We’re so excited to introduce Restorative Yoga expert and new addition to the YogaDork Ed faculty, Jillian Pransky! Check out our Q&A with Jillian below where she shares her favorite and not-so-favorite poses, what keeps her inspired and her top pick for the celebrity she wishes would give yoga a try (hint: it’s not Robert Downey, Jr.). Read her fun intro below and then check out her first YogaDork Ed. article on the Key Ingredient to Digestive Health This Season.
What was one pose you were originally not so fond of but have now grown to love? And vice versa?
For years, wheel pose was a real cranky, rigid experience for me. Now, it is euphoric!
Hmmm. Vice versa? I suppose head stand. Not my thing on so many levels now.
What’s one yoga book you couldn’t live without?
I suppose I’d have to say Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann. I resonate with the way he discusses how Yoga helps you really ‘know yourself’. And how the practice organically shifts you from the habitual limited way of perceiving yourself and the world.
But, I’d also say ANYTHING by Pema Chodron if you asked what ‘meditation’ book I couldn’t live with out. She’s brilliant and also, like Erich, greatly influences my work.
What’s your favorite post-yoga snack?
Would people think I’m boring if I said oatmeal with berries? Sorry, but I just love oatmeal and berries. Eggs with avocado are awesome! And, mango is a favorite after yoga too. (I love perfectly ripe mango, but only if I am alone and can be super careless about the mess I’m making.)
Who’s one celebrity you’d love to see start practicing yoga?
Dare I say Mel Gibson. Maybe I shouldn’t say Mel Gibson. But Mel Gibson. Yea…
What/Who gives you inspiration?
Love Erich Schiffmann’s work. He’s just out there, doing his thing with out much pomp and circumstance… connecting to the biggest sense of him self, and guiding people seamlessly into their biggest sense of themselves. He’s masterful at this.
Of course, if I may, my other great inspiration is Pema Chordon’s work. Also, speaking to the masses in a very authentic, layman like, way. And everything she offers is immediately usable!
Lastly, NATURE! Totally inspired by nature. Its constant expansion and contraction, beauty and destruction – completely shape the way I practice and teach. Nature also instantly kicks me into a state of acute gratitude, daily. Yea, for me, it’s pretty much all about aligning with Nature … both around me, and with in me.
Stay tuned for more informative posts from Jillian in YogaDork Ed!
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Earlier…
Jillian is one of my ultimate favorite teachers. I feel so lucky to be able to practice with her.
Hi Jillian,
Good to see you writing here. Hope all is well.
Om Shanti,
Howie
Seriously, YD, wouldn’t a better title have been ” Jillian Pransky, Her Thoughts on Inspiration, Erich Schiffman, and Pema Chodron?” Not as attention-grabbing as mentioning Mel , for sure, but a hell of a lot more accurate. I will totally admit my bias, as a longtime Schiffman student… but given the current state of craziness in the yoga world, don’t you think one way to heal it would be to give more attention to teachers like Erich.. who are maybe not so glamorous, but have stood the test of time.. and less to celebrities and yoga “scandals?”
Hey Chaya, appreciate your thoughts, though I disagree. It’s not an in-depth article, but a brief intro with some lighthearted questions. Jillian answered the questions on her own and it is not in the essence of scandal at all, but an attempt at something a little offbeat in the midst of our everyday yoga world, sometimes bubble. (Carrie Owerko chose Donald Trump).
I’ll admit it could have easily been called Jillian’s Thoughts on Nature and Oatmeal.
Glad you’re keeping it real though and voicing your opinion.