Leslie Howard
Inner Fire Yogi since 07/2007
In 2001 while chairing a conference in California and after reading an article about yoga we decided to offer yoga every morning to participants. I loved it and wanted more.
I came back to Madison and attended classes at the few yoga studios around at the time and tried every form possible. Bikram’s, Astanga, Yin, Hatha, Flow, Kundalini, Vinyasa, I think there was something called Forrest. I can’t remember them all. I just wanted to see what I liked best. I settled on Bikram’s and found benefits in strength, flexibility, and especially in calming my brain through ujjayi breathing.
So many people had just taken or were taking Bikram’s training that it was easy to fall into the spell. Dar was the real expert even back then and Marit started teaching where I was practicing. Not long after this we heard a new studio was opening on the west side with all hot yoga… Inner Fire Yoga.
I had children and a career so my practice was sporadic. In 2007 even when I determined that Inner Fire Yoga was my place, I could go months without practicing. But I never gave it up. I would stick to 90 minutes hot and sprinkle in Yin since Dar thought I should.
This went on for years until early in 2023 when I spent 2 1/2 months in Seattle taking care of Dozer, my son Ricky’s dog while he was working in London. Ricky knew I liked yoga and was nice enough to get me a pass to the studio a block away. Once I was on my own I was able to go when it suited me. I practiced 6 days a week.
When I got home and things settled down after summer there was a special monthly membership at Inner Fire Yoga. I signed up and started taking 4 classes a week. What I learned from being in Seattle was the importance of when I practiced, and frankly how I prioritized my whole life’s schedule.
Practicing with these wonderful teachers and other yogis has been transformative. Dar: “ I am here, it is now.” Hally: “Attend to your breath.” Karen: “Finding gratitude.” Li Li: “Weave your toes together like this…”
Yoga is profound, it is deep, it strengthens, it adds flexibility, it’s life’s breath. I’ve learned that when we are on the mat, we are communicating without saying a word. Namaste!
