Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Costanza.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all began with gymnastics. After starting on Long Island at a local gym when I was three years old, competitions became my life, especially when my family moved to Philadelphia in 1994. By 16, I was a state champion gymnast, competing at the national level, on a path for a chance at the Olympics. But the anxiety and disruption of moving to a new place and being an already introverted child was traumatic; it affected my demeanor and also my athletic performance. I turned to books, creating art, to learn to cope, but mostly to escape from a constantly abusive reality.
My gymnastics career ended when years of emotional, psychological, and physical trauma became too much to bear. After I stopped, I spent a few short months rehabbing with yoga and strength training before I began taking springboard diving lessons. It felt like the right move – diving came so naturally. I found a new sport to compete in and was able to continue diving through my four years at Hobart and Smith Colleges. I never got my chance at the Olympics for gymnastics, but I became an All-American diver and still hold many of the diving records at my college.
I completed my degree there in Architecture. After college, I was searching for a way to still stay active and perhaps look to something in which I could compete. I chose triathlons because I did some track and field in high school, and two of my siblings were swimmers, so I had some familiarity with what each of the events may entail. I enjoyed competing in sprint triathlons for three years; simultaneously enrolling in the Interior Architecture and Design Graduate program at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
After completing my Masters, I worked for several years in the field but felt like something was missing from my life. My partner encouraged me to take a yoga teacher training, but I continued to work in interior design and architecture. In 2015, I accepted a job in Los Angeles as an Interior Designer in West Hollywood, so we moved across the country. After several months, it still didn’t feel right; It just didn’t feel like I belonged in the high-end design world, the obscene waste of money made me sick.
I soon transitioned into the fitness world, starting first at Stretchlab, then completing my 500-hour yoga teaching training with Mia Togo, and finally getting an opportunity to teach at my current home, 34 North in Santa Monica. I still create art, specializing in human and animal portraiture, with a penchant for anatomical sketches, that fuse yoga asana with classical themes, particularly the Golden Ratio and fractal art. That’s where I am, and that’s how I got here…
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s never a smooth road. There were many times that I wanted to give up, to say it wasn’t worth it, it’s too hard, and I struggled a lot with balancing work and personal life. It’s something that I still work on daily. I’m the kind of person who just puts their head down and drives forward, no matter what. So I need reminders to pick my head up once in a while. But I also think success has a lot to do with your external environment.
Back east, I was surrounded by a lot of negativity, a lot of anger… it felt claustrophobic and filled with bad energy. It’s the kind of environment that makes you feel like you’re in quicksand… the harder you fight, the worse off you are, and after a while you just sort of give up and succumb to it.
There’s always self-doubt that comes with pursuing anything that you love… there’s so much on the line… a voice in the back of your head, telling you this is it, a second chance, don’t screw it up. I tend to put immense amounts of pressure on myself; take on sometimes more than I really should. You have to surround yourself with people and energy that not only temper more unfavorable tendencies, but that add value in a way that helps you progress.
As I get older, efficiency and minimalism are more and more a priority; I have parted with so many things, physical objects and relationships, that weren’t adding value. The hardest part is clearly articulating the things that enhance your quality of life, rather than debit from it. The struggle is most apparent when we aren’t honest with ourselves, what we want out of life, or sometimes more importantly, what we don’t want. The anxiety and uncertainty come when our true feelings don’t match our reality.
unnYoga – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a group and private instructor, teaching yoga, mobility, strength, and conditioning. I specialize in biomechanics, hand balancing, mobility, active stretching, bodyweight strength, and breath work. My life is about studying the movement of the body.
I bring what I learned in the architecture world to how I teach now. Structurally, the human body and a building have a lot of similarities. Architecture is based on human proportions. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the first to understand the importance of how a person fits within the context of not only the immediate environment, as in the physical building, but also the more expansive environment in which the building sits, how it interacts with its surroundings, and how the person exists and interacts within that context.
But it doesn’t stop there… mathematics, art, physics, engineering, music, chaos theory, fractal geometry…how all of these things are not only relevant, but are influential in how we act, interact, and carry out our lives, both within the context of our own small bubbles, and in a universal sense – how we fit within the context of history. As my partner says, “we are the most significant thing in the universe, but also the most insignificant.”
What sets me apart as a teacher is that I emphasize truth and honesty, especially when it comes to matters of the physical body. Delusions don’t help anyone grow, and that’s why I’m very direct and blunt when I teach. Some people respond well to it, and others don’t. It’s all about how ready you are to receive that information.
I research the latest scientific studies to inform my teaching, but I think it’s important to respectfully examine the teaching that came before me. Though a lot that can be taken from lineage, we must extrapolate the information that stands the test of time and let go the things that have been disproven, in order to build a greater structure of knowledge. The more we discover about the body – how it moves, how it works, how all of our systems work together – the more we need to question, analyze, and adapt our teaching to reflect what the most current science suggests. When you base your teaching on scientific principle, then it doesn’t matter what methodology you choose to convey that knowledge.
Everything in the world has both good and bad qualities, but the best ideas, movements, and changes happen because they draw from many different methodologies. While the science is crucial, I think we must also create space for exploration; not just intellectually understanding how this will affect your body, but emotionally, psychological, neurologically – how can we balance the intellectual with the esoteric?
I teach you to think critically, but move intuitively; I want my students to question; to think why am I doing this? Is this the right thing for my body? At the end of the day, it’s your body, not mine. I can’t tell you what will feel best for you, but I can help guide you during the process.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is being able to do what you love unapologetically. To be able to have the confidence to go into the world and say, this is me, this is what I’m offering, and I have the knowledge and motivation to carry out my vision. It’s also having a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and keeping your message on track – do I communicate my ideas to others in a clear, insightful way? Or am I getting sidetracked by yearning for the things I don’t have yet?
Success doesn’t have to be monetary, but I do think that culturally we equate success with moving up the socio-economic ladder. If we use the broad spectrum of what this word means, we can feel successful more often. Celebrate small goals and achievements within the big picture, and be happy with what you’ve been able to achieve so far. Be content, but still keep your eyes set on your bigger goals. When we get too eager, or become complacent, we lose out on what the process can teach us…you don’t start out in theoretical physics without first understanding basic geometry. Success is dependent upon your continuous efforts…maintaining success is much more difficult. Your level of success, however you define it, is meaningless without the vigor and determination to substantiate it.
Pricing:
- Private training $150 per hour
Contact Info:
- Address: 2723 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, Ca 90405
- Website: www.34-north.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @unnyoga
Image Credit:
Karen Cook; Stretchlab Photography session 2/2017
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
