Namaste Highland Park: What inspired your move to Los Angeles? Did it meet your expectations?
Nora: My parents lived in San Francisco in the 1970s, and my sister was born there. My family and I moved around a lot, but I went to high school in the desert by Joshua Tree, so I feel a pretty deep connection with California. I came out here again about four years ago after finishing graduate school in New Mexico. I was either going to move to New York and complete my PhD at the New School for Social Research or move to LA and drink smoothies and do yoga. Obviously, LA was the winning choice, and it has far exceeded my expectations.
NHP: You have been practicing yoga since childhood. What did yoga mean to you then, and how has that changed (if it has changed at all) as an adult?
Nora: My dad was an avid yogi and meditator, and taught me the sun salutes when I was really young, and took me to the local Zen center in Chicago when I was in my early teens. Yoga then meant to me a fun connection to my dad. For kids, yoga can be so playful and challenging! Meditation at that time, though, was very earnest and significant for me. I think when I started as a teenager that was the most focused I've ever been in my whole life. I took my zazen practice really seriously and I it had profound effects on my body and mind. Since then, my yoga practice has become more focused and serious, but my meditation practice has never been quite as strong as it was when was thirteen.
NHP: At what moment did you go from thinking, "I like yoga," to, "I'm a yoga teacher?"
Nora: I still have a hard time seeing myself as a teacher! I know it sounds cheesy, but I think of it more as being with a group of people I really like and us doing yoga together while I do more of the talking. Of course, I have lots of information to share that could help the people who come to my classes, and I do feel authoritative about many aspects of the practice. However, everyone is their own teacher, and everyone is so different I much prefer to let the attendees of my classes find their inner teacher first, and then listen to me for all the extra tips, pointers, cues, and bits of philosophical information.
NHP: What do you hope people take away from your class?
Nora: I hope people leave my class feeling better than they did when they arrived. I hope people find a sense of comfort and nourishment within their bodies. I hope they find strength in their bodies and minds. I hope they find, for at least one fleeting moment, that quiet place where their true self dwells, the self that is eternal, indestructable, without borders, is at the same time one and all things. Getting a good hamstring stretch works too.
NHP: How does yoga go beyond the mat in your life?
Nora: I try my best to practice Karma Yoga as it was discussed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The main idea behind karma yoga is that we have karmic duties that we must fulfill through our actions. Karma yoga teaches us that it is best to try to not be attached to the outcomes of the actions that we perform along the way, since the actions are being performed to serve our karmic path rather than to serve our individual selves. According to Swami Sivananda, "Karma Yoga... purifies the heart by teaching you to act selflessly, without thought of gain or reward. By detaching yourself from the fruits of your actions and offering them up to God, you learn to sublimate the ego. " Even though we cannot predict or control our futures, we can act in the ways that serve our karma and our path in the most authentic and loving manner by detaching ourselves from the outcome and focussing on doing the best that we can in the present moment with the task at hand.As I attempt my karma yoga practice, as I go about my actions, I do my best to be unattached from the results. Here, I have to keep the attitude that all work is worship, that my motive to work is not primarily that of seeking reward, that I have a duty to act and I must act well, and that I have to do my best every single time. The idea contained in Karma Yoga that all work is worship is very powerful for me it's a good motivator to stay engaged and do my best.
NHP: What does your personal practice entail?
Nora: It changes a lot. There is a constant undercurrent of reading and thinking about yoga philosophy, and attempting engaged mediation sits with varying levels of success. But the physical asana practice fluctuates so much depending on how my body feels, depending on where I am, and how much I can prioritize the physical practice that day. Tonight I attempted my personal asana practice at home, thinking I’ll do a vigorous vinyasa flow and ending up holding a forward fold for five minutes and then lying down. So I try to take classes as much as I can I need the group environment to help keep me on track! Ideally I’m in class five or six days a week.
NHP: What is something we'd be surprised to learn about you?
Nora: I’m also a champion race car driver.*
NHP: You are starting a new classstyle at NHP, incorporating Pranayama and Kriya. What is your intention with this class, & what inspired you to create it?
Nora: I’m SO excited about this class. Vanda, the owner of the studio has been wanting to introduce a Kundalini-style class to the studio for a long time, and although I am not a Kundalini teacher, I have always loved the kriyas and mantras specific to that discipline. My intention with the class is to simply introduce a few different options of movement to our students besides the typical Hatha or vinyasa methods. The class has been super fun so far. I love kriyas because anyone can do them, they are not too complicated or demanding of the body, but usually end up being the most intense and challenging parts of the class. It’s been really exciting to share this other element of yoga with the wonderful people who come to classes at Namaste Highland Park.
*Nora: I lied about the race car part, but I couldn't think of anything.
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