SCALE POSEWhen I was twenty-four and told my mom I
wanted to change my name to Leo Rising, she
said, “Absolutely not.” But Leo Rising is who I am.
It’s my adult name. Now the only people who
know my birth name are people who have known
me for years.
In astrology, your rising sign is your personal-
ity sign. It represents the best qualities that you
present to the public, whether you’re aware of
them or not. My name is my biggest affirmation:
Leo, rise. Leo, go. Leo, show up.
Astrology, mantras, chakras, the power of
manifestation—those things are real for me. I
feel like I’m a mystic, that I have always had the
ability to sense other levels of consciousness.
But I’m also very modern; I love technology and
bad reality TV.
Yoga integrates those two sides of me, the
extraordinary and the ordinary.
Not everybody wants a workout that’s also
spiritual, but yoga makes me feel like a whole
person.