I’m really excited to feature Sophia Lotter in this week’s Strong Girl Spotlight! Sophia and I were originally connected through a Strong Girl Event and then again through a mutual friend who was also in her Yogaworks teacher training class! I love how much of a positive role yoga has played in Sophia’s life and I’m sure you’ll be just as inspired as I was when you read her Spotlight! xx

Tell us about yourself!

I was raised by South African expat parents in Arizona, ate a macrobiotic diet which at the time was “weird”, wasn’t vaccinated, had to borrow my friend’s barbies because the closest things to toys we had were homemade dolls, and attended the local Waldorf school, an alternative school for hippie kids. I was, by my own definition, a freak show. By the time high school hit, I wanted to so desperately to blend in and be “normal”, I buried my creative tendencies, threw away my art supplies, and started eating “normal” American food. Long story short, it took many years for me to re-discover my inner Essence. Yoga has helped facilitate that journey, reconnecting me with the esoteric, creative self-expression, and my roots in health. I now live in the yoga Mecca of the world, Santa Monica CA, and feel very lucky to be a part of such a prolific and strong community of yogis.

What does Strong mean to you and what makes you a Strong Girl?

To me, Strong means Magnetism. Strong Girls are magnetic because they know themselves (confidence), they come from the heart (their true essence), and believe in the infinite possibilities life has to offer (manifestation). Yoga is helping me along this journey, which I’m going to guess is a never-ending one!

Photography Credit: @kylie.fly

What do you love about The Strong Movement?

I love that the Strong Movement is empowering young women by giving them the tools to harness the power of their bodies and minds.

How has healthy living increased your confidence and self-esteem?

My yoga practice not only makes me feel physically strong but also energetically strong. I take up more space, I feel grounded, and I’m aware of an unwavering power that comes from deep within my being.

Tell us about your experience with Yoga and how much of a positive role it plays in your life?

It keeps me sane! It brings me back into my physical body so I can get out of my head. There is something so calming about this. It’s my flow state.

You’ve been wanting to do Yoga Teacher Training for a while and finally had the chance to commit to it. How exciting! Tell us about your experience, how it’s transformed you and what’s next in your yoga practice?

I put off doing my yoga teacher training for about 10 years. There was always 1 really good reason why the timing was wrong; I shouldn’t spend the money, I didn’t HAVE the money, I was moving, and so on. Eventually I got so sick of hearing myself talk about how I totally deserved to follow my dreams and pursue yoga if it wasn’t for “the entire universe conspiring against me”, that I knew I needed help. I picked up a booked called The Artist’s Way and it changed my life. Twelve weeks of journaling and sorting through personal subconscious blocks and self-sabotaging behaviors, and boom, I was finally ready. I didn’t have the money, but I was going to do it by hook or by crook. Long story short, I miraculously got a scholarship at Yogaworks, was lucky enough to be trained by Birgitte Kristen, an incredibly wise and experienced yoga teacher I had admired for years, and was surrounded by an awesome group of like-minded women.

Simultaneously, other things started to move in my life – I got a big girl raise, negotiated to have Fridays remote so I had more “me” time, moved in with my boyfriend into our dream apartment, and somehow weaseled my way into Wanderlust as an ambassador which eventually sent me to Oahu for my first yoga retreat! The power of manifestation is real, and yoga is a tool I’ve used to get in touch with that insanely potent energy. It has changed my life.

Photography Credit: @kylie.fly

What’s it like working for a positive lifestyle company like Waiakea?

Working at Waiakea has been very rewarding. I get to bring my creativity to the table, as well as my love for health and conscious living. I now teach yoga on Tuesday mornings at our office in Culver City!

What do you wake up looking forward to and excited about every day?

Everyday is a new beginning with another opportunity to change one’s reality.

Photography Credit: @kylie.fly

Do you have any daily rituals? What’s a day in your life like?

I like to rotate my morning rituals so that they don’t become stagnant. Some mornings will be a sweaty yoga class before work, other mornings are slower with journaling in bed, tea in hand, and a short meditation.

You’ve followed your heart and have worked hard to make your dreams a reality…. What advice do you have for other Strong Girls?

Love yourself. Everything you could possibly want already exists. You just have to get those pesky self-limiting thoughts to shut up and dive deep into your own power and infinite potential. It’s all already there.

Photography Credit: @kylie.fly