Teacher Spotlight: Carolyn Rubin
What made you teach yoga?
The connection of body and breath, grounding of hands and feet on the sticky mat and movement of the body in space gave me a sense of ease unlike any other type of exercise I had participated in. Since college I had taught group fitness classes where results were driven by aesthetics. Yoga was the opposite of that world and I was at a place in my life where I craved something more meaningful. I simply wanted to teach to impart that experience and wisdom to others. In Yoga we have complete freedom to just be, to notice, to become aware of thoughts, sensations, uncomfortable feelings that arise from within or from the external world of our relationship to our physical bodies on the mat. There is no comparison to teaching group fitness and teaching yoga. Yoga is an endless journey of exploration and personal growth. My sincere intention in teaching yoga is to shine the light on the individual and collective gifts that yoga brings, both on and off the mat.
How would you describe your classes/teaching style?
My classes are a mix of strength and flexibility, flowing movement and surrender, sprinkled with a bit of yogic wisdom.
Top 5 songs to play in class:
I have a hugely eclectic taste in music but if I had to pick only five they would be:
“Prana”—Craig Kohland & Shaman’s Dream
“You Say”—Lauren Daigle
“Ganapati OM –Donna DeLory
“Invocation”—Ty Burhoe, Krishna Das
“Love Letters to God” --Hoka
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food is brown rice and beans with lots of seasonal veggies and avocado or a quinoa bowl with spring mix and veggies and pumpkin seeds or almonds. I love to eat vegan although I do eat fish occasionally.
What’s your favorite asana (and why)?
Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose). I love entering the pose from Warrior 2 or Side Angle and the combination of balance and strength it cultivates. Offering refinements and potential challenges of binding the ankle or freeing the bottom hand to your heart center so you are balancing on one foot/leg and exiting the pose by stepping gracefully back to Warrior 2 are also part of the fun of exploring this demanding pose.
What are your top 3 book recommendations for fellow yogis?
Light on Yoga--BKS Iyengar
The Key Muscles of Yoga –Ray Long
Journey to the Heart-Melody Beattie
Describe your perfect day off:
My perfect day is sleeping in a bit, a brief meditation, a short run and yoga cooldown and the remainder of the day hanging with my husband Gary and my beautiful black Labrador, Layla.
Give us a fun fact about yourself:
I love to use my voice and I am currently at the tail end of a 9- month Voiceover training. My hope is to market my services to corporations to voice their e-learning programs for their employee training/annual certification requirements. I just had professional pictures of myself “behind the mic.” Grateful that I am in a stage of my life where “reinvention” is a possibility. Yoga is literally and figuratively the backbone of all that I explore and for that I will be forever grateful!
What’s your life motto?
The Golden Rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” resonates deeply for me.