Christina, what makes yoga so special for you?

## Christina Bruns

For the first few years, I practiced only for the physical benefits. Later, I realized that yoga is also a wonderful mental exercise for me, one that gives me strength and helps me see the world a little differently, better, and more beautifully. I try to sit down every morning, meditate, do breathing exercises, and move around—regardless of whether I had a good night's sleep or a bad one. I always feel better afterward. I briefly check in with myself and ask myself: What's my energy level? What does my body need today?

Through yoga, I've learned to allow my fears and doubts to be there. To look at them when I meditate. But, and this is very important: I also allow myself to arrive in the moment. If I notice that I'm feeling extremely anxious, I sit down and meditate. This way, I regain access to myself and can say: Everything is fine the way it is. I am here, I breathe, and I feel myself.

## Why is it so important to have access to your own feelings?

## CB

When I'm stressed, I drift completely off center. Then I tend to engage in displacement activities that I believe I have to do—and then I lose myself. Yoga is the tool that brings me back, that anchors me.

## You taught for a long time. Now you run your own studio in the 7th district. How did you get there?

## CB

It was an absolute rollercoaster ride. Last year, I completed my 300-hour training in India. At the time, I was working in a Vienna studio where I was quite unhappy because it was primarily focused on mass production and maximum profit. This left me no room to develop and do what I really wanted to do as a teacher. When I returned from India, I decided to leave the studio—without knowing what I would do next.

At some point, I started casually looking for space. I actually didn't want to go to the viewing of my current studio. The photos didn't look great at all, but the nice real estate agent finally convinced me. When I walked into the space, I knew immediately: This is my studio. I felt a total connection.

Even though I'd been teaching for five years and knew enough people who would come to my studio, I still had days when I questioned everything. Thoughts like, "Are you megalomaniac? You can't open a studio in the middle of a pandemic! That's the stupidest idea you've ever had." But today I can definitely say: I'm totally happy I took the plunge.

## What is it like to suddenly have so much responsibility?

## CB

I'm currently at the point where I have to be careful not to do too much. The studio is my baby, and especially in the beginning, I naturally wanted to be involved in every single step. I definitely still have to learn to let go. It's important to me to convey that yoga is good for your body, that you should do what feels right and stay in the moment. If I get burnout myself, that's absolutely not the point.

That's why I'm currently building a team that works harmoniously together. My studio doesn't operate according to a capitalist philosophy. It's important to me that everyone is paid fairly and can do what they're good at and what they feel comfortable with.

## Yoga has been very popular for several years. Do you see this development as positive, or is the essence of yoga being lost?

## CB

It's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I feel that yoga helps people enormously, and I think it's great that social media is making more people aware of it. At the same time, Instagram often presents an image of yoga that puts many people off. For example, that all yogis eat vegan, are super slim, live in Bali, and do crazy poses every day. In my studio, it doesn't matter who you are or what your background is. You don't have to have the supposedly perfect body. You don't have to be vegan. We don't have any dogmas. I want people to get on their mat and just do what they're good at.

## Who do you recommend yoga to?

## CB

Honestly? Everyone! It helps to become aware of your own body, to feel yourself, and to switch off for a moment. When you go to the studio, you can leave all your worries – be it stress at work or with your partner – at the door. You step onto your mat, and it doesn't matter at all whether you're standing next to a top lawyer or a student. Everyone is equal in the studio – and that's a wonderful thing.
It doesn't matter at all whether someone can do the asanas. It's about taking the pressure off and saying: I have no expectations. I don't have to achieve anything. I simply allow myself to be now. Just as I am. And sometimes that means going into Child Pose when everyone else is practicing headstands.

I often notice in my work that the more often someone comes here, the happier they become—also in their personal lives, because this mindset is transferable. You learn to give yourself and your feelings space instead of giving in to social pressure.