Interview with Renowned Yogini Judith Hanson Lasater

Judith Hanson Lasater has taught yoga since 1971. She holds a doctorate in East-West psychology and is a physical therapist. Judith is president of the California Yoga Teachers Association, and serves on the advisory boards of Yoga Journal and the Yoga Research and Education Center. 

Her yoga training includes study with B. K. S. Iyengar in India and the United States. She teaches ongoing yoga classes and trains yoga teachers in kinesiology, yoga therapeutics, and the Yoga Sutra in the San Francisco Bay Area. Judith also gives workshops throughout the United States, and has taught in Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and Russia.

She is the author of six books: A Year of Living Your Yoga, Yoga Abs, Yoga for Pregnancy, 30 Essential Yoga Poses, Living Your Yoga and Relax and Renew.

Judith graciously consented to an interview with yoga student and New Haven-area freelance writer, Penny Crump.

Penny Crump: Thank you for the interview. We're delighted to have you back to Connecticut. Why do you like to teach here in Connecticut?

Judith Lasater: I enjoy the students. Their level of responsiveness and training makes it a pleasure. There's a real give and take. The students are receptive to the lessons and they give back with great enthusiasm.

PC: Please describe how the Greater New Haven yoga community is different from or similar to other places where you've taught?

JL: I find the yoga students similar all over the world - curious, interested in themselves and other people. They want to know how they can make their lives better as well as learn how to teach and share their knowledge with others.

PC: How has the popularity of yoga impacted your teaching?

JL: People are more aware of what yoga is now. You don't need to educate people as much. People know it's not something exotic like sitting on a bed of nails. It's a deep practice of self-awareness and self-knowledge that also connects you to those around you in a way that is beneficial to everyone.

PC: What inspired you to write your latest book - A Year of Living Your Yoga?

JL: My previous book, Living Your Yoga, correlated daily activities with the basic teachings of yoga. This resulted in a practical approach that beckons students to find the spiritual in everyday life. Students asked me for detailed examples for everyday living, so I wrote what essentially became a yoga lesson plan for everyday of the year.

PC: How do you find time to be so prolific?

JL: There are two techniques I use. The first is that when I begin a book, I first spend a lot of time with my publisher talking about concepts, outlining, researching and organizing. Then the actual writing goes more smoothly; the writing flows into the outline. The second technique is I make a commitment to work on the book everyday. Once I decide to write it I work on it everyday - whether it's making a phone call, reviewing future chapters, or actual writing. I do something everyday even if it's only 5 minutes. The foundation is that I only write a book about something I am passionate about and when I feel I have something to say. Then I just have a "dialogue" with the reader and that guides everything I write. 

PC: What do you tell students who get overwhelmed when they try live a yogic lifestyle? The eight limbs of yoga are a lot to grapple with - students can feel like they're wrestling an octopus!

JL: Actually, the commitment to stepping on the mat is the victory, even if it's only for ten minutes. You can build up slowly and not get overwhelmed. What if everybody in America committed to practicing yoga for ten minutes everyday? Don't you think that would transform our country?  Paradoxically, when you look at how habits are formed, it's easier to commit to doing something everyday. It's actually harder to get on the mat three times a week. If you choose that pattern, then you'll be arguing with yourself about whether or not to do yoga everyday instead of just carrying out the decision you have already made once. So the question is, do you want to have to make the commitment every day and try to decide, or do you want to make the commitment only once.

PC: What is your favorite asana? (Yoga posture)

JL: My favorite is Savasana. (Also known as Corpse pose. You lay on your back in a state of total relaxation for 20 minutes.) When I'm in Savasana, I am quiet, still, and present, and better yet, I'm not creating any mischief in the world.

PC: When do you get to levitate?

JL: I haven't levitated yet. In fact, I'm still trying to learn to keep my two feet firmly on the earth, in the present and pointed straight ahead where I'm going.

PC to readers: Note that she said she hasn't levitated yet!