Though many know her as the sprightly, ballet-dancing fairy on the Venice boardwalk, Suzanne Glasper has many colors. Performing in Venice is only part of her weekly routine; the rest of her time is spent helping people live their healthiest lives.
A practitioner of what she preaches, Glasper adheres to a raw foods diet and maintains a lifestyle that includes invigorating physical activity balanced with relaxation routines that calm the body and mind. She is a yoga instructor, certified ballet teacher, and a Reiki healer. A dancer at heart, Glasper has taught everything from ballet to tap in New York, London and other major cities. She completed a dance certification program at the Royal Academy of Dance in Britain, subsequently teaching and performing in the U.S. and U.K. The healing arts entered her life when constant movement left her feeling physically imbalanced. After training with Jon Monks, creator of Yogamonks – a yoga style that centers on the body’s relationship with the earth and the air – Glasper earned certifications in raw food nutrition and Reiki. Of the raw food diet, she said it’s best to begin slowly.
“I was vegetarian for years, and didn’t eat processed food,” Glasper said. “It was a natural move from vegetarianism to a vegan lifestyle to raw food.”
Working one-on-one with people who feel sluggish, achy or emotionally drained, Glasper designs special food plans to aid in physical and emotional healing. She recommends swapping processed sugars and carbohydrates for enzyme-heavy raw foods, including nuts, seeds, and fermented foods. She also advocates for the consumption of “super foods”, those nutrient-dense foods such as raw chocolate, goji berries, seaweed, blue green algae and mangosteen.
“It is a lifestyle change, not a diet,” Glasper said. “I don’t feel like I’m being restricted…it is highly advisable for people to do it very slowly. When you start to take things out of your body, your body will start to detoxify, and you don’t want to get sick.”
A typical day in Glasper’s life starts with a glass of water with lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper, followed by an hour of yoga and a glass of vegetable juice. She then goes to Woodland Hills to teach a tiny-tots ballet class at the Classical Ballet School, or, if it’s the weekend, heads to the Venice boardwalk to perform. Lunch is berries, an apple, or watermelon, and dinner is a big salad with avocados, romaine, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and lemon. She eats plenty of snacks between meals, including raw nuts, berries, dry fruit and nut bars.
All of this healthy living makes Glasper an expert in helping others. When Loren Coleman met Glasper, she helped him change his eating habits, a shift that Coleman said has increased his energy exponentially.
“I used to live on baguettes and white bread, now I only eat breads that are gluten free,” Coleman said.
If you’re thinking of changing your diet for increased health, Glasper can help. She can also give you Reiki treatments to balance your energy, and can even perform healing bodywork on your dog. Next time you’re on the Venice boardwalk, remember that the graceful ballerina in green is only showing you one slice of her exceedingly rich life.
Email Suzanne Glasper at transformwithyoga@gmail.com or visit her on line at www.healing-guru.com.