MAREN RHODIN

What's your superpower?
My existing superpower is that I can smell a bar of chocolate from five miles away. A superpower I’d love to have is the ability to learn anything instantaneously – like how to speak Russian, fly a helicopter, or play the fiddle!

How do you express gratitude?
Well, gratitude comes in all shapes and sizes for me, and the expression of that gratitude always looks a bit different. Some days it’s as simple as sharing a smile, other days it’s a hand-written note, and other days it’s a home cooked meal.

Why do you share yoga?
I share yoga because it helps to teach us that there are things in our lives that we cannot control, and that we should let those things go with grace. But, it also teaches us that there are so many things in our lives that we do control, and that we always have the choice to rewrite our story so that it reads like something we’re totally inspired by, from moment to moment, month to month, decade to decade. Yoga gives us the courage to fearlessly create the life we’ve always dreamed of.

What's your favorite pose? Why?
My favorite pose always changes, but it’s currently arda chandrasana, or half moon. I love it because it embodies so much: grounding and openness, ease and effort, and it’s such a wonderful launch pad for so many other poses and transitions.

When was the last time you laughed out loud?
An hour ago when my boyfriend walked in the door after getting home from work and our dog Loki was a bundle of excitement and doing Shakira-inspired tail wags and we all started shaking our butts and dancing about spontaneously. 

What always makes you smile?
Floppy dog ears, breezy evening walks, cooking food with friends, and mornings in the mountains with a fresh cup of coffee.

What does flow mean to you?
Flow means always being in the yoga practice, even when you roll up your mat and walk out of the studio. In those pauses between inhales and exhales, in your exchange with strangers, the way you handle a bus running behind schedule, or when you make an ass of yourself in public… the practice remains the same.

What can our friends at TGY expect from your classes?
In my classes, we will explore the way our lives off of the mats shows up in our yoga practice and how we can use physical asana and breath to work through the challenges (and the joys!) of daily life. While the yoga practice can be very profound, it's also pretty tough work, so I always love to bring an element of playfulness to my classes. You can expect creative sequencing, music you can move to, real talk, and some serious time for self-love in my classes.