Yogis Uncovered | Meet Passion
In this edition of Yogis Uncovered we meet Passion, a Jane-of-all-trades with an inspiring life story that you’ll love learning about. You may recognize her from her program Shoulder Therapy Flow. Subscribe to watch her full interview and get a peek behind the scenes of her exciting shoot with us!
“I felt more human. … There’s a lot of value and worth that’s assigned to you based on what clothing you wear. And for me, it just felt really good to be able to take all of that off, leave all of that behind and just connect with my human body.”
Hi, my name is Passion Hannah and I live in Hollywood. I’m originally from Maryland and I was born really close to DC, so right in between DC and Baltimore. We call that area the DMV.
What do you do for work?
I teach yoga, I have an Only Fans, I model, and I do social media marketing.
How long have you been practicing yoga?
I’ve been practicing yoga for about nine years, and I’ve been a teacher for about six years.
How has yoga changed you?
My body is in the best shape that it has ever been in. I’m super flexible, I barely ever wake up feeling achy or tired, and I have this really amazing natural source of energy that seems to constantly be going. It’s really cool because now I can do things like parkour, scaling windows and walls, and things that I never imagined that I would be able to do in college. I can do it all and my body feels great.
What do you like about nude yoga vs. clothed yoga?
I like nude yoga because I feel like it’s more vulnerable. I also feel like it’s easier to get into some poses because you don’t have your skin coming into contact with fabric and then sliding. It just makes you overall more aware of your body, how you’re holding your body, and where you can be adding a little more love to your body.
What’s your favorite yoga pose?
My favorite yoga pose is Pincha Mayurasana, because I like the way that it feels when I go inverted. I also like falling out of a Pincha into a backbend because for me, backbends are really energizing and they make me feel really alive.
How did you become so comfortable being nude?
I wasn’t always like that. I dealt with a lot of body image issues. I was really judgmental towards my body growing up. I had an eating disorder for many years. I just wanted to heal and I started feeling really inspired, seeing my own yoga videos as my progress and seeing other people do yoga. I felt really inspired by the female form. So just on a whim one day, I decided to start shooting nude yoga in my apartment. I’m also a part-time photographer, so I set up my equipment and I just thought it was so beautiful. And the entire thing felt so comforting, I guess is the best way to put it. I felt more human. I think in modern day society, there’s a lot of value that’s put on the way that you physically present yourself. There’s a lot of value and worth that’s assigned to you based on what clothing you wear. And for me, it just felt really good to be able to take all of that off, leave all of that behind and just connect with my human body.
Where’s your ideal place to practice yoga?
I like to practice yoga at home. I have a cute little section of my living room set up with a mat and some bolsters. I also really like doing yoga in the studio. I really love hot yoga studios. And I like going on hikes and doing yoga in nature.
What helps you stay consistent with yoga?
I recommend finding a studio that you really like and practicing there. Ask your instructor what style of yoga they’re teaching. If you don’t have time to go to a studio try finding flows online. Maybe you tell yourself you can do 15 minutes, 20 minutes, but just try to dedicate yourself to maybe three days a week, four days a week, five days a week. What really motivated me to start doing yoga each day was deciding that I wanted to be able to do a certain type of pose. At first it was Pincha Mayurasana, and I knew that I wasn’t just going to be able to wake up one day and be able to do it. I started going to yoga classes, letting the teachers know that is the pose that I want to learn, and strengthening different parts of my body until I was finally able to do it.
What has yoga taught you?
Yoga has taught me how to stay in a flow state. It has taught me that patience really does pay off long term. You can be trying to force yourself into a pose, trying to get it to work and it just won’t work. But if you’re just going with the flow and showing up every day and doing your best, then one day your body is going to effortlessly be able to do it. Knowing that wisdom, I don’t have to push or struggle to get what I want, and I can just go into the flow state with the right habits, and if I’m open to receiving that, then one day it will open up and happen. I think that aspect of yoga has been the best skill that I have ever been able to incorporate into my life.
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity