Healing Practices: Q&A With Tara Stiles Of Strala

Tara Stiles has many strings to her bow from model turned yoga instructor, founder of Strala Yoga in New York City, author of top-selling books; Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, Yoga Cures and Make Your Own Rules Diet to her place as personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra, an outstanding partnership with W Hotels and collaboration with Reebok.  She is most definitely one of the busiest ladies we know, so we were pleased when she took time out to speak to us so we could get to know Tara a little better.

1. Why do you think people are embracing the idea of wellness travel and are going on holiday to nourish & restore like never before?
It’s mainstream now to want to feel great all the time. Having a good amount of energy is valued and people want to enjoy their lives and feel good. This old idea of working hard, working out, saving money, and then blowing all that hard work on holiday is out dated. People work hard and want to play hard, having fun the whole time and getting strong, fit, and feeling great during all of it. It’s fun to be healthy and that concept is now normal.

2. You’re a very busy lady and with so much on your plate how do you stay healthy & centered?
I’m lucky when I’m in NYC I can just hop into Strala and take a class when I can squeeze it in. It has to be a priority to fit in a class and cooking, otherwise, the schedule would take over. Feeling great is important to me and to do everything I want to do, so I put self care first.

3. What’s a typical day in the life of Tara like?
It totally depends on where in the world I am. If I’m on a trip, I’ll be at an event, leading a class, or something like that. If I’m in NYC I split the day between Strala studio and Strala HQ. Thankfully the dress code is pretty casual for most of that :)

4. You’ve been lucky enough to travel with what you do, what is your favorite wellness destination & why?
W has some incredible properties that I’ve been lucky to travel to, and help build a wellness program for. W Bali, W Maldives and W Viqeues are some of my favorites so far.

5. What 5 items are your must haves for when you travel?

• Japanese heated eye masks (for sleeping on plane)
• Strala hoodie and sweats
• Embryolisse moisturizer
• Pineapple pants from my reebok collab
• My old copy of Moby Dick (I keep carrying it around, hopefully I’ll get through it someday)

6. What would be your top tips for staying healthy and looking your best?

• Get regular with your practice. I have loads of videos on-line to help people fit in a few minutes of yoga wherever you are and however much time you have.
• Drink your greens. green juices and smoothies are an easy way to get your energy up and keep your whole body and energy vibrant
• Do new things. learn new skills to stay interested and active. I’m into knitting, learning languages and japanese culture. Pick something and make a hobby out of it. it will keep your mind sharp

7. If you could recommend one thing that anyone could do in the morning to start their day, what would it be?
Green Dream. Spinach. Banana. Almond Milk. Blend. Enjoy! Then 5 minutes of yoga at home.

8. If you could be a fly on the wall for a day, who’s life would you take a sneak peak at and why?
Dalai lama. I want to see if he is really meditating all day :)

9. What’s been your biggest inspiration or driving force for the success you’ve achieved?
I have no idea. I just love what I do and I have a lot of energy. Also I want to help. I know this work helps so that’s why I go after it every day.

10. What one rule must be broken in life?
All of them except for traffic lights.

 

Coming soon: Keep an eye out for our review of Tara’s most recently published book Make Your Own Rules Diet.

 

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