Yogis Uncovered | Meet Natalie
From the sunny shores of Tampa to building elaborate sets for her full-time modeling career, Natalie’s life is fueled by unapologetic creativity. A self-employed model who once struggled with internal insecurities, Natalie discovered yoga as a way to find meditation, inward focus, and grounding. Now, she balances the demands of her artistic career with a deep appreciation for mindfulness and complete body confidence. We caught up with Natalie to discuss her journey to self-empowerment, how she stays grounded in moments of distress, and her surprising license to fly gyrocopters. Subscribe to see her full interview!
“Knowing that you can show up for yourself on the mat sets a baseline, reminding you that you can show up for yourself in any area of life.”
Hi, my name is Natalie Watkins, and I’m from Tampa, Florida.
What was it like growing up in Tampa?
Growing up in Tampa was exactly how people who don’t live in Florida expect it to be. It was beaches every weekend, and if we weren’t at the beach, we were on the lakes. We were pretty much in nature consistently, and I’ve definitely carried that into my adult life.
What do you do for a living?
I am a full-time model. I have been self-employed full-time for the last five years.
How did you first get into yoga?
I got into yoga as a way of finding meditation and grounding. I was looking for a form of exercise that was a bit slower and focused inward, rather than just looking for outward physical results. I ended up stumbling upon yoga, and I feel like it has really helped shape my life in a different direction ever since.
What are your passions and hobbies outside of work and yoga?
I would like to say that I have other hobbies, but I am one of those people blessed enough to have turned their passion into a job. Modeling was always my hobby growing up; I loved going to the park, taking pictures, and dressing up. I still do that, but now I have a much more free, open, and creative outlet. I constantly pour myself into different ideas and concepts for shoots, creating giant, intricate sets and outfits. I’d say that is my main passion.
What does yoga bring to your life and overall well-being?
Yoga brings inner calmness. It also gives me a chance to show up for myself. One thing I’m really appreciative of with yoga—and working out in general—is that you are showing up for yourself even when you don’t want to or don’t feel like it. You’re pushing yourself past a limit that you didn’t think you could reach. It is so empowering on many levels. Knowing that you can show up for yourself on the mat sets a baseline, reminding you that you can show up for yourself in any area of life.
Did discovering yoga change the course of your life?
It definitely changed the course of my life. Because of yoga, I ended up meeting other yogis who introduced me to several big festivals called Burns. That experience completely changed my understanding of life and people in general, bringing me to a much more humane viewing of the world.
Were you always at ease with being naked on camera, or has that evolved over time?
In the beginning of my career, I wasn’t quite as at ease with being naked on camera. I initially thought it was external—that I didn’t want to be naked in front of a specific photographer. But I came to realize a lot of it was internal insecurities. Once I realized that nobody cared and they were quite literally paying for my body to be seen on camera, it switched my mindset. Now, I am very confident with my body. I’m proud of it, and I think yoga helps with that too, because I’m constantly working on it. It’s something I’m proud of, and I have no problem showing it off.
How does being naked on camera affect your everyday life?
It gives me confidence and has kind of taken away any sort of embarrassment gene in my body. If I can be naked and do all these complex yoga poses in front of a bunch of different cameras, who cares what else I’m doing in front of people?
What is your favorite food? Do you follow a specific diet?
My mom makes this really good white chicken chili that I haven’t had in several years. I’m probably going to call her after this and have her make me some! If I’m cooking, I love to make Parmesan-crusted garlic chicken paired with citrus green beans and homemade mashed potatoes. I also have a big sweet tooth, so I’ll always add a dessert.
Everybody expects that as a model, you eat special foods, but I eat normal food. I am just really big on portion control—small portions of the yummiest foods. People ask how I stay in shape eating those things, and it’s because I’m not eating the whole plate. American serving sizes are huge; one plate is often like four meals.
What is your favorite yoga pose, and what are its benefits?
My favorite is probably a very classic Child’s Pose. I was doing Child’s Pose well before I officially started practicing yoga because it’s always been soothing and comforting. I feel like women naturally go there in moments of distress. There were plenty of times in my younger, more stressful years when I was on the floor in Child’s Pose, crying my eyes out over something I can’t even remember now. Doing it in a controlled setting and environment is beautiful because you’re able to intentionally tap into that same emotional release.
How was your day on set today? What did you do, and how did it go?
I showed up 30 minutes early, per usual. I walked in the door, and everybody was so kind and welcoming. There was an immediate bright and uplifting energy that got me really excited for the start of the day. We trained on the yoga flows I was going to perform, and then we filmed them.
It was definitely harder than I thought it would be; I was pushing myself in real-time. During the last flow, my body was really struggling, and I started getting in my head. I had to take a moment to breathe, re-ground, and recenter. But with such an amazing team of people here, it was easy to do. Overall, it was an amazing group with amazing energy. I feel so blessed to be here. It was such a good day.
Can you share an interesting or funny fact about yourself that most people don’t know?
I’ll give you two—one cool one, and one interesting one. The cool one is that I can legally fly a gyrocopter. I have my license for it! If you don’t know what a gyrocopter is, it’s very similar to a helicopter but with a different type of engine. The second fact is that my thumbs are not the same size. If I line them up, one is significantly shorter than the other. A lot of my friends don’t even know that!
What is a piece of advice you wish you had heard ten years ago?
The best advice I wish I heard is: it doesn’t matter. And I mean that in the best way possible. If you like the outfit, wear the outfit. If you are not hurting anyone and it makes you happier, do it. Realizing that things don’t matter as much as everybody puts pressure on them has been so calming to me over the last few years as I navigated my twenties. The people who are hyper-focused on judging those external things should usually be focusing inward a bit more.
What is your life motto?
My life motto is either “I’m so blessed” or “I’m so lucky.” I say both of those things very often, at least twenty-five times a day. Even before we started filming today, I sat down, looked around, and thought, "Wow, look how beautiful this is. We’re so blessed to be here." Purposefully reminding myself how lucky I am to have my job and the people around me has trained my brain to constantly look for things to be grateful for. It creates a constant cycle of positivity.
Where can we find you on social media?
You can find me on Instagram at @NatalieWatkinz
*this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity