Laura

About Laura Norkin

Laura Norkin lives in Brooklyn and works as a freelance writer and editor, while making the most of her Prospect Park proximity and access to Studio Anya’s classes. A Takoma Park, Maryland (let’s just say DC) native, she is still adapting to the ways of New York City. For example, people here “barbecue” instead of “cook out,” and consider her home town to be “The South.” She has written and edited for a variety of lifestyle publications and is planning a journey-by-bus through South America with her husband, with whom she enjoys eating oysters, watching HBO, and other simple pleasures of the honeymoon phase. Her older brother, an Iron Man, got 100% of the family’s athletic genes, so in her Body Banter blog, Laura will explore the trials and tribulations of trying to cure herself of what can only be described as an aggressively docile demeanor.

Anatomy of a Yoga Studio

This week I attended both Mods and Lila, two of the more challenging core classes available at Anya (pause for applause...thank you). But this post isn’t going to be about how great I am for doing a bit of exercise for once. It’s about a theme I noticed while doing that work in various parts of the Anya studio: lines. [...]
By |July 10th, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|0 Comments
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The Bones of It

Have you ever been humming along in a Yoga or Pilates class when you realize all the other students are panting, sweating and shaking, barely able to sustain a pose that you just popped right into, easy peasy? Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you were probably doing it wrong. [...]
By |June 29th, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|2 Comments
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The Foot Lesson

Mini Challenge: Grounding the Feet As I mentioned in my introductory post, I may have victories in my practice that seem no big deal to the average bear, I mean Yogi. I may also have challenges that seem rudimentary. [...]
By |June 26th, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|1 Comment
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Yoga Journal: Individuating the Legs

At my personal session with Courtney today we went straight into energy work. No small talk or stretching first. I had been experiencing pain in my left leg, and I guess she could sense the urgency there. After the session she explained that our left side is emotional. And it’s no wonder, that side is the keeper of the heart. I was moved to hear that meaning because during our left-side work, I felt myself travel through four emotions very intensely. [...]
By |June 12th, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|0 Comments
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First Anya Class: Finding My Strength

The word I chose to meditate on was strength and boy did I need it. Through many rounds of inversions I felt dizzy and I had to take frequent breaks, heading into the familiar territory of child’s pose. It wasn't until we played with the “geography of the feet”--rocking from the outsides to inner blades of our feet--that I found my stride. On the subway home I continued fidgeting there, finding my centerline and balance on each foot. [...]
By |June 1st, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|1 Comment
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The Beginning

The Beginning: A Journal Entry >When it comes to fitness, you could say I’m full of intention but lack attention. That’s why I’m drawn to Courtney Bauer’s multi-faceted curriculum at Studio Anya, and her philosophy on “getting in shape.” While we aren’t all meant to be a particular shape--like a circle or a square, we should each determine what “in shape” means to us, and work to manipulate our physical (and mental!) selves to get there. [...]
By |June 1st, 2012|Anya Ambassadors|0 Comments
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