Angela and Jillia were born to a pair of entrepreneurial parents. Their mother, a distributor for Anheuser-Busch, eventually launched & sold a highly successful beverage company that specialized in bottled water. Their father, an apparent Renaissance man, followed many entrepreneurial passions which culminated in over a dozen businesses.

 “We got to see all the different hats.” says Jillia, commenting on the various roles a businessperson often needs to “wear” to succeed in their business.

“Now as business partners we know how to wear and switch our ‘hats,’ if need be.”

Angela and  Jillia together teach yoga at their studio, Kula Movement, in Seattle, Wa. Their classes include Acro Yoga, Forrest Yoga and Thai Massage.

“Our mom was a yoga teacher in her twenties.” explains Angela, “Growing up we always had ‘Yoga Sundays.’”

 Despite a similar introduction, the sisters took to yoga at different speeds and at different times in their lives.

It wasn’t until she fell 20 feet while rock climbing in Africa and was sent home with a broken leg that Jillia began to sense the value yoga could have in her life.

“While recovering, I couldn’t do any of the physical things I’d previously done. So, I’d just sit in yoga class with Angela and breathe.”

“And was that it? Then you were hooked?” I ask.

“Nah,” she replies, “I just used yoga to rehab and consequently went back to my sports with more body-awareness.”

“Basically, Jillia can ride, climb and surf.” says Angela, “I’m straight yoga.”

As time passed, both girls continued on their separate paths. Jillia traveled the world, climbing mountains and biking across continents while Angela pursued yoga full-time, teaching a variety of forms at a variety of different schools. She picked up certifications and endorsements along the way. Soon Angela discovered Forrest Yoga.

“I called up Jillia and was like, ‘Yo, you gotta’ check this out.’”

After enduring and eventually excelling at the form, both girls were asked to begin leading classes.

“Eventually, we began traveling with Ana Forrest, the form’s creator. We’d assist teacher trainings where we would teach teachers.”

The workshops were intense. Rising at 2:30am, Angela and Jillia would begin their own practice, breaking at 6:00am to meditate. After an hour of meditation, the official class would begin. Eleven hours later, the teaching of teachers would wrap up, and their yoga practice was over for the day. At least until 2:30 the next morning, when the entire cycle would begin again. These workshops would last for 26 days.

“As a student in my first workshop,” says Angela, apparently trying to soften my disbelief, “there wasn’t a day when I wasn’t either crying or cursing.”

An uncomfortable laugh slips out as I try to fathom the physical and mental demands of the schedule I’ve just heard described. “Really?” I ask, “26 days straight?”

“Yup.” replies Angela.

“But what if…”

Jillia interrupts, “…What if you’re sick and have diarrhea? What if you’re tired and broken? …You still need to show up and hold space.”

Then, last year, days before they were scheduled to board a flight and begin a multi-month workshop tour, Ana Forrest, a woman described in an online interview (with another webzine), as a “drill sergeant with painted nails,” did the unfathomable and cancelled the tour.

“After that, we spread our wings,” begins Angela. “It’s important that we let ourselves go free. I’ve always known that to teach at my fullest potential, I needed to have my own practice. I gotta’ be able to be my wacky self.”

Jillia continues the thought, “Personally, if you get fufu on my ass, I just jump up and leave.”

And Angela finishes it off, “We’ve studied a ton and now we’re applying what we’ve enjoyed… we’re true to ourselves and that’s what we teach.”

“But why now?” I ask. “Why decide that this is the time?”

Angela pauses, looks across the table at her sister and leans in for a hard high-five.

I ask,  “Is that it?”

“That’s it.” they reply in unison.