John Harris: ‘I love how calm I feel’

When John Harris, 54, first started practicing yoga five years ago in Chicago, he was completely surprised by how peaceful he felt afterwards.

He was immediately hooked. “The next day I told all my friends at work how great the class was,” he says. “I started going five to seven days a week after that.”

His favorite thing about yoga is how calm he feels afterwards. “I can be impatient when driving,” he admits. “But after I started doing yoga, I could catch myself by saying that it was not the yogic way to react and let it pass. I found I could drop the stress level at work the same way.”

John moved to Hawaii in 2008 after the break-up of a relationship. Yoga helped him through that period. “If things were bothering me, I found that by going to a yoga class, I could stop thinking about them,” he says. “And often, those things would bother me less after class also.”

A favorite yoga teacher in Chicago was a very positive influence during this period. “Wendy was a huge help when I would go to her yoga classes,” he says. “She made a very unhappy time so much better by embodying all the qualities I feel a yogi or yogini should have—warm, friendly, caring, honest and nonjudgmental. These are qualities I strive to have and feel the practice of yoga is a way to help achieve this.”

At Yoga Hawaii, John often practices in Rupali’s vinyasa classes. “I’ve had many different teachers…and have found that all the teachers are supportive, caring, open and friendly,” he says. “Rupali is all of those things and keeps the practice fun by changing things all of the time and being so light-hearted and happy.”

As when he started yoga, John continues to do athletic sports such as running and swimming, but he says, “I am grateful that I found the practice and for all the yoga teachers I have had. Yoga has had a very positive affect on my life.”

When John isn’t on his mat, he can often be found at his job in Costco’s bakery.