True Blood’s Lauren Bowles Talks Yoga with MyYogaOnline

Posted on August 17th, 2012

Lauren Bowles roster of roles in TV and feature films includes Hall Pass, The Heartbreak Kid, and Ghost World. Today, she’s best-known for her Wiccan waitress character on HBO’s True Blood. My Yoga Online’s Lindsey Lewis sat down to talk consciousness, workouts and work-ins with the yoga-loving actress.

MYO: What’s life like for you these days?

LB: I really have no complaints. I’m really lost in the world of the toddler. Coming into consciousness is a tough thing. I’m a little sleep deprived. Each new age, with its new abilities and ownership of them comes with a [resulting] sense of equilibrium.

MYO: This happens for adults as well.

LB: At every stage of life there is a gain and a loss. With wisdom comes amazing insights but it might be coupled physically with things we take for granted being a little bit harder. Every phase of life has its ebbs and flow. It sort of describes every human being from every stage of life.

MYO: I loved your “it gets better” message, by the way. [Lauren talks here about how things that are tough as a kid get better when you grow up to be an adult and gain authorship of your life.] How does this translate into your own personal life?

LB: I’m speaking to what I’m aspiring to. Things happen and we can truly pick our response to them. When something first changes, there’s often a contraction, like with our daughter, at around three there’s been a shift and it’s been challenging in our household. But it is who she is, and the more you can open to who she is the more you can see that this challenging time is a little bit rocky right now, but it’s taking her to a better place. My shift affects her reality and becomes a ripple effect. What is in our control is how we respond and how we choose to look at it. This applies to everything, from our relationships to our yoga practice.

MYO: Can you say more about that?

LB: I had the most amazing class at Equinox. Though I mostly practice at YogaWorks, I took a class at my gym today. It was the hardest class but she had a great way of talking us through backing off, or reminding us “You’re stronger than you think.” It made me push myself—not in a bad way—and I left class so much more centered, and came back to my house. The physical aspect of it is great and wonderful, but really what’s at the centre of it is that the workout is so much more mental. You’re forced to confront what you’re dealing with mentally.

MYO: You recently played half of a married couple, with your own husband [actor Patrick Fischler] on Larry David’s HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. How does your yoga practice come into play in your relationships?

LB: It’s a great girlfriend date. I have lots of girlfriends who are yogis. With my husband, I don’t push him too much on it; it’s not really his world at all. Occasionally we go to a Yin class together. Once in a blue moon.  The best thing to do is live it, and other people say “Hey, where can I get some of that?” Anything that is calming and centering has a ripple effect.

MYO: Can you say more about “living” your yoga?

LB: I took this mindfulness-based child birth class. We all have these monkey minds that are everywhere but where we are. The class covered breaking down physical sensations; instead of the knee-jerk response of ‘Oh pain, back away’, we break it down to “Oh, what is the sensation?” I really was able to apply it to my yoga class. When you break it down to sensation by sensation it makes it into manageable chunks. When I’m out and stuck in line and I start spiralling, I can go “Ok, breathe” and see what’s happening. Really breaking everything down into ways that can anchor you in the present moment is the best way to take it off the mat or the meditation cushion.

MYO: What tips do have for people wanting to get more into yoga?

LB: I have to confess I really hated it at first; what I loved was the feeing I felt afterwards. If I could just find a way I could just drag my butt to the class, I’d walk out of there feeling like I’d gotten a great workout and a massage—yoga offered something no other form of exercise did. Ultimately, that’s what kept me going. Forgive yourself, if you think “God I hate this.” Feeling ok with not liking it.

LB: I just read this article in Origins magazine and this woman wrote “Meditating sucks. And it works.” And it is so all of that. I just wanna veg out, but when you force yourself you’ll feel better afterwards.

MYO: As we wrap up, anything you have a burning desire to share?

LB: The awareness that we have the freedom to pick our perspective on life. Life doesn’t feel that way at all sometimes, but I have found that really to be true.

Tweet

Tags: celebrities who do yoga, lauren bowles, true blood, celebriyogis, true blood yoga, true blood lauren bowles

Other Blog Posts: