Samantha Mabry – Team Spotlight
by Angela • January 4, 2010
Name: Samantha Mabry
Hometown: Dallas
Day Job: Visiting Lecturer at SMU (I teach Freshman Composition)
How long have you been teaching at YS? Two and a half years
What days/times do you teach at YS?: Tuesdays at 6am, Fridays at 12pm, and Sundays at 10:30am
Family/Pets: I have a dog named Ruthie, two cats whose names are Lucky and Patton, and a sweet husband named Jeff
Furthest city traveled to: Sorrento, Italy (outside of Naples). If you get in the ocean there, it’s so salty you just float around like a buoy.
Favorite guilty pleasure: I love to watch television shows where people turn on night vision cameras and run around hunting for ghosts.
Favorite ice cream flavor: I really like the violet gelato at Paciugo. Does that count?
Favorite book: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Favorite song: Hmmm…this is hard. I think it might be “Magnolia Mountain” by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals.
Who inspires you the most and why?
Many different people have inspired me at many different points in my life, so it’s hard to single out just one. These days, I’m most often inspired by my students both at SMU and in the yoga room, who constantly remind me that just because I stand at the front of the room doesn’t mean I know everything about everything.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
I recently heard a Zen saying that went something like: “Unless you can improve upon the silence, don’t speak,” which reminded me of a John Wayne quote, “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” As a professional talker, this is a good thing for me to keep in mind.
When did you start practicing yoga and why?
I started practicing yoga in the summer of 1999 because I couldn’t touch my toes.
Why do you still practice/teach yoga?
My practice teaches me to be brave, and I teach the practice to hold space for others to learn about themselves what they need to learn about themselves on any given day or stage in their lives.
One thing we don’t know about you that would surprise us.
I met my husband while I was in college – he was my professor!
