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This interview originally published on Canvas Rebel

CR: Michael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Michael: Amy and I had just returned to the United States after backpacking abroad for three and half years. She got a job working at a great family-run produce distribution company and I became the account manager for a boutique graphic design studio.

One of the first clients I worked with at the studio was Mitchell Repair Information Company. The company innovated “the automotive industry’s first collision estimating guides to include parts illustrations, prices and part numbers.”

During our staff brainstorming sessions, names were offered and debated. Thinking of premiere cars world-wide, Formula 1 racing seemed to me to be the pinnacle, and so I suggested the name, “Mitchell 1.” It stuck.

Not long after that, Amy was getting ready to open up our yoga studio. Since it worked well for a nationwide company like Mitchell, I suggested “Yoga One.”

Additionally, we had recently gotten married. Instead of wedding rings, we had the “eka” symbol tattooed on our ring fingers, symbolizing “we are one” (see the flower like image growing out of the “Y” in the Yoga One logo). Furthermore, yoga means “to yoke/join” or “union.” One divided by one is one and the practice of yoga helps individuals to become more “one” with themselves and the world.

Plus, we always strive to be the best studio in the world, numero uno, number 1! So the name is also aspirational.

In short, Yoga One came from an automotive manual writing company. (:

CR: Can take a moment to introduce Yoga One to our readers?

Michael: Since 2002, Yoga One has been helping people to live healthier and happier lives. We share the joys and benefits of yoga, but what we really provide is a forum to increase self-awareness, skills for individuals to be their best selves, and a positive, open, non-competitive, welcoming, and supportive community. We foster relationships – the individual with self, and with others. We offer a beautiful space for people to set aside their worries, responsibilities and stress so they can return to the world refreshed, stronger, more flexible and with increased mindfulness.

Yoga One is a woman and black owned family business. We treat our staff and students as family. We are fortunate to have been practicing yoga since 1997.

Our vibrant, airy studio with canyon views in Mission Hills is also a community space for workshops, classes, gatherings, events, exhibits, book clubs, acoustic concerts, learning, growing, sharing, laughing, loving and connecting. We look forward to seeing you there!

CR: How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Michael: It was March, 2019. For the previous 18 years we had shared the joys and benefits of yoga with thousands of San Diego residents and visitors via our award-winning Downtown studio on 7th Avenue. For several years, it had also been a dream of ours to open a studio in our neighborhood of Mission Hills. Our children attended the public schools in the area and we wanted to connect with and give back to our community.

With the help of our friends, Johnny and Renee of Wolf in the Woods wine bar, we found the perfect spot to open our second studio, on the beautiful Fort Stockton Drive. We were planning a grand opening celebration for April 1st, 2019. Then Covid-19 hit and San Diego, like so many places, went into lock down.

Our new studio was put on ice and our Downtown location locked up. Within two days of the stay at home mandate, and thanks largely to our amazing team – Missy and Laura, we brought our entire schedule online via zoom. We were able to quickly shift some of our corporate clients online as well. We will be forever grateful to our generous and wonderful students who maintained their memberships and stuck by us throughout such challenging times. In turn, we were able to keep our full staff and maintain their pre-Covid schedules.

Yoga teaches us to be strong, flexible and present. The circumstances surrounding Covid-19 certainly put our practice to the test. We feel so fortunate to have these tools to take care of ourselves mentally and physically. All of us at Yoga One look forward to continuing to offer and grow our services – enriching the well-being of as many people as possible! We now are offering classes in-studio, in Presidio Park, live online and on-demand, with some of our students and companies across the country.

Read the full article here!

1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?

I am currently in what is called “the sandwich generation.” I have elderly in-laws, a mother fighting cancer, and two teenagers who need my love, care, support, and attention, especially in these uncertain times.

Our living room has become the “yoga space.” It’s been so wonderful having my kids and husband join me in my yoga classes and my personal practice. Yoga has been my comfort. Yoga reminds me to breathe, to slow down, and it allows me to return to myself so I can recharge.

2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?

I’ve certainly grown technologically during this time. Navigating Zoom and Webex has been fun and challenging 🙂  It’s been a big shift for me not being in the same physical space as my students and giving hands-on adjustments. Nonetheless, I feel so grateful to offer classes online, where I still get to guide and connect with my students. 

I’ve also grown personally in my meditation practice in that I’ve finally learned to be consistent. My daughter and I started meditating together and we’ve been keeping each other accountable. I feel much more grounded, connected, and present when I make time to practice meditation on a near-daily basis.  

3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?

My favorite is a burrito bowl (no gluten!) 🙂  I like it with brown rice, black or pinto beans, lots of veggies, lettuce, guacamole, extra cilantro, pico de gallo, and hot salsa. 

 

Thank you for 18 OMazing years!

We are so grateful to all of you outstanding teachers, students and friends. We hope to continue to share the joys and benefits of yoga together for many more years to come! Thank you, thank you! We feel so grateful.
Namaste, Michael & Amy

Thank you to all of our students, now and throughout the years, for your presence and help in building this vibrant and diverse community called the Yoga One family. Thank you, thank you to everyone who contributed to this video and the following testimonials.

I wish the Yoga One family an amazing 18^th birthday – so thankful for the great instructors, the empathy they show and the calm they bring to our harried lives, especially these days! – Sandeep A.

Congratulations on 18 years! Yoga One teachers and community have pretty much saved me. I was going through an extremely difficult time in my personal life and their classes kept me sane. I appreciate them working so hard to make the online classes work. I am looking forward to the Mission Hills studio opening and seeing everyone in person again. – Emily W.

Happy Birthday to Yoga One! While I’m fairly new to the studio, it’s no surprise that Amy and Michael have been so successful. Their love of the practice and genuine interest in fostering student and instructor well-being shines throughout every aspect of the experience (even in Zoom). I have practiced yoga off and on throughout studios across the country and this is the first time I’ve felt like I found “the one”. Special shout out to Missy and all of the instructors that make Yoga One so fantastic 🙂 Thanks for all that you do and looking forward to Mission Hills opening soon! – Kelly B.

We asked you, our students, to describe Yoga One using just 3 words and your lists blew us away! We are so proud and humbled, encouraged and challenged, and overall feeling the LOVE!

Thank YOU for making Yoga One a welcoming space for all to enjoy the benefits of yoga and community. Namaste!

by Laura McCorry

How do yoga teachers feel about their practice? What inspires them to keep teaching and keep practicing yoga? Get to know your Yoga One teachers outside the studio and off the mat.

This month’s interview is with Terri Hobbs, who is leaving Yoga One after 8 years of teaching with us in search of new adventures. All the best, Terri! You’ll be missed.

1. Why do you practice yoga? 

I practice for strength, balance, mindfulness, serenity, and because yoga is a creative outlet for me.

2. What was the most intimidating aspect of your teaching when you first started?

Remembering the difference between right and left! Also I used to worry that I would run out of poses to teach before class was over. 🙂

3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?

Whenever a yogi tells me a chronic pain of theirs has disappeared, or the first time a student really “masters” a pose.

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be: the ocean.

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

I find a lot of inspiration from my co-instructors at Yoga One, especially Amy Caldwell and Mara Harris! I look to the internet and classes I take when I travel to help freshen up both my practice and my teaching.

6. Usually we ask what classes you teach at Yoga One – but you’re saying au revoir. What will you carry with you from your time at Yoga One?

Words may fail me in describing the Yoga One family. I’ve never felt so supported, valued, and loved as an employee and as a person. Why leave nirvana? Upcoming opportunities to travel and a desire for new challenges.

7. Anything else you’d like to add, share, suggest?

Be love.
Appreciate grace.
Make connections.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

Julie Moore is one of five sisters, but she’s #1 in our book because she happens to be Yoga One’s very first student! We are so grateful for her friendship over the years and we couldn’t imagine the Yoga One Family without her.

Reflection by Julie Moore

I first met Amy Caldwell at the Center for Moving Arts. It was the year 2000, or perhaps 2001, and my very first yoga class. I was drawn to Amy’s down-to-earth style of teaching and found her voice very relaxing. Ever since that class, I’ve followed Amy wherever she taught including condominium recreational rooms, nightclubs under construction, dance studios, and outdoors in Balboa Park.

When I first started yoga, I couldn’t even touch my toes. During a class at the torn-apart nightclub, I remember enthusiastically showing Michael that I could clasp my hands behind my back in cow face pose – a major accomplishment!

Amy and Michael opened Yoga One in 2002, initially sub-letting the back room of a gym on seventh avenue in downtown San Diego. Over the years, I’ve happily participated in many of their events such as couples yoga, drum circles, 108 Sun Salutations, chocolate & yoga, wine & yoga, and anniversary celebrations. One of my favorite yoga classes was prenatal yoga led by Arati Lane, which started the year I was pregnant with my first child.

Over the past 17 years, I’ve practiced yoga at different studios with many different instructors, but I always find the most comfort back at Yoga One and with Amy Caldwell, the teacher with whom my yoga journey began.

Michael asked me once what I liked best about Yoga One. For me, one of the studio’s greatest strengths is how the teachers provide an open, secure, safe, comfortable yoga space. Even though I’m very inflexible and can still barely touch my toes, because of Amy I have stuck with yoga all these years and will continue to practice the rest of my life. I thank Amy, Michael, and the other Yoga One yogis for that!

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!

SaveSave

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!

by Olivia Cecchettini

The Awakened Family 

by: Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D

Summary: I’ve seen yoga used as a tool for radical self-acceptance, helping people become more aware, present and in tune with their lives. Using many techniques familiar to yoga and meditation practitioners, The Awakened Family encourages readers to shift their perspective on parenting. In this way, everyday situations become opportunities for spiritual awakening.

The Awakened Family is Tsabary’s 2nd New York Times best seller. It invites readers (whether or not they are parents) on a journey of enlightenment. From a young age, our families and society tell us what is expected and what is acceptable. In response, sometimes we hide our true selves when that image doesn’t line up with society’s norm.

Why I Love It: I remembered my own feelings as a child of wanting to please my parents but also wanting to stay true to myself. The line between my own ambitions and dreams was easily blurred by the expectations and suggestions from mentors, family members, and friends. This book acknowledged that sometimes we parent our children the way we wish our parents would have acted in the past, reliving or recreating unfulfilled childhood dreams or needs.

Tsabary encourages the reader to co-create a parenting experience with their children, acknowledging the child as co-teacher with valuable input of their own. This opened my mind to a new way of thinking about parenting, which can lead to a new way of acting. This also reminded me of how similar some of Tsabary’s techniques are to a yoga practice. Yoga opens the body to new ways of feeling and moving, which leads to new ways of being within ourselves.

Recommend For: Individuals wishing to understand and connect more with the children in their lives. The Awakened Family is an excellent read for people trying to understand their family, whether that’s the family of their childhood or the family currently living under their roof.

I believe true life transformation comes through education, empowerment and example. As we transform our old habits of thinking about families, we open ourselves to seeing each individual in our lives for who they are in that moment. Allowing people the freedom to just be themselves in the world, without any expectations, may be the most radical form of love I know. May we experience this love ourselves and may we share it with others.

Ciao,
Olivia

Yogi Reads for Children!

Enjoy sharing these titles with your little ones and please comment below to add to our list!

• I Am Yoga, by Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds. A fun loving, very easy read about the practices of yoga. A perfect book for even the youngest of babies.
• Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles, by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book teaches a playful and fun pebble activity that parents and educators alike can use to introduce children to meditation. Recommended for children ages 1-5.
• The Dot, by Peter Reynolds. A powerful story about creativity and surrender. Great for children ages 1-6.

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.

Yoga One is more than just a yoga studio – it’s a family, built from years of dreaming, hard work, and daily presence from co-founders Amy and Michael Caldwell. If you’re looking for a top-notch yoga studio to improve your physical and mental well-being, Yoga One is the place to go. You’ll also find a community of welcoming individuals who are passionate about creating peace within themselves and without.

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.

by Laura McCorry

Everyone knows the holidays can be a stressful time of year. Combining multiple social engagements, the expectation of gift giving, and seeing your relatives is enough to set most people’s nerves on edge. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Yoga encourages us to continually check in with the present moment. “What is happening right now?” Yoga One head teacher Amy Caldwell likes to ask. It’s easy to become unsatisfied thinking about the past or anxious thinking about the future. Present moment awareness uses meditation and pranayama (breath control) to bring our emotional selves back into balance.

To encourage balance in all things, even our giving, here’s a non-traditional holiday gift guide for the yogi in all of us:

1. Spend quality time with the ones you love. It doesn’t get any simpler or better than this. Love can’t be bought or wrapped – it can only be shared. Sit down to a meal, play on the floor with the kids or the dog, go for a long walk. In this age of increasing digital connection, it’s good to remember the joy of being present in person. Your presence is the gift.

2. Create or purchase an experience gift. After basic needs are met, more material things do not necessarily increase happiness. When you provide an experience, you can still have the pleasure of gift giving without adding to your loved one’s possessions. This can be anything from tickets to a play or concert, a good old fashioned coupon book, or the even the gift of yoga (our favorite!)

3. Encourage minimalism, give chocolate. Consumable gifts are enjoyable but won’t take up space on a closet shelf for years to come (though eaten in excess, they may land on the thighs). Good examples include a gift certificate for dinner at a favorite restaurant, a subscription to a CSA or DIY meal service like Blue Apron, a bottle of wine or a favorite beer, the list goes on! (You can find award-winning Beardsman Brewery local beer at Yoga One on December 12th)

4. Write a letter of support. It’s important to tell someone how you feel, yet writing it down can sometimes be even more powerful. Thank them for taking the time to listen. Congratulate them on achieving a goal, having a baby, being an awesome person. Support their personal development. Encourage the yogis you know to deepen their practice by participating in the Yoga One Teacher Training.

5. Give Back. Many charitable organizations rely on end of year donations to fund their services and programs throughout the year. Seva Yoga is the practice of selfless service without the expectation of reward. You can volunteer your time, add a charity to your wish list, buy some extra groceries for your local food pantry, or donate yourself. You can even select a charity to benefit from your web browsing and shopping through Amazon Smile or Goodsearch.

It’s the thought, grounded in present moment awareness which is then consciously acted upon, that counts! Whatever you decide to give this holiday season, let it spring from a place of balance and love. From all of us at Yoga One, to all of you, wishing you good health and much happiness!

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

Join teacher Cayetana Rodenas at Yoga One in downtown San Diego, CA for this special 3-day training held by Rainbow Kids Yoga. October 31st – November 2nd.

Save $100 when you register before October 10th. Go here to register.

“Almost immediately we set up in an intimate and warm circle. Excited eyes darted from smiling face to open and curious face. We were instructed to put our arms around each other.

“Soon individuals had become a united group, swaying in unison, laughing and ultimately giving each other back and head massages. There were partner poses, human pyramids, costume changes, obstacle courses, games, feathers, straws, great music, dancing and dinner breaks at local restaurants!

“It felt like a party. It felt like a family. And best of all, we were accessing that open, curious, fun-filled aspect of ourselves that consumed us as kids. We were behaving like children in the best possible sense.

“We made life long friends and memories. Of course we learned and developed new skills, techniques and confidence to teach yoga to children… nay, to share the joys and benefits of yoga with children, because in many ways, children are natural yogis and the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training taught us to remember that and to embody it ourselves.”

– Michael Caldwell

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for – an up close and personal interview with Yoga One co-founder and teacher extraordinaire, Michael Caldwell! 

From picking apples in Australia to starting a yoga studio in San Diego, Michael embodies the yogic journey both on and off the mat. Come to his Tuesday night Vinyasa Flow at 6pm or Friday noon Flow class to see what all the hype is about! You can find our full schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

Flow yoga is my favorite style. I enjoy and benefit from the linking of breath with movement combined with the power of now.

2. What first attracted you to yoga when you began your practice?

The connection to my body. Prior to my practice, my body was just a means to an end, a vessel to get me where I was going or a tool to help me accomplish a task. I learned my first few poses from the book Fit for Life during the months Amy and I were in Australia picking apples ten days at a time, ten hours a day in order to make extra money for our backpacking adventures around the world. It was physically demanding work and the sensation, relief and awareness fostered from the few poses ignited a cartoon light bulb above my head that still shines.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Always has been karnapidasana (ear pressure pose). I had a slight scoliosis which made it painful to buckle my belt among other things. This pose and yoga in general cured me. Plus when I’m in this position, I feel like I’m underwater, which I love.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Any pose where I wander from the present moment.

5. If you were an animal, you would be: Animal the drummer from the muppets!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Friends, Fun, Family, Flexibility, Freedom, Feeling

7. What might your students be surprised to learn about you?

I’m probably a little too open with my students. They might prefer to know less. But if they really want to be surprised, they can read my (as yet unpublished) coming-of-age travel memoir tentatively titled Big in Japan (…not so much in South East Asia). The adventures of a 23 year old American male finding his edge in Asia.

8. Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for new students?

I would advise new students (of every age) to read Dr Seuss’s Oh the Places You’ll Go! Yoga is an adventure that involves the mind, body and spirit, just like life. I feel the wisdom in this book can help people to be happier and healthier during their yoga practice and in their every day lives.

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!”

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.

Heather writes: This mix is called the Funwick Flow because it’s inspired by my family, the Fenwicks – when we get together it’s good times all around! This mix wraps me in the warmth of my loved ones and instills good vibes to anyone who hears it – I can literally see the happiness seeping into my students as the songs roll on! Paul Simon is a family favorite of ours since childhood, and I love how the idea of “Hearts and Bones” actually relates to the practice of yoga in the physical body and in the yogi’s heart.

My brother Will acquainted me with “Heart it Races” over Christmas break and it’s a fun, pop-y, motivating happy tune to start getting the gears shifting. My partner Will introduced me to “Space Walk” by Lemon Jelly, which inspires an uplifting, heart-opening vibe. My brother Matt has influenced my music findings for years and brought me to The xx, The National, Wilco, Local Natives, and Groove Armada, which ends the set with a salty-dreamy-floaty retake on an old jazz tune.

Nina Simone’s “Here Comes the Sun” is a tribute to the newest member of the family, my nephew Jack, whose innocence and ridiculous cuteness has melted all of our hearts and brings a ray of sunshine wherever he goes.

It’s not your typical “new age yogi mix,” but I love playing this set at Yoga One because it’s a place where anyone who enters can be footloose and funky!

Hearts and Bones – Paul Simon
Change of Time – Josh Ritter
Intro – The xx
Tides – The xx
Secret Meeting – The National
Heart it Races (As Played By Dr Dog) – Architecture In Helsinki
Jesus, Etc. – Wilco
Space Walk – Lemon Jelly
Stranger Things – Local Natives
Sweet Child O’ Mine – Luna
Bermuda Highway – My Morning Jacket
Here Comes the Sun – Nina Simone
At the River – Groove Armada

from the Caldwell family’s kitchen

Ingredients:

3 heaping servings of Yoga per week, season according to your favorite level and style

1-2 bushels of Outdoor Activity Spice – walking, running, surfing, hiking, swimming, or team sports would all be delicious

1 full day of Rest – check your local studio for restorative yoga, but you can substitute any type of meditation or bubble bath at home

Plenty of whole foods each day, choose seasonal and organic when possible

Liberally sprinkle with unlimited portions of Peace and Quiet Reflection

Directions:

Mix together until easily formed. Add in more Peace if contents become sticky and unwieldy. Share with loved ones and friends. Serve with bountiful amounts of Hugs and Quality Time. Cook up a fresh batch each week.

Enjoy the happiness that comes with a healthy mind and body and be well this holiday season!

Namaste,
Amy and Michael Caldwell

As any nine year old will tell you, turning double digits is a pretty big deal! This year marks Yoga One’s 10 year anniversary and we are so grateful to all of our students, instructors and everyone who has helped make Yoga One into what it is today. THANK YOU for supporting us! Please join us for a complimentary yoga class this Sunday at 9am on the rooftop of the Porto Vista Hotel. After class there will be a short awards ceremony for the summer challenge winners followed by brunch at The Glass Door downstairs. Check out our event page on facebook or go to our website for more information about our regularly scheduled 9am rooftop class. We look forward to celebrating with you!

In the early 2000’s, Yoga One was nothing more than a dream shared by Amy and Michael Caldwell. They followed their common interest in healthy eating to a passion for healthy living and along the way established a community of like-minded yogis to share in Yoga One’s ever-growing outreach to help others live happier and healthier lives. Keep reading for an inside look from co-founders Michael and Amy at how Yoga One came to be and where it’s headed in the next ten years!

What sparked the leap from being a student of yoga into being a business owner?

We got into yoga über-organically, initially from making a dietary change. We became vegetarians then vegans and were reading Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Bergman. At the time, we were living in Stanthorpe, Australia, picking apples to make extra money for back packing around the world. The book suggested we do yoga and there were 5 super simple poses listed. After picking apples for ten hours a day, ten days at a time, a few stretches felt phenomenal and that was how we started practicing yoga. But in retrospect, we had already begun our practice by becoming conscious of our diet and lifestyle; asana was just a further physical manifestation.

Once you turn on to something you often see it all around you. As we traveled from country to country, we found yoga “instructors” who expanded our knowledge and appreciation of the practice. We say “instructors” because we doubt many of them would have considered themselves teachers – they were practitioners who knew more than we did and joyfully shared their passion with us. By the time we got to India, we knew yoga was something we wanted to embrace more fully and we began an earnest practice, study and discipline.

When we moved to San Diego, Amy started offering donation classes in the park and around town. She built up a following and the rest, as they say, is history.

What excites you the most about watching Yoga One grow throughout the years?

We’ve often said that Yoga One is the eldest of our three children. There is no separation between Yoga One and our family or between Amy and Michael as spouse and business partner. When Yoga One needs our love and attention, we respond accordingly. There are times we wish we could separate and compartmentalize the “business” and our life but it doesn’t really happen and we’ve kind of made a tentative peace with that reality. In the end, we’re doing something we love so why would we want to separate it? It is who we are.

Time and time again we come back to the wonderful people that are part and parcel of the Yoga One family. Yoga One exists because of the amazing students that share their practice at the studio, period. If the students weren’t wonderful people we would have gotten into another field a long time ago. We have and continue to make dear friends. Though we don’t know everyone equally well, we do know that the students who are attracted to Yoga One are the kind of people we want to be with and that’s a great feeling!

What’s next? Dedicated, charismatic people like the two of you always look ahead for the next step – where do you see Yoga One 10 years from now?

We have so many projects in the works and we’re excited to see Yoga One grow even more! We’re working on a new website to seamlessly connect everything Yoga One under one virtual roof: studio and offsite classes, massage therapy, workshops, our retail store and more. Our longtime student, Yoga One Teacher Training alumni and webmaster, Erin Ferguson has been working with us on the new website for a long time and she is so patient and skilled.

We’ve collaborated in creating a super cool iPad/iPhone app tentatively title I-Yoga with a Scottish company called 3D4 Medical that Apple seems to like, so hopefully this will make a splash in the market. The app will show which muscles are engaged in each pose. Amy was a super star and did about 150 poses in a suit with electrodes attached and they motion captured her movements from 360 degrees. We’ll keep you posted on the app’s development and when you’ll be able to hit “download” and literally take yoga off the mat!

Our upcoming Yoga One Teacher Training starts this January and we can’t wait to lead such a fulfilling and transformational experience for the 7th year. It gets better every year and we truly feel we’re enhancing people’s lives. We hope one day to expand our training to an international location and student population.

We are really adept at bringing the joys and benefits of yoga to corporate environments. We continue to expand our off-site classes and hope to have Yoga One at every business and school in San Diego by 2022. If you work somewhere, let the Powers That Be know they should contact Yoga One about offering classes in the workplace. Our corporate students are happier, healthier and more productive and their employers reap the benefits, all from the convenience of a lunch-time or after-work class on location. Everyone wins.

We also look forward to expanding our online offerings. We may open up another location and offer unique specialties. We want to be leading seminars and workshops around the country and abroad. We want to offer music, art and community events weekly. The big question is: where do you want to see Yoga One in 10 years? After all, it’s you, the students and staff, that make the magic happen.