Élodie – About yoga, horseback riding, and learning the elements of happines
BY VAL SCHOGER; PHOTOS BY CELINA GRANATO, KATIE DESANTIS & SULLIVAN MADEWELL
Élodie Madewell, radiating warmth, vibrant health and good humor, sits across from me in her spacious, airy yoga studio. Soothing music is coming from one of the adjacent rooms – a class is in session and we are getting settled in for our interview on an inviting lounge sofa in one of the sections of the studio High ceilings, wooden floors and modern decor make this a very quaint place to be – she refers to it as “industrial chic” and every corner of the studio has been meticulously planned and styled . As we talk, I learn that her name is pronounced like “melody” without the “m” and think to myself how much sense it makes.
One of the most recent entrepreneurs to put down roots in Historic St. Andrews, Élodie, undoubtedly, offers the most innovative yoga classes in Panama City at One Heart Yoga Studio. Among beginner, meditation, and basic classes, Aerial Yoga, Paddleboard Yoga, Hot Yoga, Fire Flow, and even Yoga on Horseback are offered. Horseback Yoga? As I try to fathom the different techniques, there must have been a question mark over my head and, with her typical huge and contagious smile, Elodie says “Yoga Disney.” So, she is one of these admirable people who can laugh about themselves and I feel encouraged. During our interview, I learn from Elodie “Yoga is contained in everything.”
PCL: What prompted you to open your own studio and offer all the different yoga types you have available?
Élodie: Yoga is quickly catching on here in Panama City. In planning for the opening of the studio, I felt that our class and teacher options needed to be as varied as possible to expose our students to everything that yoga has to offer. Currently, we have eight teachers, each specializing in their own particular field, in one studio. I had to laugh when recently the studio was referred to as ”Yoga Disney!” As I see the growth in our students, I recognize the tremendous benefits of this diversity. A phenomenon is unfolding where students are quickly becoming adept in yoga by the simple virtue of being able to practice between disciplines. It is fantastic to see their growth!
PCL: Describe all the other types of yoga that you do at your studio.
Élodie: While I can try and give a broad description of all the opportunities we provide, I must encourage anyone interested to come and try the classes. In addition to Yoga on Horseback, we offer a Paddleboard Yoga class, yet another innovative way to practice poses in a setting that provides instant feedback on a student’s balance and focus, complete with the occasional refreshing splash in the cool waters of beautiful St . Andrews Bay. For those new to yoga, we teach several beginner-friendly Level 1, Chair and Yoga Basics classes, as well as beginner series that guide burgeoning yogis through the fundamentals of this age-old discipline. For those looking to compliment or boost their athleticism we have sweaty Hot Yoga classes, physically challenging Power Yoga, and detoxifying Ashtanga Yoga. Our Morning Meditations, Mindfulness Yoga, and Flow Yoga classes are ideal for students looking to direct their practice inward, focusing on the natural rhythmic and meditative aspects of the art. Using soft trapeze hammocks, our Aerial Yoga classes are especially popular as they allow gravity to do the work of creating space and relieving compression. We even offer specialty classes like Back Care Basics, Kids and Prenatal Yoga, designed for students with more specific needs in their yoga practice. And, with as much as I have listed, we are also constantly trying out new classes and even bringing in guest instructors to teach their own specialties. There are countless ways to use yoga to improve your life . All it takes is the willingness to come out and give it a try. In seeking to give back to the community that has so warmly welcomed us and our students, we periodically host charity classes and events, the proceeds of which are donated to the Anchorage Children’s Home. Check our schedule or send us an email to learn about our next event, as these make a great opportunity to introduce you to the studio and meet many of our teachers and students.
PCL: How long have you been practicing yoga and what got you started?
Élodie: In my early twenties, I began suffering from back issues due to falls and injuries from horses. Then about twelve years ago, while training up to six or seven horses a day, several of which had been through bad training experiences and were difficult, my back began giving me debilitating problems. I could not ride anymore and had to stop training altogether. A friend recommended I try yoga as a treatment option. After a period of recovery, I started yoga classes. It wasn’t long before I noticed my back issues, along with the intense aching in my joints, began to dissipate.
PCL: So you started practicing yoga out of a pure necessity to deal with the pain?
Élodie: Yes, my back problems had gotten so bad that the smallest movement could inflict excruciating pain. Riding horses is a lifelong passion. I am grateful that yoga has helped me to be able to ride again, but I have to keep up my yoga practice to be able to fully enjoy riding.
PCL: You mentioned that yoga and horseback riding got “intertwined” for you. What do you mean by that?
Élodie: When it comes to riding, I have principally studied a discipline known as “dressage,” a practice that focuses on developing a horse’s natural athletic ability through focus on balance, suppleness, and fostering harmony between horse and rider. While I have spent time in stadium and cross-country jumping, I came to realize that the horse and rider who were well-versed in dressage and dedicated to their practice could perform at a much higher level in any other discipline. The same holds true for any athlete that practices yoga – they will be able to perform at a much higher level.
PCL: What got you started and how long have you been riding horses?
Élodie: I have been riding essentially since I could walk. The Parish of Gretna lies just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. On many hot, humid afternoons I could be found astride Derber, my sister’s saddlebred. Riding double, bareback, with my teenage sister’s arms wrapped securely around me, we would explore the levees together like a couple of wild children. There was the time, as my sister tells it, that a group of local kids started pummeling us with rocks atop a levee, forcing us to quickly gallop to safety. She said the entire time I could not stop laughing, begging for more. I was not quite two years old . I turned fifty recently, and can honestly say I have been on or around horses all my life. As a child, my introduction to formal riding was in the Netherlands and England . Back in the U.S., I was on the University of Tennessee Equestrian Team on the Flat and Over Fences . I was captain of the team my final year. Then, in my twenties, I sold all my earthly possessions to travel to Germany as a working student in a dressage barn . Since then, I have worked for years with various trainers.
PCL: How difficult is it to do Horseback Yoga and would you recommend it to someone who has never done either?
Élodie: All levels of experience are welcome! For the experienced yogi who has never been on a horse, horseback yoga will offer an opportunity to deepen and understand their yoga practice. For experienced riders, it provides the ability to sit deeper into the horse and connect on a physical and meditative level that perhaps has not yet been discovered. My own personal experience speaks to this – it was only after I started doing yoga that my riding and my mental and physical connection to the horse, drastically improved. And for those who have never done yoga or ridden a horse, this is an eye-opening experience that will allow you to deeply connect with an amazing living being that is a kind, generous and sensitive teacher.
PCL: Yoga is about balance, breathing, meditation and finding one’s inner peace. How does that go when you involve another body, the horse’s body?
Élodie: Dressage is to a horse as yoga is to a human. I have found that practicing yoga on horseback is a natural extension of each discipline and that the two combine seamlessly. The dressage training scale begins with rhythm and regularity (of breath and the gaits of the horse), then is followed by relaxation and suppleness (quietness in the mind and body of the horse). So also does the yogic “training scale” begin, with the rhythm and regularity of sun salutations and postures bringing about relaxation and suppleness in the mind and body. In our classes, human and horse work through various exercises and poses to further this balance and harmony. For both horse and rider, once a sense of balance and alignment is achieved, it follows that the mind becomes quiet and moves into harmony with the body. A deep sense of compassion and understanding rises up out of this type of training. Thus, the pair can achieve higher levels of strength, focus and meditative watchfulness.
PCL: What movements of the horse best support the yoga positions?
Élodie: A huge element of yoga is a natural rhythm of breathing and motion. The rhythm of the horse’s walk, trot and canter enhance this element. The challenge of the asana (poses) is to achieve simultaneous relaxation in certain areas of the body and tone in others, while maintaining balance and an even breath. The mind is brought into complete focus on the task at hand, as it involves every part of the body. This balance and alignment of the body is sometimes lost on the mat as our mat cannot tell us, say, whether there is more weight on the right foot or the left. The horse, however, will respond by drifting to the right or left with the change in weight . The horse is the ‘tell.’ To a well-trained school horse, tension or imbalance are merely signals and he will respond to them by moving under a shift in weight, coming to a halt under perceived tension or even reflecting the rider’s tension with tension in his own movements. Horses seek harmonious movement with the rider and will always indicate when that is not happening.
PCL: As a yoga teacher what is your take on life?
Élodie: Recently, I watched Seven Years in Tibet . Surprisingly, there was a scene that captured the feel of yoga on horseback. When the Dalai Lama asks Heinrich Harrer what he loves about climbing mountains, he answers: “The absolute simplicity. That’s what I love. When you’re climbing, your mind is clear and free from all confusions. You have focus. And suddenly the light becomes sharper, the sounds are richer, and you’re filled with the deep, powerful presence of life .” Yoga is contained in everything. I am learning to embrace and appreciate all aspects of life, good and bad I am deeply blessed to be able to do something I love . On top of that, I have a beautiful family. Two healthy, bright sons and a loving husband, all of whom support me in what I do. As a family, we enjoy sailing together. My oldest son is a professional sailor and my younger son teaches sailing and races catamarans internationally. We live on a little farm filled with raised bed gardens – the sweet potatoes were particularly delicious this year – and an assortment of dogs, cats, chickens, horses, and a rabbit. With gratitude and a humble heart, I love where life has taken me . Life is a journey. While it is easiest to think of that journey as a series of places traveled, people met, and career and familial goals accomplished, I have come to recognize the most important journey of all – the journey inward.
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For more information:
One Heart Yoga
(850) 890-1597
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