(Photo: Spencer Heyfron)

Whoa, nice split! How did you get so flexible?
The key is practice. Nobody is born this flexible. Before I took up yoga, I couldn’t do a split—I couldn’t even lift my arms up. After a couple of years, I could see my body changing. Now I’m practicing every day and molding my body like a blacksmith molds metal.

Do you live in New York?
No, I’m visiting friends and I’ve come to see some of the yoga studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I own my own Bikram studio outside of San Francisco.

I once tried Bikram yoga, but I hated it.
Were you hydrated beforehand?

Probably not.
That’s like doing your shopping without your money! People usually like it or hate it, there’s nothing in between.

Interview by Emma Rosenblum

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Table of Contents: Dec 7, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!