{"id":12337,"date":"2023-03-23T18:04:41","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=109894"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:04:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:04:41","slug":"the-pastry-chef-who-is-obsessed-with-inversions-arm-balances-and-hot-yoga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/23\/the-pastry-chef-who-is-obsessed-with-inversions-arm-balances-and-hot-yoga\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pastry Chef Who Is Obsessed With Inversions, Arm Balances, and Hot Yoga"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! <a href="https:\/\/outsideapp.onelink.me\/wOhi\/6wh1kbvw" class="o-content-cta-link" data-analytics-event="click" data-analytics-data="{"name":"Element Clicked","props":{"destination_url":"https:\/\/outsideapp.onelink.me\/wOhi\/6wh1kbvw","domain":"<>","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}”>Download the app<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

This is the first in a series of \u201cMy Practice\u201d articles, in which we share a glimpse of someone\u2019s unique relationship with yoga.<\/em><\/p>\n

Clarice Lam is no stranger to busy days. A former-model-turned-chef, Lam recently appeared as a judge on Amazon Prime\u2019s \u201cDr. Seuss Cooking Competition\u201d<\/a> and is currently writing her forthcoming cookbook, Breaking Bao, <\/em>which will be published next year. Amidst the long days of baking, cooking, and conducting research, Lam still makes time for a regular yoga practice.<\/p>\n

Lam took her first yoga class in London around 2007. That experience, which she explains was taught in a hot yoga studio, was especially challenging for her because of her scoliosis. \u201cThere were a lot of forward folds, and I wasn\u2019t able to move or bend in certain ways that others in the class could,\u201d she wrote in a piece for Yoga Journal <\/em>in 2020<\/a>. \u201cBut by the end of it, my pain had lessened. After a month of practice, I was stronger, calmer, and officially obsessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Lam didn\u2019t immediately establish a consistent yoga practice. Shortly afterward, she moved to New York to attend the French Culinary Institute (now known as the International Culinary Center) and fell into an on-again, off-again relationship with her practice. Lam would spend a few months at a studio here or there before eventually dropping off. Other obligations always got in the way.<\/p>\n

However, in 2017, the stress of starting her own baking delivery business began to take a physical and mental toll on Lam. \u201cI was swamped with work and the New York City-style of living,\u201d she says. \u201cI just became so super stressed that I really needed to return to yoga. I felt like my body needed yoga. I felt like my mind needed yoga.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the year when she committed to a regular practice. She practiced consistently until 2020, when the pandemic hit. Without in-person classes, Lam fell off of her established routine. But at the start of 2023, she recommitted to her yoga practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so helpful for me to be doing yoga all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cIt just stretches out everything and helps me stay as balanced as I possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

What Clarice Lam\u2019s Practice Looks Like<\/h2>\n

Lam\u2019s yoga routine has looked pretty much the same in recent months. She attends a morning class at SoFlo Hot Yoga<\/a>, a studio close to her home in Florida. (Lam splits her time between New York and the Sunshine State.)<\/p>\n

During the 75-minute class, Lam focuses much of her attention on her favorite part of her asana practice: inversions and arm balances. While she\u2019s playing around, she turns to some of her tried-and-true loves, including Parsva Bakasana<\/a> (Side Crow Pose), Scorpion Pose<\/a>, and Eka Pada Koundinyasana<\/a> (Hurdler\u2019s Pose). \u201cI think the only one I haven\u2019t completely mastered yet is Handstand<\/a>, but I think I\u2019m getting there,\u201d she says. In addition to her mornings at the studio, Lam also works on poses outside of a class setting, whether it\u2019s on the grass outside her Florida home<\/a> or while sharing a mat<\/a> with her cat, Tuts.<\/p>\n

In addition to taking an in-person class, Lam ends her day with restorative poses at home. Lam has learned to deal with myriad skeletal and body issues throughout her life\u2014including scoliosis,<\/a> hernias, and sciatica\u2014and stretching her spine is critical to alleviate the pain she experiences. Each night, she turns to forward folds<\/a> or rolling out her back with her yoga wheel before heading to bed.<\/p>\n

Why Yoga Is Important to Her<\/h2>\n

Lam\u2019s approach to yoga is challenging\u2014and that\u2019s part of the reason why she loves it. \u201cDoing Scorpion was a big deal for me because it\u2019s extra hard for me to get into that pose because of my spine issues,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel really proud of myself that I was even able to get into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hot yoga aficionado is currently focusing her attention on her next challenge pose: Handstand<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/figure>\n

She starts\u2014and ends\u2014her busy days with her practice. <\/p>\n

The post The Pastry Chef Who Is Obsessed With Inversions, Arm Balances, and Hot Yoga<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-12337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}