For Tisha Bremner, yoga is all about mindful living. Connecting with your inner light. 

And sometimes falling over. (That’s when yoga becomes all about laughing at yourself and having fun.)

Bremner started practicing yoga when she was 16, attracted by the sense of inner calm and peace she felt. Nearly 20 years later, unhappy in her pharmaceutical sales job, she became a yoga teacher.

Today she owns Inner Light Yoga of Maine and teaches yoga for children and adults, both private sessions and public classes, therapeutic and non-therapeutic.

It still gives her that sense of peace. And sometimes an opportunity to laugh at herself.

Name: Tisha Bremner

Age: 39

Town: Turner

Married/single/relationship: Married

Job: Nationally certified yoga teacher

Why name your business “Inner Light” yoga? I believe we all have an “inner light” of intelligence, creativity and joy. Yoga is a mindful living practice that opens our eyes to this light. It is from this perspective we see the good in ourselves, our lives and the people around us. This sparks our inner light. Life becomes more joyful. I want my students to see their “inner light” and to let it shine so they can fully enjoy their lives!

How many hours of yoga do you do a day? I average a 30- to 60-minute daily practice on my mat. Since yoga is a mindful living practice, I do my best to practice 24/7 off the mat as well.

You’re doing Storytime Yoga at the Auburn Public Library. Does this entail reading fairy tales aloud while doing downward-facing dog ? This is an exceptionally fun class to teach and participate in! It involves reading a story that has an important life lesson for kids, like sharing. We read the story, discuss the theme and practice yoga poses based on the main characters in the story. Then, as a closing, I ask the kids to consider what gifts they have to share. We all offer our gifts in the closing circle and everyone leaves feeling inspired!

What’s the most unusual type of yoga you’ve ever done? Kundalini. It involves poses where you hold your hands over your head for 3 to 7 minutes while repeating a chant, like “Sat Nam.” It’s quite energizing and unique.

You offer Baby & Me Yoga. Babies can do yoga? Absolutely and they love it! In this class I teach moms and caregivers how to practice yoga poses that help their baby’s digestion and motor skill development as well as how to practice yoga poses with baby in tow. It’s a wonderful class for parent and baby bonding and play, and connecting parents to each other in the community.

What’s the hardest pose for you to do? Agnistambasana — Fire Log Pose. It involves stacking your ankle to your opposite knee so that your shins are parallel to each other and your knees wide. It’s a deep external rotation of both hips at the same time and this pose has never come easy for me.

What’s your favorite pose? It’s too hard to choose! I love movement, flowing sequences, pausing to hold a pose and those quiet moments between each breath.

Why do yoga and not, say, swimming or weight lifting? Yoga is an integrative practice that helps me refine my body, my awareness and the way I approach my life. I think movement is medicine, so I do lift weights, take cardio classes and enjoy many outdoor activities. I embrace it all!

Hot yoga: crazy or completely amazing? Amazing, but be sure to hydrate well. What better practice to stay calm and cultivate a positive attitude in a challenging situation.

Falling over in the middle of a pose: embarrassing or everybody-does-it? An opportunity to laugh at yourself and have fun. We all stumble, struggle with balance and fall in yoga class and out in the world. Falling on the mat is practice to laugh and forgive yourself, so when you fall off the mat you don’t beat yourself up about it!

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