I do not consider myself a photographer but rather recognize my calling as an artist celebrating the graceful poetry of the asana. Something as simple as a tree pose inside a jail cell can transform the vibration of a prison. A yoga studio plays host to yoga classes but the vast landscape of our world with all of it's beauty and complexities provides the perfect backdrop for the soul of yoga.
On The Trash - The Santa Monica Recycling Facility
On A Bridge - NYC's Central Park
California State Prison - Northern California
On The Long Island Sound
By the Barn - Chester, New York
On The Dock - New England
On The Dock - Nantucket
Steven Lustig's Sculpture Studio - California
On A Horse - Nantucket
In The Onion Fields - Hudson Valley, New York
On The Lagoon - Nantucket
On A Train - Woodstock, New York
In The Pacific Ocean - Laguna, California
In Prison - San Quentin
Pictured: Inmates at San Quentin
In The Picasso Wing - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
On The Brooklyn Bridge
A dedicated yoga practitioner himself, Sturman's work has increasingly focused on capturing the timeless grace and embodied mindfulness of asana. His portraits, whether set in the lively streets of Manhattan, the expansiveness of Malibu's beaches and canyons, the timeless elegance of Walden's New England, or the bleakness of San Quentin Prison, remind us that there is beauty everywhere. In Sturman's own words "I often think of Rumi: 'I can't stop pointing to the beauty.' That feels right to me."
If you'd like to explore how to make strong yoga photos, click here.