Yogis Uncovered | Meet Henner
From a steady career in corporate banking to pursuing an intensive Ashtanga practice in Miami. Henner's journey has been a powerful pivot. A lifelong athlete who shifted from heavy weightlifting to mindful movement, Henner discovered yoga and transformed his understanding of strength, endurance, and flexibility. Today, he blends rigorous personal training with restorative asanas, noting that “when the mind believes it, the body then sees it.” We sat down with Henner to talk about his South Florida roots, his empowering experiences in naturist spaces, and his secret to balancing heavy gym routines with deep backbends. Subscribe to read his full interview!
“Yoga has really helped me bend my body and my mind to steer away from limiting beliefs. I’m a firm believer that when the mind believes it, the body then sees it.”
Hi, my name is Henner, and I’m from Miami.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Miami, but I actually grew up in Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach and then Wellington. It wasn’t until 2024 that I moved back to Miami to pursue an Ashtanga practitioner intensive and began teaching yoga at Miami Life Center. I really grew up in the suburbs of South Florida, and it was great.
What do you do for work?
I’m a yoga teacher, personal trainer, and model.
How did you get into yoga? In 2013, I took my first yoga class at Moksha Yoga in Wellington, and my perception of strength, endurance, and flexibility was forever challenged. For years I had already been strength training in a gym setting. I just happened to step into a yoga studio and fell in love with the practice and the aftereffects.
What are your passions or hobbies outside of work and yoga?
My passions are really well aligned with what I do for work. I feel very lucky to be able to pursue yoga and strength training as a career. I love feeling more flexible, mobile, and strong, and helping others feel, move, and look better in their bodies.
What does yoga bring to your life?
Yoga has really helped me bend my body and my mind to steer away from limiting beliefs. I’m a firm believer that when the mind believes it, the body then sees it.
Did discovering yoga change the course of your life?
Discovering yoga definitely changed the course of my life. It helped me pivot from a career in corporate banking, where I worked in marketing, to now helping people move on and off a mat and inside of a weight room.
Were you always comfortable with nudity, or has that changed over time?
Nudity is something that has been present for a great deal of my life, first through art. I remember as a child seeing a portrait of a nude woman’s torso in my living room, as well as a portrait of the renowned actress Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent by Richard Avedon. Seeing these images of nudity was very normalized from a young age. Funny enough, my first photo shoot in 2018 was a nude photo shoot. It was the first time I had gotten in front of a professional camera, and it was a very liberating experience. I think that exploring different clothing-optional spaces, such as naturist beaches, has normalized nudity more and more. It has been a very healthy way to foster body acceptance, both of my own body and the bodies of others.
How does being naked on camera affect your life?
Being naked on camera is very empowering. It helps me become the most vulnerable version of myself, knowing that that version will live on in film. It allows me to walk into my daily life with that same vulnerability and honesty.
What is your favorite food, and do you follow a specific diet to stay fit?
My favorite food depends on the time of the day, but the first thing that comes to mind is pasta and pizza. But as a son of Venezuelan parents, I must give a plug to the arepa! To stay fit, build muscle, and maintain mobility, I maintain a balanced diet. I eat whole foods, staying away from the inside aisles of the supermarket and doing most of my shopping on the perimeter. I focus on fresh meats, dairy, produce, fruits, and veggies. If it requires too many ingredients, it’s best not to eat it or only eat it sporadically.
What is your favorite yoga pose and its benefits?
One of my favorite yoga asanas is Matsyasana, or fish pose. It’s a fairly restorative backbend which allows for a deep opening of the throat, the chest, and the shoulders. I feel metaphysically, because of the position of the throat, it allows you to release all of those words that have been left unsaid while taking a nice deep breath in.
How was your day on set with True Naked Yoga?
My day on set began with opening the gates to a very pristine estate west of Cutler Bay. We were on a beautiful property in Southwest Miami. It began with meeting the team, reconnecting with a yoga friend and colleague, Pasquale, and enjoying a great lunch from Carrot Express. The yoga flows that I demoed focused on upper body strength, a lot of chaturanga, side crow, deep twists, and vinyasas in between. I was very challenged and it was taxing, but being in such a nice setting outdoors made it very enjoyable.
How do you maintain your flexibility while building muscle?
It’s very simple. People are often surprised that I’m able to maintain such optimal mobility with the muscle mass I’ve gained over time, but really anybody can do it as long as they have a smart strength training practice and an adequate mobility and flexibility routine. One is not supposed to take over the other. They’re meant to complement one another. If you’re doing a heavy upper body pushing day, do lots of backbending. If you’re doing a lot of heavy upper body pulling, do lots of forward folds. You try to even out the length and tension relationships in all of your primary muscles to maintain your range of motion while gaining muscle mass.
What is a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know?
One of the funniest facts that people won’t know about me until I share it is that I have filmed naked yoga for True Naked Yoga.
What is a piece of advice you wish you had heard ten years ago?
A piece of advice that I wish I’d heard ten years ago, if not yesterday, is: fail. So what? You tried. Most people don’t even do that. Be okay with failing.
What is your life philosophy?
One of my life’s philosophies is to be kind. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and be kind to the environment. It will all come back to you.
Where can we find you online?
You can find me on Instagram at @justhenner. I look forward to connecting with you.
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity