03 Apr Suzanne Scholton
Where were you born/where did you grow up?
I grew up on a 45 acre farm in Sioux City, Iowa. Right on the boarder of Nebraska and South Dakota.
Do you have any siblings?
I have one brother, who is married and has 2 sons in Omaha, NE
Any unique family traits you would like to share?
I find that in the city being a farmer is a unique trait….not that I remember much.
When/how did your yoga journey begin?
I had really bad asthma, in 8th grade I couldn’t do my track workouts so my dad got me a pranayama book. I followed it along with taking singing lessons -I hated the singing lessons but fell in love with some of the stretches for my lungs as well as the long breathing techniques. It got me off all my medications and by the time I was a senior in college I did a marathon without my inhalers and threw them away.
What made you want to become a yoga teacher?
To give myself and the people I would teach a different perspective than what society was/is telling us.
What are some things that people might be surprised to know about you?
I was offered a position at Walgreens, Target and a logistics company in Kansas City for management. But in college I worked in a woman’s shelter and felt that work was more rewarding so I took a “job” with Americorps for 13 months in Montana and then joined the Peace Corps and lived in Kazakhstan for 2.5 years. There, in a foreign land and language, I actually did one of the first few needle exchange programs.
Describe your perfect day.
I get up at 4:30 to do a practice filled with reading the spiritual books, chanting morning prayers do some stretching. Eat a breakfast prepared for me from the earth. Read the paper while I enjoy a caramel latte, potentially watching the sun rise. Teach 1 yoga class for kids eat lunch then teach another 4 for different groups including lecture of findings, enjoy my dinner with a friend and great conversation and take a long walk in nature, potentially walk while enjoying the sunset or sit and enjoy. Sit for a 5 min. night meditation and then be in bed by 9 pm:) Is this too unreal:)
I could just say spend a weekend at Himalayan Institute.
What inspires you?
People, Susan B. Anthony, Sacajawea, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, my mom and dad, people struggling who seem to keep going and know that life is full of struggles but you have to keep going for the betterment of the whole, not the self.
What are your favorite books/movies?
I read lots of business books and books about God….Movies I like in other languages. Or Bollywood with all the dancing. Barfi’ is one of my all time favorite movies. To Kill a Mocking Bird may be one of my all time favorite books. Or the Red Tent……
What kind of music do you like?
Music that inspires my soul to dance………
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Yoga:) Sorta kidding. Hike, Eat really great food paired with great wine. Swim. Talk to people. Spend time with dear friends to discuss real life issues. Think.
If you were an animal what animal would you be?
I don’t want to be an animal….I have been them in past lives and like being a human for now.
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To Fly, I want to fly with the birds and see what they see and go where they go and have my transportation attached to me so I could leave and soar at any moment………Oh to fly would be something.