“I thought yoga was for weak, arrogant hippies—a complete waste of time.” That’s what Ian Greenblott believed before his friends dragged him to a class. Now, he moonlights as a Modo Yoga instructor and swears by its power to transform. What changed? Read Ian’s candid conversation with Modo Co Founder Jess Robertson about energy, ego, and the surprising depths of yoga.
Ian Greenblott lives in Columbus, Ohio, USA. He is a brother to three sisters, father to two four-legged joys: Nettles, his cat, and Mickey, his chihuahua. He works a full-time position in an automotive recycling facility, and moonlights as a Modo instructor. He treats books like television channels, and can find humor in just about everything.
I met Ian at his Modo Yoga Teacher training in Montreal, Canada. We chatted at the training, and again afterwards—when he had a little bit of teaching experience under his belt. Speaking with him is a lot like feeling into yoga. This conversation is especially great for anyone that feels like they may not “fit in” in yoga—a surprisingly common feeling that Ian effortlessly debunks with his earnest and kind words.
Jess: Thanks for chatting with me! Tell me about what motivated you to come to yoga?
Ian: I was out with two friends. The next morning, they rolled me out of bed and said I had to go to yoga. And I went.
Jess: Amazing. And what kept you coming back?
Ian: The energy, for sure. The feeling that it brings out in you.
Jess: Tell me more!
Ian: It’s the feeling of harnessing chi, qi, prana – power, energy, life force. The feeling of swell, wholesome, relief, stillness, contentment, slowing down, watching from a distance. Observing. Ceasing.
That feeling is fleeting—as most feelings generally are. Yoga has been a consistent tool that allows me to expand and explore those emotions, those sensations, with confidence, courage, and creativity.
Yoga is more than just asana practice (postures). It is the study of the self—the innermost self. It is deeply introspective. When we take down our emotional walls, profound transformation is possible. Yoga has been a catalyst for me, a gateway to seeing, feeling, and being in a way that nothing else has provided.
Jess: So well put. Can you think of a time in your life when you really needed that energy?
Ian: Every day. Life is filled with challenges—some that feel catastrophically pivotal, others that seem trivial but pile up. I struggle with seeing the bright side. Yoga has helped me cultivate positivity, acceptance, understanding, compassion, and the ability to listen—to others and to myself.
Jess: When you struggle to see the bright side what happens if you avoid your practice?
Ian: I feel on edge, more critical, easily angered, short-tempered, volatile.
Jess: So many can benefit in the same way but feel that they’re not a “Yoga Person.” How would you inspire someone to do yoga if they feel like they wouldn’t fit into a yoga class environment?
Ian: I would say that you just have to try it. It’s something that you have to experience to understand. It’s a feeling that you get when you’re involved in it, when you’re immersed in the practice. You just have to give it a shot.
Jess: And what if someone says, “Well, I’m not a yoga person”?
Ian: No one is, but everyone is. It’s a balance of power.
Jess: I love that and what do you mean by a balance of power.
Ian: Many people think they’ve learned all there is to learn—that they’re stuck, or that stress and sorrow are just things to be numbed by distractions like alcohol, lifting weights, or sheer avoidance.
People have kids and suddenly feel like they don’t have time. They worry about everything—bills, work, whether their pipes will freeze in winter. Life piles up.
The problem is, many of us forget—or worse, refuse to acknowledge—that feelings come and go. It’s easy to get trapped in the illusion that we are stuck in a permanent state. That’s when the balance of power is off.
Yoga is the catalyst—the starting fluid for all you blue-collar folks out there. It’s the jumper cables, the pressure relief valve. Yoga is the yoke of a Cessna 170, the thing that lets you fly. It’s the binder in your cake batter, haha. Yoga connects. It balances. It harnesses.
Jess: And how about the common concern that many people have that their practice isn’t “good enough” to consider taking teacher training?
Ian: Yoga comes in all shapes and sizes, just like the people who practice it.
If you feel stuck in your practice, I encourage you to consider teacher training—specifically an in-person training.
Teaching is yoga. It embodies the eight limbs of yoga—yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana.
I benefit from teaching all the time. Teaching is a practice, and the trick is to have no expectations.
Isn’t that the key to everything? Aparigraha (non attachment)
Jess: You can feel that in great teachers—that they are embodying the deeper teachings. You said that energy is what you love most about great yoga teachers. What stuck out for you about your teachers at the Teacher training.
Ian: Honestly, everyone was great. Every instructor was remarkable. And as we progressed through our curriculum and shared time together, people started showing their true selves. That’s what I loved—seeing people for who they are.
Jess: How did their energy allow you to find your own strength and sense of self?
Ian: By hearing their stories, their struggles, and their triumphs—and seeing myself in them. That connection gave me the confidence to dig deeper into my own experience.
Jess: I was at your training and saw firsthand the diversity in the group. It really supported your idea that yoga is for no one and everyone. Can you describe the group and what amazed you about their range of interests and backgrounds?
Ian: I came into training with no expectations, which turned out to be a happy accident.
At my Modo Yoga teacher training, I saw this truth unfold. No two people were the same. We had diversity in age, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, mental health, fitness levels. Parents and non-parents. Married and single. People with completely different life paths.
And yet, we all shared something. That was beautiful.
Jess: You said your friends had to drag you to class. Why do you think you never tried yoga on your own before that?
Ian: Ego. I relied too much on immediate satisfaction. I thought I knew what yoga was and what it was about. I was wrong.
I didn’t think yoga was challenging. My friends encouraged me to go for the fitness aspect, the “cleansing.”
I thought yoga practitioners were weak, arrogant hippies. I thought it was a complete waste of time.
What I discovered is what most people don’t talk about: the inner work. The physical practice is just the tip of the iceberg. Yoga is vast.
Jess Robertson is Modo Yoga’s Co Founder, Senior Advisor, and Community Documentarian. She is also a writer, musician, yoga teacher and Co Founder of the New Leaf Foundation. She lives in Montreal, Canada with her 2 kids.