Illustration by Photo Illustration by The Globe
Off Duty is a series of lively conversations with influential people, from CEOs to celebrities, on life, work and the art of taking time off.
Adriene Mishler was walking her dog in her hometown of Austin, Tex., last month, when two men in a truck pulled over beside her, one who was yelling her name as if he were an old friend. Then, the unexpected happened – the men got out of the truck to tell Mishler how her YouTube channel, Yoga With Adriene, which now has 12 million subscribers, has helped them through their mental-health struggles.
“I’m just so impressed and happy that two men would holler at me and have the vulnerability to say this, it gives me so much hope,” Mishler said in a phone interview with The Globe and Mail.
People who meet Mishler offline feel like they know her well, and in a way, they do – she has been in their homes as a guiding voice since she started making yoga videos in 2012, which became a much-needed respite for many during the pandemic.
In Mishler’s candid, instructional and often funny videos, her “Find What Feels Good” approach has helped turn what’s known in the West for expensive classes with often intimidating poses into an accessible and free activity for a mass audience. Ahead of her first visit to Canada, where she guided hundreds through a yoga session at Toronto’s public space the Bentway in July, she spoke to The Globe about being in her slow era and her morning routine.
Tell me about your first experience with yoga.
At the age of 17, I was a working actor at the time, and studying American sign language, because I thought I could be an interpreter as well. It was a physically rigorous program, so I found myself at a yoga class, and immediately fell in love with the aspect of the breath and physical asana, and how it translated so well to the stage.
I found a completely different part of myself. I did yoga-teacher training and was teaching seven days a week all through my early 20s, while I was acting. My practice has changed a lot since then, but yoga has been with me my whole adult life.
What has changed in your life this year?
My awareness and understanding of my nervous system. I know that sounds cliché, but I’ve realized I was mistaking my work in the realm of yoga and meditation with rest. I was constantly saying yes, and in a high-stress mode. Now I’m being more mindful about what I’m saying yes to. It’s been a reorganization.
What’s helped you with this awareness?
I’m trying to take time to check in with myself emotionally in the morning and listen to my body.
I just got an Oura ring to be able to track my heart rate and stress levels throughout the week. I’m still in the early stages and am being intentional to not check it first thing in the morning, and use the technology as a tool, instead of letting the stats dictate my day.
I also have stopped keeping my phone in my bedroom – if anyone knows a great alarm clock, please write in – that’s been super awesome for me mentally. I’ve been sleeping better, and it’s changed how I wind down.
Plus, I get to care for Benji every morning with a walk.
I hear your now-famous dog, Benji, barking. I’m always amazed at how calm he is in your videos.
Yes, right on cue! We have a lot to learn about our relationship with animals. I’d like to be humble and say perhaps his temperament was calmer due to his breed [a blue heeler], but mostly it was about where I was when he was a puppy, the investment of love, time and energy that I put into raising and training him. I was very yogic about it, there was a lot of slowing down, patience and conscious listening. He’s now nine years old. He’s a responsive dog, he really listens and communicates well with eye contact.
What’s your typical breakfast?
I love a coffee and a banana. My friends make fun of me for it, but I stick by it. And I’m from Austin, so a breakfast taco with egg, avocado and spinach is top of the list, too.
When you need to reconnect with yourself, what music do you listen to?
I love Natalia Lafourcade, especially her latest album De Todas las Flores. She’s tapped back into a lot of the folk music of the Mexican culture, and I love the breadth of her career.
What have you been reading recently?
I’ve been doing a ton of reading for a three-year yoga therapy program, to become an accredited yoga therapist, studying psychotherapy, physical therapy and how it all ties together. I’m really excited about finding a way to make the science of this ancient practice more accessible and available to the everyday person.
The research is new, but it can be a really healthy reason to be motivated to get to the mat. A lot of the reasons are not very healthy – they have to do with comparisons or wanting a certain body shape. But I get nerdy about how science can be empowering, to be chasing an idea of health and homeostasis, not like, chiselled abs or whatever it is. If I have this big platform for influence, if there’s a way I can put this on the map for everyone in health care, then I want to be trained up.
You seem so natural in your videos. What are your tips for being comfortable on camera or on stage?
Always prepare, and then when it’s time for the camera to roll, let it go, and trust that the preparation is in you somewhere. I like to bring however I’m feeling to it so I’m moving from an honest place. If I’m in a spiritual mood, I may say a little prayer or have a mantra moment, and some days I love goofing off and creating a friendly, playful atmosphere. Before I hit the record button, I always take a breath and drop into the present moment.
This interview has been edited and condensed.