SEPT/OCT 2012 $2.95

Artist Healer Yogini

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WRITTEN BY LISA PROCTORPHOTOS BY AIMEE CHRISTENSON, LIZ WESTERHAUS

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From celebrityfashion stylist,to Stillwater yogastudio owner, Pure Yoga'sSuzy Schaak nowmakes-over river valley residents from the inside-out.

Schaakto the heart.

We first met Suzy when we profiled her Stillwater studio, Pure Yoga in our January/February 2012 issue. This fall, we are honored to get to know Suzy more deeply and discover how her personal and professional journey has become a work of art and transformation.

uzy Schaak leads from her heart. The yogini, teacher, energy healer and owner of Pure Yoga spent nearly 25

years as a film and print fashion stylist working with elite models, actors and couture lines like Versace, Valentino and Oscar de la Renta.

As a favorite of directors and actors alike, Schaak has been the go-to choice for industry award-winners who have worked on films like Star Trek, Batman and Robin and Repo Man; as well as celebrities like Brittney Spears, Donald Trump and Shaquille O’Neal.

“The thrill of working on set or on the runway is that you are doing more than selecting clothes and accessories. You’re creating a story. You’re bringing the director’s storyboard to life. It’s challenging. It’s energizing—and It’s a form of art, “ says Schaak.

She sees yoga the same way. “My first exposure to yoga was when a friend from the set invited me to a class,” Schaak said, “When I found vinyasa flow (a form of yoga she teaches) I realized that the practice is a story in itself. Just like a commercial or film.”

Schaak’s husband, Joe, an award-winning film and TV commercial director, whose Century 21 spot aired during the Super Bowl this year, agrees.

“I see Suzy’s career path as an evolution, not a 180 degree turn,” says Schaak, “She is one of the most compassionate human beings I have ever known and has always been intent on healing from the inside out.

“We’ve worked together often and she has always been very in tune with what people need. She makes people feel and look great. Yoga for her is a very personal and powerful way to express her natural gifts.”

Suzy and Joe have been married for 24 years and have three daughters. They met when Suzy walked onto a film set for her first day of work.

Pure Love.“It was my first job as a stylist,” smiles Suzy. “I stepped in with my arms loaded with bags and Joe was there. I was so nervous, but he helped me with my bags. We sat together every day at lunch, talked and talked and talked and also realized that we lived just blocks from each other.

On the last day of the job, I was sure he would ask me out. He didn’t. I called my brother to see how he would feel if a woman asked him out and he said, ‘Go for it’. When I called Joe, he had just had nearly the same conversation with his best friend, only his concern was about asking someone out that he worked with. We were engaged three months later.”

Joe and Suzy continue to work together as Suzy’s schedule allows. “We’re a great team,” Suzy says. ”In more than 20 years, we’ve only argued once on the set. Joe’s specialty is directing commercials with comedy. His work cracks me up. And he gives me the freedom to do what I do well.”

That includes opening Stillwater’s number-one rated yoga studio nearly three years ago.

“I’m really proud of her,” says Joe, “She’s really smart and doing a great job. It’s hard work. But she’s found her groove and it’s fun to see her flourish.”

At five foot two inches, Schaak is a creative and energetic powerhouse. With a bachelor’s degree in fashion and graphic design, Schaak is also an accomplished artist and painter.

She sees yoga as an art form for body, mind and spirit and has transformed her Stillwater studio into an art gallery. Her work speaks to an inner wisdom that calls for growth, expansion and being of service.

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It has been said that life is a journey, not a destination. And Schaak’s journey has indeed appeared to be a meandering path. From artist, to photo and film stylist, to yoga instructor and studio owner, to energy healer.

Yet each discovery has been informed from a place of deep intuition and the openness to explore how to continue bringing her gifts forward. Schaak has faced fear, self-doubt and challenge, yet she continues to embrace it all. Much the same approach that every yoga practitioner experiences during their time on and off the mat.

“Just as I challenge myself in every possible way, including opening a yoga studio in Stillwater—I also challenge my students. “I intentionally push them out of their comfort zone. I encourage them to listen to their hearts and their bodies. For instance they may not be ready for a posture and I love when they peel back their layers to decide if, in this moment, it’s best to hold back or to move forward. Through the studio, I am honored to witness much transformation.”

Transformation takes many forms. Whether through yoga, or bringing a film or photo set to life. World famous Hollywood make-up artist, Crist Ballas has worked with Suzy for years. While Ballas is most known for his ability to transform actors into realistically ghoulish, beautiful or fascinating characters, he has long recognized that what Schaak brings to the set is in pure alignment with her life.

“I have had the honor of working with Suzy for more than two decades,” Ballas says, “It is always a rare and wonderful experience to find someone who has the ability to enhance beauty, inside and out. “The commercial business can be very harsh and demanding; Suzy's intuitive and empathic abilities have always been a tremendous asset, helping actors to feel comfortable and safe enough to pull from their full range of emotions. Combining these skills with the discipline of yoga, I can only imagine that her students feel tremendously empowered and supported as they explore their individual paths of personal growth. I have always felt blessed to know Suzy’s beautiful and grounded soul.”

Pure Transformation.Schaak believes that like life, every yoga class is a canvass. Each breath, posture and opening is as unique as a brush stroke. “I’m creating art with bodies,” says Schaak, “There’s a flow to both yoga and energy healing. Like the brush, they both bring out and reveal true and lasting beauty.

While she celebrates her role as teacher, healer and business owner, Schaak sees her true role as transformation artist.

“My job is the art of transformation,” says Schaak. “Students are not the same when they walk in my door as when they leave. The same is true for my healing clients. I take them on a journey. Sometimes it’s about supporting them to face their fears…even as simply as approaching a yoga pose in a playful way. Or sometimes it’s about taking them deeper into their heart—shining light in a way that reveals hidden treasure and the extraordinary amount of love and potential that is available to us all.”

Lisa Proctor is president and creative director of firefly180 marketing.

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“My painting transformed when I started seeing energy after the birth of my first child,” Schaak says, “I see energy and vibration in all living things, All my pieces incorporate that dimension of aliveness.”

Pure Healing.For Schaak, aliveness comes from listening to her heart. From following her intuition. And from living with the intention that all outcomes are for the best and highest good.

Having studied meditation, tantric yoga, chanting, chakra balancing and energy healing for more than 15 years, Schaak has long known she wanted to facilitate emotional and physical healing. Last year, she began offering Pure Healing at her studio.

“Once the studio was up and running, I started combining yoga with hands-on healing, “ says Schaak. “During healing sessions, I have learned to simply step out of the way and allow God to work. It’s truly a transformational experience. I don’t think anyone is the same after a session.”

The results of Schaak’s healing practice speak for themselves. Whether physical or emotional, River Valley residents express deep gratitude for what they’ve experienced.

A mother and business owner whose young son was suffering from seizures that could not controlled with medication, says,

“After medication, dose changes and many sleepless nights, we thought it certainly wouldn't hurt to try an alternative approach. We took our son to Suzy not with the intention of necessarily curing him or stopping the

seizures, but to teach him, my husband and I other ways to help him relax and manage his stress, thoughts and behaviors.

“After the session, he said, ‘Mom. that was awesome!’ Then after a deep, restful sleep, he awoke rejuvenated, calm and relaxed—not like his usual energized and always-on-the-move self. Suzy was able to clear blocks that she saw and offered invaluable suggestions on how to best cope with and manage his seizures. He has been seizure free. I am beyond blessed and grateful to have found Suzy and her gift of healing.”

Another client undergoing chemotherapy for cancer who is now in remission says, “Wow, this was quite an experience on so many levels. Suzy joined me during chemo for guided mediation and healing. She gave me tools that I’ll have forever. She is gifted in her ability to heal.”Schaak finds her healing practice as powerful for herself at it is for her clients. “This is what I feel I was put on the planet to do,” she says. “At Pure Yoga, we’ve created a sanctuary where people can come, heal and discover their connection to their deepest selves.”

And heal, they do. Schaak’s practice has grown nearly beyond her hours spent as a yoga instructor. It continues to grow as clients from all over the Twin Cities find their way through her door at Pure Yoga.

“I was going to therapy and taking anti-depressants,” explains a woman in the tech industry, “I felt stressed out, numb, disconnected…like my life was falling apart. But after just two healing sessions with Suzy, I am now off medication. I feel whole, balanced and like myself again. My experience with Suzy has been amazing.”

Pure Journey.