Yogis Uncovered | Meet Elle
In this edition of Yogis Uncovered, we sit down with the multi-faceted and multi-talented Elle. You may know her from her impressive programs such as Advanced Contortionist Flow and Gentle Yoga for Better Circulation. Come behind-the-scenes with us as we learn more about her unique upbringing and burgeoning career. Subscribe to watch the full interview!
“It feels a lot more raw, natural, free, correct. It’s kind of how I think yoga is meant to be practiced, where we are just ourselves very present in our practice with just our bodies…”
My name is Elle. I now live in Los Angeles, but I am native New Yorker. Brooklyn, more specifically Flatbush. If you're familiar with the Flatbush zombies. I gave birth to them.
How long have you been practicing yoga?
I’ve been doing yoga informally for quite a long time, but I’ve been very serious about my practice for the last five years.
What do you do for work?
I am a full-time traveling contortionist slash shape shifter slash stunt woman. So essentially I travel the US and most recently Europe as well. I do photo shoots and workshops with photographers. I figure model for artists. I perform in cabarets and burlesque shows doing my bendy thing.
Why do you prefer doing yoga naked?
I enjoy naked yoga a bit more than standard yoga because it feels a lot more raw, natural, free, correct. It’s kind of how I think yoga is meant to be practiced, where we are just ourselves very present in our practice with just our bodies and able to use our bodies as our tools without any kind of constrictive coverings.
What’s the most challenging yoga pose you can do?
The most challenging pose I can do is called a chest stand where essentially you are balancing on your throat. It is a lot more of a mental exercise than it is a physical exercise. Essentially it’s not that physically challenging, but a lot of alarm bells are going off in your brain like this is wrong, intuitively. It doesn’t feel great, but that’s what I love about contortion in general is the mental exercise, calming your brain down, feeling in tune with your body, controlling every single muscle and activating them to bring it all together into one beautiful challenging pose.
How did you become a contortionist?
I got into being a contortionist kind of by accident. It sort of grew on me, something I discovered. I knew I was naturally flexible and it’s only something I’ve been developing very seriously for the last two years or so. I began with yoga and regular weightlifting. At my first photo shoot I threw in a split, the photographer said hey that’s really cool and I like doing cool things. I kept doing more bendy poses at shoots and incorporating it into all of my artwork and I gradually wanted to develop crazier skills and showcase more contortion in my portfolio than anything else.
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food is not a food. I am a caffeine addict and I have a fancy little coffee machine and I like making my fancy little coffees. I don’t use cream, I foam my milk like an adult. I’m such a coffee snob, unfortunately.
How did you become so comfortable being naked?
I wasn’t always this way. I used to be extremely religious and part of a community that teaches women to be ashamed of their bodies. [Watch the full interview to see the rest of her answer!]
What’s your ideal environment for doing yoga?
My ideal environment for doing yoga is a quiet space without too many distractions. I love animals but they should not be there, they get up in my face and then my trajectory is off. Either quiet or no music. Preferably I’m well rested, well fed, and there is nothing else on my conscience that would deter me from staying present in my practice.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
If there’s one thing I can share with all of you is that a yoga or movement journey is completely your own. Don’t compare yourself to others. Whatever you accomplish in whatever time it takes you to accomplish it is worth celebrating. Namaste.
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity