Lauren Eckstrom knows firsthand what it means to be transformed by practice. As co-founder and co-CEO of online yoga platform Inner Dimension Yoga, a globally recognized E-RYT yoga teacher, and certified mindfulness meditation instructor, she brings a depth to her teaching grounded in lived experience.
We sat down with Lauren to talk about how she sustains her practice while traveling, what motherhood has taught her about teaching, and what wellness can look like when your life is genuinely full.
How did you find yoga, and what was your path from student to teacher?
In my early twenties, I felt trapped fulfilling the expectations of my culture and family. I was stalled in a comfortable yet loveless relationship that was dispassionate. I felt lost, confused, and alone. Most painfully, I was caught in a corporate job that, while financially beneficial, sucked the life out of my soul. I was unable to perceive a way out, depressed because I couldn't decipher what steps to take next to change my life, and at a total loss as to how to regain happiness. I was caught in unhealthy habits, addictions, and fears. It was a silent suffering, like slowly suffocating from carbon monoxide poisoning. Then I became crippled with anxiety. My heart would race, I would break out in a cold sweat, my vision would narrow, and I would edge nearer and nearer toward fainting or vomiting. The experience was visceral and terrifying. And it brought me to yoga.
I remember very little about my first yoga class except that it was the first time I sat face-to-face with my pain, and I survived. Laying down for Savasana, the final resting posture, I surrendered into the floor. Layers of stress, fear, and panic melted away. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace in my body and in my mind. I left class knowing I had just met my biggest challenge and my greatest gift.
Yoga would eventually teach me that I could experience the depth of my pain and not only survive, but thrive. Meditation would eventually teach me that I could feel my feelings and not run away. Yoga and meditation shifted the entire course of my life.
What's your teaching philosophy?
I facilitate a style of practice called Holistic Yoga Flow. Each class weaves together safe, sound alignment along with holistic elements such as yoga philosophy, quotes and stories, current research and science, as well as breathwork and meditation, to address all six human dimensions: body, energy, mind, heart, awareness, and soul.
Do you have any tips for balancing your personal practice and teaching?
Students can sense when a teacher is disconnected from their practice, lacking not only discipline but passion and inspiration. While it can be challenging to balance both, it is essential to remember you are always a student first and to prioritize your studentship. How you practice may shift over the years, but never lose sight of what brought you to the practice, and protect space for some form of practice daily.
What do you love most about being in the role of teacher?
Being in the role of facilitator is an opportunity to share the experiences, challenges, and insights that have led me to a life of purpose, fulfillment, and service. Each time I guide a class I remember it is not about me. I focus on the students in the room, meeting them with full presence, while taking time in advance to craft a practice that is a truly holistic journey — reminding each person they have always, already been whole. Continuing to connect with students from around the world and hear their stories and the many ways the programs at Inner Dimension Yoga have impacted their lives keeps the journey meaningful.
As a mother, how has your relationship to strength, rest, and recovery evolved?
I became a mother at the age of 36, six weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic. With an infant at home and the world locked down, my entire sense of identity shifted. Studios shuttered, our retreats were canceled, and Inner Dimension Yoga was positioned to help people suffering through one of the largest collective crises of our time. As our community suddenly and rapidly began to grow, I was also being called to suddenly and rapidly change.
My love for yin yoga, yoga nidra, slow flow, and restorative practices began to flourish. My meditation practice, which had always been central in my life, took even greater priority. Motherhood and the resulting collective trauma of the pandemic forced me to more deeply own my nurturing nature and embody the more feminine aspects of my voice as a teacher. My classes became more like sermons than asana-infused experiences, and motherhood taught me that what we were all needing was to be seen, heard, and felt.
What has traveling the world with your daughter taught you about presence, patience, and perspective?
My daughter is now six years old and has traveled to more than 11 countries. At five years old she participated in her first yoga retreat class — a full two-hour slow flow practice. She was the only child in a room of more than 50 adults. Traveling with her has taught me how often we underestimate children and their ability to adapt. As environments, time zones, available activities, and food options shift and change, I have learned to be patient while trusting her capacity to meet each new experience with flexibility, excitement, and curiosity.
Having her travel with us is essential to her education and makes her aware of her responsibility to the world, imbuing her with respect for cultures, people, and traditions across the planet. I have learned that who I am as teacher is not separate from my role as parent, and I have learned to flow seamlessly between the two especially while traveling to work with her tow.
How do you maintain a sense of ritual and personal practice while traveling?
I maintain my morning and evening routines wherever we are in the world — waking by 5am each day to hydrate, meditate, and prepare for the 2.5-hour morning retreat practice. Each evening, I go to bed in a timely fashion ensuring at least eight hours of sleep, and avoid screens, which helps my sleep be both efficient and restful. Reading is a key component of how I care for myself, so each day I allocate enough time to read at least 20 pages of the book I'm currently reading. I'm additionally lucky that my husband and I often co-facilitate retreats, so when he is teaching the class, I have the opportunity to practice, and vice versa.
For women navigating full lives, what does sustainable wellness look like to you?
As a CEO, content creator, mother, and teacher, sustainability looks like a disciplined routine that ensures I have space to care for myself each day. I wake up early to have time to meditate, drink my coffee, and read before my daughter wakes up. I take time each day to move my body — strength training three times a week, yoga four times a week — after my daughter has had breakfast. She often joins me, and I love the example this sets. Sometimes she will pop into a practice or try some movements. Other times she sits at my desk and colors.
I also take time each week for acts of self-care: making time to meet up with a friend for dinner or coffee, going on walks outdoors, or visiting an infrared sauna. These little breaks in the day make the fullness of the week, and the overall year, sustainable. I'm also diligent about nighttime routines — lots of reading (from a book, not a device), no alcohol, and a healthy sleep environment.
In this current season of your life, what are you tending to most intentionally?
At 41 years old, I am focused on caring for myself as I age while prioritizing what I enjoy. I enjoy staying strong and lifting heavy. I enjoy yoga. I enjoy being outdoors. I have stepped away from any form of movement that feels like punishment. But most importantly, I am intentionally tending to relationships.
The longest-standing study on human well-being — the Harvard Study, which now spans three generations — demonstrates that the best thing we can do for our health and happiness is tend to our relationships. Ensuring healthy connections with my closest friends, a weekly date night with my husband, focused present time at the start and end of each day with my daughter, volunteering weekly at Homeboy Industries, and coffee dates or phone calls with long-standing students seeking support are key at this phase of my life. I know they are the ultimate root of well-being and a healthy lifespan.
What's your favorite Manduka product?
My eKO® mat — it's the perfect mat for my practice. I never need a towel, I don't slip, I love the quality of the product and the values Manduka embodies, plus it comes in the best colors!
Take a Class with Lauren
This 30-minute Beginner's Power Yoga class with Lauren is perfect for anyone ready to take their practice up a notch. Build heat, move with intention, and explore Power Yoga.
About Lauren
Lauren Eckstrom is the co-founder and co-CEO of Inner Dimension Yoga. She is an E-RYT Yoga Alliance-certified teacher and certified mindfulness meditation instructor, with additional training in somatic trauma therapy, relational mindfulness, Buddhist contemplative psychotherapy, and holistic health coaching. She has written for Yoga Journal, The Huffington Post, Mantra Magazine, and more, and was named one of the top 15 yoga teachers to study with.
Explore upcoming retreats at innerdimensionyoga.com/retreats
Follow Lauren on Instagram: @LaurenEckstrom
