Interview - John Wotell

Connecting to Yoga 

Every Tuesday, when John Wotell comes in for his weekly Yoga class, we are greeted with a warm smile, often accompanied by a current joke. The whole studio comes alive with his glow. It's hard to be down when John is around. John's pragmatic nature insures that he gets to class on time, and that he is ready to start.  

For his entire 79 years, John has been an active participant in sports . As a student at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, he was a runner and a wrestler. After which, he was called to serve in the Army during World War II. 
 

Upon his return he attended The Johns Hopkins University and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Throughout his time at Hopkins, he kept himself in shape with badminton, squash, swimming, lacrosse and continued with his running. He fell in love with Ann and settled down in his hometown --they have been together as of this writing for 51 years. Together they had three children; Paula, Jack and Larry who in turn have provided John and Ann with six grandchildren; all of whom keep them young, enthusiastic and very active. 

Every morning during his career as a Consulting Mechanical Engineer, John's exercise regiment consisted of "getting up at 4:30 AM, loosening up, then a 6-mile run before heading off to work". During the course of a few decades, John's "knees began to give notice: jog easily OR walk fast".  

Thank goodness for John and Ann's daughter, Paula. As a young woman expecting her first child, Paula was beginning to experience back pains and decided to try yoga as a means for alleviating them. Her stretching routine seemed to do the job, so she passed the yoga tape which helped her, on to her dad. As John so candidly puts it, "I thought that folks who did yoga were just a bunch of religious nuts". However, once he was introduced to Rodney Yee's taped course, he began to experience a balance and awareness which was unfamiliar to him before. John incorporated Yee's Iyengar Yoga into his exercise regime. After a while, he decided that it was time to find out what yoga was really about. 

"Paula gave me a video by Rodney Yee about 5 years ago which I did religiously then I decided to check out a real yoga studio. I wandered into Susquehanna Yoga about two years ago, talked to Suzy (the proprietor) and enrolled in a Level 1 class.  The rest, as they say, is history--I've been there ever since." 

As luck would have it, John noticed Susquehanna Yoga one day while driving through Timonium. When he stopped in for a visit, he could hardly believe the look of the place inside. According to John, he not only liked the space, but the people who greeted him were so informative and caring that he decided to give it a try.  And give it a try, he has! John Wotell is the type of person who is eager to learn, listens well, and gives 120%. His attitude is inspiring. According to John, "Level 1 is more effort than strength building;" ergo he sees no need to proceed beyond it. For his needs and schedule, this is plenty. He enjoys doing his home practice which is usually a review of the asanas covered in class that week, followed by a 2-mile run or walk. 

John says that he is happy with being able to do what he can towards accomplishing what needs to be done: He is very tight in his hips and his hamstrings, and has come to the realization that he needs to "loosen up" both of those areas before he can proceed to some of the more complex asanas. He enjoys the flexibility and wellness it has engendered. He also admits that it has made him much more aware of his posture, and has gotten into the healthy habit of adjusting it regularly to stand up straight. This makes him feel good all over. 

"I'll probably never advance beyond Level 1, but the benefits that I've realized in flexibility, posture and general well-being have certainly been worth the experience. I look forward to my weekly trip to Susquehanna and I enjoy practicing the asanas at home Monday through Friday." 

John now laughs at his former attitude towards the "yoga religious nuts", and has a higher regard for those who practice yoga. To him it has created  a balance and awareness within him that he was not conscious of before.

John would like to recommend Iyengar Yoga at the Susquehanna Studio "to anyone who is interested in furthering his/her flexibility and feeling of wellness."    

Namaste, John, for your inspiring words.                                  

Bonnie Caslow Allan

By Christine Williams