath is hard for beginners — they rush the poses unaware how to match it to their breath

What are the more difficult yoga poses for beginners to execute?

Downward Facing Dog is the hardest pose for most beginners — Chatarange and arm strength, properly executing sphynx for older clients

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

calmer — more present, willing to forgive and forget — yes, better sleep

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

no

Your classes are described as “musically eclectic.” Will you share two song titles that demonstrate that?

ha ha — that would be my barre classes, I think, not my yoga — barre is done in time with the music — two fun barre songs are “America’s Sweetheart” by Elle King and “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye

for Yoga — in Happy Hour I use songs like “Wish You Were Here” by Bliss, “Makambo” by Geoffrey Oryema, and “Easy in the Early” by Uncle Earl (a great spiritual!)

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch?

all the time — on a paddle board, before and after riding my horse — after dancing — I can’t get through a day without joyful movement

If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go?

awesome, let’s go! — any of the Blue Zones — Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit — but did one element or another first draw you to the practice?

I turn towards yoga to calm my mind and body — each goes through a lot during my daily life and yoga provides a sense of calmness and peace

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started? each is more balanced How long have you been practicing yoga? on and off for about 10 years How frequently do you practice yoga? every time my body or mind feels cluttered I turn towards yoga Are you more likely to attend classes at a studio or practice yoga at home? at home, particularly with an assist from YouTube Do you have a preferred yoga style? I do not follow a specific practice, but just what feels right to my body When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging? the movements were fairly easy — blocking out distractions, especially when practicing at home, was more difficult What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you? a clear head and the sense of accomplishment while moving my body Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation? I practice sleep meditation each night before bed Do you regularly do other forms of exercise? I have recently started switching it up, and I enjoy a good Pilates session Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just strike a pose and stretch? tree pose is my go-to while cooking in the kitchen If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go? Bali —interview © Marshal Zeringue

[note — this is part 2 of 2; here we focus on Foxen’s journey as a student of the yoga]

Yoga is a holistic experience for many — mind, body, spirit — but did one element or another first draw you to the practice? That is, were you seeking to settle your mind? Have greater physical flexibility? Explore your true, spiritual nature?

it was—and remains—the only form of physical exercise I can consistently get myself to do

How about now: does yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more, or are those elements more in balance than when you started?

it’s balanced pretty evenly amongst all three now

How long have you been practicing yoga?

18 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

I aim for 5 days a week

Are you more likely to attend classes at a studio or practice yoga at home?

definitely studio

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Hot Vinyasa

When you were starting out, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

it’s been a while, so my memory is a little fuzzy — I’m going to say: getting into some version of the posture came easiest, the breathing was harder — that hasn’t changed much

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

it keeps me sane(ish)

Apart from yoga, do you practice other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

very sporadically, I’ll try to sit in meditation, but I’m awful at it — movement makes focusing easier for me

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I started running during the pandemic, but that’s kind of lapsed now

Outside of a yoga session, do you ever just assume a pose and stretch? If so, which pose(s) and where?

I have been known to randomly sit on the floor and do hamstring stretches pretty much everywhere

If I gave you an expenses-paid yoga retreat, where would you go?

I’d be torn between trying every yoga studio in New York, and every yoga studio in LA

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

[note — this is part 1 of 2; here we focus on Foxen the yoga professional; part 2 (coming soon) is about her journey as a student of the practice]

As a yoga professional, what aspects — mind, body, spirit — do you pitch to someone who has never done yoga but is open to the possibility?

the connection between body and mind

Do you have a particularly strong relationship tie to any teachings or text?

a very tangled connection to Paramahansa Yogananda’s lineage — but it’s not what I practice

How long did you practice yoga before becoming a teacher?

3 years

How long have you taught yoga?

consistently for 3 years, very occasionally for the last 12

When you’re teaching regularly, can you lead classes too often? How many times a week, and a day, might be too much?

I’ve always struggled with this — more than a couple of times a week starts to be too much

Do you have a preferred yoga style? Do you teach others?

Hot Vinyasa

From your experience as a teacher, can you generalize about what comes easiest for beginners and what is more challenging?

this is so person-specific

What are the more difficult poses for beginners to execute?

headstands and arm balances? no, actually, people really struggle with getting forward bends right

Apart from yoga, do you recommend other techniques of mindfulness or meditation?

I like body-scan meditation — it’s a good way to build basic awareness

Say you have a beginning student who has come to yoga for help with a bad back. They are already pretty chill, and you intuit they are only looking for the physical benefits from yoga. Do you leave it at that, or do you look for opportunities to promote the non-physical benefits?

I leave it at that — the other stuff will come if and when it makes sense

Do you have a favorite sutra or mantra or koan that you like to share with those in your classes?

be okay with it feeling good

You have a choice: lead a yoga class (1) outdoors on a beautiful day, overlooking the ocean, or (2) in a well-designed, very comfortable minimalist indoor space. Which do you pick?

the indoor space, for sure — it can be helpful to minimize distraction if that’s the kind of practice we’re going for but, as a teacher, I just really like being able to control my environment

—interview © Marshal Zeringue