avocado egg toast

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The Avocado Toast Enthusiast
It may come as no surprise that yoga teachers love creamy, crunchy avocado toast as much as the rest of us do. Yet Chellis Ying, who teaches writing all day and yoga in the evenings in San Luis Obispo, CA, has a new twist on the ubiquitous open-face sandwich. After spreading avocado on a slice of toasted multi-grain bread, she tops it with an egg fried in olive oil (the protein keeps her energized), a dash of salt and pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil. It's an unexpected touch that gives the dish a nutty, toasty flavor. And while many of the instructors we talked to skip caffeine completely, Ying finds a little kick to be helpful in the morning. But instead of the usual coffee, she prefers chai tea with almond milk; its nutty flavor complements the sesame oil in her meal.
green smoothie

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The Bit-of-Everything Buffet Maker
This meal is a healthy-breakfast lover's dream come true, featuring an impressive array of nutritious foods which, together, provide plenty of fat, protein and carbs to keep this yoga instructor going for hours. It comes courtesy of Jennifer Colletti, a yoga teacher and holistic health coach in Minneapolis. The first part: cereal with calcium-rich amaranth seeds, which she simmers in boiling water for 20 minutes, then combines with coconut milk and a little bit of stevia. Next, a few small apple- or maple-chicken sausages. And last, a smoothie made with coconut milk, protein powder, avocado, spinach, maca powder and a bit of collagen powder, which may help strengthen hair, skin, joints and bones.
nuts and fruit

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The Grab-and-Go Guru
A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit may seem light, at first glance. But this meal, which is in New York City yoga teacher Aarona Ganesan's rotation, contains a surprising amount of healthy fats and protein. A serving of nuts has between five and seven grams of protein, which is about the same amount that's in a hard-boiled egg; while the fruit is easy to digest and eat on the go. And coffee is absolutely on the menu for Ganesan; she doctors it up with almond milk, coconut oil, cinnamon and maca powder for an added boost.
cappucino and croissant

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The Yogi Who Treats Herself Every Once in a While
After a glass (or three!) of water, Lauren Imparato, who runs I.AM.YOU yoga studio in New York City, goes with one of her three usual breakfasts. The first two are what you'd expect from a healthy-living expert: either half of a cantaloupe, or two fried eggs. The third, though, is one we were beyond relieved to hear (and, Imparato admits, is her favorite): a pastry and an almond-milk cappuccino. After all, Imparato says, it's all about balance, whether in tree pose or when she's deciding what her first meal of the day will be.