Suzanne Nagel on Founding a Yoga Studio, Sustainability, and Insanely Comfy Activewear

Suzanne Nagel on Founding a Yoga Studio, Sustainability, and Insanely Comfy Activewear

Meet Suzanne Nagel: Founder of Om Lounge Yoga in Pittsburgh, PA, arm balance enthusiast, and serial repurposer. We asked Suzanne to take our EcoKnit™ Ribbed Activewear for a spin and tell us her story:

 

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Tell us about yourself and what you do.

Well, I’m the founder of Om Lounge Yoga. We have two studio locations in Pittsburgh and I run both of them. I teach multiple classes a week, facilitate our 200 Hour Teacher Trainings, and right now I’m especially focused on developing advanced training curriculums. On a daily basis, though, I work at the studio and I hang out with my dogs and my partner – that’s my life!

 

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What’s your favorite part about your job?

I’ll always be a teacher first and foremost, so writing a class and bringing it to life never gets old for me. I love the energy of teaching in-person classes – sharing concepts and teaching students how to connect to their bodies – it’s extremely rewarding and my absolute favorite thing about my job.

 

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How did you come to be a yoga teacher?

I’ve been teaching yoga for a decade now and practicing even longer. Nearly 25 years ago I was working as a television news producer. It was a very stressful job and I had a therapist who suggested I try yoga. Back then yoga wasn’t as well known as it is nowadays, but I fell in love with it. I truly think it was something I was born to do. Knowing me I’ll probably be doing it until I’m 90!

 

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What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability is the concept of repurposing to me. It’s about less waste and caring for the world around us. I try to repurpose everything. In our studios I'm using shelving from my kids’ bedrooms when they were little, a table that was going to be thrown away in a dumpster, and an old iphone as a means of signing waivers. We also wash our mugs and cups by hand at the studios. In my home, I like to turn leftovers into new dishes, share books with friends, and turn Mason jars into containers for everything from flowers to toothbrushes.

 

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Tell us about how you feel in your EcoKnit™ pieces.

The fabric is really soft (and a really pretty color). It kind of just moves with you and feels very natural and comfortable on the body. It’s supportive without being too compressive – nothing is pinching my thighs or my waist but at the same time it stays put. Interestingly enough with a lot of the yoga clothes I wear I feel like I have to take them off as soon as I get home, but these I can really sit and vibe in. This is the type of activewear you could grab lunch in or do things around the house without feeling constricted.

 

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Favorite yoga pose – go! 

Favorite yoga pose…it’s got to be Flying Pigeon. It wasn’t a pose I came to very naturally. I coveted it (which I know you’re not supposed to do in yoga), but when I finally got it it made me feel so graceful yet extremely strong and powerful. 

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