One Extra Breath

Fiona Stang

Ashtangi, Ashtanga Yoga Vancouver ashtangayogavancouver.com

photo by Jaime Kowal

Fiona is one of eight teachers in Canada authorized by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the Ashtanga tradition, to teach Ashtanga yoga. Says one of Fiona’s students: “Practising in the morning with Fiona, I often think of these lines from Mary Oliver’s poem ‘Why I Wake Early’: ‘Watch, now, how I start the day / in happiness, in kindness.’”

Fiona, what’s your favourite position? My favourite positions are always changing and many times go from my least favourite to most favourite. When I started yoga I was petrified of inversions. I hated turning my world upside down. After a few years, I beganfacing inversions and I decided that they were OK. And, years later, I love seeing the world from a different perspective. I find that postures that I usually dislike, in turn, become the greatest teachers.

What keeps you on the mat? Yoga helps to set a tone of mindfulness and awareness to my day. It makes me a better mom, friend, wife, and listener. Yoga reminds me to take that one extra breath in every situation. Yoga is the ultimate reminder to listen to our inner self and respect our soul. What a way to start my day. What a gift. For this I am eternally grateful.

What’s your necessary yogini indulgence? Dark chocolate (70 per cent or more), fashion, and time in Whistler.

Naked yoga: inspirational, or icky? Naked yoga is inspirational when it involves my two kids, ages three and two, naked, post-bath, running around, spontaneously doing yoga postures. They may not have years of official yoga training, but their yoga knowledge is innate; they move so organically. They are my role models.