:: March/April 2004 Volume 3/Number 2

Tom Henri

By Laura Faye

Tom Henri is an ordinary guy who lives an extraordinary life. His story is a complex saga filled with literally hundreds, perhaps thousands of zany “quirks of fate” that “just happened to me while I was hanging out.” Divine intervention certainly must have played a role in many of his exploits, he maintains. As a Marine in Viet Nam he inexplicably evaded death as part of a helicopter reactionary force in constant combat. During that time, his entire battalion got wiped out except for Tom. As he left Viet Nam in 1969 with shrapnel in his head and bullet wounds in his shoulder, a “pile of medals” and an honorable discharge because he was “broken and no longer useful,” he went “from bang bang shoot ‘em up, where everyone is the enemy,” to a mind boggling culture shock 24 hours later when he suffered the indignity of being beat up in the streets of America for having short hair. Afterwards he lived vicariously for his dead friends, made a fortune as a salesman, and amused himself with fast cars and loose women.

At his first yoga class with Bikram in the mid 80’s, “there were 25 women and me, I was stiff beyond belief” and “couldn’t do one pose, not one thing.” Inspired by fellow veteran and world-class yogi Shandor Remete, Henri persevered in his practice, studying also with many Los Angeles instructors and receiving teacher training at Yoga Works. Henri’s wizardry is his normalness, his down to earth sanity. He is a people person, outgoing and friendly, which probably accounts for his notable success as a yoga teacher. There is a willingness and sincerity in his voice when he says, “Hi, can I help you?” It’s that simple.

Henri’s path, while apparently random and chaotic does have some central themes that influence both his yoga practice and his yoga teaching. He could be called a poster child for the concept of ‘just show up and do the work.’ Raised in a strict home, working by the age of six, there was no savasana for this kid. He was bred to handle what life dishes out. Today, yoga lessons start at 6 am, he teaches throughout the day, is a father and a husband, and does the remodeling on his 6000 sq foot villa cum yoga studio cum healing-center-to-be in his spare time. Asking of his students only as much as he asks of himself, he doesn’t believe in ideas about hard work, he simply does the work and uses himself as authentic example. Remarkably, Henri began teaching only because fellow students noticed his enormous improvement and approached him to work with them.

Henri insists that circumstances always found him. Without the need to make sense of life’s mysteries, his admiration for and acceptance of the unknowable translates into a non-threatening approach to teaching yoga that has attracted a large following for his ‘special needs’ classes. Twenty-something pro athletes care for their injuries and keep themselves ready for the game at their own pace while seventy-something little ladies work the kinks out of old bones in chatarangadandasana (stick pose) on the next mat over. Students with challenges as varied as scoliosis, hip replacement, brain injury, or MS, each progress towards pain free health. The environment of safety and self-awareness promotes confidence so that students regain trust in their body’s ability to heal itself while nurturing their own power in the process.

Compassion continues to be the primary lesson of Henri’s life experiences. Despite, or perhaps because of, the incredible bedlam of his journey, he learned to sit calmly in the center of the storm. Although he took to yoga in order to heal the pain from his physical and emotional war wounds, he finds that part of the healing process includes the need to heal others. Regardless of whether he shares his story with words, with postures, or with the silence of just showing up, Tom’s easy-going spirit and his comfortable way with people continually heals those around him. As a yoga teacher and owner of Yoga Villa in North Hollywood, he finally receives the respect that is and should be granted to him and to everyone, and he responds with empathy and good judgment.

For more information about Tom Henri’s yoga classes, go to www.yogavilla.com or call 818.769.3857.Laura Faye holds degrees in Biology and Chemistry, as well as certification to teach yoga according to the Iyengar tradition. She has been teaching and practicing yoga for 19 years.