“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>
When we photographed Grace Flowers for this issue, she was 20 weeks pregnant (not that anyone could tell!). And, it turns out, I was pregnant too, though I didn’t yet know. So later, I took the opportunity to gather some pregnancy, practice, and life wisdom from Grace.
Carin Gorrell: Before teaching yoga, you worked in the corporate world and had built a successful visual merchandising business by age 25. What spurred the transition to teaching?
Grace Flowers: My 20s were spent jet-setting, climbing ladders, making money. None of what I was doing truly resonated in my heart, so I set about changing that in 2008. I had been practicing yoga for nearly eight years, and thought that it would be nice to teach. I believe that whatever you are destined to do in this lifetime chooses you. I believe yoga chose me. And here I am.
CG: What advice would you give someone considering a career in yoga instruction?
GF: If you really want longevity as a teacher, I believe you have to 1) love, wholeheartedly, and 2) live, wholeheartedly, yoga. Yoga is a lifelong study, and you become a lifelong student.
CG: Did yoga play a role in your fertility journey?
GF: Yes, a massive role. My husband and I wanted to start a family, but I needed to create space for it in my life both physically, given my packed schedule, and energetically, to make sure my marriage was rock solid before we brought a child into this world. My physical practice softened to prepare my body for conception. Meditation helped me to connect with peace, serenity, and trust in Source. A few years later, here we are. We wouldn’t have arrived here without this practice.
See alsoTools for Teaching Prenatal Yoga: The Second Trimester
CG: How has pregnancy changed your practice?
GF:Restorative postures that invite Ms. Bolster and Mr. Blocks to the party make this pregnant mama-to-be a very happy yogini!
CG: What’s your favorite pose, and why?
GF: Right now, it’s Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose). It’s a delicious stretch for my pregnant body and helps to relieve some of my sacral tension.
CG: Do you have a mantra or words of wisdom that you live by?
GF: Live Love Now. It’s a mantra that my husband, Jayson, and I have engraved on our wedding bands. Stay tuned—we are going to start a Live Love Now revolution!