Gazette Feature

Breathing Room member Susan Haworth (SH) sat down with Aviva Levine (AL) to talk about Aviva’s yoga journey and what she’s learned along the way. The following interview has been edited for clarity.

SH: What led you to yoga and when did you start?

AL: I’ve always needed to move my body; dancing, biking, hitting the gym etc. In my late twenties my mother (a long time Buddhist) encouraged me to meditate -but I just couldn’t sit still! During this time I was experiencing chronic insomnia. So I decided to give yoga a try.

SH: I remember my first yoga class; it was right after college at a local YMCA. Where was your first class?

AL: Because I was going to the gym regularly, I decided to first try a yoga there. It didn’t really resonate for me -or challenge my body the way I needed. Then I tried an Ashtanga class at a yoga studio (Monkey Yoga Shala) in my neighborhood at the time . I loved it! It was strong, physically challenging and deeply calmed my mind - I slept like a rock after the very first class. Soon I was going 3-4 times a week.

SH: Some people think a cross-legged yogi sitting on a mountain top and chanting defines yoga. It sounds like that kind of yoga was not what you needed. How did Ashtanga yoga help with your mental health?

AL: They may not completely define yoga - but quieting the mind, finding stillness and mantra are very valuable aspects of yoga. Many people need to move the body mindfully before being able to sit and meditate — this is one of the reasons the Asana practice exists. I was only able to be present and centered after a strong physical and introspective practice. I really worked my body to get out of my head. So it’s not that I didn’t need chanting or sitting (which have become very impactful practices for me) it’s that I needed to do the movement first - then I was able to show up for and learn the other aspects of yoga. And then, after many years practicing yoga, I woke up one day with terrible back pain.

SH: What happened?

AL: It was a culmination of many things emotionally and somatically -this led to me learning about the Psoas Muscles. That particular yoga style offered no modifications and I didn’t know how to take care of my body. I kept going to classes and the pain didn’t improve -I was spending most of class feeling defeated and in child’s pose (I later learned that this was actually making it worse). I stopped going to class.

SH: That’s a good lesson for us all. How did you recover?

AL: Initially, I found a gentle yoga class that allowed me to do more than child’s pose. Then I discovered Forrest Yoga. Although I was still in pain, I could do most of the classes. Most importantly, I learned how to deeply breathe! Even after twelve years of practicing yoga, I hadn’t learned how to use my breath in my practice. This was a revolutionary experience for me.

SH: Will you describe Forrest Yoga?

AL: Forrest Yoga was developed by Ana Forrest; she had studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in the 70s — she then evolved her teaching to honor the Western bodies’ experience of tighter hips (i.e. the use of chairs vs squatting, etc) and other contemporary ailments. It is designed to be accessible to everyone and focuses on the pain and trauma housed in our bodies. It helps us become more physically and emotionally conscious and resilient.

SH: So, discovering Forrest Yoga was a pivotal time for you.

AL: It was! I was learning so much about my body and about myself. I started going to yoga four times a week and then went on a yoga retreat in Mexico. At that retreat, I decided to become certified as a Forrest Yoga teacher. I later became certified in Cranial Sacral Therapy and Tension, Stress and Trauma Release Exercises (TRE).

SH: Where did you start teaching after you became certified as a Forrest Yoga teacher?

AL: I started subbing all over the Bay Area around 2011, and a year later, I was offered a few classes at what was then 7th Heaven. Soon I was teaching fourteen classes a week at various studios and gyms. I met Beth Zygielbaum at Total Woman Gym in Alameda where we both taught yoga. When Beth took over the studio and renamed it Leela Yoga, she invited me to teach two weekly classes.

SH: When did you take over what is now the Breathing Room?

AL: In 2019, Beth decided to step aside as the steward of Leela Yoga. Liza Wilt (a teacher and also the manager of Leela Yoga) and I bought the studio in January 2020 and rebranded it ‘Breathing Room’. Although I never envisioned owning a yoga studio, we loved this community and didn’t want the studio to close.

SH: And then we all know what happened in March of 2020.

AL: The pandemic was a challenge, for sure, but the community REALLY showed up for online classes and the teachers who could continue held it down -so we all got through it together. I spent the time fixing up the studio with the help of some close friends. And Kendra, my younger sister (the glue keeping it all together) jumped in to help me from the overwhelm.

SH: Owning a small business can be taxing. What have you learned about being a business owner?

AL: I’ve learned to focus on what we do well vs trying to be everything to everyone. There will always be detractors, and it was creating major burnout worrying about everone else’s needs over my own. I’ve really learned to focus on those who are grateful for Breathing Room. And to accept help from others (you have been such a huge support Susan)! We’re all learning and growing every day, and we need to give ourselves and each other grace.