PROFILE: Clara Roberts-Oss on yoga — 'I love it all.'

 *******

"Lift your leg a little higher," says Vancouver-based vinyasa yoga instructor, Clara Roberts-Oss, to a roomful of sweaty yogis.

And the dozen or so of us three-legged dogs all manage to lift our extended legs a little higher.

Because a yoga class with Clara is always a lesson in lightness: Shaking off boundaries and jumping into the practice — wherever it takes you.

After a recent yoga retreat with Clara to Saltspring — where we were encouraged to think about ideas like surrendering and letting go — I asked her to share a few of her thoughts on yoga.

Here's what she had to say:

What do you love most about yoga?

• Where to begin...I love it all. Lately, I'm really enjoying my meditation practice. Stillness is so important to cultivate every day — especially if you move as much as I do. 

What inspires your practice?

• Breathe. Music. My heartbeat. 

What advice do you have for someone who is new to yoga?

• Keep at it. It's hard at first — or at least it was for me — but the benefits are worth it!

What is your favourite quote? 

• Taken from this weekend: "to fight is instinctual, to surrender takes courage."

Why?

• The natural instinct to being uncomfortable in the body is to fight it, is to resist it. It takes a great deal of courage to surrender to it, to allow the discomfort to continue. BUT if you can truly surrender to it, your practice will deeepen. The muscles will stretch. A sense of peace will occur. That's the practice! That's what we're striving for!

And if you could do anything today, what would you do?

• Lie in bed and read a book.

Thanks Clara!

(Top Photo: We snagged this off Clara's website — pixieyoga.net — where you'll find info on her practice, her bio, her monthly musical playlist and class schedule.)

(Bottom Photo: Clara — front right — and some of us at the retreat. You'll spot Shanti Yoga's Autumn & me in there too!)