Exclusive interview Elena Brower

Today is not an article like any other one… I wanted to surprise you and to give the word to a very important lady in the Yoga world… I’ve had the great pleasure, recently, to interview Elena Brower, one of the most famous and renowned Yoga teachers in the world !

I’m incredibly lucky and so happy to share this with you today…

Before getting the interview started, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Elena for the time she granted me for this interview !

I have not yet met Elena in real life but I can already feel her incredible charisma and her amazing energy through her book and her website and also what she publishes on social networks.

Avant de commencer, je souhaite dire un très grand MERCI à Elena pour le temps qu’elle m’a accordé dans le cadre de cette interview !

The opportunity of meeting her live is coming closer forme since she will be giving the class at the Lole White Tour, on Sunday, the 21st of June, under the Eiffel Tower in Paris !

I will actually be part of the assisting teachers for the event 🙂

Here we go for the interview, let’s get to know Elena better and enjoy her inspiring words !

In this interview, you will for instance discover :

Elena’s secrets to give the best of herself without spreading herself too thin
The rituals and habits that help her feeling grounded and in shape everyday
Her upcoming projects

Who is Elena Brower ?

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Elena is one of the most famous Yoga teachers. She is a certified Anusara Yoga Teacher
Mama, teacher, speaker, and co-author of Art of Attention, Elena has been teaching yoga and meditation since 1999
She graduated from Cornell University in 1992 with a design degree and she worked as a textile and apparel designer for 6 years
She has been studying with master yoga teachers since 1997. Influenced by several traditions, Elena offers yoga and meditation as a way to approach our world with realistic reverence and gratitude. Her classes are a masterful, candid blend of artful alignment and attention cues for your body, mind and heart
From the Museum of Modern Art to the Great Lawn at Central Park, from the Old Port of Montreal to the Eiffel Tower, Elena is honoured to offer larger-scale experiences of yoga and meditation, but her true service is in shifting awareness within the smallest interactions; one family, one household at a time. Elena’s online meditation coursework, intended for beginners and meditators seeking consistent practice, is gaining global recognition for its creativity and accessibility. She’s now offering The Path, a weekly full-spectrum meditation class in NYC, bringing meditation to a broader audience of professionals and creatives
Art of Attention has been ranked number one for book design on Amazon in US, Germany and France, and has now been translated into 5 languages. As the Executive Producer of On Meditation, Elena is curating a film project about the relevance and benefits of meditation, first debuted on American Public Television. Elena contributes to Positively Positive, Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Well and Good, and Mantra Magazine. She’s been featured in the New York Times, Yoga Journal, Element Yoga for Beginners DVDs, ABC, CBS and NBC News

Discover Elena’s answers to my questions !

Elena on how to stay grounded

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Elena Brower in a lotus pose

YogaPassion : How do you manage to stay centered while you are involved in so many different and amazing projects at one and the same time ?

Elena Brower : I meditate and keep my sadhana every morning, which helps me set my attitude for the day. Couple steadfast rules – each day I choose the top 3 tasks that need to be accomplished; anything else is extra special.

And I make sure to take healing treatments – acupuncture, massage, facial, even a steam bath – at least once a week. That keeps my energy clear and lifted.

Elena on stress management

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Elena Brower in supported child’s pose

Y.P. : Do you face stress while you are teaching thousands of people ? If yes, how do you deal with stage fright ?

E.B. : I study quite a lot, which helps me be very comfortable with offering the practice. My gratitude for the chance to serve outweighs my nervousness 😉

Elena on meditation

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Elena Brower in the middle of a meditation

Y.P. : Meditation is a vital practice for you and you’re currently working on a series of short films about this practice. So how would you encourage someone to start to meditate ? What would you tell them ?E.B. : I’d probably ask about their day-to-day life. If, like most of us, they have a few things each day that seem to take them off course, I would offer the most salient teaching I’ve received on meditation. We are all walking around with accumulations of reactions, to our upbringing, our interactions with peers, teachers, environments… And meditation is one of the most efficient ways to loosen the hold of those stressors and clear the path for new ways of seeing and being. Of course there are other practices that help with self-study, but meditation helps us release those irrelevant attitudes and act from our hearts more of the time.

Elena and the event organized by Lolë under the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, June, the 21st 2015

Y.P: You will be teaching the Lole White Tour’s Event in Paris on Sunday, June, the 21st, under the Eiffel Tower. How do you feel about it ? What’s your opinion on Yoga’s International Day, starting this year ?E.B. : It’s an honour to be coming to Paris, one of my favourite cities in the world, to offer this practice with Lolë. Our collaboration nourishes me in many ways; for several seasons I’ve helped create a gorgeous capsule line for their Lolë White Collection, and teaching thousands of yogis in so many cities for the Lolë White Tour has been a blessing. My dream is to share practice with as many people as I can, and Lolë has made that dream a reality.

I’ve only just learned that it’s a special day for yoga – so that adds to the excitement. Right now I’m studying a lot to teach en Français!!!!

Elena’s upcoming projects

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Elena Brower in twisted stretched triangle

Y.P. : Could you disclose some of your upcoming projects for my readers ?

E.B : I’m working on a stunning book on neurology, meditation and yoga with my son’s stepmom. She’s a doctor, a friend and a super smart woman with whom I’m honoured to be collaborating. This will be a book that is both visually beautiful and full of useful information for our daily lives.

Also working on my next Meditation Course, called Cultivating Spiritual Intelligence, due out in the fall; a 7-day course to offer both beginners and experienced meditators a very sweet accompaniment to practice.

For teachers, teach.yoga is a new site I’ve created with my collaborator Michelle Martello of Minima Designs. This evolving virtual home welcomes voices of all traditions and styles of yoga, as well as artisans and designers we feature on our « Teachers » page for subscribers. Our aim is to raise the resonance for the teachers and keep all of us inspired to do our best work, whether we are teaching locally or globally.