Mind, body, spirit — yoga is a holistic experience for many. 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?

definitely to settle my mind — I picked up a steady yoga practice during law school to deal with the stress of it, I continued through my legal career to deal with the toll it took on me, and I turned to it in a desperate time for mental clarity and balance after my kids were born

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?

both! the mindfulness and connection with how I’m feeling provide equilibrium in my life

How long have you been practicing yoga?

since 2003

How frequently do you practice now?

daily

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

about fifteen years

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa — I grew up dancing and choreographing concert dance so the flow of vinyasa definitely appeals to my affinity for moving bodies in harmony individually and as a group

When you first took up yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

keeping conscious awareness on the breath always was and still is the most challenging thing for me to do

From your experience teaching yoga to children, can you generalize about what comes easiest for young people and what is more challenging?

for children, certain pranayama work is not recommended such as holding the breath and other control techniques — children’s lung capacities are smaller and their hearts are beating faster than an adults so in general, yes, it’s difficult to teach them how to utilize the breath in conjunction with their asana practice — settling their busy minds is also a challenge — their minds are full of humming birds darting from one place to another without stopping for very long in any one spot!

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

there are so many benefits I’ve felt — I would have to say the most valuable for me was less anxiety and better sleep — after my second child was born, yoga pulled me out of an abyss of post-partum anxiety and insomnia — it has helped me in every aspect of my life and my relationships at home and at work

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

every night before I go to sleep, I meditate with simple breathing exercises and a focus on executing an asana sequence in my mind — it calms me down, keeps me grounded, and sets me off to sleep — I also do body-scans daily prior to my physical practice and I listen to guided positive affirmations while driving

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

absolutely — in front of the TV I like to do legs up the wall (or couch), or supine pigeon pose, happy baby, supine twist or supported bridge — also, whenever I go with my kids to a ball game, I’m always the weird mom doing stretches on the fence or playground — we have such a sedentary slouching culture; I take every opportunity to take backbends big and small wherever I am

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 guess my answer is “it depends” — if that small comfortable indoor space is heated to 100 degrees, I want to do it there — if it’s 90 degrees or higher outside, let’s go to the outdoor spot — in other words, I like it hot for yoga — helps open the physical body, presents cardiovascular benefits and lung capacity expansion, and purges toxins through the system — for me, distractions are a part of practice — there will always be something — the challenge is staying present, no matter what!

—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

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?

ha! I was 11 years old when I first began to dabble in yoga because I wanted to be cool like my older sister who was trying out Kareen Zebroff’s yoga on T.V. — in my early 20’s I was more serious and was equally interested in all aspects (body, mind, spirit), although to start I mostly focused on the body

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?

for sure these elements are more in balance now … (and when they are out of balance, they are all out of balance together!)

How long have you been practicing yoga, and how frequently do you practice now?

if you included my dabbling in yoga, I have been practicing yoga for 50 years — for me, yoga is like brushing your teeth and for sure I practice some form of yoga every day

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

20 years (not including the dabbling)

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

I have practiced many styles but what calls to me most are the slower, more gentle approaches to asana and pranayama (breathing) so that the practice becomes a moving meditation

When you first took up yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

my greatest challenge in yoga (and life) has always been to learn not to try so hard — like many, I began the practice of yoga wanting to “rock the poses” and look amazing — with time and practice and steady, mindful breathing, I slowly began to learn not to push, or force, or strive but instead relax and soften and open and become less concerned with how I looked and more receptive to what the body (and life) was trying to show me — I think this was one of my reasons for wanting to teach — they say we should teach what we most want to learn — I wanted to feel more connected . . . with myself, with others and with the earth

From your experience sharing yoga with children, can you generalize about what comes easiest for young people and what is more challenging?

kids are such natural yogis — they are like little gurus — they have so much to teach us about being in the body and in the moment — of course, “every body’s different” and some kids are easily discouraged or distracted — sharing ways to focus energy, calm energy, release energy can be very powerful (and fun) and kids tend to latch onto this quite quickly — I always tell kids that being “good” at yoga doesn’t mean touching your toes or perfect balance, it means being good at listening to your body, listening to your feelings, listening to your heart

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

oh wow! I think the benefits are endless — yoga helped me through my teens and through my pregnancies and the births of my babies — it has helped me with confidence and patience and a stronger back and calmer mind — I “played” yoga with my children and that yoga became our lifeline through the storms of teens — (later, through university and professional careers, two of my daughters taught yoga and another shared yoga with children and other teachers in her school) — yoga helps to improve my health and my sleep and my relationships and truly touches every aspect of my life in a powerful and profound way — I believe yoga is a gift we give ourselves

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

yes, I practice pranayama, (breathing practice) meditation, (in different forms, walking, sitting, body scans, sound etc.) mantra and yoga nidra

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

absolutely, I often balance or practice a hip stretch while brushing my teeth, I’ve been known to squat while watching TV or sit in hero’s pose if I’m digesting a large meal, or tuck into tortoise pose during ads, and sometimes I will swing my legs up the wall while chatting with my sister on the phone

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?

as much as I love to connect with nature, if I am leading the class, I would choose the indoor space in order to better build and contain the energy

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

Polynesia!

—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

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?

definitely the body element, I loved how the asanas felt in my body — I’m not a very spiritual person and this aspect of the practice developed over time

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?

100% more in balance now, they have equal weight — yoga helped me quieten my anxious mind, and I’ve found my own definition of spirituality over the years

How long have you been practicing yoga?

10 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

every single day, in one way or another — (sometimes it’s 10 minutes of pranayama, sometimes it’s 3 hours of asana)

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

2.5 years

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

therapeutic yoga — a blend of vinyasa, yin, pranayama, mobility and self-massage

When you were starting your yoga journey, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

I was naturally flexible, so that was the easy part — the hardest part was letting go of my need to be able to perform all of the postures

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

feeling more peaceful in my life in general — and a strong connection and appreciation for my body

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

I do a lot of pranayama (breathwork) and gratitude practice — I intentionally pause to appreciate the good moments in my life — highly recommend it, game changer

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I lift weights and do pole dancing — I also love bouldering but don’t practice often enough

You are French, teaching in Germany, and anyone who connects with you online knows your English is better than that of many native speakers. Do you find any difference in students of different nationalities?

thank you for the compliment! I have so many different nationalities in my students and I absolutely love that — I wish I had a funny answer, but to be honest, I don’t see much difference between nationalities — the only thing that comes to mind is that Americans are generally a lot more enthusiastic about everything, haha!

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?

indoor, every time — I was taught to always limit distractions as much as possible, and I live by this — (this would probably make my students laugh because my chinchilla is in my home studio and she loves to participate in my classes…)

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

[note — this is part 2 of 2; here we focus on Lowitz’s experience as a yoga professional; part 1 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?

I have never in my life pitched yoga — people come when they are called

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

Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism

How long did you practice yoga before becoming a teacher?

five years

How long have you taught yoga?

30 years — I can’t believe it myself

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

when you feel tired, or that the inspiration is gone — everyone has a different limit and gives a different amount of energy — holding space for others can take a lot out of you but it can also feed you

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

Hatha — Vinyasa Flow — Yin Yoga, Yin/Yang Yoga Mix, Restorative Yoga — Tibetan Heart Yoga, Yoga Nidra is the bomb

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

being in the moment is difficult for beginners and advanced practitioners — letting go of perfectionism/exhibitionism

What are the more difficult poses for beginners to execute?

Savasana — hands down — people find it incredibly difficult just to relax and let go

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

any kind of mindfulness or meditation is so liberating — watching the thoughts come and go, you learn that you are not your thoughts, which are ever-changing

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?

yoga needs no promotion — if you are practicing yoga asana and the other limbs, it works on you in the ways that are needed

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

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926 – 2022) taught a powerful simple mantra: “Breathing in, I calm my body — Breathing out, I smile — Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment” —  not wonderful in the sense that everything is great, but wonderful as in awe-inspiring — just to be alive — here — now

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?

nothing beats doing yoga outside, tuning in to the rhythms of nature — definitely overlooking the ocean — infinite space outside reflecting infinite inner space

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

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

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 spiritual nature?

I wanted to feel grounded, more settled

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 always helps me come home to myself

How frequently do you practice Asana yoga?

about twice a week

And heart yoga?

daily

If you’re not leading a session with others, are you more likely to attend classes at a studio or practice yoga at home?

home

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

hatha/restorative/yin

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

it was challenging to let go of perfectionism, some idea of what a pose should look like — now I just feel, breathe, and enjoy

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

self-love, compassion

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

yoga is a state of being in union with yourself and the universal energy flow — yoga is every breath

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

mostly walking in nature — walking meditation

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

yes, all the time — side stretches twists, heart openers — if my body speaks to me, I respond intuitively — animalistic

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

somewhere tropical, near the ocean — anywhere, really — Hawaii, Bali, Japan, the American Southwest — where the land is sacred

—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 believe I had the thirst for all three — they are so interdependent I couldn’t point to one over the others, though, moment by moment I do draw on different sources for sustenance

How about as your practice evolved: did yoga feed your mind or your body or your spirit more; were those elements more in balance than when you started?

yoga fed all three and yes, again, yoga helped to balance me

How long have you been practicing yoga?

I have been away from my mat for three years now — I was a five to six day a week practitioner for five years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

these days my practice is focused on the breath — which I work on almost constantly — and walking meditation

What do you miss most about yoga in the studio?

the community — the satisfaction of dedicated effort — the teachers’ insightful spiritual offerings even as we moved through rapid flows

What’s the greatest obstacle to you having a regular yoga habit?

I am my biggest obstacle when it comes to my practice, as I am in most of my life — but this questioning, I believe, is giving me a tender push towards my mat — deep bow

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

inversions were always tough for me — balance poses, I’d say, came more naturally

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

patience — when practicing I was less tight in all ways, more roomy, and that allowed me to flow with all more healthily and gracefully

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

Vipassana and most consistently offer and recite Metta

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I am a long distance walker and have walked the Camino De Santiago three times, Offa Dyke in Wales and trekked the Himalayas — I was regularly walking 6-10 miles a day — then came pickleball — obsessed!

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

yes — are you watching me?! — I’ll spontaneously strike a Warrior 2 pose or a Tree pose

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

Chiang Mai, Thailand — I’ll just need a moment to pack

—interview © Marshal Zeringue

Mind, body, spirit — yoga is a holistic experience for many. 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?

none of the above — I simply attended a class at my local health club because a good friend who moved away had loved yoga and I was missing her — it was love at first stretch as I realized it was what my body needed

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?

I think those elements were in pretty good balance when I started, and the discipline of yoga has kept them that way, but the huge additional benefit I have from yoga is the pleasure and satisfaction I get from teaching it to others

How long have you been practicing yoga, and how frequently do you practice now?

I started practicing about 10 years ago and I practice (or teach) almost every day

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

only a couple of years — very soon after discovering how good yoga was for my aging body, I wanted to learn more and did a course of teacher training, never intending to teach, but just to get deeper into the practice — to my surprise, I loved the teaching side of it and began forging opportunities to teach people of my own age (seniors) — I think I have been on a mission ever since to show people my age and older how much they can benefit from the practice physically and mentally

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Hatha yoga has always been my favorite but I also love experimenting with all other styles

When you first took up yoga, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

the most challenging part for me is the yoga philosophy — as a scientist, I am always questioning, and sometimes have trouble accepting some of the spiritual concepts

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

in my experience teaching hatha and chair yoga to seniors, I find that the first challenge is always overcoming their tendency to feel they “cannot possibly do that” — once they realize nothing has to be done to perfection, each student seems to take away something different from the classes — to paraphrase a well known saying, it is sort of “trom each according to their ability; to each according to their need”

What are the more difficult poses for seniors to execute?

that is impossible to generalize because in the age group I mainly teach (65-90+ yrs), almost everyone has at least one physical limitation or another — I emphasize equanimity, balance, posture and strength and offer lots of modifications for any poses that might be difficult, while not being afraid to encourage the students to go deeper

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

certainly yoga provides me with a calmer mind and greater flexibility of mind and body — it is a great way to keep the body feeling young(er)

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

no

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

yes, often a balance pose, and any number of stretching poses

You have a choice: take 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 love teaching classes outside and take my individual practice outside whenever I can — I have no problem with distractions and I find the sounds of birds and insects and the sight of trees in the breeze highly meditative — I would love to practice near the ocean to feel the rhythm of the waves echoing my breath and often use this imagery in my classes — feeling a part of nature and inhabiting your body in a mindful way are part of what yoga is all about for me

—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 battling severe gastrointestinal issues, and my doctor recommended trying yoga

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?

body for sure

How long have you been practicing yoga?

7 years

How frequently do you practice yoga?

a few times a week

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

3 years

Do you have a preferred yoga style?

Vinyasa

When you were starting your yoga journey, what came easiest and what was more challenging?

the most difficult part was learning all of the poses on a vocal cue, the easiest was getting into the stretch

What have been the greatest benefits of yoga for you?

less body pain & greater lung capacity

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

I’d like to go on walks

Do you regularly do other forms of exercise?

I run marathons and lift weights — I also enjoy cycling

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

yes! I am always going into a wheel pose, wide legged forward fold, staff pose, crow pose for fun — truly anywhere

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

Bali!

—interview © Marshal Zeringue