With nearly 270k followers,
Robin Martin (@robinmartinyoga) has reached Insta-celebrity status. She is one of the yogis whose images on Instagram leave us in awe. Her flexibility and right-on alignment reminds us to keep a consistent yoga practice, while the acrobatic partner yoga encourages us conquer our fears.
As Robin was creating a few images for a ToeSox
Instagram, something unexpected happened. She shared the images with us. They made us LOL and gave us a good pause.
In our selfie-centric world, our Instagram feeds are filled with beautiful faces, fancy foods and
dreamy vistas. Everything appears perfect! We all should know better. What’s captured and posted isn’t the whole story. And we don’t mind the imperfect backstory. In fact, we embrace it. Thank you, Robin, for sharing it with us.
We caught up with Robin to learn more about her Instagram celebrity life and how she balances it all while remaining one of the sweetest humans.
How do you choose what you're going to shoot?
Sometimes I'm inspired by photos of yoga poses I see online or in books. Ultimately, though, both the setting (scenery) and how my body is feeling will dictate what I'm going to shoot. Whether I'm inside or outside, I love to create shapes in my body that mimic the mood or sometimes even the shape of my surroundings.
What are your favorite things to shoot and why?
My favorite things to shoot would be my daughters, but when it comes to my yoga, I love to shoot balance poses and backbends the most. To me, poses that embody strength, balance, grace, and are architecturally interesting are the most fun to capture.
What is happening in this photo with the ducks?
I love to take pictures at this spot - my in-laws’ home on Lake Sammamish in Washington, just outside of Seattle. My daughters love to feed the ducks so they have become quite comfortable around us. They must have assumed it was feeding time, because a group of them decided to visit at once and completely photo bomb me! These are the challenges of recording video on an iPhone to create a yoga capture in this spot.
How do you keep balance between real life and being an Instagram personality with a large following?
In the world I live in - the "real" one where my kids don't care how many followers I have, it's easy to stay grounded. We have our routines and no one has recognized me in the grocery store...yet.
How do you match your captions to your pics?
My captions don't tend to be lengthy, often just an explanation of the moment. How I was feeling at the time or what may have inspired what I was doing. Sometimes in my captions, I'll explain the mechanics of a pose or offer some guidance into a pose. I am passionate about teaching yoga, so it's fun to offer some instruction from time to time.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever heard about staying authentic in your yoga practice?
I think the best piece of advice would have to be to avoid listening to your ego. Don't push into a pose your body isn't ready for. Yoga is a path, not a destination. Take it slow. Be true to where you are in your practice - and remember, it's "practice" not "perfect". No photo or fancy pose is worth an injury.
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