ODDLight Teacher Feature: Bobbi Erwin

Each month we will be bringing a teacher into the #ODDlight and illuminating their interests, practices, and who they are. There is a real person behind those teachers and it’s their knowledge filtered through their own experiences that make them that person that pulls you into class.  This month, get to know Bobbi Erwin, explorer adventuress!

Name:
Bobbi Erwin...although legally its Robyn. I have been called Bobbi since birth and it stuck more than Robyn so call me Bobbi :)

Nick Name:
There have been so many...bobbin, Bobbi pin, bobster, bobs, bobbilicious(junior high, obviously) Robby, obbi, rockin robin, Robin Hood, Bobbi baby (to be sung in a Sondheim style), and as the lovely owner of odd likes to call me (among many others over the years) boobs or boobie.

Hometown:
Yuma, Arizona. Yes the same one from "3:10 to Yuma". I'm a desert baby!

Favorite Place:
On any mountain.

Favorite color:
Blue!

What’s your sign?
Taurus and proud of it!

Most embarrassing moment?
Oh gosh I don't know! The only things that come to mind are from when I first started teaching...in my second class I said "Savasana" instead of "Namaste." Even more embarrassing though was when I passed gas while demoing a yoga pose in my first couple of months teaching. We all kept going as if it didn't happen, I mean hey we're all human right?

Most empowering moment?
Running my first half marathon. I've had knee pain and joint issues due to hyper mobility since I was about 14. I never thought that I would have been able to run that far. I put in a lot of work with corrective exercises, yoga tune up balls and was really consistent with my training. It wasn't easy but by the time I got to that finish line I felt so proud and powerful for the hours of hard work paying off and I knew that I could conquer whatever I put my mind to.

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I was an incredibly hyper child. One of my mom's friends actually nick named me chucky, and not off the rug rats character. I was fearless and would do front handsprings and aerials everywhere we went, I actually broke my own nose by trying to show off how high I could kick. I used to dive head first down the stairs so for years I had to wear a little pink epileptic helmet. These days I am much much more calm, but I still have my bursts of goofy energy!

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I grew up going out to the desert and off roading in various "sand toys." My dad is a mechanic and is big in the world of sand drags (a form of racing with dragsters, sand jeeps, quads etc. down two parallel, straight lanes) and I used to race quads as a kid! I never got super into racing but I did win a few first place trophies for the kids division!

Fun Fact most wouldn’t know about you?
I got my first dog from my kindergarten teacher, Miss Ferguson! He was the sweetest little schnauzer named Bailey (looked a lot like Patrick but without clipped ears and his tail was a little longer) and he was such a strong spirit! He was ran over by a car twice, had pins in his hips but didn't pass away until I went off to college. He lived for about 15 years and had a heart of gold.

When you aren't at the studio, where can you be found?
Usually hiking somewhere around LA, either at Griffith or somewhere on the west side where I teach at a high school.

How do you define yoga?
Connection, a way to reconnect all of the pieces of myself and find clarity in the ups and downs of life. It's not always a series of poses, sometimes it's breathing, sometimes it's writing, going for a hike, a run, sharing a laugh with family and friends. I try to take my yoga practice off the mat as much as I can.

Why do you teach?
To help others connect and breathe!

What brought you to become an instructor?
What brought me to do teacher training is a little complicated but to put it simply I was in a not so great place mentally and it just made sense. I finished teacher training and was afraid to teach. I went on not teaching for about a year. I was friends with Jess and helping her out with studio things and working the desk when the studio was still a baby. Jessica, Arielle and various other teacher friends kept telling me to start teaching and I was scared out of my mind. One Sunday I was at the farmer's market with Jessica and she was saying how she didn't have anyone to sub class that evening and something inside of me said I'll do it! I didn't have time to overthink it, just a couple hours to figure out what I was going to do. I taught that first class and no one died, within a couple weeks I had my own class on the schedule. I'm so happy for the encouragement my friends gave me and my own impulsiveness when it came to teaching that first class!

What is your favorite song to play in class?
Anything radiohead!

What is your favorite pose or flow? Why?
I have a pretty eclectic practice, I love strong poses but I also have a soft spot for restorative and yin so this question is hard for me! When it comes to strong poses I would say either flying pigeon or boat pose. I love core/abdominal work. Having a strong core has completely changed my practice and my ability to work with my hyper mobility in a safe way, it's not easy but once you get into it you can't get enough of it!

I also have a soft spot for supta Baddha konasana, restorative style. This pose has helped me connect to myself, my body and work through a lot of crap physically, mentally and emotionally. This pose is in every restorative class I teach!

Memorable yoga moment?
Teaching at the LAMP community on skid row. The people there were so incredible and grateful for every movement and breath that was offered to them. They were all strong willed, beautiful people who taught me so much. That was one of the first places I taught and they ended up teaching me a hell of a lot more than I taught them. I had to quit volunteering there because of my schedule at the school I teach at, but I hope to someday volunteer somewhere like that again.

What is your favorite yogi prop or piece to wear or use?
I don't know that I have a favorite! I would probably say my Mexican blankets in my home prop arsenal. They can be utilized for almost everything!

What special causes or non-profits do you hold dear to your heart?
I am a huge animal lover, the elephant sanctuary I volunteered at in Thailand was incredible. Elephantnaturepark.org, also unicef, inner-city arts, and a co-worker of mine is a part of a non-prophet called eayikes which works to bring together teens from all walks of life and create a community for them to connect, explore their creativity and empower them to give back and mentor others. They're doing some wonderful work with teens in Los Angeles and Long Beach! They want to expand to becoming a community that empowers adults to work together and give back as well. I am also a love more ambassador for the Love More Movement created by Sarit Rogers which works to promote loving more even when it isn't easy! Follow @lovemoremovement!

Anything Else?

I have three older sisters and they really mean the world to me. We have been through so much together having experienced tragedy, loss, love, heartache and goofiness together…among many other things. We have spent years going in and out of hating and loving each other and now that we are all adults our relationships are taking on a whole new uncharted and wonderful quality which I am so grateful to experience. These girls really helped to mold me into the woman I am. We still fight and frustrate the heck out of each other at times but, when it comes down to it I love them more than I can express and I wouldn't change one of them if I could (even if they do drive me crazy at times).