Tara Stiles

mbg Class Instructor

Tara Stiles is the founder of Strala Yoga, a revolutionary approach to healing through movement. She's also the author of Clean Mind, Clean Body. Thousands of guides are leading Strala classes around the globe in partner studios, gyms, and clubs. Strala has been illustrated in a case study by Harvard Business School, and its philosophy of ease and conservation of energy are incorporated by business leaders, entrepreneurs, and well-being professionals.

Stiles teamed up with W Hotels on Fit with Tara Stiles—a program bringing Strala Yoga classes and healthy recipes to W properties around the globe. She collaborated with Reebok, working closely with the design team on their yoga lifestyle range, as well as developed a line of knitwear and homeware with Wool and the Gang. Stiles has authored several books including Yoga Cures, Make Your Own Rules Cookbook, and Strala Yoga, all translated and published in several languages. She has been profiled by the New York Times, Times of India, The Times.

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Q&A

What is your wellness philosophy?

Soften. Breathe deep. Feel. Respond. Whenever I feel stressed or tense I can always come back to that process, create some space and move from there. It’s essential for me to take time for meditation, reflection, learning and growing. Sometimes I end up meditating on the bathroom floor for 20 minutes if that’s all I can manage sometimes, but I prioritize making these things happen because I know how much better I feel when I live from a connected place.

What brought you into wellness?

Looking back, I grew up in wellness without realizing it until later. My parents built a passive solar home, grew veggies for us, and took us camping each summer across the country. We recycled, picked up neighborhood litter for fun projects and learned the value of conservation. So yeah, I got lucky with them. Later I got lucky again. My ballet teacher and now mentor, Rory Foster, brought yoga into our dance program, saw my interest and gravitation and nicely encouraged me by handing me a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi. That was a real beginning of exploration of yoga and meditation as a structured practice I wanted to embody.