ADAM HUSLER
CHARITY WORKER . BOXER . CRAB HANDLER . YOGI.
Name: ADAM HUSLER
Hometown: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Current town: LONDON, ENGLAND
Yoga practice style: DYNAMIC VINYASA AND BUDOKON
Website: adamhusleryoga.com
Instagram: @adamhusler
Twitter: @adamhusler
What's your story? I went to one of those schools where your choice for university was either Oxford or Cambridge, to study law or medicine. I chose Durham University instead, and while I did study law, I spent most of my free time doing charity work with young people in schools and at a young offenders institution. It was by far the most enriching part of school. After university, I spent a year running a bar, getting to 100+kg and growing a moustache and muttonchops. In 2013, I ran a 100km ultra-marathon and an additional five marathons in a three-month period. I also managed to raise quite a bit of money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital which was a great win all-around!
How would you describe yourself? Utterly determined to bring a little light to my life by doing what I love…though even what I love tends to change, going from completely obsessed to utterly disinterested. Whatever it is though, it gets every ounce of my time, blood, sweat, tears, and the hours that I should be asleep.
How would others describe you? Talk, dark and handsome. What else? Maybe an excessive whistler with stupid hair who jumps from one bizarre project to the next..?
How would your mother describe you? Following an unusual path…a path that also doesn’t involve coming home a lot.
What’s the best job you’ve ever had? When I was eighteen, I worked as an entertainer in the National Sea life Centre in Birmingham. I’d spend the early morning playing splash with turtles or tug of war with the octopus and throughout the day I’d sneak up and scare children dressed as a seven-foot turtle. I was also responsible for running the tanks where they kept all the crabs. The kids would always say “Hey, that guy’s got crabs.” It was a great time in my life…
What’s your favourite meal? Food is fuel for me so dump some spinach, boiled egg, tofu and cashew nuts in a plastic box, mix it around a bit and I’m a happy man.
How did you get into yoga? As a chubby teenager, I spent a huge amount of time playing sports; I boxed, played rugby and did a bit of martial arts as well. I dabbled with yoga a few times, but had never taken it too seriously…as a kid I perceived it as too chilled and fluffy for me, I was only interested in hardcore, brutally-physical stuff.
After I graduated university, I started boxing seriously and ended up in a pro-boxing club. Everyday I was either getting pounded or pounding some other guy's face in. Physically, my body was a mess; I had constant knots and tension in my muscles and I needed to find a way to get rid of some of the pain and tightness. More importantly, it dawned on me that I had spent most of my life with tattooed blokes that wanted to punch me in the face, and I’d go weeks without seeing the other half of the species. At that point I decided to go back to yoga because it seemed like that was the one thing that could solve both my issues. From there the rest is history.
What keeps you coming back? Giving people of all shapes, sizes and background the chance to sweat, laugh, reflect, contort, connect, calm the mind and so much more - it's just sweet. As a teacher, I never get bored of working with different body types in studios with entirely different vibes. Every body is different and every day is different, that’s the best part. With dudes, the most difficult part is hooking them in…once they’ve finished their first class, they’re always back for more.
What is your personal mantra? Stop. Breathe. Smile
Interviewed: October 28th, 2014
Photos by @michaeljameswong and property of BOYS OF YOGA LLC