Chris Emery
Madrona Yoga: When did you first start a regular yoga practice and how often do you practice yoga?
Chris Emery: I think it was in about 2002 when I started classes at a local studio where Desiree was already a teacher. I liked her classes so much I followed her to own studio! I attend at least 1 class per week, but practice at least 3 times per week sometimes attending another class or else practicing at home.
Madrona Yoga: How would you describe your home practice?
Chris Emery: Fluid! It varies in time and content depending on the week and what I feel I need at the time.
Madrona Yoga: Have you noticed a change in yourself physically, mentally or any other way?
Chris Emery: First yoga changed me physically, improving my flexibility and alleviating all kinds of aches & pains…but it has definitely influenced me mentally and spiritually. It has helped me to slow down and look at things from a different perspective.
Madrona Yoga: How does your yoga practice effect other aspects of your life?
Chris Emery: Just like yoga is a practice, so is life. From yoga I was lead to meditation, and these 2 practices have helped me to approach life with more curiousity and self-compassion. And without Yoga I probably wouldn’t be able to do all the hiking and backpacking I do!
Madrona Yoga: I know you have finished your own Teacher Training. Did you complete it to further your own practice or do you plan on teaching?
Chris Emery: While it’s nice to think I could expand into teaching in the future, I really did it to further my own practice…and it really helped me get more comfortable practicing on my own at home.
Madrona Yoga: Do you have a favorite yoga pose?
Chris Emery: Half-moon! I try to incorporate a variety of asana in my home practice but I always include half-moon.
Madrona Yoga: You have been practicing Yoga for a long time. How would you say it has changed for you from when you started to where you are now?
Chris Emery: At the beginning yoga was very much a physical practice of asana…about the external body. Now I see it so much more from an holistic perspective – it really is about body, mind and spirit…a more internal focus. So I practice more organically, from the inside out.
Madrona Yoga: What book or books are on your bedside table right now?
Chris Emery: Gandhi’s Autobiography, “Oogy – the dog only a family could love”, Krishnamurti’s The Book of Life, and an Elly Griffith’s murder mystery. I have eclectic reading tastes and always have more than 1 book on the go!
Madrona Yoga: What is some of your favorite music on your playlist?
Chris Emery: Anything by the Eagles, Ed Sheeran “I See Fire”, Beirut “Goshen”, Wynonna Judd “Testify to Love”, Allen Vizutti (jazz trumpet)
Madrona Yoga: How do you spend your free time?
Chris Emery: Reading, hiking, gardening…and right now trolling animal rescue sites to find our next furry companions!