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That is the primary in a series of “My Practice” articles, through which we share a glimpse of somebody’s unique relationship with yoga.

Clarice Lam isn’t any stranger to busy days. A former-model-turned-chef, Lam recently appeared as a judge on Amazon Prime’s “Dr. Seuss Cooking Competition” and is currently writing her forthcoming cookbook, Breaking Bao, which can be published next 12 months. Amidst the long days of baking, cooking, and conducting research, Lam still makes time for an everyday yoga practice.

Lam took her first yoga class in London around 2007. That have, which she explains was taught in a hot yoga studio, was especially difficult for her due to her scoliosis. “There have been quite a lot of forward folds, and I wasn’t capable of move or bend in certain ways in which others in the category could,” she wrote in a bit for Yoga Journal in 2020. “But by the tip of it, my pain had lessened. After a month of practice, I used to be stronger, calmer, and officially obsessed.”

But Lam didn’t immediately establish a consistent yoga practice. Shortly afterward, she moved to Recent York to attend the French Culinary Institute (now generally known as the International Culinary Center) and fell into an on-again, off-again relationship together with her practice. Lam would spend just a few months at a studio here or there before eventually dropping off. Other obligations at all times got in the best way.

Nonetheless, in 2017, the stress of starting her own baking delivery business began to take a physical and mental toll on Lam. “I used to be swamped with work and the Recent York City-style of living,” she says. “I just became so super stressed that I actually needed to return to yoga. I felt like my body needed yoga. I felt like my mind needed yoga.”

That was the 12 months when she committed to an everyday practice. She practiced consistently until 2020, when the pandemic hit. Without in-person classes, Lam fell off of her established routine. But in the beginning of 2023, she recommitted to her yoga practice.

“It’s so helpful for me to be doing yoga on a regular basis,” she says. “It just stretches out all the things and helps me stay as balanced as I possibly can.”

What Clarice Lam’s Practice Looks Like

Lam’s yoga routine has looked just about the identical in recent months. She attends a morning class at SoFlo Hot Yoga, a studio near her home in Florida. (Lam splits her time between Recent York and the Sunshine State.)

Through the 75-minute class, Lam focuses much of her attention on her favorite a part of her asana practice: inversions and arm balances. While she’s fooling around, she turns to a few of her tried-and-true loves, including Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow Pose), Scorpion Pose, and Eka Pada Koundinyasana (Hurdler’s Pose). “I feel the just one I haven’t completely mastered yet is Handstand, but I feel I’m getting there,” she says. Along with her mornings on the studio, Lam also works on poses outside of a category setting, whether it’s on the grass outside her Florida home or while sharing a mat together with her cat, Tuts.

Along with taking an in-person class, Lam ends her day with restorative poses at home. Lam has learned to take care of myriad skeletal and body issues throughout her life—including scoliosis, hernias, and sciatica—and stretching her spine is critical to alleviate the pain she experiences. Each night, she turns to forward folds or rolling out her back together with her yoga wheel before heading to bed.

Why Yoga Is Vital to Her

Lam’s approach to yoga is difficult—and that’s a part of the explanation why she loves it. “Doing Scorpion was a giant deal for me since it’s extra hard for me to get into that pose due to my spine issues,” she says. “I feel really pleased with myself that I used to be even capable of get into it.”

The recent yoga aficionado is currently focusing her attention on her next challenge pose: Handstand.