A Brooklyn tale of exercise, laughter and a cup of Turkish coffee | The Triangle

A Brooklyn tale of exercise, laughter and a cup of Turkish coffee

A sit-down with Odellya Sohnis

Photograph courtesy of Armon Owlia of The Triangle

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I am what people like to call “committed to my work.” If a guest is unable to come to me, whether it’s due to a personal matter or just more convenient, I am more than willing to go to the guest.

Case in point: Odellya Sohnis, Drexel University alumna and current yogi, who resides in Brooklyn, New York. After leaving the Triangle’s Staff Dinner early the previous evening, I got my mind and gear ready for the 7 a.m. bus to New York.

However, during that 90-minute bus ride, I was able to self-analyze and think about the past eight months since we had reacquainted.

It had been a weird time for me, as I had felt cut off from Drexel and, in fact, from the world. I had no one to talk with, my confidence was at an all-time low and my health was the worst it had been since my freshman year, due to inactivity and working in an office.

Odellya stepped up and got me through the process and, as motivation, gave me a draft of her in-progress self-help book, filled with the same thoughts that had manifested my mind.

With her tutelage and my blazing determination to never feel this way again, I got back to normal and, thankfully, I have stayed that way.

Despite reading her story, there was still much I didn’t know about Odellya. Why exactly had she felt the way she did when switching from the world of film to yoga? Was she different from the energetic yogi that I had seen in her classes at Yoga Break, the company which she founded? What was the basis for her current mentality?

These questions fueled me during the nearly three-hour trip. What followed was an hour-long leg workout so intense that, by the end of the first exercise, my legs were shaking like leaves.

It would take a week for my legs to return to normal.

If I wanted to end the process right there, I could have, because the workout perfectly summarized Odellya. Strong, loud, energetic and disciplined, but also extremely friendly, encouraging and patient, helping me out through numerous exercises when my legs could not take the shock.

However, I knew that this workout would be the easy part.

We conducted the interview in her home. With each question came an even greater understanding, and with each answer emerged a more detailed picture. It is one of my favorite interviews, as it was just the two of us with no possible distractions.

There was plenty of mental and physical heavy lifting throughout the process, but overall, it was those efforts that created not only a fantastic product but a memorable season finale.