YM: How did yoga find you?
JS: A number of years back, I took an amazing year-and-half solo journey around the world for purposes of good ol’ self-discovery. Of course I had to stop in India, where I found an inspired yogi and finally discovered my true breath. From there yoga opened like a lotus flower in my life.

YM: How do you teach yoga?
JS:  With love, humor, sweat, great music, chanting, a focus on the sacred needs of the heart, and complete reverence for the journey we all take on our individual paths toward satva, equanimity and serenity.

YM: What were past career paths? How did you know teaching yoga was the right path?
JS:  Before yoga, I was in the Hollywood film industry for 11 years. Then came my world travels. After I returned to L.A. and began to seriously develop my practice, my teacher, Max Strom, approached me and strongly suggested that I explore teaching. When someone like Max tells you you’re ready, how can you say no?

YM: What do you love?
JS:  To say I love my children, India and Lilianna, is an understatement. They have become an integral part of my practice and have taught me the depth of my heart and the limitations of looking outside myself for answers. I love the pause before night ends and day begins. I love the outdoors, hiking, climbing, snowboarding, swimming, moving, breathing in the world. I love warm weather, warm oceans, soft sheets, good lattes, and a great pair of jeans. Oh, and I also love cupcakes.

YM: Why is San Francisco so great?
JS:  I don’t have enough space here to answer but I’ll try. It has a pulse all its own, a wide-open, progressive, international vibe that encourages the blessed beings who flow here in their search for connectedness to a greater consciousness. Also, I must mention the most scrumptious vegetarian food, the vast and magical expanse of Golden Gate Park, access to nature all around, the way the members of the community support each other. Also, excellent cupcakes.

YM: What are 5 words to describe a class of yours?
JS:  A fluid, rhythmic, invigorating, purifying, heart-opening expression of vinyasa yoga.

QUOTE FROM ASHLEY JUDD
“Janet Stone’s yoga is lusciously empowered, sensual, athletic, and above all, spiritual.  She makes me sweat, laugh, and cry in a rigorous yet tender practice through which my connection to myself and the universe sweetens.”


YM: Do your daughters practice yoga?
JS:  They practice in the most profound way possible – by being absolutely present in whatever they do. Oh, and their chanting is the most scrumptious thing I’ve ever heard. It could melt mountains.

YM: You have two beautiful new DVDs! Congratulations! What makes these DVDs so different?
JS:  Thank you! They were created with the intention of sharing a bit of the sacred yoga community I’m blessed to be part of, with those who can’t make it to one of the delicious classes we offer. I’m proud to say they have a sumptuous visual style and approach all their own; they don’t look like anything else I’ve ever seen on the market. I worked hard to make sure the sequences I created for these DVDs were calibrated just right for a warm but rigorous home practice, so you’ll want to return to them again and again. I think they came out beautifully.

YM: Why is yoga spreading so rapidly at this time?
JS:  Yoga has the rare power to inspire health and evolution on multiple levels -- physical, mental, spiritual, energetic, karmic, intuitive. Once people tap into that, it’s an easy thing to love.

YM: Thank you for joining us! Where can we find out  more about you?
JS:  Thank you so much. All my class schedules, as well information on retreats and workshops, DVD samples and an online store, are available at janetstoneyoga.com. The wonderful Yoga Tree school, where I teach, can be found at yogatreesf.com