You are a space maker. Every inhale creates more room and space inside. Every exhale moves you right into that new space. The deeper you breathe the more space opens up. Everyone likes the feeling of having space around. Space to move. Space to breathe. Space to live.

Meditation can happen through many forms. Seated meditation, moving meditation (yoga), gardening, walking, running, and one of my favorite meditative practices, knitting! I discovered knitting several years ago when I was writing Slim Calm Sexy Yoga and was out on a writing break walk around the neighborhood. I walked by a candy colored vibrant workshop called Wool and the Gang. I went inside and it was like Christmas. Helpful lovely people sitting around candle lite knitting the most gorgeous colored fluffy wool and cottons into amazing creations.  I had to be a part of whatever was going on in there.

I practice meditation by knitting hats and give away my creations to you all. Last week’s mustard yellow hat is going to recent college grad Jenny Young in Cranston Road Island. Stay tuned for the next giveaway very soon!

I’m super stoked to share with you my new collab with Wool and the Gang. Yoga inspired street ready to knit-wear. Get your needles ready and enjoy creating all that space for yourself and a lovely gift for yourself or a friend.

Don’t Miss this Free Summit!

I’m so excited to be part of Hay House World Summit. My talk is on June 10th. Set your calendar. But don’t miss all the wisdom from over 100 World-Renowned Teachers including Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman, Sharon Salzberg, Louise Hay, Kris Carr, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and many more!

I’m so thrilled to invite you to the Hay House World Summit. Won’t you join me?

Strala on Tour

We just got back from an amazing weekend in Toronto leading Strala classes and Strala Intensive for Teachers. It’s so exciting to see leading with ease and fun take off like wild fire and really begin to sweep the globe. It’s a yoga revolution away from rigidity to ease and connectivity. We have so much demand to bring Strala classes, guides, and programs all over the world and it makes me so happy to see leaders who are guiding Strala classes in their studios and gyms growing their businesses and communities. Be part of the revolution.

RSVP to take a training near you! The program is designed for anyone who wants to move with ease and form a deeper connection to self. Whether you are interested in leading Strala classes privately or in a group, or just interested in deepening your personal practice, the weekend intensives are open to everyone. Don’t be shy. We’re excited to meet and share with you.

Sign up here for a city near you!

Oregon July 13 & 14

Boston Sept 21 & 22

San Fran Nov 9 & 10

DC Feb 8 & 9

Standard Hotel Miami Retreat

Energize, Relax and Restore with Tara, Heidi & Mike 

Friday Aug 9 – Monday Aug 12

Miami Standard Hotel

Summer is almost here which means our anual Standard Miami yoga retreat is coming up! I hope you’ll join us! The last 2 years I led all the classes and have had such a blast with everyone, but now that Strala is growing and expanding I can’t hog all the fun to myself. and this year I’m brining the Strala gang along with me for tripple the fun. You’ll have 3 classes a day (take as many as you like) with me, Heidi and Mike. Outside of the yoga we’ll be enjoying the pool, the spa, the awesome food, and of course, sunny Miami. It’s going to be an awesome adventure. Hope to see you there.

Reserve 3 nights here

Reserve 2 nights here

Or call  305.573.1717

See you in the Sun!

xo

Tara

If you’re anything like me you’re super into learning, growing, getting stronger mentally, physically, and soaking up inspiration whenever possible.

I’m so excited to be a part of the Hay House World Summit.

It’s like inhaling the entire science, spiritual, health, and wellness sections of your favorite book store, and going to Grad School, all in one sitting.

Join over 100 World-Renowned Teachers in this FREE Online Event as they share their stories, powerful exercises and advice on how to live your best life.

Register today for the Hay House World Summit! Some of my favorites are Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman, Sharon Salzberg, Louise Hay, Kris Carr, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and many more.

Join over 100 World-Renowned Teachers in this FREE Online Event as they share their stories, powerful exercises and advice on how to live your best life.

I’m super excited to devour all this goodness and I know you are too. Oh, and I’m in there too talking about yoga, meditation, healthy living, and tips to stay centered and connected to our most inspired place.

Set your calendar for my talk June 10th

How to Follow Your Intuition Through Yoga and Win with Ease

Conversation with Jessica Ortner

Exercise Included

I’m so thrilled to invite you to the Hay House World Summit. Won’t you join me?

Knitted Hat from Me to You

Ok so I have this wacky fantasy of knitting one hat every week and giving it away to one of you for as long as my fingers will knit. By the end of my days I hope to have thousands of heads covered with cozy knitted hats. It’s like my solo goofy mission to keep your heads protected, and help your energy be fuzzy, safe and inspired. It’s like yoga, but in a hat.

With that, I have another hat for you. It’s mustard yellow with a fun pom pom. The color was an exclusive limited run with WoolandtheGang so this hat is super special. There aren’t too many like it in the world, and there are none exactly like it.

To win the hat I need 2 simple things from you.

1. Subscribe to this newsletter and pass it along to your friends. I promise to keep the giveaways and useful information coming.

2. Tweet to me @tarastiles with hashtag #taraknits and tell me why you want the hat. Make sure you are following me so I can DM you for your address to send you the hat!

If you don’t win, don’t worry, more hats are on the way, and I also have a fun collaboration coming up with Wool and the Gang that will involve more gifts for you too!
xo

Tara

Hope you are having a great day so far. I don’t know about you, but for me a little inspiration goes a long way, and when a dose of big inspiration heads in my direction I aim to put myself right in front of it so I can soak up what I can. I’m so happy to be in NYC for a bit after a few weeks of travel for super fun events with the fall launch of our Reebok Yoga line in Russia, a mini-vaca / press trip to Paris, Boston back to NYC. Travel has become my middle name. This kind of a packed schedule hasn’t been something that I thought would be in my life. I’m just happy I get to be in sweatpants most of the time. Somehow it all works out.

Recently I’ve had the luck / pleasure / karma / however you chose to articulate inspirational events, to hook up with the Hay House World Summit crew. This is a yearly event where the inspirational leaders of the world come together and deliver life changing inspirational information, advice, information, and all around goodness. The summit includes super inspirations Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, Kris Carr, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, and so many more. You really don’t want to miss out on all this goodness all in one place. It’s like inhaling the entire science, health, spiritual, and optimal living section at all the book stores and lecture halls in one sitting. I’m super excited to devour all this goodness and I know you are too. Oh, and I’m in there too talking about yoga, meditation, healthy living, and tips to stay centered and connected to our most inspired place.

My talk is all about. . .

How to Follow Your Intuition Through Yoga and Win with Ease
Conversation with Jessica Ortner
Exercise Included

Have you thought about trying out yoga but felt intimidated because you didn’t think that you were in good enough shape or couldn’t touch your toes? Well, Tara Stiles unequivocally debunks that myth. As she says, “If you can breathe, you can do yoga.” Tara describes a few simple poses and breathing exercises to do in the morning that will bring endless benefits to the rest of your day, as well as many other practices that you can apply to your life. She even guides listeners through a meditation!

I’m so thrilled to invite you to the Hay House World Summit. Won’t you join me?

xo
Tara

Enjoy this yummy spring salad any time of day. It’s fresh, delicious, and fully satisfying.

Make a big batch and have friends over. 

You’ll Need

1/4 whole pineapple chopped

1 avocado

1 orange bell pepper

4 handfulls spinach

1 table spoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

sprinkle crush red pepper flakes

Now What

Chop and combine pineapple, bell pepper, avocado & spinach

Mix dijon, balsamic and red pepper flakes in separate bowl

Combine and Mix

Enjoy!

I’m writing this from resting in bed in the center of Paris. Decided to carve out a little break in my schedule after a quick trip to Moscow for some press and an awesome event for our Reebok Yoga line. Moscow is super interesting and a unique place. The people were super warm and friendly, and I had a great time meeting so many people and doing yoga with a nice group of course too. Learning a little Russian from Strala friends and guides Marina and Vera was helpful too!

Everyone I meet is busy, scheduled, often over scheduled and too often sleep deprived. I recognize how easy it is to fill our schedules to and past the brim to do the most we can and help the most we can. I fell into this habit myself. Careful what you wish for. Between my travel schedule, Strala, and other projects my calendar is packed every day from early until late. Filling up all your space with an agenda can be great for productivity, but is often an illusion of control and getting it all done.

I value quality in how I am able to help and recognize that if every minute of every day is booked up with shoots, interviews, events, and classes, what I have to offer becomes sacrificed. My health, mental and physical would become sacrificed, and eventually there is a breaking point. I think this experience is familiar to a lot of us, no matter how we spend our time and it’s important to actually schedule in, just like all those important things you do all day long, down time. Time to do nothing but allow space to be around you and radiate and expand you. Space to heal, recover, and allow for inspiration.

Space to be.

I’ve been sleeping late, going for walks, taking long baths, and taking lots of naps. I did agree to a few interviews while I’m here, and grateful that people are interested in spreading the message of helping in an easy going way, but was careful not to fill every moment of my carved out down time with work, because that is possible in my world, and I’m sure, possible in yours too. I’ll admit, it’s not my instinct to have down time and not my instinct to allow myself to relax for a couple days in a row, but I understand that it’s necessary to improve my mission to help myself and people in the long run, and because I know this, I chose to relax.

Oh, the irony though, I’m actually blogging right now about how I am choosing to relax. Ok, back to relaxing for real now.

How do you carve out space in your life? And dont’ tell me it’s not important!

You can only give what you have and please make time for you to relax and recover.

You deserve it.

xo

Tara

Happy Spring! It’s warming up a bit in NYC. How about where you are?

I’m headed to Germany today to celebrate the launch of our new Reebok Yoga line and synchroniciticly the launch of the German translation and publication of Yoga Cures, Wie Yoga Heilt. Danke! So excited to hang out in Germany, lead some yoga and make new friends. Check out Reebok US for all the awesome yoga gear!

Wanted to share the winner of last giveaway’s hat I knitted. Eric Poulsen, Wisconsin resident, family man, truck driver, and yogi! And even cooler through Strala on line he’s found a recent Strala Intensive Training grad, Melissa Brown, owner of YOGArithm to practice with. It’s not so far from where he lives. Here is a super fun picture of Eric and Melissa after one of her STRONG classes.

And the winner of the Intuitive Business skype giveaway round one is Arwa Bager, a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Buffalo SUNY. She has an aromatherapy business she is looking to expand. Will keep you guys posted on her business and our chat!

Moving on to even more hat excitement, I have another hat for you! Wool and the Gang released an exclusive amount of this gorgeous mustard yellow color in alpaca and saved me a couple bundles! It sold out before I could even order! Thankfully I know that gang over there, we have an awesome collaboration launching in May that I can’t wait to share with you!

How to get it.

Subscribe to this newsletter if you’re not already.

Leave a comment in this video and let me know why you want the hat.

I’ll pick someone and ship it out to you ASAP!

The giveaways and goodies happen ever week to make sure to share this newsletter so your friends can get hooked up too!

Spring Training is On!

Lots of us are moving through April with twice daily yoga and fun conversation about the process. If you missed the start, no worries, you can begin any time! Here is your printable calendar so we can track our progress.

You can track your mood, energy level, quality of sleep, and more. Along with twice daily yoga routines on the calendar, I’ll be sending you daily reminders and recipes to keep you eating well and feeling great!

If you don’t have This is Yoga DVD series I post YouTube routines to practice every night for the following day on Facebook.

One of the greatest benefits of regular easy going yoga practice is how it shifts how you think, feel, and act. Relating to how you feel about food and what you feel like eating, I’ve witnessed such fantastic transformations from sugar to kale in just a few weeks! And I’m talking about cravings, yes, you’ll be craving all kinds of leafy green things and other healthy foods during the process. And you’ll enjoy preparing and eating them too!

The regular physical and mental practice will cultivate a strong, open, clear, and connected body and mind. Who doesn’t want that? No one!

I’m so excited for you to start this journey to feeling fantastic and enjoying radiant health from the inside out!

We’ll be following along with routines from This is Yoga DVD series. I know a lot of you have the series, so this will be a great starting point for us to practice and share our experiences. If you don’t have the series, pick it up here.

This is Yoga US

This is Yoga Germany

This is Yoga UK

xo

Tara

Hope you are having a great day so far.

This week I was invited to Harvard Business School to participate in a class on Branding led by Professor Rohit Deshpande. He presented his case study on the Branding of Yoga which included an overview of my business and Bikram’s business. It was quite humbling to be guided around the campus by Rohit, accompanied by my Harvard grad / super smarty pants husband / ride, Mike on a day that eyes and ears were tuned into how I’ve build what I’ve built and my plans for the future.

With the intention of helping myself get connected and expand, and helping others do the same, I’ve developed two brands around doing just that. I set the intention and went along for the ride. Through perspective of ease, fun, and open source sharing, my interest has turned into business and a brand.

Stepping outside of my usual communications of how can I help through yoga, healthy eating, and meditation, (oh and I can’t forget fun with knitting), I feel compelled to offer what I can about following your intuition and building sustainable business out of your interests. I have the big luck of being surrounded by many great heros of mine, and the opportunity to soak up some wisdom, reflect on possibility, and put ideas into action. It doesn’t feel right to keep that all to myself.

Last week I was asked to speak at Women in Strategy conference in New York, where i gave a talk on Intuitive Business building. I had a ton of fun connecting with the audience of leaders in business. A woman who holds a big position at a large corporation raised her hand and asked advice on how to turn something she loved doing in her spare time into a business. A woman who heads up strategy at NASA asked me a great question about how to convince men in the corporate environment to practice yoga. The look on these women’s faces told me loud and clear there was an opportunity and an interest in me sharing my experience with the goal of helping others expand.

By the way, the best way to convince a man, either in the corporate world or not, to practice yoga, is to tell him it will make him win at whatever he wants most. If it’s sports, range of motion, makes him faster so he can beat his opponent and he’ll also have a fierce mental sharpness his opponent will not enjoy. If it’s business he’ll gain the view the astronauts gained when they went towards the moon. They realized the value in the mission wasn’t going toward the goal, it was looking back at the Earth, our home, and reflecting on the radical perspective of interconnectivity. Also, they will get stronger, look younger, and have a better body than other men who don’t practice. That usually works.

Here is where You come in.

Do you have a burning question about how to turn your interest into business? Are you making a business out of something you love but need some help to kick it into high gear? I’ve learned some interesting perspectives along the way in my own personal journey, and from learning from my mentors and friends.

I’m offering a one-on-one skype session to one of you with me to discuss your strategy. No cost. No strings. Only intuition.

How to get it.

Subscribe to the newsletter if you’re not already.

Leave a comment in this video and let me know why you’d like to skype about turning your interest into business.

I’ll pick someone and announce the skype receiver next week!

We’ll schedule a time and skype it up!

Spring Training Starts April 1

Jump on board if you’er not already! Spring yoga training with me starts next week! Get your printable calendar so we can track our progress.

How it works:

We’ll be following along with routines from This is Yoga DVD series. I know a lot of you have the series, so this will be a great starting point for us to practice and share our experiences. If you don’t have the series, pick it up here.

This is Yoga US
This is Yoga Germany
This is Yoga UK

So if you don’t have a copy and can’t get a copy, I’ll suggest some YouTube videos that are on the same page and we’ll still have a great time, I promise.

Daily checkins and inspirations coming to you from FB and Twitter. Get connected. We’ll inspire each other. Share your goals and your desires. I’m here to support you. The group will uplift you and keep the wind under your wings. You can do it!

xo
Tara

Happy Spring! I have a fun present for you.

I’ve developed a big obsession with knitting over the last few months. Super therapeutic and a great way to wind down and relax. It’s very similar to yoga in repetition and meditative qualities. I’ve been spending loads of time on airplanes traveling all over the globe and making hats has been a really nice way to ease the air time, have some fun, and end up with a unique creation every few hours. On the international flights I have been known to walk in with a bag of WoolandtheGang yarn and out with a bag of hats. I can only wear one hat at a time and don’t really like to collect a lot of baggage, so giving the hats away to friends, family, and strangers turned new friends, has become one of my favorite things to do.

So here’s the present part!

I made a pretty light and sherpa blue stripped hat from alpaca WATG and I’m giving it away!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

How to get it.

Subscribe to my newsletter if you’re not already. I give away presents once a week and other goodies.

Leave a comment in this video and let me know why you want the hat.

I’ll pick someone and ship it out to you ASAP!

Having a hunch this giveaway might be a request for a repeat and don’t worry. I knit a lot so will have more to giveaway soon!

Me & You Yoga Time!

Just a reminder April 1st is coming up and we’re getting ready to do yoga together for 1 month!

Find out more here if you’re not already in and psyched!

xo

Tara

Happy Spring! I have a fun present for you. For one month, starting April 1, (not a joke!) I’m going to be your personal yoga teacher, if you’ll have me. I’ll be walking you through a step-by-step program to help you feel great from the inside out. I’ve even made us a printable calendar so we can track our progress.

You can track your mood, energy level, quality of sleep, and more. Along with the twice daily yoga routines on the calendar, I’ll be sending you daily reminders and recipe ideas to keep you eating well.

One of the greatest benefits of regular easy going yoga practice is how it shifts how you think, feel, and act. Relating to how you feel about food and what you will feel like eating, I’ve witnessed such fantastic transformations from sugar to kale in just a few weeks. And I’m talking about cravings, yes, you’ll be craving all kinds of leafy green things and other healthy foods. And you’ll enjoy preparing and eating them too!

The regular physical and mental practice will cultivate a strong, open, clear and connected body and mind. Who doesn’t want that? No one!

I’m so excited for you to start this journey to feeling fantastic and enjoying radiant health from the inside out!

How it works:

We’ll be following along with routines from This is Yoga DVD series. I know a lot of you have the series, so this will be a great starting point for us to practice and share our experiences. If you don’t have the series, pick it up here.

This is Yoga US
This is Yoga Germany
This is Yoga UK

If This is Yoga isn’t available in your country yet, I’m super sorry. My team is working on it and we won’t stop until everyone who wants a copy gets them to practice with. Canada friends, thanks for your patience. Really thrilled that you are jumping on the moving-with-ease bandwagon. There may be an online option avail soon. Yay for the internet!

So if you don’t have a copy I’ll suggest some YouTube videos that are on the same page and we’ll still have a great time I promise! I post your daily YouTube routines on the Facebook page. Check it out!

Now for even more fun!

I have a downloadable, printable, take it with you, put it on your fridge, your vision board, your journal, your laundry basket, wherever you’re going to check out when you would like to be spending some time with yourself on your yoga mat. Print this baby out. It’s your daily routine guide. Your training blue print, if you will. Get excited.

Get your calendar here.

April 1 we start.

Daily checkins and inspirations coming to you from FB and twitter. Get connected. We’ll inspire each other. Share your goals and you desires. I’m here to support you. The group will uplift you and keep the wind under your wings. You can do it!

Ready? Lets get started!

See you April 1 (no joke!)

xo

Tara

Tara Stiles is Your Personal Yoga Teacher

Hope you are having a great day so far. At Strala NYC (Cheers swapped out bar for yoga mats) a lot of the regulars often do “a double”. – back to back classes. Some daredevils even do a tripple from time to time. Given the frequency of our STRONG and RELAX classes on the schedule, there is a lot of discussion of the nature of “the double”. Often a new person sees the double participants leaving their mat out after a RELAX to gear up for STRONG, or the other way around, using RELAX as the wind down. Either way is super fun, and leaves you feeling lose as a noodle and energized as a weekend at the beach.

Recently, our friends at SHAPE magazine decided to give “the double” a-go. They asked us all sorts of questions about hydration, and timing of meals and snacks. Perfectly valid concerns for spending almost 3 hours moving and breathing. Fortunately, at Strala, our our movements are with ease, so burning out mid class doesn’t happen. If you need a breather, just hang in child’s pose, or take an easy going Warrior. No need to flex and grit your teeth to get through it. We practice doing more with less effort. Fun how it works out that way.

Anna Gannon, Strala regular turned Guide, recently told me after leading a class last week, that she had a moment with Strala where she felt so energized and it was like she didn’t have to try anymore, and was getting further faster, without the old way of “trying”. Pushing and forcing lead to tension and stress in the body, mind and life. We use what we need, rest what we don’t, and get a lot done in the process.

Tips to Prepare for the Double

1. Drink plenty of water. And Bring some with you in class.

2. Eat simple. Don’t worry too much about carbo loading or eating a big meal before. If you’re starving, eat something simple like a banana. You’ll be nice and hungry after to enjoy a healthy meal.

3. Move with ease. No need to push or force. Stay with the breath. Let each inhale lift you and create space in your body and mind and each exhale moves you right in. You’ll have loads of new space after your double!

4. Buddy up. Need an extra reason to double? Make a date with a friend or buddy up with a regular at the studio.

5. Have fun. It’s not worth it if it’s not fun. Make sure to enjoy the ride!

Do you “double”? Let me know in the comments what you think of the double yoga class.

When you are finished you might be in the mood for a Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie. Just sayin. Enjoy!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

xo

Tara