Tiger Bye

March 2026 Issue

by Lesley Kyle
Photography by Elaina Mortali

 

Tiger Bye is a force and fan of nature. Growing up in the Sunshine State, Tiger (her given name) was born to encouraging parents who were both yogis. At a young age, Tiger was practicing yoga while spending time with her parents during their classes.

Tiger and her mother later moved to Brookline, Massachusetts, where Tiger fell in love with the Boston suburb’s studious atmosphere. There, she developed a self-proclaimed “unquenchable thirst for knowledge.” She always wanted to live in New York City and enrolled in and graduated from NYU with a BA in political theory. “It was a great place to figure out who I was and what I wanted,” recalled Tiger. “My 18-year-old brain felt all things were possible in New York.” Tiger was swept up in the city’s melting pot where she met countless people from different countries and cultures. At the same time, she appreciated the constructs of university life that made her feel safe and grounded.

After college, Tiger and her then boyfriend (now husband), Colin, took a break from city life and moved to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to study at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Tiger became passionate about preventive health and soon knew she wanted to walk the path of a teacher. Her passion drove her to Georgetown University where she earned a Master of Science in Health and the Public Interest. She began a breathing education internship with Buteyko Clinic International, and as a lifelong learner, immersed herself in the program. “I became obsessed,” she said. “The Clinic teaches people how to rehabilitate their breathing to significantly impact serious health conditions. I fell in love with breath.”

Followers of Buteyko breathing methods have reported improvements in serious breathing-related ailments, including asthma and sleep apnea. “Breath has always been the most reliable portal to the present moment,” said Tiger. “It is a matter of public health.” While breathing is an important aspect of yoga, Tiger explained how yoga breathing and breath training differ. “Yoga breathing is about freeing life force energy in the body,” she explained. “Breath training improves one’s breath function.”

She also revealed that most people breathe too much and too quickly. “You’d be surprised how many people are hyperventilating, or breathing in excess of the body’s metabolic requirements,” said Tiger. Her training taught her that breathing too much – or over-breathing – leads to more stress, poor sleep, and an inability to focus. “Breath is a missing pillar of health. Proper breathing technique is a huge lever to pull for improving physical and mental health.”


Tiger and her husband moved to their Lowcountry home in 2024 to be closer to Colin’s family after the pandemic. They also wanted to escape the stress that sometimes accompanies the fast pace of city life and forge a greater connection with the natural world. A self-professed “nature freak” who grew up in Florida, Tiger appreciates the opportunities to reconnect with nature here in the Lowcountry. “We are the first indoor species,” said Tiger. “I try to get outside as much as possible to help set my circadian rhythm.”

While Tiger engages in a healthy lifestyle, she also pointed out that the term “healthy habit” is relative to the individual. Tiger offered some easy tips for readers to follow to promote their own health. “Breathe through your nose,” suggested Tiger. “This is the most overlooked health tip that results in many benefits to our bodies. Keep it nasal all day and all night.” Tiger also meditates daily to sharpen her focus.

As part of her path as a teacher, Tiger hopes healthier lifestyle practices will become less taboo in the U.S. She also debunked some common breathing misconceptions. “Nose breathing is the functional way of breathing,” reported Tiger. “It improves oxygenation, humidifies and warms and conditions air coming into our bodies, filters out bacteria, and reduces stress.” Mouth breathing should be reserved for peak levels of working out. The phrase, “take a big deep breath” to reduce stress is another misconception. “Big breaths are hyperventilation and shouldn’t be a habit.”

Tiger is also a fan of moving daily and in different ways. “If you don’t ask your body to do different things, it won’t,” she encouraged. “Get to know your body, pay attention to it, and do what it tells you to do.”

Instead of reaching for frozen and other convenience foods, Tiger eats simply and invests time in cooking and eating with each seasonal harvest. “The earth gives us what we need when we need it, so I almost never get sick.” In addition to eating fresh, she also suggested we live fresh by reclaiming our attention and getting comfortable with being ourselves, making time to be quiet, putting the book and phone down, and turning the television off.

“Just practice being—reclaiming your attention, along with good breathing techniques and meditation, will bring in the gratitude.”

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Fun Facts:

Hometown: Daytona Beach, Florida


Favorite Healthy Habits: Breath work and meditation

Pet Peeve: Impatient drivers


Secret Weapon: Cumin, coriander and fennel tea
(improves digestion)

Superpower: Tapas: It’s a Sanskrit word that means
uplifting discipline, grit, or stamina.