by Tara Stiles | Jun 10, 2013 | Blog
Hello Good Friends, "There are no rules in life," Ms. Stiles said. "It's a mind-set that limits people dramatically." It was January, 2011, and I had just opened Strala at 632 Broadway a few months earlier. Before our nice location, we were basically squatting at the old Crunch Gym abandoned building across the street. I was technically renting out the floor which had no access to bathrooms or proper heating or security. Before that location, I was giving classes at Mike's old apartment in Gramercy in his living room. A reporter from The Times emailed me, asking if she could… by Tara Stiles | Jun 9, 2013 | Blog
Question I completely agree that yoga isn't all about the poses, it's about feeling and connecting. That's something I love about Strala. But we're still doing poses, right? How can I explain this to my yoga friends? Answer Something funny happens in yoga. Well actually, let's be honest, a lot of funny things happen in yoga. When you get a lot of people bending and stretching and acting very serious about it all, there is a lot of material there. Most of the kidding aside . . . Often people start practicing yoga because they want to… by Tara Stiles | Jun 8, 2013 | Blog
Question I love Strala's emphasis on doing everything with ease. It feels so good! But, I'm an athlete, always have been. Will yoga be enough for me to stay in shape? Or do I need to balance with some more intense exercise? Answer Good question. One way to answer it is, experiment! Just stick with your yoga for a month. Then see how you feel when you go for a run or get on a (real) bike. Then try the other way. Hit the gym, machines, put in some time on the motionless bike. See how that… by Tara Stiles | Jun 7, 2013 | Blog
Question How can you say yoga isn't about posing when all the teachers I see are always talking with each other about getting into the poses? Answer It's an easy habit to form, filling all our time with tasks. Always busy, always doing, not much feeling. Have you heard the chatter around the yoga community? "Hey did you see her rajakhapatapuzzi? ... I need to work on my parvritichandrabakhananda tonight ... I don't think I'll ever master the ardhamukhazippitydoodada." Yoga community, cut it out! You're scaring people!! I'm pretty sure the original language for medicine wasn't English. I'm… 
by Tara Stiles | Jun 2, 2013 | Blog
Hello Good Friends, When I was a little kid I would go off to the woods, sit in trees, breathe deeply and do what I now know as meditation, naturally. When I closed my eyes and followed my breath, I would see super bright colors swirling around like a dance performance of energy and vibrancy. I intuitively knew that everything is connected, and we are here to help each other, and take care of each other. I’ll be honest with you. That sense of space gets filled up when you grow up. Schedules, goals, work load, families, oh my! I…