Posts In: flexibility

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 Missy DiDonato.

---

1. Why do you practice yoga? 

I practice for the benefit of my mind, body, and all around life issues 🙂

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

Learning to stop expecting people to like me.

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

Seeing the emotional release of a student during or after a class. Also seeing people at their best or most vulnerable.

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be:  If yoga were a smell, it would be a fart. Because it’s necessary to live and comes in all different varieties!

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

My 3 year old daughter, Olive. Firstly, because she’s so flexible and that’s proof it’s something we’re born with and it’s only our habits that make us inflexible. And secondly, because she is so present.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?

I teach level 1 & 2 Classic Yoga on Thursdays at 4:30pm and an all levels Restorative Yoga on Fridays at 5:30pm.

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

I am constantly grateful for all of the yogis and non-yogis that come into my life. Thank you from the depths of my heart.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

SaveSave

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

We’re excited to have Elka Haeckel share her experiences and passion at Yoga One. She is both a knowledgeable yoga teacher and a perpetual student (like most great yoga teachers).  Elka infuses her classes  with a fresh perspective and a contagious enthusiasm. See our full schedule here.

 

Here’s a list of our favorite yoga myths. Do you ever hear these “reasons” not to do yoga from your friends? Let us know in the comments!

10. MYTH: You have to be flexible to practice yoga.

FACT: Over time, practicing yoga safely helps increase your flexibility. Maintaining a supple spine and full range of motion in the joints helps prevent injury and may even improve your game if you play a sport.

9. MYTH: My grandmother does yoga so you can’t get a really kick-ass workout from it.

FACT: Yoga is not just about stretching and relaxation! Building muscle strength and endurance through yoga is the key to safely exploring flexibility. There are many different types of yoga for all different body types and abilities and there’s definitely a style to fit your needs!

8. MYTH: My Crossfit-crazy boyfriend does yoga and it sounds too intense for me.

FACT: Some styles of yoga are intense (think: Ashtanga or Power Vinyasa) but other styles, like Restorative Yoga, focus on deep relaxation and breathing techniques to manage stress. If you’re a beginner, start with a beginner class and feel free to explore different styles until you find the ones you like best.

7. MYTH: Yoga is the same as physical therapy.

FACT: Some of the exercises might be the same and yoga does have a reputation for healing – but don’t confuse these two. While yoga is an excellent addition to a healthy lifestyle, if you’re recovering from an injury please listen to your doctor and physical therapist.

6. MYTH: If you practice yoga, then you’re not a real Christian, Muslim, Jew, [insert any other religion or spiritual tradition.]

FACT: For many people, yoga is spiritual, but it is not in and of itself a religion. Yogis of many different religious backgrounds enjoy allowing their beliefs to color and enhance their practice. And many yogis prefer to practice just for the physical and mental benefits.

Check back next week for Part Two!

Nicole Perrin’s classes are rooted in optimal alignment principles that anchor the challenging postures she often presents. She encourages each student to blossom with her light-hearted and non-competitive approach. Nicole teaches Yoga One’s Marina and Poolside Flow at the Sheraton on Saturday mornings at 10am as well as Yoga One’s corporate yoga classes at Hotel Solamar and San Diego Gas and Electric.

Click here to see our full schedule.

To learn more about offering yoga classes at your place of business, contact Michael at michael@yogaonesandiego.com

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

Primarily Vinyasa because I love the connection between breath and movement. When consciously brought together, it becomes a dance of self-expression – it’s what makes each person’s practice so beautiful and unique.

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

With a background in gymnastics and dance, I initially connected to the physicality of yoga because it challenged my flexibility and balance. I realized I had lost a lot of my flexibility as the years passed and, I”ll admit, my residual Type A came out and it was sort of a competition with myself to be able to maneuver my body into these crazy positions.

Little did I know that this competitiveness would eventually (and thankfully) transform into spiritual growth and a life-long journey of self-inquiry and discovery. Through yoga, I’ve found greater equanimity, self-love, and the ability to walk through life with greater appreciation. This is what attracts me to yoga now and keeps me coming back for more!

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Right now, handstand! So much fun to play with and even more fun learning the most graceful way to fall out of it!

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Prone frog pose (mandukasana) because of the intense sensations this pose brings into the hip joints, my mind responds by sending me negative messages about how much it knows I don’t like this pose! For me, that’s even more reason to keep practicing 🙂

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a capuchin monkey (you know, the one on Friends)! I love the rainforest and most of all, I love to climb everywhere and do tricks!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: perspective, self-inquiry, transformation, self-love, mindfulness, joy

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

I backpacked in South America where I hiked Machu Picchu in Peru, and I think snakes, rats, and (most) bugs are cool. I’ve caught wild tarantulas and snakes (the non-poisonous ones) with my bare hands and owned three beloved rats when I was a teenager.  🙂

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

Yoga is not about being able to touch your toes or looking like the image in the picture: it’s about what you learn on the way there. The journey is never-ending and the opportunities for self-growth are bountiful. Make a point to be present and true, and most of all, be loving towards yourself so that you can share that love with the world.

A regular yoga practice provides many wonderful benefits, but yoga has something special to offer disciples of other forms of athleticism. No matter what your sport, yoga increases flexibility, range of motion and strength via body weight resistance. (Ever done Michael’s two minute hold in plank pose?) Yoga One student Jason Monger tells us why yoga is the perfect complement for his power lifting routine.

While some people lift weights competitively, the majority of people lift in order to maintain strength for everyday life. “You hear about people who throw out their back lifting a basket of laundry,” Jason explains, “It’s because they never developed the muscles along their spinal column and never learned how to properly use the body when picking up a heavy object. The strain builds up until one day injury happens.”

We’d like to introduce the wonderful and amazing Lauren Bosworth! Many of you may not have had the pleasure of meeting her and taking her class since she has been leading many of Yoga One’s corporate classes at various companies around San Diego.* Lauren is taking over the Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow on Monday nights at 5:30. Come experience her challenging and warming flow with deep holds to help you find that ideal alignment while testing your endurance. Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

My favorite style of yoga lately has been a blend of flow-y Vinyasa and deep Hatha, all wrapped up with therapeutic alignment principles. I like to keep it fun and active, but also very safe so that I am able to do what I love forever.

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

I was a ballerina for many years while growing up. My flexibility made yoga very fun, easy and intriguing to me. The thing that pulled me in further was realizing how difficult it really was and how much more work it took to have stability and strength rather then just being flexible.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

My favorite pose right now is eka pada rajakapotasana (pigeon pose). It used to be very easy for me to find rest in this post but lately it has been much more challenging. The challenge makes me want to practice it more often!

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Adho mukha vrksasana, or hand stand, is very challenging for me because my back and spine are very flexible and it’s difficult to stack my bones just right for balance!

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a mermaid; in fact, I’m pretty sure I was one in my past life. 😉 I love the ocean and all the magic and healing that it brings.

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Balance. Clarity. Vitality. Rejuvenation. Invigoration. Appreciation.

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

I think they would be surprised to learn that my strength surpasses my size. I pack a mean punch!

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

My advice would be to not compare yourself to anyone or anything. Enjoy the feeling of your body in movement while you practice without self-judgement. Don’t be scared to try new poses or to fall. If you do fall, just pick yourself up and try again.

Find what feels best in your body and stick to that – don’t push past pain and risk injury, be respectful of the body’s limitations. Most of all, practice because it makes you feel good and because you enjoy the sensations that result from your practice, not because you think you should.

* If you would like to learn more about Yoga One at Work for your company or organization, contact Michael at 619-972-8185 or michael@yogaonesandiego.com

It’s that time again! Get to know Jennifer Tipton online and then come to one of her classes and meet her in person! She teaches Yoga for Backs at the studio on Tuesday nights at 7:30 or swing by the Porto Visto Hotel Rooftop on Sunday mornings at 9am ready to Flow. Click here to see the online schedule, no reservations required for class.