Perhaps it’s because she’s been doing yoga since she was a little girl, but Mandy Ingber is a bit irreverent about the ancient practice. Sure, she can rattle off the dozens of benefits yoga provides (for starters, improved circulation, digestion and flexibility). Plus, she displays flawless form as she moves. Yet Ingber says, “I don’t think yoga is going to change the world.” Unlike more orthodox instructors, she doesn’t believe yoga provides an unchangeable set of rules. In one section of her DVD Yogalosophy, for instance, she merges toning exercises with traditional yoga moves. And instead of incense, she offers up a bunch of wisecracks.
What else would you expect from a yogini whose mantra is: “I have a great ass”? No wonder, then, that Ingber has won over a celebrity clientele that includes Jennifer Aniston, Ricki Lake, Brooke Shields, Woody Harrelson and Helen Hunt. (See a review of Yogalosophy here.)
MORE talked with Ingber about her teachings and practice.
Q. When did you get started with yoga?
A. I was born into it. My father brought it into my life when I was a child in Los Angeles. I wanted to be close to my dad so I did what he was doing. My dad was an attorney and his hobby was his body. He could put both his legs behind his head. He was a wild ride. Right after my dad passed away, I was in a downward facing dog and I remembered that he had introduced me to yoga and I thought that yoga would always connect me to him.
Q. But you became a spinning instructor before you taught yoga.
A. I had been an actress, things shifted in my life, so at about 28, I became a spinning instructor. It quickly became obvious that I had something that people wanted. People said my spinning classes were like yoga classes on a bike. I would start off by setting an intention, as you do in yoga classes, bring people back to their breath, and try to connect people to the bigger picture.
Q: What made you move more towards yoga?
I was going through a break-up and I wanted something to do, so I did yoga teacher training. I started getting calls for people who wanted private yoga instruction. Jennifer [Aniston] and I started working together about six years ago. She was one of several people who approached me at the same time. When you’re meant to do something, it keeps coming your way. I dropped my classes and just took on the private clients. Right now I only teach yoga one-on-one. I produced my DVD so I could reach more people.
Q: You seem to want people to put less pressure on themselves when practicing yoga. Can you explain?
A. My approach to yoga is my approach to life: You start where you are, you accept where you are. Some days I have to find something to motivate me, like thinking of someone I have a crush on. Some days I say I’ll do it from a soft place. You show up every day with whatever you have. Some days I’m not my best self, I’m my okay self. So I lower the bar. I’m past the 80s mentality of kicking ass. Now I’m about loving my body and taking care of myself.
Q: What’s your exercise program?
A. I do some version of cardio 30 to 45 minutes three to five days a week, plus 30 to 60 minutes of yoga four days a week. I take two spinning classes a week.
Q: You’re 42. How has your body changed since you passed 40?
A. I don’t need to exercise as much as I used to—my body stays fit with less exercise. I do need to take more down time, get more sleep. I can’t get away with what I used to get away with, like drinking coffee. If I have a glass of wine the night before, I feel it the next morning. I find with all of my clients in their 40s, their bodies get better. This is a great decade.
Comments
Post new comment