If you don't follow Elise Joan on Instagram, you must go and do so immediately. A beautiful and charismatic yogi and lifestyle coach, her feed is flooding with the most breathtaking organic images of her in practice, in stunning location around the world over along with the most thoughtful and insightful captions. Her stories share amazing lifestyle tips, incredible travel photography (most recently she’s been in Croatia), with occasional cameos by her handsome husband and adorable dog. I assure you, you'll see this feed and go researching yoga classes in your city and then make your friends take them with you. So inspiring and goals AF.
Elise Joan has been a satellite friend of mine for nearly 20 years. I say “satalite” because there were only a few months at a time that she & I were living in the same city, and so our visits over the years have been few and far between. Even so, time and distance have barely affected our friendship — even after years of being out of touch we can chat over Skype for an hour as if no time has gone by at all. Originally from New York, Elise now lives and teaches in Los Angeles, but travels quite often. So I was thrilled when on my last trip to LA we were finally able to connect.
In a city flooded with yogis, Elise truly stands out. She’s obviously beautiful with an infectious smile and some inspiring travels under her belt. But it’s really much more than that. The magic in Elise’s teachings is that she makes yoga & healthy lifestyles choices seem easy and accessible to anyone, even the most intimidated beginner (raises hand). When you speak with her, you really believe that she’s seeing you, your challenges, what makes you tick. No stranger to life’s challenges herself, she’s honest, open and all about creating a life you are happy with — one that lets you be your best, most authentic self, to help you reach our full potential in life, not just in the yoga studio. And so, our goals for our clients (and women everywhere!) are really very similar.
When I visited her this past March, we almost didn’t get around to shooting because we spent so much time talking! I had thought we would capture her in her yoga practice, but then we realized, she’s captured herself like that so often… we wanted to capture something different. Being in her own home, we created images that feel intimate, quiet, and personal.
Elise said:
Stephanie gently guided me and directed me to bring out my own inner confidence and created a beautiful image showing he complex juxtaposition of my feminine curves and my strength. I felt comfortable, confident and feminine!
Her advise to anyone considering their own boudoir shoot?
Be yourself!! Loose your inhibitions and channel your inner goddess!! I recommend a quick grounding meditation before beginning your shoot to really get rooted in what you want to create and share!
You can find Elise’s workouts at Beach Body on Demand, and come January she will be expanding her classes to a Barre Class (which is very much up my ally, I can’t wait for it!!)
Infinite thanks to Elise for sharing her words, her home, her skills and her beauty with me and the rest of the world. I continue to be so so grateful for the amazing things my camera allows me to be a part of.
Namaste. ;)