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
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President of womenfitness.net, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or in full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2026 Women Fitness
Creating a More Accessible and Human Approach to Yoga
Women Fitness:
You created Strala Yoga to make yoga feel more natural and accessible. What was the vision behind this approach, and why does it resonate with so many people worldwide?
Tara Stiles:
I didn’t have a big vision, really. I mostly saw a lot of what I thought could be done differently. Dogma, rigidity, and abuse are what I didn’t like coming out of the yoga community.
I wanted my friends to practice, but I didn’t want them to be subjected to what I saw happening in a lot of studios and systems. Yes, there are some great teachers out there and always have been, but so many of the systems themselves have been designed by abusers to enforce rigidity and prey on the vulnerable.
This isn’t unique to yoga, of course, but I saw the chance to try to make something better. That was always the starting point for me, and one I keep coming back to: reject rigidity, abuse, and control, and you have room for progress, feeling connected, and real wellbeing that actually helps people in their lives.
Yoga as an Anchor in a Fast-Paced World
Women Fitness:
International Yoga Day celebrates yoga as a tool for holistic wellbeing. How can yoga help people cultivate physical, mental, and emotional health in today’s fast-paced world?
Tara Stiles:
Slowing down can be hard, so instead I love replacing the rushed habit of being disconnected with moving well, noticing how you feel, and responding with care.
We can all take a Softness Break during the day to check in with the Breath-Body Connection. These moments help us come back to harmony when we notice the rigidity creeping in.
Breaking the Biggest Myths about Yoga
Women Fitness:
Many people believe yoga is only about flexibility or advanced poses. What are the five biggest misconceptions about yoga that you would like to dispel?
Tara Stiles:
Ahh, I love this. There are so many misconceptions about yoga, but they exist because they’re many people’s experiences. It doesn’t have to be that way.
The top one, I think, so many of us hear is, “I’m not flexible.” I love that one because it’s an easy fix. If you can’t touch your toes, just bend your knees.
There are so many others, like: “I can’t be calm,” “I don’t have good balance,” or “I’m not a vegetarian.”
One of the great things about yoga is that when you practice, you feel better. And when you feel better, you become more calm, find more balance, eat more plants, and so on. Things improve because you feel like improving, not because you are forcing yourself to do something good for you.
Tara Stiles on The Transformative Power of Softness
Women Fitness:
Your teaching philosophy emphasizes ease over force. How can this principle help people not only in yoga but also in everyday life?
Tara Stiles:
When you focus on ease and softness, you let go of the tension and keep the effort. So much more becomes possible, and you feel more connected along the way.
We are addicted to stress as a sign of success, but with practice in ditching the No Pain, No Gain mindset, we can achieve so much more with less tension.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarastiles/
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President of womenfitness.net, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or in full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2026 Women Fitness