Job: Yoga instructor, St. Paul Yoga Center

Industry salary sange: $20,000 to $60,000

Education background: I went to Pomona College in California, and studied a little bit of everything in the liberal arts, but math was my major. I was an accountant before I began teaching yoga. I never planned to do accounting but I used to work for small, local companies and at some point I was asked to do bookkeeping because they needed someone to do it and then they needed a controller, and I just did accounting by default. After about 12 years of accounting, I thought, "I don't want to do this!" That gave me some incentive to figure out what I did want to do. The more I taught, the more I realized that [yoga] was really what I wanted to do.

Sports background: I worked with a meditation teacher for seven years before I started yoga, and I did five years of martial arts. I was also an avid bicyclist and I white-water kayak.

When did you first develop an interest in yoga? I started studying yoga in 1990. I did a three-year teacher training program here in the Twin Cities and began teaching in 1996. I've also taken lots of yoga classes. It's an ongoing, lifelong learning process for teachers and students. At this point, I probably learn the most from my own practice. But I still study regularly and keep learning as much as I can.

How did you decide to make the leap from student to teacher? To me, teaching is about empowering people. When I started yoga I felt at home and it was a good fit. It sort of naturally developed as a place to start teaching. I had finally found the work that I really wanted to do and loved doing. Eventually, I was able to quit my day job and just do yoga. I feel lucky; I think anyone that can do work they love is rich.

When you shifted from student to teacher, did it change your yoga practice at all? Absolutely. When you're a student you get to enjoy your practice and it's really your own practice that you're doing for yourself. Once you start teaching, it's always more than just your practice. You're practicing for your students and to get insight for your teaching. Part of the purpose of yoga is to make us feel more connected. Hopefully yoga spills over into other parts of your life and benefits other people as well as yourself.

What keeps you motivated and enjoying your work? I love it! Yoga is about giving people the tools to improve their lives in all kinds of different ways. It's always challenging and deeply satisfying.

What's hard? The ongoing challenge is to really be present and meet each person where they're at. Not just to teach yoga but to teach people. It would be easy to get formulaic and say "here's my plan," but when I show up to teach yoga I look and see who's there and how they're doing.

Has the recession had any marked effect on your class attendance? It's hard to tell because attendance is always going up and down. I think a lot of people are not taking the big vacation to Europe, but they're still coming to yoga. Yoga's kind of a staycation. It's a good way to support and take care of yourself.

HILARY BRUECK