🌟 Meet Gaelle 🌟

I Love the idea of stretching my spine in both directions. I love stretching my muscles.

Born in Cameroon, raised in Paris, I moved to NYC from Paris in 2001 then to California in 2017 (I worked in Africa from 2017 to 2024).

I think I was either supposed to be a contortionist or I was one in another life.

As a kid, I always had the urge to stretch my body in the weirdest ways because it makes me feel good.

I often wonder how can people live without stretching.

• How long have you been practicing?

I started practicing yoga in NYC at home in 2003 when I was working at a law firm full time and doing my Master in Computer Science full time.

The stress from both was emotionally and physically overwhelming so I found a TV channel that was diffusing Wai Lana yoga every morning at 6am which became my daily routine. From that point, I explored several other areas of yoga, Vinyasa, Ashtanga yoga, Aerial yoga, Hatha yoga…

Finally, I heard about Bikram yoga and was immediately attracted by the idea of practicing in the heat. I love the heat!

After several years of putting off, I finally decided in 2008 to join Bikram yoga Union Square. One of the best studios at that time in NYC. Known as the 6:30 am crew, I quickly became addicted and the rest is history.

Bikram Yoga has always been my go-to place whenever life throws lemons at me. I feel like it is the only place where I can totally focus on Gaelle.

Is it always easy? Not at all.

Sometimes I feel like I am going to faint during class but that doesn’t stop me from showing up the next day.

Each day is different, each day comes with different challenges. And that’s the beauty of this practice.

• What benefits have you experienced from your practice?

The benefits experienced are varied, depending on many factors. But to try to summarize,

I have always dealt with back problems and even had a surgery, which appeared to be vain. Yoga helps me stretch my spine and be more mindful of my posture. Besides helping me with mental clarity, detoxification, strength and flexibility, Calm, serenity, compassion, focus, and clarity, it helps me build resilience and keeps me grounded.

- What was your approach to your 30-day challenge? How did it feel doing multiple classes per day?

When I started practicing in 2008, I liked it so much that I quickly began to practice several classes a day. I felt like where has this been all my life. And whenever I invested my time to go to the studio, I wanted to get the most of that time. That’s how, whenever possible, I took at least 2 classes per day. So 30 classes in 30 days is not challenging for me. I always said that I wonder how many classes per day my body can handle. So far, I did 5 in a day.

The real challenge would be to do 30 classes in less than a week.

- What are some of your yoga tips/yoga rituals?

God is at the center of my practice. It’s a time to reflect, reset, and realign with my purpose and faith.

Yoga helps me release tension, stay grounded, and reconnect with my body. I start and end each session with a moment of gratitude.

I surround myself with great scents, cleanness and clarity. I surround myself with positive energy, whether through music, affirmations, or simply being in a space that feels sacred and safe.

- What advice would you give to first-time yoga practitioners?

These are the only 90 minutes that you get to only focus on yourself. Be patient with yourself. Leave any resistance and all concerns at the door and let the teacher guide you. Like one of my teachers in NYC used to say, the hot room is a dumpster, just show up and dump whatever you’re dealing with. You have made one of the best decisions in your life.

Important

One of the beauty of HYC is that there are so many different options all through the day and even though I have to several studios around the world, I love the uniqueness of the studio and kindness of the owner as well as the teachers and the students.

For the little story after being unable to come back home for a year during the pandemic, when I finally made it home, I was looking for a studio. That’s how I got a pack of 10 classes in the tent. My experience was not good because I was cold and never came back.

When last year, I came home definitively from my job with the government in Africa, I decided to take a few classes at HYC, I was told that Anne had extended the validity of my classes and that I could still use them. I was deeply touched and chose Claremont as my official home studio.