From the worlds of dance and modeling to becoming one of the most influential voices in modern yoga, Tara Stiles has transformed how people approach movement and wellbeing. As the founder of Strala Yoga, she has built a global community rooted in softness, ease, and authentic connection.
In this special conversation with Women Fitness, Tara opens up about her journey, her philosophy, and why letting go of force may be one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves.
A Journey Guided by Connection and Synchronicity
Women Fitness:
Your journey from modeling to becoming a globally recognized yoga teacher and founder of Strala Yoga has been unique. What inspired this transformation, and how has yoga shaped your life?
Tara Stiles:
Thanks for thinking of me to share with your readers. I feel lucky with my life so far, and with what I’ve come to understand as synchronicity: the things that line up for you when you are aligned with goodness.
In my early life, I was a dancer. Yoga was brought into my dance program by the awesome Rory Foster of American Ballet Theatre, who went on to be so generous in guiding me and many young dancers through life’s challenges and careers. Ever since he brought in a weekly yoga teacher, I was hooked on the practice. At first, I thought it was just for myself, to feel more connected and have more guidance for my life.
Soon, I realized that I wanted my friends and family to have this guidance as well, so I started taking workshops and trainings in yoga and the healing arts wherever I could find them. This was the late ’90s, so there wasn’t a yoga studio on every corner back then.
Along my journey, I got lucky to dance and do some TV commercials and a bit of modeling, but by then yoga was always in the background, helping me feel connected. I was always showing people on set and backstage, little yoga things they could do to feel better, whether that was helping with back pain, focus, a breakup, or whatever they were going through.
These little moments always had a good feeling for me and for those I was sharing with, and they led me to open a small studio for fun to keep that going. More people who wanted to feel better with yoga and experience it in a non-dogmatic and less rigid way started coming, and one thing led to another. We soon needed a bigger space, and I was happy to have opportunities to write about yoga and wellbeing in an approachable way for magazines, and to make videos to share with whoever wanted to practice with us.
Now Strala incorporates yoga as well as the foundations of tai chi, shiatsu, and the healing arts to help people feel better and live well. There are thousands of Strala Guides leading classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings all around the world, and I feel very lucky to have friends in softness and wellbeing all around the world through Strala.
Yoga has become my life in a way, by being a blueprint of a daily practice that helps me find harmony and well-being. I feel grateful that it’s something I can share with others and have something to offer people to help them feel better and live with less tension.
Writing about yoga, wellbeing, and mindfulness has been meditative and helpful in reaching people in a way that is sometimes easier than a yoga class. My book Living Softly, coming in March 2027, teaches people how to achieve more with less tension. I’m always excited to find new ways to help people with this practice and the foundations of wellbeing.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
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