Ep 116: Clean Mind, Clean Body with Tara Stiles
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Ep 116: Clean Mind, Clean Body with Tara Stiles
Episode 116: Show Notes
Our guest today, Tara Stiles, first discovered yoga in New York while training to be a dancer. In our conversation, Tara shares how that first yoga class ignited her curiosity, and how she gradually made the transition from hustling in New York and being an aspiring dancer, to starting her own yoga studio, called Stråla, with her husband, Mike.
We spend some time talking about the yoga scene at the time (including the pushback she received for diverging from established methods of teaching), and why she was determined to make yoga accessible to anyone eager to learn.
Tuning in you’ll hear how Tara went from teaching yoga in Central Park to starting her studio and flying around the world for a dizzying array of opportunities. She reveals the feeling of overwhelm she was experiencing at this time, the effect it had on her marriage, and how she ultimately realized that she needed to slow down.
We also discussed Tara’s book Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28-Day Plan for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Self-Care, and what it was like writing it. As we wrap up, Tara shares the most important things she’s learned about life, entrepreneurship, and marriage over the course of her life and career. Life is rarely simple (or straightforward), and no matter how much you plan, it never seems to go quite as expected. Tune in to learn about Tara’s fascinating life journey and what she has learned from it!
Key Points From This Episode:
Introducing today’s guest Tara Stiles, yoga teacher and founder of Stråla.
How Tara first fell in love with dance and what it taught her as a young person.
Tara’s initial introduction to yoga, and why she instantly found it so appealing.
How Tara first realized she could earn a living as a yoga teacher.
The crisis of accessibility that Tara experienced as a professional dancer.
How Tara made the transition from dance to yoga.
The story of how Tara met her husband Mike, and the instant connection they experienced.
Tara’s original mission to create accessible yoga in New York and how she started her studio with her partner, Mike.
The entrepreneurial lessons that Tara has learned from teaching yoga and running a studio.
Learn how Tara became one of the first people to utilize social media to share her yoga routines online.
Some of the pushback that Tara experienced when she diverged from how yoga had originally been taught in New York yoga studios.
How iconic figures like Jane Fonda and Deepak Chopra started attending Tara’s classes.
The exciting opportunities that Tara was experiencing at this time while also feeling overwhelmed and miserable.
The difficulties that Tara and Mike were having in their marriage and how they worked through it.
How Tara confronted and addressed the burnout and fatigue that she was experiencing.
What Tara has learned about the value of collaboration.
Learn about Tara’s book Clean Body, Clean Mind, and what her daily routine currently looks like.
The key lessons Tara has learned about life, business, and marriage.
Tweetables:
“I really remember this incredible feeling of being able to do something physically with my body, but then also equally performing that for people.” — @TaraStiles [0:09:48]
“I found out when I was talking to people, nobody wanted to do yoga, but people wanted to feel better in their bodies, feel better in their lives. Everybody has their list of problems and the more you ask questions, the more problems people will tell you they have.” — @TaraStiles [0:45:13]
“A five-minute video isn't going to solve your problem. But it'll start to give you some hints and some clues into what's happening with you. So, for me, it was just super exciting and off to the races.” — @TaraStiles [0:45:35]
“It was a very busy time where I was starting to get all these opportunities that I was so happy and grateful and excited for. But I was also at my most miserable — for all kinds of reasons. I couldn't keep one person happy. I felt like everybody was not getting enough from me.” — @TaraStiles [0:59:06]
“I think I slowed down enough to notice that there wasn't a problem with him, and he was still there waiting, and we reconnected and things became much better really quickly.” — @TaraStiles [01:04:20]
“I think my biggest takeaway is ‘people are people everywhere’, and if it makes sense to do something together, that ‘together thing’ is the thing instead of me getting a job, or me being elevated by this brand.” — @TaraStiles [01:10:58]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28-Day Plan for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Self-Care