YOGI OF THE MONTH

July 2026 - Martha Atkins

What first brought you to yoga and how long have you been practicing?

When in my 20s, I was given a VHS tape—Patricia Walden’s Yoga for Beginners. When I popped that tape in the VCR in my apartment in Chicago, I liked how it felt in my body. But I didn’t have the financial wherewithal to take a yoga class. Twenty years later when I had the time and the money, I started taking a vinyasa flow class, and I got yoga strong. Unlike most people, I take yoga to get strong because I am already quite flexible. My flexibility was an advantage when I was taking ballet, but I was actually too loose, never strong. Being able to do a chaturanga or an arm balance felt good, the first time I was strong in my flexibility. So I have been doing it for about 15 years now, off and on.

What is/are your intention(s) for your yoga practice?

To feel better than when I came in! To be serious, it is to feel that moment in time when my muscles/bones and my thoughts come together to make a whole me. I think that is what athletes mean by being in the zone. Do I always achieve this? No, but there are moments in every class when this happens. 

What is your favorite pose and why?

Trikonasana, triangle pose. I like the oppositionality of it—rooting down with my feet while extending with my arms. I like to think of light beams shooting out my head and arms! Warrior pose, Virabhadrasana II, is a close second and for the same reason.

What is your favorite class at InsideOut Yoga?

Vinyasa Flow class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One, I love the vibe of everyone in the class. You can feel everyone rooting for you, and I want to root for everyone else as well, whatever their goal is. Second, Susan is really good at balancing the authenticity of the traditional yoga practice with a scientific understanding of the way the human body works. There is a tendency to think of yoga as an old practice and that the founders of the practice—whether it be an Iyengar, Ashtanga, or some other yogic practice—were infalliable. But our understanding of the human body keeps on changing and Susan adapts yoga to what modern science is learning. So, for instance, we do a lot of work strengthening our hamstrings and glutes in addition to our back and abs because they all work to keep the core strong.

How has the practice of yoga influenced your life?

I have benefited from the kindness of my fellow yogis—the aura of goodwill I feel in class—and it inspires me to be kinder to myself and others. I try to apply this when someone is learning something new or facing a new situation. We are all flustered somewhat even when facing something as mundane as going to a new store, a new neighborhood, or especially, a new class. Sometimes people react awkwardly, but this isn’t really who they are. Giving someone space to feel awkward and myself giving them time to feel comfortable, is something I have learned from yoga.

What advice would you have for a beginning yoga student?

Take pleasure in one of the few activities in which how you feel doing something is more important than the outward appearance of it. When I hit a great drive in golf, I feel good because I hit a great drive; I feel annoyed when I hit a lousy drive. It is a relief to go to yoga and not have my mood be so result dependent.

What is your occupation?

I am lucky to be a lady of leisure! A long time ago, I was an attorney, but I quit to take care of my kids. My hat is off to those women who take care of their families and have a career. I don’t have that kind of energy anymore.

What activities do you enjoy?

I am a big mahjong player, from before it became popular! I have been playing American mahjong for eight or nine years, and I am now starting to go to tournaments. What I love about the game is how it brings people together, face-to-face. It is a good combination of socializing and thinking. And there is no shame if you don’t win a majority of the time—even a really good player loses more than 50% of the time. I think it really mirrors life—there is a lot of luck involved but the skill comes in increasing your odds by a small margin.

I am also a new golfer, and I love/hate it. It is really, really hard to learn something late in life. On the other hand, it is a great low impact workout, it gets me out into the fresh air, and I get to know people as I am walking from hole to hole. But it really tests my equanimity!

What is your favorite thing about living in the Northern Neck or Middle Peninsula?

I have been here for a little over a year and yet I usually see someone I know when I am out shopping. I love that! I also love the fact that everyone likes to chat. Coming from northern Virginia, I feel like I must get on with my business. So when I first came here, I couldn’t understand these long-winded conversations that people would have with me. I would get antsy and want to end the conversation and go off and do my thing. And this is where yoga came in. I thought to myself, this is really nice that someone wants to talk me and get to know me and share with me something about themselves. At first I had to remind myself that I can get through this if I am mindful of the present moment, listen to them, and not think about what I am supposed to be doing next. Being rushed and being busy is a hard habit to break.

Is there anything you want to add?

As a newbie to the Northern Neck, I feel grateful to have met the yoga community here. I feel like I have met my people!