Ursula Karven

Battling back pain in LA, Ursula Karven discovered yoga – which has since played an important role in her life. Roland Kroiss meets the german actress who, with her business partner, founded Yoga You in Mallorca.

There´s an aura surrounding her, when she climbs out of her Mini Cooper convertible in front of the Puro Beach Club. This is a woman of elegance. Ursula Karven arrives on time for our interview. We have precisely one hour together because, immediately after, it´s the turn of Austrian channel ORF. Already the TV company’s crew is setting up their equipment on the way-out white terrace in Cala Estancia. The German actress is a media-magnet because of her friendly and open-minded personality. She welcomes everybody with a bright smile at Puro Beach – a place of which she is the unofficial queen: for more than one year, Puro´s general manager Mats Wahlström (44) has been her new companion in life. The 44-year-old Ursula Karven (“Tatort”, ”Hart to Hart”) has been living in Mallorca since 2001. Before that she lived for 12 years in the USA. In 2008, she and her American husband James Veres announced the end of their relationship.

• How did you work things out after the split?

We function well as a patchwork family. The kids live with me in Mallorca and my ex-husband James often comes for a visit from the US. They spend the school holidays with their father in Los Angeles. Mats travels a lot. We all like each other and, for example, celebrated Christmas 2008 together.

• How do you experience Mallorca with Mats?

He likes to be away in other places more than I do. Actually, he lives in Switzerland (Verbier) and tends to visit many cool cities such as Miami, London or Stockholm. For me Mallorca is an important fixed-point, because my sons Christopher and Liam go to school here. Besides, I established a thriving yoga studio in Palma.

• In spite of this you recently handed over “yogayou” to other operators.

Yes, but not because of a lack of success. We currently have 1,700 yoga students there. The studio in the Old Town of Palma will be run as before under the new label “Simply Yoga”. Our directive remains. My business partner Kim Steeb and I want to take a big step in a new direction.

• What´s your new concept about?

From now on “Yogayou“ is a franchise brand, which we widely merchandise in Mallorca. In principle, all hotels on the island – and also in Germany – are prospective co-partners.

• “Yogayou” at Mardavall Hotel?

This is possible, but not only there. We expect serious interest, based on sustainability in practise and a holistic concept.

• You ride on the wellness wave.

The times are gone when clients bought a pig in a poke for 100 or 200 euros. People want to indulge themselves and therefore they consider carefully where they get the best value. By now, I doubt whether I would spend 120 euros on a massage, without knowing the occupational skills of the massage therapist. Our new agency is meant to ensure there are qualification certificates for yoga, massage, acupuncture and so on.

• In spring you produced a new DVD in South Africa.

Since June I´ve been completely busy with the PR tour for “Yoga del Mar” (www.yogadelmar.de), a production of Universal Music. The music is from Irish singer Rea Garvey. The DVD “Yoga del Mar” – practice and chill out soundtrack – has been available everywhere as a luxury double-pack since June, 12.

• Expansion in the midst of the crisis – a contradiction?

The crisis is not related to everything. Some businesses keep on growing, e.g. environmental technology. However, times are tough for everybody – I´m also affected by it.

• Is it possible to reduce an old wisdom like yoga to “power yoga”?

Yoga is a philosophy, not a religion. 7,000 years ago, people from India carefully observed the movements of babies and elements of nature. Through this they created a system of sequences. “Power Yoga” tends to maintain certain sequences longer or it accelerates them by a “sun greeting”. It doesn’t matter whether one murmurs prayers or hums “Ommm” before the practice or not – what’s highly important is the intensive respiration. The sequences take us back to basics, to the point of peace, where the source is. Practising yoga for a long time produces an order of mind and soul, affecting every aspect of one´s life.

• Do you and Kim Steeb teach classes yourselves?

Not regularly, because our timetable is too tight. I lead the yoga practice at PR events or company incentive programmes. In private, I practise yoga between six and ten hours a week. I need it for my wellbeing.

• Your life is determined by discipline?

I don´t like dogmatic rules. Sometimes I eat hamburgers, but seldom red meat, because I feel better with a different nutrition. A detoxed body reacts more sensitively and one desires “green things”.

• Is the life in the USA an inspiration in this area?

Life in California is quite different from the life in the rest of the USA, generally speaking. In Malibu for example, many people get up at 6 in the morning, in order to run up and down the steps of Santa Monica. They are very focused, the rhythm is faster. In L.A. the yoga classes are booked out at 7 a.m. – they like to do it before work.

• Nobody wants to be a little bit lazy?

Many Americans consider it true relaxation to take their seat at the office at 8.30 a.m., mentally and physically cleansed. Activity and reward for a struggle are parameters of life for these people.

• Where and how did you start with yoga?

In Los Angeles some 12 years ago. There was a yoga hype and everybody who practised it looked fantastic. I started in Malibu in a group of pensioners, because I had to do something for the pain in my back. Everybody there was better than I was, but I became enthusiastic and improved quickly. After three weeks I changed to one of the “Hollywood groups”. It was amazing to practise alongside celebrities such as Meg Ryan or the Olsen twins.

• You never had the Hollywood dream?

I was never so stupid to think I might do it there as an actress. Long-term success is an illusion for Germans. Big Hollywood producers only sign, if they even do, the most celebrated actors of foreign countries. The names must have an impact at the cinema.

• How important is acting still for you?

In my life my children are the real number one. Regarding the job, it is acting, in spite of occupations like yoga or the company “Bellybutton” (distribution of baby and pregnancy clothes). Acting is my passion. If I cannot play a role for a long time, I become unbearable (smiles).

• Did you have a professional training?

At first, I could not afford a real acting (drama) school. I started to work as a model and thus raised the money for my first private lessons. After that I played some roles and took advanced lessons at the Lee Strasberg Institute in L.A. and New York City. There are many “working actors” in the USA, always taking new lessons between roles.

• Where will we get the chance to watch you again?

Recently I played a role in a wonderful movie, which will be on German TV in autumn 2009 or in spring 2010. The plot is about a woman teacher falling in love with a pupil – or the other way round. It is an ARD/NDR production, which will be controversial. The title is “Silent Message” (“Stille Post”). In autumn “Der Vulkan”, narrating a fictitious volcano catastrophe in Germany, will be a big event premiere on the German RTL channel.

“Yogayou“ offers yoga teacher apprenticeships in autumn in Son Caliu (Mallorca). The certificate of “Yogaworks”, the biggest yoga brand in the USA, is internationally recognized. Yogayou holds the exclusive rights for the German speaking market.

Dates: September, 7 – 18 and October, 9 – 20.

More information: www.yogayou.com

“Simply Yoga” studio, C./ Brondo 6, Palma, Phone: +34 971 228 477

www.simplyyoga.es