Born and raised in New Orleans, actress Natasha Marc quickly found her passion in the arts and moved to Hollywood, California to follow her dreams. Since that move, Natasha has appeared on countless television shows such as The Rookie, Timeless, Ballers and Days of Our Lives, and has appeared in many movies, print campaigns and commercial spots. And what’s more, Natasha has just secured a main role on the upcoming Showtime series, The Good Lord Bird, which is surely to make 2020 her biggest year yet!
But in-between her acting and campaigns, Natasha finds time every weekend for some hot yoga – mixed with some fitness routines – to help balance her life out and bring everything together, and that is exactly what Asana Journal spoke to her about in our exclusive Q&A!
1. How were you first introduced to yoga and what were your original thoughts?
My friend Tia Mowry Hardrict introduced me to yoga first. She asked me to join her in a class and it was very hot and very interesting. My first thoughts were how can I get in shape by doing poses that did not consist of weights or involve cardio.
2. What is the biggest misperception about yoga (and hot yoga) you find, now that you are an active participant?
I would have to say the biggest misconception is that you have to be flexible to do it. Your poses don’t have to be perfect and look like the next person, it’s a process.
3. What about Hot Yoga do you love so much about?
I love the heat in Hot Yoga, I’m not big sweater. So when I do sweat it makes me feel like I am getting in a really good workout and I can feel the burn.
4. How important is an active, healthy lifestyle to you?
Having an active and healthy lifestyle is very important to me. It means I will look and feel younger than I am. It means I can run around with kids and feel like a kid myself on the inside. It means a long life for me.
5. Does participating in hot yoga and other forms help you maintain a healthy balance in life with your very active lifestyle as an actress in Hollywood?
Yes, it does. Participating in hot yoga helps me get in a good stretch and leveled head that prepares me for the activities of being an actress. It helps me with being centered and calmed to deal with what’s ahead in my day.
6. Is it hard to find time to do yoga with your busy schedule, or you make sure to find time?
It can be hard to find time when traveling I feel, but I’m an early morning person I can do it the top of my morning any day of the week but I prefer on the weekends.
7. Besides acting, you have also won several fitness competitions… Tell us more about these experiences and your process on getting ready for them? Any more coming up in 2020?
I did win my first bikini figure fitness competition last year. Honestly I’m always looking for new ways to challenge myself. There’s so much fitness on social media that it’s hard to look past it. I started following a lot of fitness bloggers who I simply admired their physique and I thought to myself one day that I can look like that! So I did some research and found the quickest way to get into shape and create a good habit was to train hard but I needed something to work towards, like an ending goal so I entered a fitness competition that was 4 months away from my signup date, hired a coach and went to work. It was a lot of work, early mornings, calculated eating and really expensive. It also takes a lot out of your schedule and mentally tests your discipline. I trained for 18 weeks straight with no break or cheat meal. I thought why did I do this to myself but I refuse to give up, I followed all the way through with it and won 1st place! I’m still shocked. There will be no more fitness competitions in my future unless it’s for a role! Lol
8. Do you also follow a strict diet at all? And what are some of your favorite health foods?
I don’t follow a strict diet, but I am a pescatarian. I try to limit fried foods (I mostly only have that when I visit home in New Orleans). I’m not big on sweets or sodas but I do make drinking water a big part of my day. It’s about being balanced and not overeating. I love love fruit.
9. What advice would you like to share with other practitioners (in yoga and fitness) based on your personal experience or others looking at getting into the same things you do?
Its mind over matter. When you feel like stopping you can give a little more that will make you proud of yourself in the end. It’s very simple either you want to work for it or go broke paying for it in a matter that makes you look like you worked for me. Our bodies are amazing machines we have so much to give if we just have that fighter and winning mentality.
10. What are your future dreams and goals both professionally and personally?
My future dream goals are to successfully work in my field as an actor and be named one of the hottest and sexiest in the business. I would like to go on to making more hits on tv shows and films. To build an empire of fitness apparel will be the icing. Personally I dream to continue to live a loving and healthy lifestyle that inspires other to life the same.
11. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
One thing? Yikes, that’s a tough one. Self-love. If there was more self-love maybe there will be less hate and crime.
Other