What is Trill Yoga you might ask? Well you’re about to find out! We sat down with founder, Claire Fountain, to discuss her awesome company and how she’s all about keeping yoga real, fun and badass!

What was your inspiration behind setting up trill yoga?
When I started posting yoga to social media, I needed a way to describe what I was doing since it seemed unconventional and more guerrilla, so TrillYoga came about!

What first drew you in to yoga?
I was a teen in Mississippi with depression and anxiety and knew I had to do something to feel better. Having a little knowledge that yoga might help, I created a “wellness plan” for myself and consistent yoga was part of that. Thank god I had a teacher with a strong ashtanga background, who really provided a solid practice for me to learn and grow from.

What was your inspiration behind starting your blog?
I’ve always been a writer, from food to lifestyle to advice columns to newsletters and editing, but I wanted a place to have my own content live that was for me and TrillYoga. Having been a writer, I had a bad opinion of “blogging” as some self-indulgent matter, but I realized I could share with my community in an open and honest way with a blog. http://www.iamtrillyoga.com/blog/ 

What 3 foods could you not live without?
Does Iced tea count?! I would have to say … green leafy vegetables, oatmeal, and something sweet. I’m very much equal opportunity when it comes to food.

What are your go-to yoga sequences/poses for when you’re are feeling a bit stressed out?
Being still and breathing. There is really nothing better to get back to yourself and your sanity than breathing deeply and with intention; it slows the heart rate, provides life-giving oxygen, and can still the mind. Pose wise, probably a combination of child’s pose, forward folds, deep squats, and reclining spinal twists. All can be slow and restorative.

How/why does yoga empower you?
Yoga is ultimately a journey back to your most authentic self. At our core, we are love and are simple creatures who crave simple enriching things. Yoga helped me to let go of what my body looked like, or what I looked like, and helped me see how by nourishing my mind, soul, and spirit I could be a more whole person, and I’m enough just as I am. Thus, I’m empowered because I’m not afraid of myself. I’m not afraid of my feelings and thoughts, and I’m also not afraid of my body. I’m empowered when I can practice exactly how I want, with no shame, no guilt, in a space that is free from judgment and concern. Exactly the type of space I would hope to share that can empower others as well.

What are your top tips for people who struggle to find the time to exercise?
Ask yourself why. Why you don’t want to exercise, or why you make other decisions that don’t fit with your assumed goals. As much as I could say, wake up earlier or prioritize better, sometimes it’s deeper than that. Really get in tune with yourself and what your honest intention is. Let all your decisions flow from there, and hopefully that makes exercise or healthy habits easier to make and easier to keep as a lifestyle.

What’s your favourite way of winding down?
Sometimes it’s music and being still; other times it’s listening to the silence or talking to my dog. I’m relaxed and renewed by time alone, usually journaling. Getting lost in my own head are some of my most honored moments (and oddly productive without meaning to be!) Of course, meditation also helps if anxiety is high.

What are your yoga bag essentials?
A good sports bra and pants that don’t ride down or up or anywhere they aren’t supposed to be. Face or hand wipes because I never know how sweaty I might be, and yoga is barefoot; hands and feet and bodies can be all over random floors. All ok! Just wipe yourself down after. Hair ties. A big water for AFTER class (drinking water during yoga can disrupt breathing patterns) but after that much moving and opening of the body’s systems and connective tissues, you want to get water in quickly to replenish the body and help flush out toxins.

What goals would you like to achieve within the next five years?
I really want to keep doing what I’m doing and take my movement global. Hopefully the Trill Tour with the Wellness Now panels grow into their own spaces; most likely a podcast, and a book or publication. Janis Joplin was asked this once and said “learn how to bake organic bread and make babies.” I already know how to bake organic bread so ya just never know what I might do next.

What’s your morning routine?
I never wake up exactly when my alarm goes off. Thinking begins, I get up and say good morning to Duke, my dog. Water is the first thing every morning, followed by breakfast and a walk. Then I get to emails and work or my yoga clients. I wish I could say I stick to my morning meditations every day but I don’t. I do try, but ya know, I’m human.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
My Dad, told me not to compare myself to other people or care about their opinions, because we will always come up as less than if we do that. We compare our insides to other people’s outsides and are never enough. … It definitely stuck and has made me a better me.

Follow Claire on Instagram @cbquality and check out her blog http://www.iamtrillyoga.com