She was a competitive swimmer in her early teens. Then, in her twenties, she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. But for the last eight months, the 33-year-old actress and model Molly Sims is happy to trade barely-there bikinis for yoga tanks and comfy leggings. We met Sims, who plays the sexy nightclub manager on the hit drama Las Vegas, on the mat at Maha Yoga. The on-screen siren says she only plays sultry on TV. Thanks to Ashtanga instructor Kathleen Kastner, it’s spirituality, sanity and sweaty, strength-building flows that she’s focused on off set.

On Yoga
"I’d done yoga before but my defining moment was when Kathleen said to me, “Be still and know.” That’s our secret."

"Yoga fulfills me. That’s the thing most conventional exercise is missing. You name it, I’ve done it. From working out with trainers to hiking, Pilates, and boxing. When I do an hour-and-a-half of yoga, I feel complete. So now don’t do anything else. I want something that is spiritual and physical."



"Yoga with Kathleen has totally changed my body and my way of thinking. Just holding a pose and getting through it really helps me become stronger. I’ve found the more I do them, the more fluidity the poses bring into my life."

"I’m learning to breathe as opposed to holding my breath. That’s the hardest thing! I know you breathe everyday but, with yoga, it’s different."

"When I go into a yoga class, I’m in the corner of the room because I’m 5’9” and I’m clunky and I fall. But that’s something I’m getting more used to. Even being so tall, lanky and kind of unsteady, yoga makes me in tune with my own body, you know? It can make you graceful!"



"I enjoy my poses now more than I did when we started eight months ago because I’m physically able to do them. I got strong fast. I think yoga is the only thing that has helped me keep my muscles long and lean and not feel like I’m burning out.’’

"I love to eat! I could say to myself, ‘I’m going on a diet. I’m not having any bread or any pasta.’ But, when you take something out of your life, you want it more. Everything in moderation."

"I think yoga, if you allow it and you accept it into your life, can really make it better. I think it’s important to believe in something. It gives you hope, it gives you meaning, it gives you consciousness, it gives you responsibility."




On Yoga Fashion
“I’ve been wearing my friend Jodi Guber’s [clothing line] Beyond Yoga for years. They have the softest pants. I also like the top because it has a built-in bra so you don’t have to put on a bra and a shirt. The material is almost like a thin fleece so, if it gets sweaty, it doesn’t feel wet.”