This past weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with one of my best friends over a Starbucks coffee. This awesome friend and this week’s campus celebrity is named Haley Steinhauser ’17—you probably have seen Haley around campus, rocking her signature Ray Bans and leather jacket with a yoga mat strapped around her back. Besides our usual laughing and bonding over an extreme (and, frankly, worrisome) caffeine addiction, this coffee date allowed me to further pick Haley’s mind about “the serious stuff.”
Born and raised in the Big Apple, Haley is a sophomore studying politics at Bates. Besides searching for a school that offers a liberal arts education, she chose to come to Bates for its mixed collegiate and artistic atmosphere. When asked what she thinks the best part of being a politics major is, Haley simply replies, “Not being an econ major.” Fair response.
Even though she misses all of the amazing food that New York City has to offer, Haley has found her niche at Bates. Outside of class, she enjoys going on long drives with a Forage iced coffee in her cupholder, working out, painting, and hanging out with her friends. Primarily, however, Haley is known as one of the college’s yoga teachers. She and a few other students run the Bates Yoga Kula, an organization that is loved and taken advantage of by hundreds of Batesies. Haley’s classes are a personal favorite of mine (friendship aside). Her classes are known for the dope music that she chooses “based on the vibe” she is feeling, featuring jams from the Rolling Stones to Ja Rule. Besides playing awesome music, Haley is not afraid to teach new and fun poses and breathing exercises.
She got involved in yoga in eighth grade, but got serious about the practice during high school. Yoga acted as an outlet for stress, as well as a counter workout to all the sports she played. Contrasting to the competitive nature of high school athletics, yoga is a completely individual and internal form of exercise. Haley did her yoga teacher training certification in the summer of her sophomore year of high school, making her the second youngest certified yoga teacher in the country and the youngest in New York. The teacher-training program was a five-week yoga intensive—five weeks where Haley did not use her phone or Facebook. As a member of a generation that feels the need to be constantly virally connected, this is a daunting feat. Yet, Haley claims this detox resulted in one of the most important and grounding experiences of her life.
Luckily, this yoga extraordinaire chose to brave the cold and come to college in Maine. She says the best part about teaching yoga at Bates is being able to share her knowledge and practice with her peers. Our college lives are ridiculously hectic and Haley is so glad to be in the position to offer a stress-free environment where her friends and fellow students can find peace on their mats (even if it’s just for an hour). Furthermore, she is grateful that Bates is a community that is so open to trying yoga—a community that consists of many students on different experience levels of yoga who are all willing to take a crack at something new.
Haley’s dream job consists of something that would allow her to travel, perhaps leading yoga retreats in different parts of the world. She already is well-traveled and I couldn’t resist asking where was the most amazing place she’s ever been. She responded, “That’s actually a hard question to answer because each place I’ve been has something unique and different to offer. For example, I loved Kenya for its wildlife, Guatemala’s people were so welcoming and lead a fascinating and relaxed lifestyle, and Italy rocked because of, well, the food.”
Zebras and giraffes in Kenya (Photo credit)
Haley’s favorite food is sushi, celebrity crush is Adrian Grenier, and survives the Maine winters by keeping a humidifier in her room and always keeping a future event in the back of her mind to look forward to. Get to know this week’s campus celeb, whether you go to one of her yoga classes or strike up a conversation in Commons. You won’t regret it.