BALANCING ACT

Actor James Morrison doesn’t just practice what he preaches — he also teaches what he practices.

When terrorists are attempting to decimate the world, as they do with fierce insistence on the hit TV show 24, deep breathing may be the best way to steady those jangly nerves. At least that might be the advice you get from actor James Morrison, who’s played Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) Chief Bill Buchanan for the past three seasons. In fact, the 53-year-old Morrison would likely recommend adding asanas (poses) and dhyana (meditation) to accompany the pranayama (breathing): As a certified yoga instructor in the Hatha tradition, he teaches three classes a week at the Center for Yoga in Los Angeles.

Best known for his roles in numerous television shows and feature films, including Catch Me If You Can and Jarhead, Morrison is also a published poet, a produced playwright, and a respected independent filmmaker. He dabbled in yoga and Eastern philosophy throughout high school and while training as an actor. But Morrison only began a serious yoga practice nearly a decade ago, when he was struggling with career issues and anticipating the birth of his first child. “I was suffering, and I really needed something to help me turn the dripping faucet of thought off in my head,” he says. “I sought an easier, softer way.”

A friend suggested that Morrison should commit to yoga, and he began his teacher training at the acclaimed White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara. “Yoga is the art and science of balancing not only that which comes from within, but also what comes at us from without,” he says. “My teacher opened my eyes to that, and I was really ready for it.”

Morrison says he’s seen a significant upswing in the number of people attending his classes over the past few years. “I like to believe people come because I’m becoming a better teacher, but maybe it’s because they want to see Bill Buchanan teach yoga,” he laughs. And while he doesn’t mind if his fame is responsible for bringing some of the new students, he does admit it can have its drawbacks. After one class last spring, for instance, a student approached Morrison and confessed that she was a big fan of the show. “She told me that during the final resting meditation, she heard my voice and felt like she was in CTU,” Morrison says. “I thought, ‘Oh, you poor woman. I’m so sorry to disturb your peace. CTU is not the most relaxing place in the world. Keep breathing.’”

— J. Rentilly