Caption: Manalapan resident Oblio Wish demonstrates Gyrokinesis: a low-impact body conditioning system developed in the mid 1980s by a former ballet dancer with the New York City Opera. A yoga teacher, her Kundalini name is Simran Kaun (the Woman Who Prays to God). Her birth name is Oblio, after her grandmother. Photo by Timothy Rivers
Oblio Wish, of Manalapan, is a slim blond ex-model turned Kundalini yoga teacher who follows this mantra: Look good, feel good and be happy.
It works for her. And that’s the feeling that emanates from her yoga studio, tea bar and clothing boutique, Gyrotonic Sat Nam in West Palm Beach.
With impeccable taste — she’s designed clothing for the likes of Stevie Nicks and other entertainers — she includes doing makeup and personal shopping as part of her services.
“I have a flair for clothes,” she says. “I know what looks good on people and what they will feel comfortable wearing.
“That’s my talent. I pick up clients’ mood, and suggest something. ‘Oh, I love that’ is what I hear.”
She admits to being shy and dyslexic, and appreciates being with others who have non-judgmental attitudes.
“I like my environment to be relaxed. My clients don’t have to have their nails done perfectly. They don’t have to buy anything, either,” she adds.
However, she believes that you don’t have to wear your husband’s shirt when you work out. “You can look nice,” she says.
And she does. “I wear makeup and jewelry because I’m at my studio all day. I don’t want to look like a gym rat.”
Sometimes you will find her in simple black. And when she’s teaching Kundalini, you will see her wearing a turban and dressed in all white.
Currently, she spends two to three hours a day working out, but a healthy lifestyle and outlook on life are nothing new.
“I’ve done step (aerobics), and when I lived in Palm Beach, I used to roller skate at 2 a.m. I couldn’t believe that people would go to bed so early,” she said.
“I love to dance and 15 years ago, I became a vegan and got into yoga because I had allergies and wanted to live in a healthier environment.”
When she first started learning yoga, she studied with many famous teachers. At one studio, she heard music and laughter coming from the next room. “I went in and saw they were having fun. They were doing Kundalini and the teacher was Gurmukh (of Golden Bridge Nite Moon, Los Angeles). Gurmukh said, “I’ve got to know about you.’ ”
Kundalini became a way of life and now she finds herself surrounded by practitioners: her gardener, interior designer, doctor and dentist.
Born in Cape Cod, she was raised around Bel Air, Calif. She then moved to New York City, where she did commercial modeling for companies including Coca Cola. That’s where she met her husband, Barry. She moved to Palm Beach 20 years ago.
Shortly after moving here, her kids, she said, met her future business partner, Rick Carroll, also of Manalapan, on the beach.
“He was thin and my children wanted me to feed him.
“He was the one who suggested I open a store, and I did: Oblio’s Dream in Palm Beach and Southampton. I went into business with him.”
At her studio she works with people from 3 to 93 years old. “You don’t have to be hard on your body. Working on Gyrotonic (machines) is a little like swimming, ballet or Tai Chi.” One of her best compliments came from a 6-year-old girl visiting the studio with her mother.
“She said, ‘I feel like I’ve been at a spa all day.’ ”
10 Questions for Oblio Wish
Q. What have been the highlights of your life so far?
A. Meeting and marrying my husband, Barry. My two children, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren.
Q. Tell us one thing your neighbors may not know about you.
A. I’m a neat freak.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Manalapan?
A. We found our dream — a house on the ocean. We love the little town flavor.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. TGIT: Thank God It’s Today, by Barry Gottlieb.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. Spiritual music. A favorite is Aquarian Age, by Nirinjan Kaur.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “We have so much fear from childhood. We must disconnect from the past so we can have a future.” Yogi Bhajan
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. Gurmukh, who introduced me to Kundalini yoga and Elaine Chaback (of Woodstock, N.Y.) who took me in when I was homeless after I went through the money I made doing commercials. I babysat her children. Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Follow your heart, find your passion.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. Kate Hudson. I like the way she dresses. She’s spiritual, fun and small like I am. I like the kind of men she likes, too.
Q. Who or what makes you laugh?
A. My husband Barry. He has an amazing sense of humor. He still gets me after 27 years.
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