Q: How long have you been practicing yoga?

A: I've been doing yoga off and on since I was in college in the '60s and '70s, but for the past 12 years it's been pretty much a daily part of my life.

Q: What was it about yoga that appealed to you?

A: I started using yoga for healing. I was diagnosed with lupus, and my body was crippling up. At first I wasn't really able to do anything, so I watched a class and began doing the poses in my head. I began with a few restorative postures, and the lupus actually went into remission. I kept doing yoga, and when the lupus flared the next time, it wasn't as bad and it didn't last as long before it went into remission again.

Q: When and why did you decide to teach yoga?

A: Actually, I was kind of pushed into it. I didn't think anyone would want to do the kind of yoga I like to do, which is a very gentle form. I also didn't think anyone would want to study with me (at that time, because of my lupus, I looked at myself as a cripple), but the owner of the studio believed in me and threw me into it anyway.

Q: How much time do you spend doing yoga each day?

A: My own practice varies in length. I'll practice for about two hours or so if I'm teaching one or two classes that day. I'll do a practice in the morning (with meditation and chanting) and one at night. I like to practice at night, because my body feels more fluid. It all depends on how I feel.

Q: What part of yoga did you find most difficult when you started practicing?

A: Putting the pressure on and relaxing into it, that's the hardest part, that's the skill. We're so used to pushing ourselves, we forget that you don't have to. You have to let the mind surrender a little bit and let the body take over, and once you get the hang of it, it makes perfect sense.

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