Sara at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Photo courtesy of the MFA
“Phew!”, says yoga instructor Sara Divello after coming off of a jam-packed (all good) summer schedule of teaching in and around the city and beyond. From her signature Namaste series at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to her public classes on the Esplanade (which typically attract about 300 people each week) to last month’s Love Yoga Fest on Cape Cod, down to New York City to film a national ad campaign (debuting September 12th), and then back to the Esplanade… Well, you get the picture. Phew!
While rooted here in Boston, Sara teaches and speaks nationally on using yoga tools to find life balance, direction, and fulfillment. She has appeared on CBS and the Huffington Post Live, as well as in Forbes, The New York Times, ABC, CNBC, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer,The Boston Herald, USA Today, Boston Magazine and many more. Her articles have appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Dr. Oz The Good Life Magazine, MindBodyGreen, and more. Sara’s yoga classes are known for extending transformation and natural fuel for students of all levels – a golden opportunity to step back, breathe deeply, and profoundly experience wellness, balance, and serenity.
In addition to her public appearances and teachings, Sara is the author of Where in the OM am I (Worcester Square Press, 2013), an “irreverent, honest, and hilarious memoir chronicling one woman’s journey from the fast-paced, cutthroat corporate world, to the slow-paced, surprisingly catty, and sometimes perilous world of yoga.” Next month finds her in New York City presenting at the W.E.L.L. Summit (Wellness. Empowerment. Learning. Luxury.), a curated event for self-improvement promising participants transformative experiences. It’s a brand new event built for “beauty bloggers and wellness professionals to those looking to learn more about the ever-expanding realms of inner beauty/peace of mind, clean eating, of-the-moment fitness trends, making informed consumer decisions and exploring the now covetable field of green beauty, this is the place of inspiration.”
wind up… how do you wind up, prepare for the week ahead?
I make sure I have plenty of down time, quiet time, and time by myself. It not only nourishes and restores me, it also gives me time to organize myself for the week ahead. I’m a compulsive organizer and list-writer.
I make sure I have plenty of down time, quiet time, and time by myself. It not only nourishes and restores me, it also gives me time to organize myself for the week ahead.
Photo by Sage Tonic
and, when you need to exhale, what’s your other direction?
If I just need to decompress, I work in my urban garden (I grow tomatoes, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, strawberries, all herbs, and enough basil to make oodles of pesto). I also love to go to the beach and just walk along the water’s edge when I truly need to exhale and restore. If I’m stressed, I burn it off with cardio at the gym.
favorite high-powered snack?
Almonds! Also smoothies… I make them with fruit, almond butter, hemp seeds, and oats.
what three things are you never without?
My reusable water bottle—full— with lemon slices. A notebook for great ideas (and compulsive lists). Sunglasses. And usually snacks—I’m always hungry!
the sound of music… you have room for 5 tracks on your playlist, they are?
Anugama, Vandita Kate Marchesiello, Sudhir Jonathon Faust, or anything by the Kripalu faculty.
could you repeat that? one cue that you regularly share with your students, and the story behind it…
“If your body wants to…/when your body’s ready…” This is my line, because I want every class to be about my students, their bodies, and what’s best for them in that moment. When I first started teaching, I also noticed I used the word “delicious” a lot. But, then I couldn’t stop (in that self-conscious way when you become aware of something) and ended up saying, “And lowering your hip down to the mat for pigeon. Mmm. Pigeon is DELICIOUS.” Hahaha.
what one book have you most often give as a gift?
In addition to my own which I regularly gift, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry (Penguin 2008), by Kathleen Flinn. It’s about a woman who gets laid off and instead of doing the responsible thing, takes her severance package, moves to France, and goes to Le Cordon Bleu. It’s fantastic. I also gave The Art Forger (Algonquin Books 2013), by Boston-based B.A. Shapiro as gifts to every friend and family member the year it came out. It’s involves the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. So good!
bliss pose?
Pigeon. It really is delicious.
finish the sentence? i’d like to teach the world to…
use yoga as a tool off the mat to find life balance, direction, and fulfillment, as well as a tool to power down, tune in, and enhance all aspects of wellness.
What a treat to catch a glimpse of Sara’s life backstage! Keep current with Sara’s teaching schedule through her website. And, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and on Facebook.
Author Susan Currie is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA magazine. Her words and images have been featured in the Boston Globe, Elephant Journal, Yogi Times, the Tishman Review, the Huffington Post, Spirit of St. Bart’s and on the cover of the book Moving into Meditation (Shambala) by Anne Cushman.
Susan is also the creator of the Daily Inhale and an RYT 200 registered yoga instructor. She unpacks her various professional experiences through the creative and yoga workshops she leads throughout the country. Her new book, GRACENOTES (Shanti Arts 2017), a blend of words and images, is now available in wide release.