Reflections from a Yogi: TSY Teacher Ellie Lucas interviewed by fellow TSY teacher Arisa Nogler
Ellie Lucas has been teaching with True Self Yoga for almost a year now. She has been practicing yoga for 4 years and completed TS’s Yoga Teacher Training in 2019.
Arisa: Can you remember your first yoga class? What was your initial reaction/experience with yoga?
Ellie: I do remember! One of my close friends was teaching yoga in NYC. I had just arrived to visit and met her at the studio since she had to teach a class. She asked if I wanted to jump in–I said “Sure!” and she handed me a coconut water. I had no idea this would be for a hot class or what that even meant, but after I remember thinking I never wanted to experience that again. Later that week we took another yoga class (not hot) and I remember liking it more and enjoying the stretching part of it—I knew then that I eventually wanted to try it again.
A: What brought you to yoga in the first place?
E: After that time in NYC I wanted to do something physical. I am not a “go to the gym and do your own thing” kinda person and I had played soccer most of my life. While I lived in Philly the studios near where I lived were all hot yoga studios which I wanted no part of so I just kept in the back of my mind that one day I would try yoga. When I moved to Washington aside from finding a job my next priority was to find a yoga studio and try to make that commitment to myself. I haven’t looked back since.
A: What’s your favorite and least favorite pose?
E: I have two least favorite poses both for similar reasons: Triangle pose, and for anyone who knows me—boat pose. I’m slowly working on strengthening my low back and core and these two poses in proper alignment really remind me that this is still a work in progress. As far as favorite, I really enjoy pigeon or moving into a sequence that takes you into bird of paradise.
A: What surprised you most as you learned more about yoga/deepened your practice?
E: That a lot of the issues I struggle with in the outside world present themselves on the mat in different but also insanely similar ways, and it’s a place where I can work through some of those parallels.
A: What does your quarantine yoga practice look like?
E: UGH a struggle. In all honesty, it’s not the easiest to change and then just go into the next room, so I’m practicing a lot less. Community is a huge part of the practice for me so I have been doing the live Zoom Monday classes, and anything prerecorded. If I have the inspiration I will do my own thing, but for me quarantine yoga has been a lot of laying in savasana and doing nidra or another meditation along with Yin.
A: What inspired you to become a teacher?
E: Personal growth and challenge along with wanting to share what yoga has done for me. I usually don’t gravitate toward public speaking, so that’s a challenge sometimes, but when I was approached with the opportunity to teach I felt like it was something I would truly enjoy being a part of and this turned out to be true.
Favorite yoga related quote/yoga words to live by? I have many – and there are different versions of this one out there but because my practice has been a little different lately this is what I have kept in my mind:
“The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. Standing on your hands is not the goal. The goal is serenity. Balance. Truly finding peace in your own skin.” –Rachel Brathen
You can find Ellie, post quarantine, teaching yin, gentle, and slow flow as well as yoga nidra meditation. You can also access yoga nidra meditations with Ellie here (vimeo.com/409623620) and on True Self’s online class library: trueself.yoga/trueself-livestream/
