Article in Wichita Eagle June 24, 2008

More questions with... Susan LeVine

The longtime Wichitan talks about how she evolved from bodybuilder to yoga teacher

BY KAREN SHIDELER

The Wichita Eagle

Susan LeVine, 64, has a degree in English, three grown daughters and a yoga and meditation center --Yoga for You at the Art Park, 7230 E. 29th St.

1. Why do yoga?

Yoga is the most profound path of self-growth and transformation, and yet it is completely practical. We live in a crazy world and need tools to navigate through it and keep our sanity.

2. What's your favorite pose?

Half moon pose because it makes my back feel so good, and it feels so expansive.

3. What's the most difficult pose for you?

Sitting still in my meditation position (half lotus). My mind throws up all kinds of resistance, my hips hurt sometimes, and I want just to lie down! Thoughts drift to what to eat next!

4. What benefits do you get from yoga?

How many years do you have?! Seriously, yoga affects all systems of the body and helps to calm and center the mind. The greatest benefit is more peace and happiness and less suffering, both physical and mental. More information is available at www.creativeyogasolutions.com

5. Why did you start yoga?

I fell in love with it because of my wonderful first teacher, Dana Riffel, who teaches from her heart.

I tried it because I wanted to be the oldest living woman to do the splits in a bodybuilding competition. But I never did it in competition. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stand up again!

6. How did you get into bodybuilding?

My mother died, and I was in a really inward state of mind. I went into the weight room because it was quieter than the aerobic room. One of the guys said, 'Do you want to learn to do that the right way?' I said, 'Sure.' Then he suggested I do a contest. I thought he was crazy but pretended to train for it to make him be quiet.

In the end I did it because I wanted to see how good I could be. I ended up competing for seven years, and winning or placing in all 14 contests I did.

7. Can you be a bodybuilder and still have clothes fit well?

Absolutely! Of course it depends on how you train. I recommend training with a really good personal trainer.

8. Did you have huge muscles?

No, because I was a natural bodybuilder. I was smaller than a lot of the women on the competitive stage, but I tried my best to be symmetrical and lean.

9. When were you in better shape -- while doing yoga or while bodybuilding?

It depends on what you mean by "in shape." Physically, I was leaner when I was bodybuilding, but now I am a more normal weight, more flexible, and mentally more calm, centered and happy.

10. What do you love doing when you're not doing yoga?

Reading, knitting, going to my drawing class. The Monart School of Art really can teach anyone to draw, and I am the evidence! It brings me so much joy. I feel parts of my brain opening up where I didn't even know I had parts.

There's more

Read LeVine's answers to additional questions we asked her, including why she gave up bodybuilding and what's next in her life.

To find them, visit Kansas.com and click on the WichiTalk logo.

How long have you been doing yoga?

I started in 1993.

What kind of yoga do you teach?

I teach yoga with an inner focus. I teach a combination of Hatha yoga and meditation. I include the eight aspects or "limbs" of classical yoga -- not just the physical postures. Concentration, focus, breathing and meditation are taught in all classes. Learning to open and access the energy in the body, mind and spirit is the real reason we do yoga. People can find out more at my Web site: www.creativeyogasolutions.com

What's the easiest pose for a beginner to try?

Lying down knees to chest pose.

How many sessions does it take for someone new to feel somewhat at ease with yoga?

It varies so much from person to person. I think it makes a difference if you have a caring and experienced teacher to help you modify poses individually for you, and also to explain a little about the framework of yoga, so that it makes sense to you.

Why did you decide to teach it?

At the time I was still working as a personal trainer, but I could see the great benefits of yoga. The facility where I worked asked me to teach. I really didn't feel ready, but decided to try my best, and just keep on learning whenever I could. A good teacher is always continuing to learn more.

Why did you give up bodybuilding?

I had a sense of completion about it, and also I sensed that there was more to life than lifting weights and dieting. After my mother died, I didn't want to put off anything really important anymore. It then fell to me to discover what was really important. That took a while.

Have you always been active?

No. In high school I was too busy studying. I didn't get active until my 40s.

Which is harder -- being a mom or being a bodybuilder or doing yoga?

Doing yoga, which is essentially the path of transformation and self-awareness, is definitely the most challenging and the most rewarding. One of my teachers, Judith Lasater, said once that yoga is "the conscious choice of the difficult." I think that bodybuilding for me was a great beginning because it made me aware of my strength, and now I have faith in my ability to work through difficult things.

You've gone from aerobics to bodybuilding to yoga -- what's next?

In the fall, I will begin my yoga teacher training program, with a schedule to accommodate working people who want to become certified. I will have a Yoga Alliance-accredited teacher training program through the Shambhava School of Yoga in Rollinsville, Co. It will have a unique focus on inner focus and meditation, as well as the study of the yogic philosophy, breathing practices, and the physical poses (asana). I have been meditating for 16 years now, twice a day, and have seen the amazing changes in my life, and I just want to share this with other people now.

Reach Karen Shideler at 316-268-6674 or kshideler@wichitaeagle.com.

Additional comments:
Ann Gates:
From Wichita Eagle story on June 24, 2008, from Ann Gates
A few years ago, I thought about trying yoga. I asked several friends and acquaintances about teachers. One name, Susan LeVine, kept being repeated. I started taking Susan's yoga class approximately one year ago and am thrilled with every aspect of Susan's classes. She is knowledgeable, well prepared for every class and makes all of her students feel welcome and special therough her kind and gentle ways. I have tried other yoga classes and have found them to be lacking when compared to classes at Yoga For You. I wish Susan continued success as she shares her knowledge of yoga and joy of life with her students. Check out her great website at creativeyogasolutions.com or better yet, go check out one of her classes.

Ann Gates

Exciting and scary times

These are exciting and scary times! As I approach teaching the teacher training in Sept., sometimes I get afraid I can't do a good enough job. I wonder how I will have the energy to do it all. I have doubts about myself. I want so much to do a really good job, and really honor the shakti which supports everything I am. And then I realize that if that shakti is supporting me, I can't fail.
So I guess I have to get out of my own way.

So I guess this will be the cover for Suryadas' new CD! I am very excited about that. I had no idea anyone would like what I painted. I am just doing it for fun. And so it is!

Great song by Steve Earle is Pilgrim on the Album "You can count on me". I just love the bluegrass and acoustic guitar sound. It kind of takes me back to the '60's when I used to play guitar in the park and sing folksongs with Cynthia Geis in Salina, Kansas. I even have a picture of that somewhere. We thought we were great. Who knows?

Well, here is another swan painting. I seem to be obsessing with swans. That is ok.
There are parts of my brain which are opening up and working in interesting ways.
I feel like my mind is being stretched in many ways lately. If I do teach the Yoga teacher training, I will be working very hard, and doing more than I thought I could do. But I could surprise myself. I might actually get energy from doing it. We will see. Right now I am overwhelmed.

Sometimes I have days when my body, mind and emotions are in a kind of uproar---an autonomic nervous system storm. My back is screaming at me, my head has weird thoughts, my digestion has run amok, I can't sleep, and everything seems difficult.

In the middle of that, I still know that is not who I really am. I am able to step back, and breathe inside and say "I am more than my thoughts. All my thoughts are just like waves in the ocean, coming and going, neither inauspicious, nor meaningful."

And the funny thing is, that the whole situation passes much more quickly, and I can find my self again. I used to stay in these states of mind for months, or maybe years, kind of paralyzed by inaction, depressed, and drawing all kinds of bad conclusions about myself.


A few weeks ago I had a mother and her daughter visit my Yoga class. The mother clearly wanted to "protect" the daughter, in case I turned out to be too weird or something.
I tried to answer their questions as best I could, and also answered her email questions.
A week ago she sent me this letter; it just blew me away. It seems she got the essence of the thing right away. Wow.

Here is the letter:

Susan,

I wanted to say thank you again for all the wonderful help you have given me.

I also have been very disciplined in my practice of meditation though my mind tends to wonder more days than not I seem to have found a part of my inner self I had yet to consciously shed light on. I have found myself looking upon things differently, like the small things in life actually stand out and I seem more of the goodness in others.

I also find that my day to day life is less stressful, I have become more content in my life and I have also found a new love for myself that I have never felt before. I use to look in the mirror and see a lot of negative but each day I try to find something more about myself I appreciate. Each day it gets a little bit easier to be less critical and more loving towards who I am.

The more I meditate I find new things about myself, like the other day I found the anger and hurt that I had thought I had let go of was still within me. I actually began to let it out I felt as though with each deep breathe I took I breathed in positive things and released the negative. I have never felt as good as I do right now, I have also found my beliefs have strengthened and I stand stronger in what I believe.

The other day I was beginning to do the tree pose and I felt an energy within me I cant describe it. I hadn't felt that way before. I feel it every time I do the pose its as though I'm linked to something within me that gives me extra strength to do anything I need to do and face anything I need to face. Thank You I know you do not know it but you have helped me in many ways. Thank You for helping me live a lifestyle that helps me grow and love who I am and everything around me.

Sincerely,
Melanie

One of the wonderful things about birthdays is receiving the expressions of love from the people who care about you. This year I especially feel such a sweetness from everyone. Each day is so different, and I am grateful for all the precious people in my life. I wish I could have found the "Yogic" point of view earlier in my life, but I am grateful I found it at all!

Cultivating the practice of gratitude has had profound effects on me, and it seems so easy to do, really. Anyway, a great big THANK YOU to the universe!