Elena Brower on yoga, motherhood and her new book
From the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, renowned yoga instructor, Wanderlust aficionado and now co-author (with Erica Jago) of Art of Attention (Sounds True), Elena Brower, has been traveling around the world teaching yoga and meditation on a global scale since 1999.
Brower is yoga-teacher-in-residence at ABC Home in Manhattan, founder of Teach.Yoga, a content hub for yoga teachers, and she teaches at hugely popular international retreats and trainings. Her true reach is virtual, with audio meditation courses, and more, at elenabrower.com.
But no matter how much her influence grows, for Brower, the divine is in the details. “I want to reach as many people as I can, but in the small moments of their lives,” she says. “I ask myself, ‘How can I help people take their practice into their everyday lives? Really show up for their families?’”
Over delicious vegan bites at the Candle Cafe on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, we sat down to talk about balance, motherhood and becoming an author.
What did you learn from working on the book?
I learned how to balance work and family. This is the year to delineate work and family. My mission is to be very present, to be there in the moment for my nine-and-a-half-year-old son, who travels with me sometimes. I’ve tinkered with my schedule, and when I’m home—it’s us. I turn off my phone and my computer.
How did your book come to be?
My co-author and I discussed the idea. Ultimately, it’s a workbook. We wanted to focus on five chapters, with five practices for yoga, with photo shoots from around the world. Gabrielle Bernstein, Donna Karan, Gwyneth Paltrow and Christy Turlington Burns contributed, and then a friend went through the book and made it all flow.
This book has changed the way yoga is depicted. It’s made it more artful, exploratory and exciting for everyone. We are all hungry and thirsty for a good potent practice, and I can deliver that, from my heart.
Feature photo credit: Hailey Wist