Photographer: Deanna Gerlach www.deee.co. © TheCarousel.com
“Yoga allows you to feel a sense of release through the poses, and the music elevates this by bringing out other emotions. It’s like dancing! My mind is a lot clearer since yoga entered my life, and I don’t worry about too much anymore. I just take every day as it comes and remind myself that everything passes, and that I’m going to be ok.”
Yoga for Physical healing:
“For me, yoga physically helped because it stretched out all my skin – I was limping because the back of my knee was burnt and had a skin graph on it. In hospital, I had to teach myself to walk again, so yoga was great for me to really get my balance back. My body is now in the best shape it’s ever been. I feel very strong, fit and healthy, and subsequently from this have taken on a very healthy eating approach because my body feels too good to put anything bad in it!”
The birth of Hip Hop Yoga:
“I found music and yoga in LA, and then I made up the name Hip Hop yoga. The hip hop yoga classes we hold at 213 are recommended for yogis that have practiced yoga before, as the class is quite hard. But beginners love it too, as the music makes it fun! The class is 1 hour – it starts with a warm-up, then moves through standing sequence, balancing sequence, arm balances, abs, back bends then pigeon and savasana. We play hip hop music for the first 40 minutes, then listen to relaxing soulful music before playing an instrumental song for savasana.”
Yoga studio 213 Melbourne: The Birth of her business:
“I was in Bali, on my second training, and I had two hours free time. During that time I would sit in my room and write out my business plan. I didn’t know how to write one so I found a template on the internet and starting filling it out with dreams and exactly what I would wanted in a yoga studio, taking lots of inspiration from Steve’s studio in LA. I was originally going to open my first studio in Bali, but I soon realised that I needed to do it at home. I knew Melbourne – I knew the people, my whole family lived there and all my friends and they were the ones that were showing up at 6:15am in the morning when I first opened! So if I didn’t have that support, it would have been a lot harder.”
Photographer: Deanna Gerlach www.deee.co. © TheCarousel.com
Daily mantra: “Be happy!”
Advice: “Yoga is what you make it!”
Fave pose: “I like being upside down, so I love going into tripod headstands and handstands. It reminds me of being a kid. My mother says I was born running and haven’t stopped since!”
Stress Beating Yoga Pose:
“Any pose in a YIN class. It’s the only time I completely shut off and hear myself breathe. Pigeon pose held for 5 minutes on each side or happy baby are great. Also, savasana – lay on your back with one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest while listening to yourself breathe.”
Meditation:
“It’s really important to stop the mind for at least five minutes per day. It’s a good way of releasing stored emotions and thoughts that can get ‘stuck’, and keep resurfacing when triggered or you’re stressed.”
Visit Sammy’s website at www.yoga213.com.au or follow her on Instagram at yoga213
