Posts In: In the Community

For 20 years, Yoga One has been the site where thousands of people, from beginners to
experienced practitioners, have learned about asana and vinyasa, perfecting moves like downward dog, sun salutation and other poses.

The Caldwells began their business in earnest in 2002 in a second-story spot in downtown San Diego, opening the practice to meet a growing demand of students attending outdoor classes in Balboa Park taught by Amy Caldwell starting in 2000.

you can find the full feature here

Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.

It was a classic instance of being in the right place, at the right time. 

May, 2014. The terrific Terri Hobbs, representing Yoga One, meets representatives from the Downtown San Diego Partnership and a wonderful relationship is forged.

Over the past 7 years, Yoga One has offered a weekly, complimentary class to the Downtown San Diego community. Classes are held in a variety of outdoor locations. During most of the pandemic, we continued to offer class live online.

It is a pleasure to provide these services to so many residents of Downtown and beyond!

One of the most unique yoga events to arise out of our collaboration was teaching aboard the historic USS Midway. Yoga One was honored to lead the first-ever yoga class aboard ship and 4 subsequent annual classes. 

EXT: San Diego Harbor  – DAY: June 12th, 2014

A bird’s eye view pans across the enormous aircraft carrier, decommissioned and now serving as a nautical museum. 

Planes and helicopters cover the deck. To the west, scenic San Diego harbor glistens like so many scattered jewels. To the east, skyscrapers stand and salute.

Like an army of ants, yoga students by the hundreds file up the ship’s stairs.

On deck and snuggled between the planes and helicopters, a wide assortment of vendors replete with stocked tables and tents are in place to greet the arriving students.

The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, yogis smile and spread their mats and good vibes across the tarmac.

A news crew captures and relays the inaugural occasion to the greater population. Kris Michell, then President and CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, takes the mic and kicks off the proceedings. Scripps Health is the main sponsor. Dave Kemp of DTO Music provides a soothing ambiance.

Then Yoga One’s own Amy Caldwell steps to the platform with the ship’s command tower rising behind her and an illuminated sign reminding all to: BEWARE OF JET BLAST PROPS AND ROTORS.

Amy is calming, inspiring and poised. Strong, flexible, prepared and awesome, she leads the over 400 individuals in a community re-affirming, one hour flow yoga class.

AMY

Thank you all so much for your positive energy. It is an honor and a pleasure to share this experience with you. Thanks again to all the sponsors and organizers. Namaste.

HAPPY STUDENTS

Namaste, yay! 

Thunderous applause

Camera pans from the many colorful mats and happy people to take in the 360 view, then pulls back up into the sky to reveal a special day in a special city.

Fade to black.

EXIT

Over the next four annual classes, attendance continued to swell. The last class hosted over 1,100 yogis! This event was always re-affirming and special. Whether we’re sharing yoga with one person or thousands, we are grateful to be helping people live healthier and happier lives.

Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.

Some of the dates and details have dimmed, it was likely late 2002 or early 2003, Amy and I were at Twigg’s Coffee shop in University Heights with some fellow yoga teachers and a few representatives from City of Hope.

We were brainstorming ideas for how the yoga community could raise awareness and support for City of Hope’s mission to research and treat cancer.

It was exciting to be a part of something that could facilitate serious health advancement and relief not just locally, but worldwide. We were honored to be included. 

There were a few more meetings and then the City of Hope team went off to figure out their next step.

Towards the end of summer, it was agreed that Yoga One and other studios would host yoga classes and donate the proceeds to the organization. Here is a snippet from our press release: 

“September 12, 2003, Yoga One will be offering an expanded schedule and donating all fees collected that day to the City of Hope, a world-renowned biomedical research and treatment facility dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

“”In addition to the strength, flexibility, increased concentration, balance and coordination the practice of yoga provides, it is first and foremost a healing activity. Raising awareness and support for the kind of work the City of Hope is doing is a natural step for us. We want to extend the well-being our students receive in class to the community at large,” stated Amy Caldwell, Owner/Director and Head Instructor at Yoga One.”

With the increased popularity of yoga and lots of good work, City of Hope’s yoga collaboration blossomed into Yoga for Hope, a multi-city phenomenon with events held in such locations as Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

For the 2014 San Diego iteration, Amy was invited to co-teach over 800 students during the Yoga for Hope class in the outfield of the Padres’ Petco Park. In addition, Yoga One put together a donation team and offered classes with the proceeds supporting City of Hope. That year, the event raised over $80,000 to fund the research and treatment of cancer. 

It was heart-warming and hug-inducing to practice yoga in the lush, green outfield with so many fellow yoga lovers. It was especially poignant to have Amy’s mother Sally, a cancer survivor, practicing with the Yoga One group alongside her grandkids, Raya and Myles. Three generations together. 

Over the years, many wonderful yoga teachers led the Yoga for Hope classes, some who did so in San Diego included: Stacy McCarthy, Michael Fukumura, Claire Petretti Marti, Sean Corne and Dominic Mineo. Thanks to all the teachers, students, and organizers for sharing their time and energy to help others!

Please have yourself and your loved ones regularly checked for cancer. Some cancers can be found early, before they have had a chance to grow and spread.

Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.

Many of you know the story of how Yoga One began in the early 2000’s with Amy practicing Vinyasa yoga in Redwood Circle, Balboa Park. And how people would interrupt to ask what dance routine she was doing. 

How she explained that it was yoga and they asked to join her. And when it got cold, the little community found a place to practice inside. Many adventures ensued and we eventually found our space at 1150 7th Avenue, in downtown San Diego.

Word of mouth was and continues to be the supreme method for spreading the love and growing the Yoga One Family. This is the story of how we grew beyond that initial group of Balboa Park students.

This is the story of how Amy was, for a little bit, a marketing maverick.

Back then, to make a flyer we chose a fun font in a word document, then literally cut and pasted an image likely found in a magazine (remember magazines?) Then we went to Kinko’s (remember Kinko’s?) and made copies.

Amy rode her bike around town and posted the flyer at coffee shops, newspaper stands, mom & pop businesses, etc. In those days, circa 2002, there was ample space on the Whole Foods bulletin board. So alongside guitar lessons and roommates wanted, Amy hung her homemade flyer. The fact that it was photo copied and had a graphic of some sort was already ahead of the curve.

Then one day, like lightning, it hit her. If she was printing flyers at Kinko’s, she could do it on colored paper. BLAM, it was a revolution! Her yellow flyer leaped from bulletin boards all over downtown.

Of course, others were quick to get hip and colored flyers became all the rage.

Fortunately, Amy’s good friend Mel Z had just visited a studio in Connecticut and seen their professionally printed postcards. So being on the vanguard again, Amy arranged to print a postcard. It was a slightly laborious task and the printers, who were more used to working with rock bands, were scrappy and often made mistakes. But we grew together and our first card was raw, rough and a little drab, yet it was double-sided! Whoa! Minds were blown. And the marketing race was on. 

Michael wanted the cards to look like Pink Floyd album covers and our friends Summer and Karl lent their graphic design skills and vision. Super yogi Heather F. became our go-to model. The photo shoots were a little rogue (we were yoga posing in places we probably weren’t supposed to be) and it was so much fun. 

Printing postcards was such a new medium, in this context, that for a hot minute, people (non-yoga practitioners included) sought out and collected the postcards. We were told they were pinned at work stations and on home refrigerators. 

In time, coffee shops and other businesses reduced places to place postcards and the Whole Foods bulletin board became overrun. Marketing all around became glossy and sophisticated. Almost as soon as it began, the golden age of postcards had passed.

Still, we like postcards and produce them from time to time. Are there any collectors out there who have all of the Yoga One postcards ever made? (;

Let us know and we’ll take you out for a drink! 

Thanks to CBS 8 for featuring Yoga One in a segment on Mission Hills, San Diego. We’re proud to be located in such a beautiful and historic neighborhood, not to mention our beautiful and historic building! Yoga One is excited to offer this space back to the community – for movement, for meditation, and for gathering.

Watch the whole segment here on CBS 8

Yoga One was so excited to celebrate with our neighbors and neighboring businesses at an Open House this month! The 1920 Fort Stockton Building has been many things over the years, and we’re proud to represent its next chapter. We wish a hearty welcome to the newly opened Wolf in the Woods Wine Bar.

Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.

The vast warehouse was drafty and cold. Perfect for Amy. She was dressed in a black bodysuit with a hood and covered in electrodes. Over the next few hours, Amy generated plenty of heat as she demoed over 190 yoga poses. Total badass!

It was the spring of 2011 (I believe) and a couple of weeks prior, we had received a phone call from Niall Johnson at Scotland based 3D4Medical inquiring if we were interested in collaborating on a yoga app. Yes! Following a brief brainstorming session, production got underway. I was responsible for monitoring alignment and angles. 

Pendulum, the motion capture crew, was known for helping to render high quality video games. They demonstrated their skill creating a superhero type avatar for Amy that was projected onto a large screen as she did the poses. Ultimately, for the iYoga Premium app, Pendulum processed over 340,000 frames of motion capture, rendered over 50 million frames and delivered 8.7 hours for the final video to bring the virtual yoga teacher Amy to life!

“It was surreal to see my movements in real time displayed on a huge screen,” Amy said. “The whole process reinforced for me that yoga is as much a moving meditation as it is a physical activity. The stage was freezing and the motion capture suit was a little constricting. The conditions were challenging, but I quickly got into a rhythm and focused on my breath to stay centered.” Amy was exhausted but exuberant about the project’s future. 

Yet there was more work to be done. Amy recorded the voice over instruction for each and every pose and each and every sequence she put together. In the end, there are 16 different sequences students can follow, or you can create your own – all with Amy’s vocal guidance.

Finally, Amy and our friend, physical therapist, and fellow yogi Rachel Krentzman (author of Yoga for a Healthy Back and Scoliosis, Yoga Therapy and the Art of Letting Go) broke down the anatomy of each pose. They notated when muscles were contracting, stretching, or both – one by one, for nearly 200 poses! They included the English and Sanskrit pose names, contraindications, pose difficulty level and category, ie.  standing, seated, etc. Needless to say, it was an intense labor of love.

Upon release, iYoga Premium had over 15,000 downloads in the first month and topped Apple’s world-wide Health and Fitness paid app list. The app received positive press in Yoga Journal and Amy was interviewed and featured in Pacific Magazine, among others. In 2016, iYoga Premium won Health Line’s Best App award.

There were some technical limitations, for example, the avatar always needs to come back to Tadasana (mountain poses) during the sequencing.  

Some years later, we came full circle and held a class at the studio and projected the app onto the wall and let virtual Amy lead the class with actual Amy offering enhancements.

Yoga One’s month in review, in response to Covid-19.

by Laura McCorry

Just last month (although it feels like eons ago!) the Yoga One team was full-steam ahead getting ready to open our new Mission Hills location  We were busy teaching a full schedule of classes at our Downtown location, half way through our Winter/Spring, 8 weekend 200 Hour Teacher Training Course,and leading classes at multiple off-site corporate locations. 

Our teachers were sharing the joys and benefits of yoga with students who walked into our studio off the street, with students who had never practiced yoga before, with students who popped into an empty conference room for a lunch-time practice, with students who have been building their yoga practice for years – all of whom trust Yoga One to guide them with depth of knowledge, skill, heart, integrity, and compassion.

Enter Covid-19. California and many other states rushed to issue stay-at-home orders and the world as we knew it was turned upside down. So many more people were working from home. Schools were closed indefinitely. Businesses scrambled to put protective measures in place, some closed their doors, and still others decided to offer their services online.

Our Downtown studio, a place that since 2002 has been an oasis that admits the city, a h-OM-e way from home for so many, was (for the moment) no longer a place we could congregate. We have long believed that sharing the practice of yoga was not just good for the individual, but good for the community.

How could we continue to offer yoga to help people live healthy and happy lives and to foster connection between individuals, building community, right now when people need it the most?

In just two days, we pulled together with staff and students to transition all of our classes online. Questions regarding Zoom ID#s were now as common as namaste. Because our online classes are live and interactive, they have the same feel as practicing in the studio. Teachers and students greet each other in real time. Teachers can watch their students’ alignment and provide feedback and encouragement. Soon we had our groove on and it was inspiring to see everyone really utilizing their yoga practice, way beyond the physical asana –

Holly Wright and David Lloyd got their cat Zimbo to attend classes online!

Allison Page roped her sister Caroline into rolling out her mat regularly next to her.

And the graduates of the Yoga One Teacher Training Winter/Spring 200 Hour course stayed after class for a Catch-Up Party.

It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of love and support from within our community during these challenging times. Small businesses everywhere are hurting right now. When you shop or support a small business like Yoga One, you’re taking one step forward towards the kind of world we all hope to emerge from isolation to find. (Tweet that)

In recent days, we’ve been reviewing our class recordings, trying to determine how and when we might be able to offer them for a streaming service – so students could access quality yoga instruction whenever is most convenient for them. 

What we’ve found is not just hour-long yoga classes: We’ve seen our whole community encouraging each other, sharing updates about their families, offering each other blessings and messages of hope, checking in on teachers and students and neighbors alike. Despite the upset of Covid-19, we have found each other and forged a real, human connection through the portal of the internet.

Our community has adapted and our connection is intact and strong. Yoga means union, or to yoke together. Thank you (yes, you!) for showing us through your presence and your support that we really are all in this together.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura(AT)yogaonesandiego(DOT)com

by Laura McCorry

Our mission at Yoga One is to help you live a healthier and happier life. Through mindfulness and movement, yoga supports your overall wellbeing while also releasing fear, decreasing anxiety, and cultivating a sense of peace. Yoga is a powerful force for connection.

3 Ways to Practice Yoga and Foster Connection at Home

1. Stream Yoga One Classes Online

Yoga One is happy to be able to continue sharing the joys and benefits of yoga and community with you online via Zoom live interactive classes. See our full class schedule here.

Here’s how to practice with us online: When you pre-register for a class online, you’ll be emailed a unique viewing link to practice alongside your favorite instructor live. Download Zoom on your device (tablet, phone, computer) and have your charging cable nearby if needed. Then simply roll out your mat, test your audio, and enjoy your practice!

All memberships, class packages, and drop-in rates will apply – click here for more information.

2. Private Instruction over Videochat

Did you know you can set up a one-time or recurring private lesson online? It’s a unique experience from an in-person lesson and there are some serious benefits: tailored instruction for your body and how you’re feeling that very day, practice in the comfort of your home, enjoy deepening your knowledge of yoga from one of our highly trained teachers. Email info@yogaonesandiego.com to find out more.

3. Home Practice

If you’ve ever wanted to practice yoga at home, now is the time! Practicing yoga by yourself deepens your relationship to yoga, to your body and to mindfulness. How long to hold a pose? It’s up to you! Move and breathe in the moment exactly the way that serves you best. Yeah! Here are 6 Ways to Build a Home Yoga Practice. 

Thank you to each and every reader and student of Yoga One, both online and in person, and we especially love it when those two worlds overlap!

We choose our posts, our writers, and our content with care because we believe that our online presence should reflect the same values we share through our San Diego yoga studio – we value integrity, we are committed to sharing knowledge, and we believe helping the individual live a happier and healthier life leads to happier and healthier communities.

Thank YOU (yes, you!) for being a part of the Yoga One Family!

To celebrate, here’s a round-up of our all-time top 8 posts. Enjoy!

8. Confessions of a Yoga Teacher-Military Spouse
7. 5 Yoga Poses for Your 8-to-5
6. The Potency of Backbends and Breath
5. Top Ten Yoga Myths: Part Two
4. The Power of Intention
3. Yoga Playlist from Amy Freeman
2. Top Ten Yoga Myths: Part One

and appropriately, the number 1 post on our site:
1. The Benefits of Yoga

What better way to experience community and inter-connectedness than by practicing yoga alongside hundreds of other wonderful humans at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego? We had an absolute blast and we can’t wait to participate again next year!

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Missy is Yoga One’s OM (Office Manager). She’s the big smile and warm spirit that greets you from the studio’s office nook. Missy is the hub that connects all the parts. Here she is delivering the opening remarks for the Festival of Yoga, with the primary class being led by Yoga One’s own Amy Caldwell. Not long after Missy inspired the crowd of yogis, she dropped the mic (figuratively not literally). But either way she rocks! \m/

The next Festival of Yoga is scheduled for June 23rd, 2019 at the Waterfront Park. Click here to register for this FREE event!

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

An Original Yoga One Yogi, Arati Lane has been teaching at Yoga One from day one. Yoga One began enhancing the well-being of San Diego residents and visitors in 2002 and Arati has been with us every step of the way. When she’s not teaching you can sometimes find her riding on her high horse. But her yoga keeps her humble. 🙂

Arati has been teaching Yoga since 1989, completing her first training with Sivananda. Arati currently teaches yoga classes and workshops for fertility, pre- and postnatal, infant massage, couples yoga, healthy backs, flow and hatha. She counsels in AYURVEDA and loves sharing these amazing life-enhancing methods to heal and maintain balanced health in all forms! She teaches at Yoga One Sundays at 10am. You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

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Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Denisse Ypina is the go-to yogi. She loves to meet people and get out and about. Here she is rocking the Yoga One lid at the City Center Sessions. During this popular event, Yoga One and other fitness studios provide free classes in a Downtown San Diego city street or park.

The next event is scheduled for February 10th, 8am-noon. Yoga One leads a class at 11:30am. Denisse will likely be there. Click here to reserve your space.

In addition to assisting Yoga One with offsite events and TV segments, Denisse is also a graduate of the acclaimed Yoga One Teacher Training course, an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Zumba Certified Instructor, Nutrition Specialist and Dale Carnegie instructor. Phew!

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

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Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Sometimes you don’t need to travel very far to get a different perspective. Be a tourist in your own town! Longtime Yoga One student Kay Faryan chilling on the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, California.

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

by Laura McCorry

Hello, 2018! We hope this new year has dawned bright and full of possibility for all of you. The yoga world has already grown and evolved so much, we thought it’d be fun to look ahead and imagine what the year might hold. Namaste!

• Collard Greens: both kale and arugula have had their revival hey-days, it’s time for the original dark leafy vegetable to take it back old-school. If we can get Californians eating southern greens, maybe we can get more southerners practicing yoga. Let’s come together, ya’ll.
• Yoga on Horseback: By now, everyone has heard of dog yoga, goat yoga, and even bunny yoga. But did you know you can do yoga on a horse? We feel a bit like Dr. Seuss (yoga in a house, yoga with a mouse) but you really can do yoga everywhere!
• Yoga Therapy: Good news! Your doctor could actually write you a prescription for yoga. The International Association of Yoga Therapists established a credential program just last year which requires an additional 800 hours of study beyond the standard 200 Yoga Teacher training program.
• Savasana-only Yoga Class: Hey, we can dream, right? But seriously, yogis around the world are becoming more serious about their practice and are starting to pay more attention to Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga, slower practices with a greater focus on healing and meditation. It’s not all about mastering the latest arm balance these days! Phew, what a relief.
• Moon Yoga: There are so many ways to practice yoga while enjoying Mother Nature – just get outside! They probably won’t compete with Beach Yoga or SUP (stand-up paddle board) Yoga – but watch out for Forest Bathing Yoga and Yoga in the Moonlight classes to start popping up. Bonus, you can bring your crystals for an extra boost.
• Intention App: Feeling in a rut by setting the same intention every time you practice yoga? Download this super-simple app and each time you open it, you’ll find a heart-inspiring, chakra-aligning intention along with a short mantra meditation. I’ve done the hard part of coming up with the idea, now someone go develop it!
• Underwater Yoga: Exercising in the water has tons of healthy benefits, but it’s always felt rather old… until now. Flow through a standing vinyasa sequence at your local swimming pool. You might want to bring a snorkel for the arm balances, though. Perhaps this would gain more traction as Mermaid Yoga? 🙂

What are your predicted yoga trends or requests for 2018? Let us know in the comments!

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura(AT)yogaonesandiego(DOT)com

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by Olivia Hughes

I don’t know about you, but 2017 has been an intense year! To bring myself back into balance, I consciously practice gratitude during the holiday season. Gratitude not only for all my blessings, loved ones, health, and happiness, but also for my challenges and opportunities to expand my heart and awareness.

This Yogi Gift Guide shifts the focus from buying material things to practicing self-care and sharing the gift of presence with those you love. Let everything you do this month be sacred.

1. Yoga One Gift Card

Give the gift of yoga!!! This is hands-down the best yoga studio in the heart of downtown San Diego. They offer a range of classes every day of the week, from never-stepped-on-a-yoga-mat beginner level to an intense sweaty and pretzel-y advanced level. They also have a wonderfully relaxing massage room. This could be your one-stop shop for wellness!

2. Meditation Cushion from Sittin’ Pretty Still

Helping people stay calm one cushion at a time. Each one is made with love and intention and they are truly the most gorgeous meditation cushions ever made! They also double as a comfy yoga block or bolster and are 25% off until December 31st. Check out their awesome natural soy candles while you’re at their website, too.

3. Homemade Coupon Book 

Take the holidays back old-school by creating a coupon book redeemable for all your loved one’s favorite things, big and small. You can include anything from a back rub to offering to pump their gas because you know they hate doing it. Coupon books are a great way to show someone you’re paying attention and that you care about them.

4. Crystal Muse by Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro

This will be my first Yogi Reads review of 2018! Crystal Muse: Everyday Rituals to Tune in to the Real You includes different rituals and grids you can create to manifest the energy you desire in your life. I loved learning new techniques for staying connected to my crystals, the moon cycles, and their energy all year long.

5. Quinntessentials Yoga & Beauty Products

Organic essential oil products for yoga and life. Owner Julie Quinn crafts each product with intention. My favorite right now is her Palo Santo room spray – it’s perfect for yoga classes and at home. She also makes a rosemary oil for your hair, stash wax for men, and a yogi bones salve that will soothe everyone’s tender spots. Check her out online or in person at different markets around San Diego.

6. Momma Pots

Buying from local, small businesses is one of the best ways to give back to your community. Instead of buying candy or sweets for a stocking stuffer, how about a small potted (low-maintenance) succulent plant? All of Momma Pots products are hand-poured and painted concrete, right here in San Diego. Her pots are truly beautiful, with a modern, minimalist aesthetic.

“Elegant pots, hand crafted by a mom, inspired by all things that grow.” – Blaine Tiongson, owner

7. Passion Planner

Most of us keep our calendar on a mobile device these days, but there’s still value in putting pen to paper. A passion planner goes beyond a list of activities each day by providing prompts for your dreams and goals. It’s the perfect tool to help you think big and stay accountable for creating and living the life YOU want.

“It’s designed to be a safe space for you to dream, reflect, and grow.” – Passion Planner Team

8. Morse Code Malas

Handmade in San Diego these mala beads are intended to evoke a feeling or ignite a purpose when worn. Each one is carefully crafted with you in mind. A one-of-a-kind gift that helps to calm your mind and connect to your spirit. Follow them on Instagram @morsecodemalas

9. Donate Time or Money to the ONE LOVE Movement

The ONE LOVE Movement is a non-profit dedicated to supporting children in impoverished areas. Founder Kim Bauman is a local San Diego yoga teacher whose passion was sparked by a trip to Haiti where she realized how blessed she was, having been an orphan herself who was adopted from South Korea at only 9 months old. She has now dedicated her life to helping other children in need. The ONE LOVE Movement is currently looking for ambassadors in any city, as well as accepting donations of time, resources, or money.

10. Host a Party for Your Loved Ones with Al Fresco Events

For the host or hostess who loves the joy of community and a shared meal, but not all the work of preparation and clean up, Al Fresco Events will pull off an unforgettable holiday (or anytime) party. Your biggest concern will be picking out your outfit, because all you have to do is show up and enjoy! Jennie Niezgoda brings the decor, creates an amazing vibe, and tops it off with her infamous grazing platters, filled with goodies that will leave your guests talking for weeks! Check out her Instagram page to see for yourself @alfresco_events

11. Energy Healing Sessions with Antoinnette Chirinos

A Peruvian modern day Medicine Woman and Angel Tarot Reader, based locally in San Diego. Sessions with Antoinnette will leave you feeling validated within and connected to your spirit. Antoinnette has a deep connection to nature and creates essential oils, herb offerings, and elixirs with intention to support you after her sessions. She also mixes in crystals, and energy clearing kits to help you stay aligned and protected.

12. Yoga Retreat with Olivia and the OM Experience

Give the gift of a retreat! Getting away from it all for a few days in paradise by yourself or with a loved one can be an incredibly healing and restorative experience. Join me for daily yoga, waterfall hikes, snorkeling, relaxing, hydrotherapy, and more! This retreat is one-of-a-kind in its luxury and service, hosted by The Garza Blanca resort in Puerto Vallarta, a five star hotel that offers an all-inclusive experience. Learn more at The OM Experience.

*These recommendations were chosen by the author from her personal life experience and do not reflect any paid advertisements. 

Olivia Hughes
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

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guest post by Hannah Faulkner

With the winter holidays approaching, do you ever take the time to notice the world with a unifying perspective?

Are you open to beliefs from people that practice different customs than you?

Are your traditions in line with your evolving values? 

Read the full version of this article on Hannah’s blog, Half Moon Yoga and Art.

Tradition refers to beliefs, objects or customs performed or believed in the past, originating in it, transmitted through time by being taught by one generation to the next, and are performed or believed in the present.

A tradition may be deliberately created and circulated for personal, commercial, political, or national self-interest. Fear of other people, customs, and religions may be politically and culturally manipulated to bring more separation amongst the human race.

For example, only a century ago, “anthropologists at the Museum of Man and the Smithsonian Institution worked together to collect plaster life casts of different racial types. These casts were displayed in San Diego at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition as part of an exhibition about the “progress of man” that presented European Americans as racially superior (Museum of Man San Diego).”

However, in the current exhibit, Race: Are We So Different? artists like Kate Clark strive to connect the dots between the museum’s archive of face molds to the reality of living and breathing people today. She created a series of face molds from museum visitors to break down the stereotypes from these older social constructs. Today, so many different races have blended and moved around that the results are remarkably more united.

This exhibit explains in clear, helpful language the origins of race and racism, and helps us understand how to deal with them in productive, enlightening ways. Most of what we think about race is based on myth, folklore, or assumptions unsupported by genetics or biology. No one is free of misunderstandings about race, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

According to a DNA study posted at the Museum of Man, we are much more alike than we think. In fact, your DNA is 99.9% similar to the person next to you as well as all people in this world now.

In his enlightening Television Series, “The Story of God,” Morgan Freeman announces “Our beliefs don’t have to divide us, they can unite us. We all share the wonder and gratitude that we are here at all.”

Thousands of years ago, Pantajali created a guide towards the path of enlightenment and peace. He suggested the practice of yoga. The asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques) are preparation for Samadhi, which means “to bring together, to merge.” Samadhi refers to union. When we experience these moments of awakening, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences.

There is no longer any individuality of our experiences: gender, personal history, family and cultural values, education, etc. The “I” and “mine” of our illusory perceptions of reality is replaced by awareness of the oneness of the Universe blended with connectedness, forgiveness, joy and love.

Yoga reminds us that we are more than the external body, that our souls are the light that matters the most. Feel encouraged to treat your body like the divine temple that it is, the mind-body-spirit connection. The ultimate goal of yoga is to awaken the spiritual consciousness, the divine energy that connects us all.

Join us for Yoga at the Museum of Man – Yoga in the Rotunda every 2nd and 4th Saturday from 8:30am -9:30am. This class is $10. 

Click here to save your space and arrive at least 10 minutes early to sign in.

(Please note that the Jingle Bell Run is scheduled for this Saturday in Balboa Park and several roads around the Park will be closed. The run route can be found here and we recommend giving yourself extra time to find parking.)

This Saturday December 9th, I will be teaching a class related to the unity of light throughout the winter holiday season as it relates to the Museum’s message, “Are we so different?”

This holiday season, will you choose to see the unity among the world’s traditions, customs, and religions?

Do you know what the world’s major winter holidays have in common?

From a magical Yuletide log, to the bright star leading the way to a savior, a crescent moon as a symbol for dedicated prayers, festivals of lights with rejoicing in gratitude and family, to wreaths and halos that illuminate the way to compassion, all of these celebrations include LIGHT, which translates to joy, devotion, and love!

When we live on light, we are constantly illuminating the path for ourselves and others. The word enlightenment means to provide insight or knowledge, to awaken or become free from ignorance. In other words, if you have knowledge, let others dip their candles in it.

Through a unified approach of physical postures and lifestyle, we can awaken the loving energy of light and unity that is resting within each of us.

See yourself as the creator of your own life, the sustainer of your reality. Breathe in the light of oneness and divine energy and see yourself connecting with life itself. As a daily reminder, we can repeat this affirmation, “I feel lightness and openness to the bigger picture. I move towards light and enlightenment.”

Hannah Faulkner
Guest Writer

Hannah Faulkner draws inspiration from her surroundings and seeks to find relationships between the ordinary and extraordinary daily life through her writing. With 4 years of experience as a flight attendant, and many more travels preceding, Hannah’s curiosity and adventurous spirit have soaked in elements from worldwide cultures while growing in her spirituality. As a yoga and visual arts teacher, she combines her passions to create beauty in a variety of ways through her inspiring stories, bridging connections with deeper yoga philosophy and wellness concepts at HalfMoonYogaandArt.com.

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Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Caitlin McPhee:

Anjanae and I, left and center, met during our YTT at Yoga One. This summer we went backpacking in Colorado together! While hiking, we reflected on the ease of practicing mindfulness while hiking and camping in nature (in the sense of our heightened ability to focus on the here and now) and how these activities perfectly compliment our yoga practice.

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Amy Freeman, Yoga One Teacher:

We were in Telluride, Colorado over July 4th week on a family trip. That was a beautiful waterfall hike we did called Cornet Creek Falls. I also took a few yoga classes there at a studio in the village called Mangala Yoga.

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

by Hannah Faulkner

How yoga cultivated a karmic awareness of life in all its forms and started my journey of veganism.

Read the full version of this post on Hannah’s blog, Half Moon Yoga and Art.

The other day a friend, Ashlee, told me that I must have been a cat in my previous life. She was trying to make sense of the phenomenon of why animals, and oftentimes cats, are so attracted to me. But, I haven’t always been this way. I used to be afraid of animals and tried to steer clear of them for most of my life.

It wasn’t until I started doing yoga (at Yoga One in San Diego), that I’ve made a connection with these beings. The more I became centered and found inner peace and awakening, the more animals liked to be in my aura.

One of my favorite animal experiences was when I was walking along the Camino de Santiago in 2014. JoAnna and I were both missing our pet cats from back home when suddenly, out of the brush, five little kittens approached us. We stopped and started petting and holding them. They just wanted to be loved. Our hearts were filled with so much joy to share this connection with the natural world.

We stayed there for about thirty minutes then JoAnna said, “We should probably stop wasting time and continue walking.” I abruptly snapped back, “This is NOT WASTING time!” We still tease each other about that statement, but the truth is that taking time to stop and connect with nature and our inner source of love is really the best way to spend our time and our lives.

Our crown chakra, Sahaswara, is our source of enlightenment, consciousness and spiritual connection to all that is. This connection takes the form of a circle, like a crown. Feeling enlightened with a balanced crown chakra means experiencing unity that everything is connected at a fundamental level. The other day, when I was meditating and bringing my concentration to this place of inner peace and connectedness, my cat walked over to me and pressed the crown of her head into the crown of my head. Moments like this are enthralling!

At the Living with Animals exhibit in the Museum of Man San Diego, we are reminded that all animals can be our friends. Pets used to be wild creatures that have developed a relationship with humanity over time. We have made friends with dogs, cats, birds, turtles, fish, mice, and even beetles.

However, sometimes the way we live causes separateness and we lose connection with creatures when we label a certain creature as a pest or a taco. Why is it that in the West we can develop laws to protect the treatment of dogs, but we are blind to the way cows, pigs and chickens are treated and manufactured in a factory? The Living with Animals exhibit takes a look at how a pet can become a pest, a pest can become a pet, and a pet can become a pest that ends up on our plate.

Up until six months ago, I have been guilty of disconnecting the animal with the flavor. Then, I became confronted with some yoga philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence) and how it relates to karma. I finally opened my eyes and heart to the documentaries available on Netflix and other platforms that are trying to awaken us to how we are responsible for torturing animals every time that we buy meat or animal products.

I used to think that we “needed” to eat animals for protein and have since learned that we can find much more healthy nutrients and proteins in a plant based diet. Leo Tolstoy announces, “A man CAN live and be HEALTHY without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he partakes in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite, and to act so is immoral.”

Like an ex-smoker who still desires a swig of cigarette every time they smell one, my mouth still waters at the smell of crispy bacon and tasty hamburger, but then I close my eyes and visualize the whole creature and how it is being treated today, under horrible conditions, with the purpose of companies making more money, and I can no longer partake in this bad karma. Peaceful Mohandas Gandhi, past leader of India proclaimed, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Join us for Yoga in the Rotunda at the Museum of Man San Diego and visit the Living with Animals Exhibit to awaken connectedness and inner peace.

I will be leading the class on Saturday, September 9th, 2017 from 8:30-9:30am in accordance with Yoga One San Diego.

We will be flowing through animal poses like Cat/Cow, Dog, Beetle, Mouse, Pigeon, Fish, Turtle, and more as we cultivate Crown Chakra Connectedness and Ahimsa for all creatures!

Hannah Faulkner
Guest Writer

Hannah Faulkner draws inspiration from her surroundings and seeks to find relationships between the ordinary and extraordinary daily life through her writing. With 4 years of experience as a flight attendant, and many more travels preceding, Hannah’s curiosity and adventurous spirit have soaked in elements from worldwide cultures while growing in her spirituality. As a yoga and visual arts teacher, she combines her passions to create beauty in a variety of ways through her inspiring stories, bridging connections with deeper yoga philosophy and wellness concepts at HalfMoonYogaandArt.com.

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Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

Our Yoga One family has spread to all corners of the globe and we’re excited to share some of their adventures.

Heather Fenwick, Yoga One Teacher and World Traveler:

“I was in Mexico near Tulum at a 4 day concert to see my favorite band, My Morning Jacket. That little lagoon was so cool because it was warm, clear ocean water with fish swimming around – I jumped in right before our yoga class to keep cool!

Maya Chickpea Taco (formerly known as Bon Bon) is our canine model; she was rescued as a wee babe on the sandy shores of La Ventana in Baja, Mexico.  What you can’t see in this photo are her supermodel legs and eyelashes ;)”

No matter where you go, you can Keep OM Trucking with Yoga One! Visit Yoga One at 1150 7th Avenue to get your own hat and while you’re there, join us for class. 

 

A brief history of the award-winning studio Yoga One in downtown San Diego (with a mission to help as many people as possible live healthier and happier lives and a strong focus on community-building) as told through the eyes of its loving parents and Founders, Amy and Michael Caldwell.

An interview between Michael Caldwell, Co-Owner, and Laura McCorry, Yoga One Blog Master.

Laura McCorry: Many of us have heard the story about you and Amy falling in love, wanting to travel the world, selling all your possessions, picking a country that started with “A” and apple picking in Australia which set you both on the path to yoga. When did you decide to become yoga teachers? 

Michael Caldwell: By the time we were in Nepal we were pretty serious about our yoga practice, meaning we did it whenever we could. Finding time was a challenge because we were trekking to Mt. Everest base camp. That generally meant walking all day until we found some nice family to take us in. Dahl batt and rice was the standard for dinner. With a full belly we almost always immediately crashed, exhausted and satisfied on the first available horizontal surface.

It was in one of these welcoming accommodations with a handful of other travels, including James, Teddy “McChocolate”, and Richard, that we found ourselves with a little extra time and energy. Somehow it came up that we’d been practicing yoga. And since Amy has always been more advanced than Michael, she was coaxed into leading the group. That, as we can recall, was the first class she ever taught.

LM: When did Michael start teaching?

MC: Right. Michael didn’t start teaching until a couple of years after Amy. Yoga One was up and running and we had picked up some corporate classes. We didn’t have enough teachers to cover one of our classes at Cox Communications, so Michael had to do it. And he’s been teaching with decreasing reluctance ever since.

LM: Why not just teach yoga at the park or at other studios? When did you know you wanted to start a small business and open a yoga studio together? That must have taken a huge leap of faith. 

MC: Amy was teaching in the park and at dance studios, etc. The Yoga One studio was originally party of the adjacent gym, at that time called Body Works. When it got cold outside, Amy moved her growing park yoga class around town trying to find a reliable space. Over time, the classes were doing so well that Rich Roe, the gym’s owner, suggested we sublease it from him and start our own studio. So that’s what we did. It was very organic so it didn’t really require much of a leap of faith, just a lot of hard work and love.

LM: You both teach yoga and you both make business decisions, would you describe your roles in similar or different terms? 

MC: Amy was the big boss until we had our first child. Then Michael took over most of the day to day business operations with Amy looking over his shoulder to make sure he was doing it right. Amy still keeps her eyes on things but increasingly she is focused on preparing and leading the Yoga One Teacher Training courses, which now happen up to three to four times a year (including the courses at SDSU / ARC).

LM: Work-life balance is a huge concern for so many right now, especially among millennials. How have you worked to preserve a healthy work-life balance over the years? 

MC: Lots of deep breaths! Like our yoga practice, finding that balance requires constant attention. When we realize we are overdoing the work aspect, as quickly as possible we attempt to swing back to the life side. In order to be as available as possible for our children, we mostly work from home. And we’ve argued about establishing work spaces and times in which it was ok and not ok to talk about “business.”

When you operate a small business the work is never done and when your work partner is also your spouse there is never any out of the office time… when you combine those elements and also work from home, finding balance is a tight wire act. So now we try not to talk about work in bed!

Yoga One is our first baby and initially required all of our attention at all hours. Now 15 years later, the studio is a little more self sufficient but still acts up from time to time like any teenager. When it needs us, we want to be there for it. The fact that we love what we do and the people we do it with helps tremendously.

We always want to be learning and growing. We feel we do a good job with offsite, specialty and corporate yoga classes so we are looking to expand in that direction. Our Yoga One Teacher Training program is truly a life enhancing experience. We’ve had over 250 people attend our course. Many of them want to continue to deepen their practice and expand their skills, so we are working on putting together a 300 hour Yoga One Teacher Training which then will provide graduates with a 500 hour designation. We will be doing more festivals and retreats. There is so much we want to do. (:

LM: Throw it back to the very first class taught at the studio, under the familiar skylights, what was that like? 

MC: Super exciting! Amy was leading class with the students who had followed her from the park and the various around town spots and the gym’s students were there as well. (That was the deal we made for using the space). We had to walk up the stairs through what is the current gym’s entrance, down the back stairs and along the back hallway to what used to be the entrance to the studio and is now walled over. We’d wait in the back hallway while the spin class or something was finishing and talk in the hallway with the students. It was a great time… so new and fun.

LM: You and Amy have always (since I’ve known you) been consistent about calling the teachers and students at Yoga One family, and I know this is intentional and heartfelt. How long did it take you before you realized you were building more than just a business? 

MC: Immediately. We were building a family from the get-go. Remember we had recently returned from backpacking around the world for 3 and a half years so we were wide open and receptive. We were (and still are) about fostering friendships and building community.

People used to come up to us in the park and ask what kind of dance we were doing and could they join us. Classes grew and grew and, as said before, when it got cold we moved around town from space to space, through a lot of trial and error. We used a night club in Hillcrest for a while that was under construction and the entire class literally had to climb over a pile of rubble to get to the practice space. That’s not a business, that’s a family forming.

We’re still working on making Yoga One a fantastic business, but we’ve already (in our opinion) cultivated a wonderful family. And thanks to all of the people who opened their space to us all those years ago. We couldn’t have done it without you.

LM: We all know the different milestones we celebrate for our children. What are some of the milestones you’ve seen and celebrated with Yoga One?

MC: There are so many that have touched us deeply and which we treasure! Those first few classes in the space and Rich, an established small business owner, recognizing we were on to something special and telling us we should sub lease the space. Amy teaching most of the initial classes and riding her bike around Downtown putting up flyers and spreading the word. Building out the back hallway so we had access to a bathroom! Getting voted “Best Yoga Studio” in San Diego City Beat and going to the awards party for the first time (and the other 8 times).

Amy appearing on the cover of Yoga Journal (twice). Creating the iYoga Premium app with 3D4 Medical. Leading a yoga retreat in Santa Barbara. Leading the first-ever yoga class aboard the USS Midway to 400 plus people. Releasing the Yoga One CD via Quango music group (remember cds?). Creating the office nook out of a dumb waiter shaft and closet (thanks Josh aka J-Money! Redoing the front hallway, that previous ceiling was painful to behold.

The 10 year anniversary party at the Porto Vista hotel and the 15th anniversary at the Hotel Solamar. The blog anniversary party and photo shoots. Having 120 people in the space for Y1 Studios Intimate Musical Evenings featuring Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket and Sean Hayes among others. Workshops with fun visiting teachers like Kathryn Budig, Tiffany Cruickshank, Rachel Brathen, David Romanelli, Jill Miller, Diana Beardsley and others. Being on the news and in various publications is always fun.

Offering complimentary community classes and gift certificates so anyone and everyone can enjoy the joys and benefits of yoga. Seeing new students.  Seeing regular students. Seeing long-lost but returning students. Hearing that yoga has helped enhanced someone’s life.

LM: Thank you so much for all the effort, continuing education, investment, time, and love you both pour into Yoga One: a yoga studio, a community, a family.

MC: Thank you, Laura, for birthing and raising the Yoga One blog and thanks to the fantastic Yoga One Teachers, Staff and students!

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On June 17th, Pilgrimage of the Heart Yoga and Yoga One will celebrate the International Day of Yoga with a festival of yoga in beautiful Balboa Park in San Diego.

Amy Caldwell, master teacher and co-owner of Yoga One, will be leading an all-levels yoga class from 1:30-2:30pm that you won’t want to miss!

This FREE event will take place between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM at Park Blvd on the President’s Way Lawn. Join 500+ yogis for 2 all level community classes, breakout yoga sessions, chanting and music for peace to inspire and empower people of all ages and walks of life.

The event is free, but registration is required. To register please visit: http://festivalofyogasandiego.org

From apple picking in Australia to owning an award-winning family run yoga studio in downtown San Diego, Locale magazine interviewed Yoga One co-founders Amy and Michael Caldwell. Go here to read the full article or keep reading below:

Q: What sets Yoga One apart from the competition? 

MC/AC: We don’t think of other studios or yoga offerings as competition. The more people practicing yoga, the better. However, we do take pride in being a family run studio and treating our teachers and students as family. Award-winning Yoga One has been helping San Diego residents and visitors enjoy healthier and happier lives since 2002. We offer depth of knowledge, integrity and heart.

Q: How did you personally get started in practicing yoga?

MC/AC: Our yoga practice began in an organic apple orchard in Australia in 1997. We had both just quit our careers in the Hollywood music business and set out to explore different cultures and lifestyles. While backpacking around Australia, we picked apples to earn extra money and one night, sore from a 10 hour workday, we did a few poses from a book we were reading. We immediately felt better. Over the next three years of traveling around the world and visiting 15 countries, we got more and more committed to deepening our practice. By the time we arrived in India, we were practicing up to four hours a day with some of the country’s top yoga masters.

Q: What advice would you give to a beginner yogi?

MC/AC: Enjoy the journey. Yoga is like a tool kit that can help enhance your life. You can’t use all the tools effectively at once immediately so take your time to understand the basics and build from there. Find good teachers that you resonate with. And if you want to do the advanced version in any pose, simply lift the corners of your mouth.

Q: What’s an inspiring story that you’ve been able to witness as a yoga instructor?

MC/AC: We just received this email from a student who graduated from our Yoga One Teacher Training course at SDSU:

‘Wow, it’s been six months since I graduated. What prompted this email was an abundant feeling of gratitude. I successfully accomplished my first semester as a teacher at University of San Diego. It went so well, they resigned me for the same curriculum section in the spring and extended an offer to three additional group fitness classes! After a successful semester substituting at SDSU, I’ve also received an offer for my very own group fitness section over the winter break and the upcoming spring semester. I cannot thank you enough for the enriching experience I’ve had both as a student of your training and as a teacher in the community.

The by-product of the Yoga One Teacher Training has been tremendous. The insight to my own personal practice alone has gained so much depth…being a teacher, the smiles, gratitudes, blessings, the positivity I’ve witnessed are sooooo fulfilling, and it wouldn’t have been done without you.’

Q: How does it feel to be listed as one of the top yoga studio in downtown San Diego?

MC/AC: Humbling, but after all, we are named Yoga One!

an interview with Monique Minahan

Monique is a yoga teacher whose niche is teaching yoga tailored for grief. She’s the mama of a sweet and energetic toddler and last year compiled her many writings on grief and loss into a short book titled “The Unedited Heart.” This year she launched her more expansive project, The Grief Practice, with hopes of shifting the culture around grief globally.

Yoga One: When did you first start teaching yoga in a way that welcomed all the emotions of grief?

Monique: A year ago I approached a local hospice center with a desire to offer a weekly bereavement yoga class. I wanted to offer an approach that grief wasn’t something to fix, but as something to welcome. Grief is often held in the body and yoga guides us back into our physical form, where we can invite the grief to take up space. To surge. To recede. To flow. To be.

Editor’s Note: Go here if you are interested in taking a bereavement yoga class with Monique in Carlsbad, CA.

Yoga One: What does trauma-sensitive mean in your classes?

Monique: Trauma-sensitive means I teach the class in a trauma-informed way, taking into account how the body lodges traumatic experiences and how I, as a yoga teacher, can unknowingly trigger the body’s memory of traumatic experiences. For example, by the words I use or by initiating touch without permission. I teach the students anchoring techniques that they can “hold onto” when their emotions, feelings or memories become overwhelming.

I have tremendous respect for the power of grief whether it is of a traumatic nature or not. The first thing I say in every class is that it’s okay to cry. It’s amazing the relief people feel when they’re given permission to cry.

Yoga One: What are consent rocks and how do you use them in class?

Monique: They are simply rocks on which I’ve painted “yes” on one side and “no” on the other. I use the consent rocks to let the students tell me whether they want any physical adjustment or touch throughout the class. Touch can be intrusive or healing.  Touch can be unwelcome one day and welcome another.

Inviting the students to choose what parts of the practice support them on any given day is a really important part of this class. In final relaxation, for example, I give options to lie on their side or on their belly. Sometimes students who attend the class are only weeks out from tremendous loss and lying on their back feels too exposed.

Yoga One: Yoga means union. I imagine that union, or healing, after the initial separation and wound of grief is very powerful, especially to experience in community – what have you seen come out of these classes that surprised you?

Monique: I have witnessed some incredibly beautiful and unexpected moments in this class. One time, that I’ll never forget, happened in the first few months of teaching the class.

At the beginning of the class, after we’ve grounded and centered our bodies, I invite the students to bring their hands to their hearts and say the name or names of their loved ones, out loud, or to themselves. Often I see tears as they say the names, which one would expect. But one time there was a woman sitting in the front row. I saw her mouth the name and then she smiled the biggest, most beautiful smile. It broke my heart in a good way, seeing that face of grief that we don’t often see or show. That love that still lives on.

Yoga One: You’re working on a project called The Grief Practice, what is it? 

Monique: In its final form, The Grief Practice will be a large book that is part stories of loss and part mindfulness practices. There will be techniques offered that support the full experience of losing and learning to live with loss.

Right now, I’m collecting stories to include in the book. Not everyone tells their story through writing. Some people tell a story through drawing or photography. I want to share various approaches to story-telling to honor the authenticity of each person’s experience.

The thing about grief is that it’s not linear. That means our stories don’t always have a happy ending or proceed in a linear way. I hope this book will give the world a new perspective on grief, support, and our fellow humans who are grieving. I hope this helps encourage us all to step into this uncomfortable conversation with grief armed with courage and love.

To submit your story to The Grief Practice, go here. 

by Hannah Faulkner

India is commonly known as the motherland of yoga, but what if I told you that yoga originally began in Egypt and then traveled to India hundreds of years later?

Paintings, engravings, and murals from ancient Egyptian tombs and temples show images of figures in positions that represent some commonly known yoga poses.

According to the book, Egyptian Yoga: Postures of the Gods and Goddesses by Dr. Muata Ashby and Dr. Karen Ashby….

We can find the god Geb (god of the Earth) in plough pose engraved on the ceiling of the Temple of Aset (Isis).

Framing him is the goddess, Nut (goddess of the sky), in a forward fold yoga pose.

Further, we can see Geb in a spinal twist and Ra in the squatting position like Virasana, Hero’s pose.

Dr. Ashby proclaims that yoga was practiced in Egypt earlier than anywhere else in our history, long before the evidence is detected in India (including the Indus Valley Civilization) or any other early civilization (Sumer, Greece, China, etc.). This point of view is supported by illustrative and documented scriptural evidence of physical exercises, meditations, and implementation of wisdom teachings in daily life.

It is commonly believed that the practice of the yoga in India began with the use of the Lotus Pose, which is traced to stone engravings in the Indus Valley culture (1500 BCE). However, the use of the lotus pose here could possibly only symbolize the iconography of meditation. This seated flower position represents a spiritual person who develops detachment and dispassion from the world since it sits in the muddy water but is not touched or affected by the mud. Yoga poses, as we know them in the western world, developed much later in India’s history.

Click here to read more about the fascinating connection between yoga and ancient Egypt on Hannah’s blog, Half Moon Yoga and Art.

The San Diego Museum of Man in accordance with Yoga One San Diego come together twice a month (2nd and 4th Saturdays) at 8:30am-9:30am to hold a special yoga class in the Rotunda.

Hannah Faulkner will be teaching class on February 11th, 2017.

Will you join us for this journey in Ancient Egypt?

Buy Your Ticket Here

and be sure to tell the Museum of Man that Yoga One sent you!

Something for that special yogi in your life, who is perhaps yourself!

by Olivia Cecchettini

1. Favorite Yoga Pants: Right now, I love Amari Active. I was looking for great quality that was also local to southern California and I stumbled upon Amari. Just up the 5N in Solano Beach, Amari is a newer company that really cares about fit, comfort and supporting their community. They are constantly hosting events to give back and collaborate with other local artists. Best part is they are NOT see-through, not even the white pants, I swear!

2. Favorite Yoga Mat: The Manduka Pro or Pro Lite. I personally use the Pro, but it is a little heavier and thicker than the Pro Lite, hence the name. It’s a personal preference thing (people with sensitive knees usually like a thicker mat, while those that travel often prefer lighter.) When choosing to buy a mat, get the mat you know you will use the most. Let your practice meet you where you’re at today. The Manduka mats are a big investment, but they do have a lifetime guarantee.

3. How To Pay It Forward: RAKE, or #randomactsofkindnesseverywhere. My boy Ricky started doing random acts of kindness a few years ago when he was going through a hard time and his experience took on a life of its own and has become a TRUE MOVEMENT!!! One of the coolest and craziest things Ricky does every year is drive across the country (he’s from Cleveland) and performs a RAKE Tour: 50 cities in 30 days with only an ID, car and paypal credit card performing random acts of kindness everywhere. He only has two rules; he can’t ask for anything and he can’t say no. Every year it is such an amazing thing to support and watch through his social media posts! (He’s a comedian as well, so it gets funny!!) He will be in San Diego on March 12, 2017 – hit him up if you have an idea or want to be involved! His entire vision is based on service and trust, what is more yogic than that?!

4. Yoga One Gift Card: This is hands-down the best yoga studio in downtown San Diego!!!!!!!! They offer a range of classes every day of the week, from never-stepped-on-a-yoga-mat beginner level to an intense sweaty and pretzely advanced level. They also have a wonderfully relaxing massage room. This could be your one-stop shop for wellness!

5. Favorite Yogi Read: If you know me, then you know how hard it is to pick just one! The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron is great book to start the year with acceptance and grace. Pema’s strength and wisdom are qualities I greatly admire, but I also really love her ability to relate to everyday esponsibilities and challenges with realism.

6. Just For Fun Gift: Yummy Yogi Cookie Cutters and Cutting Board, these are just a silly, fun gift to play with asana poses and have fun. Too cute not to share on the list!!

7. Indulgent Self-Care: Buddhi Boxes are a fun way to create a ritual of self-care and pampering. This “yogi care package” is delivered to your doorstep filled with useful samples and full-size goodies that switch up every month. From candles, to bath salts, to jewelry, to healthy snacks, they have it all. These boxes can be the perfect gift for yoga teachers, as it’s so important for them to stay balanced and nourished so they can continue to be of service to their communities. It might also be the perfect gift to yourself in the new year!

8. Best Stocking Stuffer: Sittin Pretty Still Candles are my favorite! Not only are they Reiki-infused, but they also have a secret mantra message of inspiration you get to see as the candle burns. They are dye, sulfate, and phthalate free and hand made with lots of love locally in San Diego.

9. Favorite Green Gift: Evrbottle. “Recycle, Reuse, Respect the Earth”, that’s the message behind each unique gift that can be found in this Carlsbad shop. Owned by a fun-loving couple from Venezuela, Gabby Troconis and Rusty Perez, who share their life as well as their message.  “Give the bottle a second chance” is their motto and I think we can all take something away from that. Forgiveness. Second chances. Not judging a book by its cover. These are powerful messages to subtly put out in the world. Today more than ever, we “vote” with every dollar we spend, so why not support local businesses and help Mother Earth in the process – it’s a win-win.

10. Be PRESENT: this is the true gift!!! Take someone out to coffee or tea just to connect. Be present with them and not worry about what you’re going to say next, just trust and know that listening is enough. Most of us just want to be heard this holiday season, to know we aren’t alone, and to feel like we matter. Looking in someone’s eyes and really asking them how they are doing may be the greatest gift they receive.

My favorite San Diego coffee shop is The Nest Coffee and Tea located in Ocean Beach. Each month, manager Danielle Riggins creates a full moon cold brew, infused with moonlight, crystals, reiki and good vibes! Check it out every full moon of 2017. The best thing about The Nest is that every single item on the menu is hand-crafted with love and intention, you can taste it.

11. YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND SUPPORT. Tell the people you love how you feel about them! Life is short, make sure you’re living it. Chances are you won’t remember what presents you received by this time next year, buy you will remember the people you choose to include in your life and shower with love.

Happy Holidays! Peace and Love!

Ciao, Olivia

*These recommendations were chosen by the author from her personal life experience and do not reflect any endorsements or paid advertisements. 

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

guest post by Hannah Faulkner

this article originally published on Half Moon Yoga and Art Blog

Fangs, scales, or tentacles?

Have you fashioned a monster?

From snake-like, dragon-like, bird-like, or octopus-like, humankind has been creating monsters across cultures and time. Ironically, a fear of certain creatures and the unknown is shared on all continents. On the other hand, one of the important characteristics of historical heroes across cultures is being fearless in the face of big and often lethal enemies. This story and message has been told time after time throughout the human experience.

So, why do we still all use our imaginations to provoke fear?

When we imagine or see strange creatures, we often associate them with something that is large, ugly, and frightening. This triggers an unpleasant emotion, anxiety, caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain to ourselves or someone dear to us.

Accelerate breathing rate, sweating, and alertness are physiological changes in the body that show fear is activated. This reaction is an inborn response for coping with danger. This primitive mechanism can help people to survive by either running away or fighting the threat.

In the exhibit, Footsteps Through Time: Four Million Years of Human Evolution, we can identify tools, artifacts, body parts, habitats, ideas, and other touchable replicas of early humans, primates, and futuristic cyborgs (part human, part machine). Stepping through this display, we piece together some of their story. From the tool shed, we see an assortment of tools they used to fight their threats. These battles can result in either dinner, a peaceful night’s sleep, or both. Because early humans that were quick to fear dangerous situations were more likely to survive and reproduce, caution is theorized to be a genetic effect.

From an evolutionary perspective, according to Human Brain Evolution and the Neuroevolutionary Time-Depth Principle by Bracha in 2006, different fears may be different adaptations that have been useful in our evolutionary past, developing during different time periods. For example, a fear of heights, may be common to all mammals and developed during the dinosaur or reptile era. Other fears, such as fear of snakes, may be common to all monkeys and apes developed during the mammals and birds era. Additional fears, such as fear of mice and insects, may be unique to humans and developed during the early human paleolithic and neolithic time periods (when mice and insects become important carriers of infectious diseases and harmful for crops and stored foods).

As a result, humankind shares a fear of the unknown. 

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Fear may be politically and culturally manipulated to persuade the citizenry of ideas which would otherwise be widely rejected. For example, sometimes customs and beliefs bring more separation amongst the human race. Only a century ago, “anthropologists at the Museum of Man and the Smithsonian Institution worked together to collect plaster life casts of different racial types. These casts were displayed in San Diego at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition as part of an exhibition about the “progress of man” that presented European Americans as racially superior. (Museum of Man website)”

Previous scholars tried to conclude judgements of species and intelligence levels between people with different colors of skin. However, science has now discovered that over of thousands of years, our DNA has adjusted our skin color to relate to the amount of sun/vitamin D that our bodies should receive at a time. People whose ancestors come from the North need less sun each day, so they could stay warm in shelters, while people from more equatorial regions would stay outside all day and therefore not be oversaturated with vitamin D. The skin pigments adjusted accordingly.

In the exhibit, Race: Are We So Different?, artists like Kate Clark strive to connect the dots between the museum’s archive of face molds to the reality of living and breathing people today. She created a series of face molds from museum visitors to break down the stereotypes from these older social constructs. Today, so many different races have blended and moved around that the results are remarkably more united.

Did you know that we share a connection with all living beings?

According to DNA, we are 50% related to bananas,
98.4 % with chimpanzees, and
99.9% similar to the person next to you
as well as all people in this world now.

It has been theorized that the formation of communities happened because people lived in fear. The result of this fear forced people to unite to fight dangers together rather than fight alone.

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Archaeological discoveries of masks, bowls, and figurines highlight the creativity and beliefs of the ancient Maya. Two plates show figures seated in sukhasana pose. For millennia, people all over the world have been sitting on the ground in cross-legged positions.

Despite its name, sukhasana meaning “easy sitting pose” it doesn’t always feel easy for a lot of people, especially in today’s culture with the convenience of chairs. Using our core strength, we make many small adjustments to distribute our weight evenly over our sitting bones, balance our shoulders directly over our hips, and align our head directly with our spine.

A well-aligned Sukhasana produces the conditions for a relaxed, yet alert, state in both the body and mind. Therefore, sukhasana has the power to draw us deep inside, leading us toward a meditative state and revealing the immense joy present within our hearts.

The word sukha can also mean “happy” or “joyful.”
This name is a reminder of the innate joy that is within all of us.  

Is it surprising then that the opposite of fear is calm, assurance, love, courage, heroism, confidence, faith, happiness, and joy?

We have the power to overcome frightful social constructs through connection with our mind and body, we can breathe through fear! In yoga practice we call these breathing techniques pranayama.

Yogic philosophy is a guide and reference point along the journey made by those who have walked it before us. Thousands of years ago, Patanjali created the 8 Limbed Path as a guide towards true yoga and peace. He suggested the practice of asanas (postures) and pranayama as preparation for Samadhi, the very last limb, which means “to bring together, to merge.” Samadhi refers to union. There is an ending to the separation that is created by the “I” and “mine” of our illusory perceptions of reality. During samadhi, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences, and how a liberated soul can enjoy pure awareness of this pure identity.

In the state of samadhi the body and senses are at rest yet the mind and reason are alert, as if awake. There is only the experience of consciousness and unutterable joy. Samadhi, is the ultimate goal of our spiritual journey on earth. Perhaps enlightenment is not your conscious goal right now, but samadhi is the highest state of consciousness that a human can reach in life.

There is no longer any individuality of our experiences: gender, personal history, family and cultural values, education, etc. In samadhi, that filter is removed to make room for being intensely present without a point of view. In samadhi you perceive all points of view of reality at once, without focusing on any particular one. This concept of samadhi brings with it the possibility of a deep hope about our growth as human beings.

Samadhi can be experienced through our purple Crown Chakra, the energy source, resting on the top of our head. This crown represents the invisible dwelling of God consciousness, our divine nature, this connection to our God Self, from which we came and also are destined to return.

We may have glimpses of this state, but it’s very rare to live entirely in this state. Some people have this experience during prayer or meditation, others during physically bonding, and still others while alone in the woods. Samadhi is awareness of the oneness of the Universe blended with connectedness, forgiveness, joy and love. We need the journey of yoga to help us discover what was present inside us all along.

Be still.
Can you find this connection and oneness within yourself and all living beings?

Join us for Yoga under the Rotunda at the Museum of Man as we explore the story of humanity and reach towards samadhi.

Saturday, November 12th, 8:30-9:30am

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Hannah Faulkner
Guest Writer

Hannah Faulkner draws inspiration from her surroundings and seeks to find relationships between the ordinary and extraordinary daily life through her writing. With 4 years of experience as a flight attendant, and many more travels preceding, Hannah’s curiosity and adventurous spirit have soaked in elements from worldwide cultures while growing in her spirituality. As a yoga and visual arts teacher, she combines her passions to create beauty in a variety of ways through her inspiring stories, bridging connections with deeper yoga philosophy and wellness concepts at HalfMoonYogaandArt.com.

Yoga One’s Mission is to share the joys and benefits of yoga with as many people as possible, helping individuals enjoy healthier and happier lives. Some of the ways we’re enhancing well-being in the community is by offering yoga classes at San Diego’s Museum of Man and through our ongoing Yoga One Teacher Training courses.

Recent YOTT graduate Michele Hines writes: After Yoga One Teacher Training, my experiences of “oneness” or “becoming one” have become less something I seek, and more something I allow. It is a moment to moment opportunity to be mindful and kind, for life to feel pleasant. #enlightenmentNow

“All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.”  –  Kabir

Come practice with Yoga One at the San Diego Museum of Man

Yoga One in the Rotunda:

Join us for our next Yoga One Teacher Training Course

 

Yoga One and DTO Music recently collaborated to host Yoga on the USS Midway, where an amazing 800+ yogis gathered to practice together on the flight deck! 

Co-Founder and Lead Instructor Amy Caldwell discussed yoga and music with DTO, you can read the full interview on their site. 

Here are some of our favorite highlights:

Yoga, as we offer it at Yoga One, is non-competitive. One of the beautiful things about yoga practiced in this way is that it always meets you where you are and supports you at your level. 

Although in our modern Western culture yoga has become so much about appearances, the depth of the practice lies within.

In the Yoga Sutras, Kriya yoga breaks down into three key elements: Tapas (to heat, burning enthusiasm or conscious effort), Svadyaya (self-study or reflection) and Ishvara Pranidhana (allowing or letting go, connecting to the Big energy within and around us).

If we remove the elements of self-reflection and letting go, in my opinion, it really isn’t yoga. Yoga is not only what we do, but how we do it.

How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?

Michael and both share a great love of music. In fact, we met at a CD release party for the Jazz musician and film composer Stanley Clarke. I was working for Budd Carr a music supervisor who does all of the music for Oliver Stone. I helped on Twister, Natural Born Killers, Heat, Nixon, etc. Michael was working for BMI which is a performance rights society. We both got to experience first-hand how integral music is to film. A soundtrack really adds emotion and energy. Try watching some of your favorite movies without the sound sometimes.

While yoga is fantastic without music, adding music certainly can help set the mood, the pacing and an overall vibe. Music often adds to any activity and yoga is no exception. We enjoy music with our yoga so much we created the Yoga One CD which was released by Quango Music Group.

Here is a link where you can purchase a copy of the Yoga One CD for your own home practice!

Yoga One Head Teacher and Co-Founder Amy Caldwell recently sat down with San Diego Lifestyle Blog to discuss travel, downtown San Diego, and both the outer (physical) and inner (meditative) aspects of yoga. 

San Diego Lifestyle: How did Yoga One originate, and eventually become what it is today?

Amy: Michael and I both worked in the music industry in Los Angeles prior to discovering yoga. Seeking a lifestyle change, we left the country to enjoy time backpacking abroad. Our travels took us to Australia where we picked apples to earn money, and first began our practice of yoga from the book “Fit for Life.” Over the next three and a half years, we visited 14 more countries, ultimately arriving in India where we completely immersed ourselves into the philosophy and practice of yoga while studying with some of the top yoga masters. When we returned to the States, I continued my studies here in San Diego and began offering classes by donation in Balboa Park, Downtown, etc.  As attendance grew, things organically evolved into what turned into the Yoga One studio located on 7th avenue, Downtown. 

SDL: Wow, fascinating! How often do you practice these days?

Amy: I practice almost every day, in classes at Yoga One or home alone.  My home practice is a source of wisdom for my personal growth and understanding from which my teaching also grows.  I also take a class once a week with a senior teacher Jo Zukovich as my schedule allows. Throughout my many years of practice, the style and frequency has varied greatly. But I always come back to my mat as a place where I can take care of myself in a deep and nourishing way.

 

SDL: What advice would you give to beginners just starting their yoga journey?

Amy: I think its important for beginners to know that yoga practice doesn’t always have to be an hour plus, every day. Just 5-10 minutes can make a difference.  Seeking out classes with knowledgeable instructors like we have at Yoga One is also important to receive guidance and inspiration. We call it “yoga practice”, not “yoga perfect” because it’s a process, a journey, not a destination.

 

SDL: Have you had moments of breakthrough, where you accomplished something you didn’t think you would be able to?

Amy: For me, the practice has become less about physical accomplishments and more about learning how to live in the world with present moment awareness and an open heart and mind. Having said that, yoga has provided amazing strength and deep breathing for giving birth naturally twice. And it continues to serve me, being a mother now to an 8 and 11 year old.

SDL: Your Yoga One studio is downtown, does that make it tough for people to come to class consistently?

Amy: We love being downtown – our students are diverse, educated and often working professionals.  Not to mention really nice people!  Our regulars attend on their lunch hour, after work, early mornings or weekends.  Being downtown we are lucky to get a lot of out of town guests – and we offer plenty of options for brand new beginners, including but not limited to Classic Yoga, Gentle and Restorative. We have a good number of students who value our services so much that they drive all the way from north and east county. 

 

SDL: There are a TON of yoga studios in San Diego, where are you located exactly?

Amy: We are located at 1150 7th Avenue, between B & C Streets, near the business district at the base of Cortez Hill, across the street from the Symphony and around the corner from the House of Blues.  As I mentioned, we offer classes at the studio, but also at many businesses around San Diego.  So in a very real sense, Yoga One instructors often go to the students. But, students also come from all over the city, and the world in fact. We’ve had great people come from as far as Japan, Ireland and Spain to attend our 200 Hour Yoga One Teacher Training Course, which we have been offering since 2006. We get students from the East Coast attending the training as well.

SDL: Wow your teacher training must be a truly wonderful experience! Is it your most popular course?

Amy: Yes it’s quite popular! Right now, I’m really enjoying leading and co-leading the Yoga One Teacher Training Courses. I love teaching all of my classes though, both public and private. Our students are open and eager to learn, and are always teaching me too in the process of learning, so we are growing together. My Monday noon class also usually pretty popular, with many long-time regulars coming whom I adore and love seeing every week. Schedule permitting, I’m happy to kick things up a bit with my First Friday of the Month, level 2 and 3 classes too, which oftentimes draws more students in.

Read more at The San Diego Lifestyle and you can view our full class schedule here.

by Amy Caldwell

This piece originally published on Yoga Digest

Dance

We’ve moved four times in the past year.  I’ve packed and unpacked, made hundreds of lists, sorted and simplified.  At times, amidst the chaos, I’ve wanted to drown myself in a good bottle of red wine (and done so).  Yet I’ve also danced, joyfully and lovingly, with each family member; a slow sweet dance with our eleven year old daughter to Sean Hayes in the kitchen of our tiniest rental, merengue to “Suavemente” with my husband, and our seven year old son learned to waltz near the Christmas tree at our final move, our new (very old) home.

At these times particularly, I remember that which we seek is already at hand. Feeling at “home” wherever we are is our true nature. No matter where we are or what we are doing, that which we seek is already inside each and every one of us…and all around us. However, it seems as humans we often forget this essential truth. That’s where suffering enters. Dancing can help us embrace the present moment.

Find Your Space

Special people, places, situations or activities may help facilitate easier remembrance. Some meditation teachers recommend looking at the sky to reconnect to the big energy. Often being in nature or resting in Savasana (corpse pose a.k.a. final resting posture) after a balanced yoga practice can open the doors of perception to the deep peace of what being “home” feels like.

For me, as strange as it may seem, Coachella music festival is one of those places where deeper connection happens. A sea of diverse peoples, sights, smells, and of course sounds – Coachella can be akin to world traveling. Although it’s not far in terms of actual distance from my San Diego home, it is worlds away from my day-to-day experience (caring for a family and owning / operating a yoga studio).

Get Out of the Rut

While perhaps one might think, “Ah, yoga teacher, her life must be fancy free…” I encounter the same responsibilities as many adults. I pay bills, aim to conscientiously raise my children and maintain a healthy relationship with my husband of 20 years while managing teachers and staff, growing our business and making it a priority to maintain my own yoga practice and self-care.

In our day-to-day lives, there is often a routine, a rhythm that becomes like a groove on a vinyl record (“samskara” or “samsara” aka conditioned existence or stored mental and physical aversions).  When we step out into a new or different situation or environment, there is no blueprint. This phenomenon can provide an opportunity to be connected to our child-like, open presence. So for me, an out of the ordinary experience such as Coachella is like a reset button, reminding me to wake up and truly embrace the moment.

Listen to What Speaks to You

One of my first yoga teachers advised, pay attention to that which speaks to you. I agree it is essential question to ask our selves, “Where do I feel connected to the ‘big energy’? What helps me feel at ‘home’?” Then equally important, is to really listen for your unique personal answer.  Another technique to arrive in the present (where, of course, we already are) is to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and fully pay attention to the complete inhale and complete exhale – why not give it a try and notice how you feel (so simple but effective!).

Yoga practice is a useful tool to help us recognize our connectedness to each other, all living things and ourselves.  It isn’t about changing anything or adding anything. And, we definitely don’t need to constantly try new things to feel enlivened. But we can fully enjoy the many journeys of our life while remembering the comfort of our inner “home”.

So whether at Coachella with your best friends immersed in a sea of 90,000 plus pulsating, dancing, smiling fellow humans, on your yoga mat, or even driving your car, as my favorite teacher Diana Beardsley says, how wonderful “that every moment is an opportunity for ecstatic reunion.”

– Originally published at: http://yogadigest.com/ecstatic-reunion-tips-remembering-connectedness-present-moment/#sthash.oIfcgqjc.dpuf

 

Head Yoga Teacher and Co-Founder of Yoga One, Amy Caldwell has dedicated herself to the practice, study and teaching of yoga since discovering its joys and benefits in 1997.

Ever find yourself at the end of the work day wishing the yoga studio was just a little bit closer to your office? What about having yoga classes available in your office?

Yoga One proudly offers high-quality yoga instruction on-site for local businesses. We’ve helped establish corporate yoga programs since 2002 for companies such as SDG&E, SEMPRA, and Cox Communications.

Establishing an onsite class is easier than you might think! There are many different models of cost sharing available between employee and employer. All you need is an open space (often a conference room!) and you and your team can experience the joys and benefits of yoga:

Benefits to Employee

• Decreased stress
• Promotes a healthy lifestyle
• Improved strength and flexibility
• Sense of peace and relaxation
• Improved listening and communication skills
• Increased energy
• Better emotional balance
• Leave class feeling refreshed and renewed!

Benefits to Employer

• Increased productivity
• Increased workplace satisfaction
• Fewer employee sick days
• Promotes a positive office environment
• Excellent team-building experience
• Your office will love it!

Contact Michael Caldwell to set up yoga at your workplace today! Phone: 619-544-0587 or email: info@yogaonesandiego.com

guest post by Missy DiDonato

During this month of November, we’re reminded to give thanks. I count myself lucky that I’m grateful for my family, friends, my body and breath. These things are so important, but also obvious in a way.

I was taught to look for the good in everything. This year, I’m trying to find the positives in the unpleasant and downright annoying experiences of life. Here’s my top three unexpected situations I’m grateful for this season:

TRAFFIC: The sound of the word alone probably sparks an ugly feeling inside you, as it does me. Like many other San Diegans, I drive a lot, so being stuck in traffic happens often. I use traffic and driving in general to practice patience and compassion. I’ve come to the realization that no one wants to be in traffic – we all have destinations and other places we’d rather be. So instead of complaining and yelling (which is my first instinct) I simply put on some mood music and try to enjoy just being. I am grateful for the time to relax and listen to good music.

JERKS ON YELP: We recently got a yelp review that rocked my world! The guy was a pretentious asshole who didn’t have any traction for his opinion of the teacher whose class he almost attended. My first response was to be defensive, angry and sad. After I calmed down, I asked myself why a rude comment on the internet upset me so much. I realized it was because I have created a life filled with people who are supportive and non-judgmental. I am grateful for my family, friends and colleagues who show me their love on a daily basis.

DIVORCE: Now this one is pretty unique to my experience. Divorce may have had a different impact on your life. The divorce in my life happened to both of my parents before I was born. They were both married and divorced before they met each other, so I wouldn’t be here without it! They both had children with their previous partners, which helped create the large family that I have today. I embraced their exes as parents, so I got double the love. My second mom has taken me around the world which has been a huge influence on who I am today. My dad’s ex-wife remarried a man who was also divorced and had two sons whom I now consider my brothers. We are lucky because there is a mutual respect for all the ex and current spouses. As hard as it can be for families to separate and recombine, I am grateful for divorce because it has given me the loving family that I have today.

Missy DiDonato
Guest Writer

Missy began practicing yoga at home when she was fourteen, following along to a DVD in her living room. She has since completed two separate 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings with UCSD and Yoga One. Missy loves helping others find their own yogic path and students of all levels appreciate her warm and friendly teaching style.

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you to all of our readers and supporters both online and at Yoga One’s studio!

We couldn’t offer this weekly blog without the entire community behind us. You inspire us with your dedication to this life-changing practice of yoga and healthy-living. Thank you for showing up, for reading, for living out your yoga both on and off the mat and sharing your experiences.

Let us know what you’d like to see more of and where you think we’re doing a good job or need to improve! We welcome all comments, questions and submissions.

We look forward to continuing to publish engaging interviews, book reviews, top quality yoga instruction, meditations for your everyday life and stories of personal transformation.

To celebrate, here’s a look back at some of our Top Posts this past year:

1. Yogi Reads: Yoga Girl
2. Top 10 Yoga Myths – Part One
3. Top 10 Yoga Myths – Part Two
4. Yoga Keeps Me Sane: My Post-Baby Practice
5. The Power of Intention
6. Are You Holding Yourself Back From Greatness?
7. Eight Limbs of Yoga for a Whole Being
8. 2015 Yoga One Teacher Training Perspectives
9. Yes to You: A Yoga Teacher’s Poem
10. Mantra Monday: Let the Light In

Namaste,

All of Us at Yoga One

by Michael Caldwell

It’s no secret that San Diego is practically paradise. Boasting beautiful beaches stretching over 70 miles and a temperate year-round climate that sees the sun shine approximately 146 days a year, there are worse places to be. Over 30 million visitors flock to San Diego each year with attractions like Sea World, Lego Land, the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park and the annual mega-event Comic Con pulling in large crowds.

But which San Diego spots do the locals savor? Check out these five area attractions that promise a glimpse into what could be your everyday life when you live in America’s Finest City.

1. Yoga One (of course!) 

This award-winning studio offers a variety of top-quality yoga classes located in the heart of downtown. You can chill in a beginner-friendly Gentle or Restorative class held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Get your mantra motoring in one of the Flow or Vinyasa classes held daily. Want to see the sun as you perform your sun salutations? Take the Rooftop Yoga Class, held Sundays at 9am at the Hotel Solamar. Stay and use the pool afterwards and enjoy a beverage from the bar. Yin and Yang, baby! Yoga One has been helping San Diego residents and visitors live healthier and happier lives since 2002. Their bi-annual Yoga One Teacher Training draws students from all over the world, including Spain, Ireland and Japan! Watch out Comic Con!

2. Tide Pools at Cabrillo National Monument

There are so many choices when it comes to beaches in San Diego, you might not know where to start: La Jolla Shores, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and of course, the iconic Coronado Beach boasting the Hotel Del Coronado, just to name a few! But venture out to Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma and you’re in for a real treat. At the top of the bluff, you’ll witness a stunning view of San Diego and North Island and you can tour the historic lighthouse. Venture down to the water (you can hike or bike or drive) and you’ll encounter beautiful cliffside rock formations and tide pools filled with marine life. During the winter season, you might even catch a glimpse of migrating grey whales!

3. Julian and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

A short 60 mile drive northeast of San Diego and the entire landscape changes. First time visitors could be forgiven for not realizing they are still in San Diego County. With a population of less than 2,000 and trees, mountains and apple pies a-plenty, prepare to be befuddled and bewildered. This charming, one-time gold mining town also has a colorful history featuring African American founders such as Albert and Margaret Robinson who built and operated one of the town’s first hotels. Hike, bike, eat apple pies and baked goods. What’s not to like?

4. San Diego Craft Breweries and Beer

There are over 100 breweries from which to booze, err… um… choose and more on the way. San Diego has become an international hot spot for craft beer. International people! Take that Belgium! Check out the SDSU based documentary “Kings of the Craft” featuring some San Diego based hoppy-weights (hee-hee, get it?) Stone, Ballast Pointe, Modern Times and Karl Strauss, etc.

If you love craft beer, (and don’t say you don’t while in San Diego city limits) then please don’t go alone into some of the more well-stocked liquor stores. Many carry over 1,000 beer options. You could very well get lost, likely stunned and possibly frozen by the possibilities. Use the buddy system. Set a time to leave. Leave a trail of bread crumbs to find your way out. Every year hundreds of visitors to San Diego never leave because they are lost in a craft beer o-plenty liquor store (it might happen). You’ve been warned.

P.S. San Diego is becoming a distilling upstart as well, oh and we have wine! Can you say Temecula?

5. Balboa Park 

On any given day, you will find San Diego locals and visitors outside and just enjoying the fresh air, blue skies and plenitude of recreational activities in Balboa Park. The Balboa Park Fact Sheet says it’s “the nation’s largest urban cultural park in the nation.” A gorgeous green space set aside downtown, Balboa Park offers a wide variety of activities to pursue including hiking, gardens, fountains, sports, play grounds, velodrome, frisbee golf, drum circles, people watching, bocce ball, volleyball, etc. That doesn’t even do it justice. There are 15 museums for Pete’s sake and much more, in fact, too much to list so visit the fact sheet, playa and have yourself a ball.

Michael Caldwell
Contributing Writer

Yoga teacher and Co-Founder of Yoga One, Michael has been practicing yoga and incorporating its philosophy into his life since 1997. His kind and gentle manner is well suited to leading students of all levels. Michael has published numerous articles on a variety of subjects including yoga, meditation and rock n roll.

8 Yoga Poses to Enliven Your Hands and Your Practice

by Amy Caldwell

Thanks for the feature, Yoga Digest! Go here to read the full article which includes a guided yoga practice focused on enlivening the fingers and hands.

Knowing Your Body Like the Back of Your Hand Can Begin with Your Fingers

The Practice: The feet often get a lot of attention in yoga class. You may be familiar with the term “yogi toes” and teachers advising students to, “lift and spread the toes,” or “root down through all four corners of the feet.” Yet aside from a few mudras (gestures) the fingers often play second fiddle to the toes. The following practice will enliven your fingers. It will also increase your attention to detail, foster optimal alignment through the wrists, arms and shoulders and ultimately, empower your entire practice.

Body-Mind Benefits: Our fingers are dexterous, strong and acute sensory receptors. Bringing focus to what your hands are doing during practice will enhance the flow of energy, help prevent injury and improve concentration. Whether touching the mat, the earth, held in mudras or placed on your heart, our fingers initiate a connection and often tell a story. Learn to recognize and enjoy the nuanced sensations present at your fingertips.

Enjoy gratitude for your hands. They are an extension of your heart in their ability to feel, serve and connect compassionately to your self, others and the world around you.

It’s happening again! Join Amy Caldwell this Saturday June 20th aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier for a FREE yoga class from 8am-9:30am.

We’ve partnered with the Downtown San Diego Partnership and Scripps Health to offer an all levels, family-friendly yoga class to support Healthy Living in the City.

Last year we had about 400 participants and this year the event is already completely booked with 1000 people expected! We can’t wait to unite our intentions for healthy living with so many and practice yoga together.

San Diego Jumble interviewed Amy Caldwell about this Saturday’s class – listen here and find out about other upcoming free yoga classes in San Diego!

guest post by Dina Weldin

“Your husband is in the military?!”

I hear this question all the time. I get it. You think, yoga teacher and military man, how does that work?

The truth is that yoga and the military go together quite serendipitously.

I’d been practicing yoga for about five years when I met my husband. We met, we dated, he went off to training, we got married, and before I knew it, he was leaving for deployment. Along with the pride, love, and honor I feel being a military spouse, there is also the worry, uncertainty, and fear.

Is he alright? When will I hear from him again? How long will it take the mail to deliver his package this time?

As month three of deployment arrived, I took a giant leap of faith and did something I’d always wanted to do but had never “found the time or the money” before – I enrolled in Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga One.

I learned so many things during the weeks of teacher training but what I didn’t expect to learn was something I will treasure beyond time. I learned I am so much stronger than I knew. Not a physical strength, but an emotional, mental, and spiritual strength I didn’t know I possessed. The challenges of deployment, though always looming, were not insurmountable. My yoga practice and the beautiful community of yogis in teacher training were always there to support me.

Here is what I found to be true:

Breath is life and life is breath. We don’t often get a chance to just listen to ourselves breathe. When was the last time you stopped, felt your heart beat, and actually listened to yourself inhale and exhale? This is such a powerful tool when going through worry and stress of any kind, especially in the military world. On the days I felt my world was collapsing, all I had to do was stop and listen to my breath. It was always there for me, every single time. Calm your breath to calm your mind.

Life is about right now. I felt victim to living in a constant state of “what if?” What if I can’t do this alone? What if something happens to him? Instead of “what if?” try “what is?” What is happening right now? What is true is what is in front of us in this very moment. Yoga teaches us present moment awareness which creates gratitude for what is right now: Life, Breath, Connection.

Community is everything. The last five letters in that word – unity – this is the literal definition of the word yoga. To be united with our breath, with our community, with our friends, and with our family, whomever you choose to call your family, this is truly what yoga is all about at its very core. Whether I am alone on my mat in my home, or in a class full of 100 yogis I have never met, we are united. And having my fellow trainees, Yoga One family, my amazing sets of parents, my beautiful friends, military community—that is where I find strength as a military spouse.

When I think about the military-yogi connection, it all makes perfect sense. Feel present in your life. Live it for what it is, not what it should have been or what it could be. Draw energy from your community on days you don’t have any of your own. And finally, find your breath every single day. It can be as simple as that, just breathe. You are exactly where you need to be. 

Are you a service member or military spouse interested in yoga? 

Yoga for Vets offers a listing of classes around the country for free or reduced rates for current service members. 

MyCAA is an excellent resource for military spouses looking to gain portable career training, one option is to become a yoga teacher! Yoga One Teacher Training proudly accepts MyCAA candidates.

Dina Weldin
Guest Writer

Dina fell in love with yoga ten years ago on the east coast and currently teaches all over San Diego in many unique environments. She has a diverse yoga background and incorporates attention to mindfulness, breath and alignment in her teachings. When not practicing yoga, she can be found on doggie beach with her husband Will and dog Mar.

by Laura McCorry

On the surface, yoga and the military may not seem to have much in common. Yoga is sometimes stereotyped as the domain of liberal, vegan, nouveau hippies and the military as gun-toting, meat-eating conservatives.

But the truth of any community lies beneath the surface.

As a yogi and military spouse, I feel like I’m always discovering new ways these two communities have similar perspectives on life.

• You must live in the present moment.

The military lifestyle is inherently full of uncertainty and change. Schedules are outlines at best and your service member could leave for training or deployment at any time. Depending on the service member’s job, the time of day they go to work and come home could change on a daily basis. There is often no such thing as routine.

One of my favorite yoga teachers would start class by asking, “Where are you?” The entire class would answer in chorus, “Here.” Then the teacher would ask, “What time is it?” The answer: “Now.” Here and now. It was a revelation.

Living in the present moment doesn’t happen over night, just like you can’t walk into your first ever yoga class and pop up into headstand. “Be here now” is a mindfulness skill you can practice over the course of a lifetime, but you get to enjoy the benefits of peacefulness the same moment you begin.

• True alignment demands honest communication.

Separation is a fact of life for military families and deployments can range from four months to over a year depending on the branch of service. This can be one of the hardest trials for the military family and one the civilian world understands so little, mostly through lack of exposure and not a want of sympathy. If you want your relationship to survive thrive during a long separation with limited communication opportunities, you need to make sure the communication you do have is honest and of high quality.

Alignment in yoga can have both a physical and a spiritual or emotional meaning. You are aligned physically when muscle groups and joints are positioned to provide a strong structural support for a posture. In order to experience this in class, you must be very honest when asking your body whether it is working hard and knowing when you are tired and should rest.

Beyond the physical, alignment is experienced when what you think, what you say and what you do are the same. The communication you have with yourself must be honest and of high quality, checking in frequently. This kind of deep alignment with the core of yourself brings serenity to chaotic or stressful life circumstances.

• Deep roots grow in communities.

Military families move more frequently than most civilians, often to a city or town they’ve never been to before. They know what it’s like to be the new kid, to start over with a new job and to go through the awkward stage of friend-dating. Consequently, the military community is usually very welcoming and helpful to new-to-the-area families because they know how important it is to build ties and feel connected.

Yoga practitioners know that you can’t “fly” in an inversion until your core and support system is fully grounded. And yoga is all about connection, not just to the inner self but to a wider community. Both yoga studios and military communities are known for their hospitality and welcoming spirit – because they understand that families and individuals in strong communities are happier and healthier.

Are you a service member or military spouse interested in yoga?

Yoga for Vets offers a listing of classes around the country for free or reduced rates for current service members.

MyCAA is an excellent resource for military spouses looking to gain portable career training, one option is to become a yoga teacher! Yoga One Teacher Training proudly accepts MyCAA candidates.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

Our very own Amy Caldwell will be co-teaching the Yoga for Hope class at Petco Park this year on Saturday, June 7th. We are happy to support such a great cause! Amy toured City of Hope with her mom and was so impressed with the amazing work they are doing on behalf of cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education. City of Hope’s holistic approach helps save lives every day.

There are many ways you can be a supporter! Here are 3 easy options:

1. Join our Yoga One for Hope team and make a donation or just show your support  – Click here to view the team page for Yoga One for Hope

2. Come to the Yoga for Hope class – Saturday, June 7th,2014 at Petco Park in San Diego, CA – on the outfield!  Have fun and feel great practicing yoga on the outfield of the Padres’ major league baseball field for a great cause with approximately 1,000 like minded yogis.

3. Come to a special Yoga One donation class – where 100% of proceeds will go the cause: Saturday, May 31st, 10am at Shelter Island Shoreline Park South (Friendship Bell – see map below) – Donate what you feel. ALL proceeds go to City of Hope.

We appreciate your support!!!

 

Paper towels are everywhere you go. Have you ever stopped to think about how many you’ve used over the past month alone?

As yogis, we’re always trying to expand our awareness and make subtle changes to benefit ourselves and the world around us. Check out this short four minute video on how to use just 1 paper towel. Every. Single. Time.

Trust us, it really works! This one small change can make a difference.

Yoga Haiku Challenge:

Haiku is a form of traditional Japanese poetry written in three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables per line respectively. Your challenge is to write a yoga-themed haiku:

When I’m on my mat
daily tension disappears
thank you Yoga One!

How to Enter Online:

1. Follow our blog by clicking on the handy button “Follow Yoga One Blog” (top right, under our banner.)

2. Post your haiku in the comments for a chance to win a FREE download of iYoga Premium, an incredible app developed by Yoga One and 3D4 Medical that shows correct alignment on an anatomical, three-dimensional model for over 190 yoga poses! (See a video here.)

3. Winners will be announced here and on our Facebook page on Tuesday, November 12

San Diego Locals:

Bring your haiku to our Wellness Block Party on Saturday, November 9th at 7pm for a chance to win our grand prize!!!

The whole family is welcome to enjoy an evening of food and drink, door prizes, giveaways, music, a photography booth, face-painting for kids and kids at heart, and more.

Where: Yoga One 1150 7th Avenue, San Diego 92101
Questions? 619.294.7461 or email info@yogaonesandiego.com

Check out Amy’s interview on Shanti Green, a website dedicated to providing quality, eco-friendly clothing for yogis. Read the full interview here or scroll down for a teaser!

What change has yoga made in your life?

Yoga feels so integral to my well-being. I can hardly remember life without it! I have been practicing since 1996 and am totally grateful for the tools it has provided, such as the principles of right action, self-study and openness. When I practice and teach yoga, I experience peace. I am reminded the present moment is a gift. So I guess rather than “changing me,” yoga helps me be my best self. When I forget, in life and practice, I begin again.

What sets Yoga One apart from other yoga studios?

Our mission is to help people live healthier, happier lives. We strive to offer a safe, loving, non-competitive environment for individuals to learn and grow. One of the things that may set us apart is that we have a fantastic community of students who we consider family. Yoga One is definitely a family affair. We also have wonderful teachers who teach optimal alignment and are inspiring examples of individuals being the change they want to see in the world. We attempt to always treat people the way we would want to be treated. We hope to inspire others to take care of themselves and each other with loving kindness.

How do you incorporate Vipassana teachings into your yoga lessons?

Present moment-to-moment awareness is integral to the teachings of Vipassana and yoga. Perhaps not all of our instructors have studied Vipassana, but each teacher at our studio embodies yogic awareness on and off the mat.

What do you think is the one thing most people could do to improve their lives?

The entire practice of yoga is so powerful, but if you have to distill it into one smaller part, perhaps considering all thoughts, speech and actions from the perspective of loving kindness (ahimsa) would be a good start! A teacher of mine taught us the simple phrase “Is it true? Is it nice? Is it necessary?” Living with this awareness is changing my life.

Did you know we have a model in our midst? Read on for the Union Tribune‘s Q and A with the beautiful and talented Amy Caldwell, co-founder and head instructor at Yoga One!

Amy Caldwell is a champion of multi-tasking, in warrior pose. The 42-year-old mother of two is a national fitness model and the owner of Yoga One, an interdisciplinary studio in downtown San Diego.

After many years working in the music industry in Los Angeles, she and husband Michael dared to leave it all behind. They packed a backpack and embarked on a worldwide adventure through 14 countries. In Australia they began practicing yoga, but it was in India where they committed to the yoga lifestyle.

Q: What brought you to San Diego?

A: Graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in communications and business, I worked in the music industry for about five years coordinating soundtracks for films such as “Natural Born Killers” and “Twister.”

Seeking a lifestyle change, Michael (who also worked in the music business) and I left the country to spend time backpacking abroad. Our travels took us to Australia where we picked apples to earn money, and first began our practice of yoga. Over the next three and a half years, we visited 14 more countries, ultimately arriving in India where we completely immersed ourselves into the philosophy and practice of yoga while studying with amazing teachers. Upon our return to the States in 2001, we sought a slower pace than Los Angeles. San Diego was the perfect choice because we love the outdoor Southern California lifestyle.

Q: How did you begin modeling

A: When I began practicing and teaching yoga over 15 years ago, modeling was not something I would have imagined ever doing!

About 10 years ago, I attended a Yoga Journal conference in San Francisco where I was approached by the Yoga Journal editorial staff. Ten months after our first child was born I did a photo shoot for an inside spread, then subsequently did two magazine covers with the amazing dance photographer Louis Greenfield.

Q: What would surprise us about fitness modeling?

A: The national organizations are very professional and thorough regarding hair and make-up, whereas some of the local, San Diego publications tend to be very casual, fostering a do it yourself approach.

Q: How do you define health and beauty?

A: Yoga teaches us that change is the only constant, so it seems to me that health, too, is a dynamic process of returning to balance. Health is not just the physical body, but the integration and equilibrium of mind, body, breath and spirit. Beauty is the outer manifestation of that balance. We’ve all been inspired by true inner beauty — people who radiate a joy to be alive as well as a deep sense of contentment, connection or peace.

Q: What is your vision for Yoga One?

A: Since opening our doors in May of 2002, we are honored to have helped facilitate the well-being of thousands of San Diego residents and visitors. Our vision is to continue growing a community that is welcoming and noncompetitive. I recently collaborated with the Scottish company 3D4Medical to create the iYoga Premium app that reached the No.?1 spot in the Health and Fitness category on Apple’s App Store. We hope to continue expanding our reach so that we can share the joys and benefits of yoga with as many people as possible.

 The rest of the interview can be found at Union Tribune San Diego.

Yoga One Celebrates the Release of iYoga Premium, Tops the Best-Selling Health and Fitness Applications Worldwide

iYoga Premium is the exciting new application released by 3D4Medical in collaboration with Yoga One, an award-winning yoga studio located in downtown San Diego. Over a year in development, iYoga Premium combines technical anatomic information with precise alignment in over 190 yoga poses. In less than a month, the iYoga Premium application reached the number one spot for best-selling health and fitness applications worldwide on Apple’s app store.

Amy Caldwell, co-founder and head instructor at Yoga One, worked closely with the Scotland-based company 3D4Medical to bring yoga postures (asanas) to life under a detailed anatomical gaze. Using 3D motion capture technology, Caldwell’s movements were recorded as she moved into and out of yoga poses then technicians animated the movements to create a life-like muscular-skeletal avatar.

The journey began with Caldwell donning a motion capture suit covered with electrodes. She was then filmed in 360 degrees on Pendulum’s 2,500 sq/ft optical motion capture stage over a 3-day period where she performed nearly 200 yoga poses. Caldwell who has twice appeared on the cover of Yoga Journal (the number one yoga publication in America) was tasked with executing the poses with optimal anatomical alignment for up to 8 hours a day.

“It was surreal to see my movements in real time displayed on a huge screen,” Caldwell said. “The whole process really reinforced for me that yoga is as much a moving meditation as it is a physical activity. The stage was freezing and the motion capture suit a little constricting. The conditions where challenging to practice yoga, but I quickly got into a rhythm and focused on my breath to stay centered.” Caldwell admits that by the third day she was exhausted but exuberant about the project’s future. “It was such a unique experience and the technicians at Pendulum were very professional and helpful.”

The next step for Caldwell was to identify the muscles as they contracted and stretched in each and every pose. 3D4Medical is a leading medical visualization and education software developer and a longstanding contributor to AppleStore’s medical application market. They wanted the app to give the user a more in-depth look into the major muscle groups that are exercised during a yoga routine.

Caldwell and anatomy expert Rachel Krentzman of Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga meticulously reviewed the footage and notated when each muscle turned on and off. Caldwell says “It was a pleasure teaming up again with someone as knowledgeable as Rachel. She leads the anatomy portion of Yoga One’s annual teacher training course. Rachel and I agreed, the process reaffirmed how much we love this practice!”

The voice over instruction that accompanies each pose was recorded at Studio West. Caldwell re-visited each posture and the pre-set sequences of poses recording anatomical notes as well as alignment-based instruction. “I have a pretty deep voice and really got to hone my enunciation and tone. I think I might have a career in the voice over field,” Caldwell joked.

More info on the process:

San Diego based Pendulum created 884 high-definition videos for the iYoga Premium application, featuring Caldwell’s 3D anatomical model performing over 190 yoga poses from multiple viewing angles.  This was made possible thanks to Pendulum’s incredibly accurate active-LED PhaseSpace motion capture system. Ultimately, Pendulum processed over 340,000 frames of motion capture, rendered over 50 MILLION frames (yes, you read that correctly), and delivered 8.7 hours of final video to bring the virtual yoga teacher to life!

Where will 2013 take you?

Bring Yoga One with you on your vacation or business trip and be featured with the rest of these awesome yogis on the blog and on our facebook page!

Whether you sign up for an all-inclusive yoga retreat, unroll your mat for an hour in a hotel gym or squeeze in one more class at the studio before a yoga-less vacation, pack your Yoga One shirt and snap some pictures! Don’t have a Yoga One t-shirt yet? Pick one out the next time you come to class, we have a variety of sizes, styles and colors.

Yoga poses make a great alternative to the traditional stand-still-and-smile-at-the-camera shots. Next time somebody asks you to “say cheese” why not bust out tree pose? Or proudly let everyone know you’re the yogi in the family by doing headstand in the family portrait.

Let your yoga light shine and show us how creative you can be! Send all photo entries from a recent trip or from long ago to info@yogaonesandiego.com.

That’s right, September is National Yoga Month, a time to celebrate a common love for yoga and healthy living and to share that passion with others! Here are some fun ways you can spread the yoga love:

First off, the most obvious of all, bring a friend to yoga! How many of you went to your first yoga class because a friend brought you along? Pay it forward by extending your own invitation. For all you ladies out there trying to convince your guy to come to class with you, check out this article for tips!

Change it up by taking your practice outdoors. There’s nothing like feeling the earth beneath your feet and the wind in your hair while you practice, not to mention having a live tree for your inspiration during tree pose! You can connect to your breath and find your connection to nature at the same time, maybe even get a little sun. Check out our rooftop class at the Porto Vista Hotel in Little Italy on Sunday mornings at 9am.

Three words: Treat Yo Self! Do you always borrow a mat when you come to class? Treat yourself to the gift of your very own mat; we’ve got hugger mugger and manduka mats for sale at the studio. Feeling down about wearing the same old workout clothes to class all the time? Treat yourself to some new digs. A vigorous vinyasa practice have you feeling sore? Treat yourself to a massage! We’ve got four amazing massage therapists at your service and a deliciously relaxing massage room.

Take your practice to the next level. Whatever level you’re at in your practice, there’s always another level to discover. Have you been taking beginner classes for awhile but still feel unsure about a mixed level class? Talk to the instructor before class and let them know your hesitations. They’ll be able to offer you modifications to meet your body’s needs. Do you have a regular practice but need a push in order to try out a level 2 class? Go for it! Listen to your body so you know when it’s okay to try something hard and when you need to rest. Check out Mara’s 6pm class on Thursday nights or Amy’s 6:45pm class on September 14 for a challenge! Full class schedule here.

Do yoga from the inside out this month by practicing gratitude. Journal about your yoga practice and write down how you feel before and after class. Give yourself a pat on the back for stepping on your mat one more time. Thank a co-worker or family member or yoga instructor for their guidance and understanding. Studies show that grateful people feel “more alert, alive, interested and enthusiastic.” Gratitude creates feelings of happiness and joy simply by changing our internal rhetoric, a very yogic thought indeed!

Other cool stuff to check out: Yoga One’s very own Amy Caldwell  is leading Lululemon’s Vino & Vinyasa every Wednesday night at the Solamar Hotel, 6:30pm. Class is complimentary. Click here to see Amy’s interview for Vino & Vinyasa on KUSI news and click here to see her interview for San Diego Living!

There are many reasons people are drawn to yoga. Everyone has their own purpose and goals whether it’s relief from pain or stress, weight loss, or increased balance, just to name a few. But there is a whole community of yogis who practice to relieve the ill effects following chemotherapy treatments. These yogis struggle to accept and make peace with their bodies even as a life-threatening illness attacks from within.

City of Hope is one of the nation’s leading centers for cancer treatment and research. Patients battling cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases are offered gentle, restorative yoga classes for relaxation and well-being, in addition to traditional treatments. Yoga for Hope is a fundraising event for City of Hope that encourages a gathering of the general public to share the joys and benefits of yoga together on a special day. All proceeds from the event go towards research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.

Last year was Yoga for Hope’s official inaugural year in San Diego and it sold out, tripling the initial fundraising goal with $80,000 in donations. This year the sights have been set even higher. Join Yoga for Hope on Saturday, August 11th at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Park for a festival of yoga classes, musical performances and vendor booths. Students at all levels of yoga experience are welcome to take class from renowned instructors Steve Hubbard, Stacy McCarthy, Claire Petretti, Bonnie Saldivar-Jones, and Michael Fukumura (the last two both Yoga One Instructor Almuni).

Yoga One is proud to have been involved in the first Yoga for Hope meetings and planning sessions many years prior. We’re very excited to see how the event has grown and blossomed. To participate, you can sign up as an individual or join a fundraising team. Participants who fundraise will be eligible to receive an exclusive Yoga for Hope tank top and swag bag. Click here to learn more about this fantastic event! This August, come experience where the Power of Hope meets the Power of Yoga!

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