Posts In: health

a re-blog from Rainbow Yoga who will be hosting a 3-day Kids Yoga Training at Yoga One this September 28th-29th, sign up here!

Yoga and mindfulness are wonderful and well-tested tools to help young people, from toddlers to teens, improve their physical and mental abilities and increase their feeling of well-being. These can assist them in improving performance in all walks of life. 

Incorporating yoga into a child’s life can bring numerous benefits that extend beyond physical health. It can enhance their overall well-being, and performance in various activities, increase their abilities to succeed at school and exams, enhance emotional resilience, and social connections, and contribute to creating a more peaceful and harmonious society.

1. Yoga increases strength, flexibility, balance and coordination ? This will help your child excel in any sports activity they choose to attend.

2. Yoga improves posture and body alignment ? Regular practice of yoga helps children develop good posture and alignment, which can benefit them in various physical activities. Proper alignment reduces strain on the muscles and joints, leading to improved performance and reduced risk of injury.

3. Yoga promotes body awareness ? This will help reduce the risk of injury in any physical activity your child may attend.

4. Yoga strengthens the immune system and promotes well-being ? This will help your child to be sick less often, feel more vitality and be able to face life with more energy.

5. Yoga builds focus and enhances clarity of mind ? This will help your child study better at school and be more successful in their exams.

6. Yoga helps to reduce stress and anxiety ? Stress is proven to inhibit learning so the coping skills yoga offers will help your child in achieving any learning outcome at any topic they choose.

7. Yoga takes care of the child’s emotional well-being ? This allows them to enjoy more their study and their work, their relationship with their friends and family and all of their daily activities. This is called THRIVING as opposed to just surviving; it is the feeling of happiness we all wish for our children.

8. Yoga cultivates discipline and self-control ? Yoga practice requires discipline and self-control, as students are encouraged to stay focused and engaged in their practice. These qualities can carry over into other areas of life, such as sports training, academic pursuits, and personal goals.

9. Yoga fosters self-confidence and self-esteem ? As children practice yoga and witness their progress, they gain a sense of accomplishment and develop self-confidence. This newfound confidence can extend beyond the yoga mat and positively impact their participation in sports and other activities.

10. Yoga supports creativity and self-expression ? Yoga encourages children to explore movement, express themselves, release emotional trauma and tap into their creativity. This can benefit them in sports, arts, and other activities that require imagination and self-expression and help them interact in the world with a less reactive and lighter heart.

11. Yoga teaches positive coping skills ? This is a fast-paced, demanding and competitive world we live in and research shows that young people who don’t learn positive ways to process and deal with the stresses of life end up using unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drug addiction, screen or gaming addictions, self-harming and eating disorders. The physical techniques, breathing and mindfulness tools that young people learn in the relaxing atmosphere of a yoga session can be used by them under more stressful conditions to self-regulate.

12. Rainbow Yoga enhances social connections and teaches children and teens social skills ? Therefore it reduces social issues, disrespect, violence and bullying and promotes secure connections with our family, friends, peers and community enhancing the well-being of our whole society. 

13. Yoga teaches values and ethical principles ? The teachings of yoga encompass values such as truthfulness, non-violence, gratitude, and respect for oneself and others. By incorporating these principles into their lives, children develop a strong moral compass and contribute to a more ethical, compassionate, inclusive and supportive community.

14. From inner peace to world peace ? Society is made out of the individuals in it; cultivating peace, kindness and resilience in the younger people will create a brighter future for generations to come.

Want to learn how to share this with your children at home or with your students at school?

Join one of our Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Trainings today!

It’s the start of the new year and the time when many people make life goals or resolutions for the year ahead. If your goal is to eat healthier and exercise more – you are far from alone! The top New Year’s resolutions each year focus on health.

If your goal is to practice more yoga – welcome to the club! Yoga provides a uniquely holistic approach to health, strengthening body, mind and spirit.

Our mission at Yoga One has always been to help as many people as possible enjoy healthier and happier lives. Our instructors meet you where you are in your practice and we offer several classes suitable for absolute beginners. (See our full schedule here.)

When it comes to health and wellness, we believe that there is no single prescription for every body. Therefore we also offer excellent private yoga instruction. For some people this is their primary practice and for others, they use private sessions to get more out of their group class experiences. Whatever your motivation, we would love to connect with you! Call 619-544-0587.

Whether you are an experienced practitioner or an absolute beginner, the only thing you may ultimately really want is that special one. Here is a carefully curated comparison of many of the top yoga mats. We hope it helps you to pick the perfect mat* to support your practice.

*There is a “winner” listed, but each mat has a description of its best qualities and reviews based on how it performs in the studio.

We hope you find “the one” yoga mat for you – but even more, we hope to see you soon and often at Yoga One!

Sparkling, shiny, sensitive, steely, steadfast, seaworthy, smiling, super…and these are just the adjectives that begin with “s” that can be used to describe the sensational and interesting, Robin Doten. She loves to explore and experience life and brings those receptive and friendly qualities to her teaching. You’ll have to wake up early for her 6:30am Flow class on Tuesdays, but you’ll be glad you did! Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

I really enjoy Vinyasa Flow. I love the heat and energy it creates in my body and I find the linking of my breath with the movements helps me to focus my mind, de-stress and feel balanced. Vinyasa feels like a smooth flowing dance which guides me through a moving meditation.

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

I was invited by a close friend to attend some of her yoga classes she was taking regularly and I loved how I felt after class. My fascination with yoga really grew as I was seeking an activity that could strengthen my body yet not cause damage to my joints. I realized yoga was a low impact exercise that I could do for the rest of my life.

As I started doing more yoga, I heard about Yoga One’s Teacher Training and decided to learn all I could by attending the training! Soon I was diving into a much deeper practice and a better understanding of Yogic teachings and principles. Yoga became an all-encompassing life perspective and I was hooked on its ability to bring me peace and happiness.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Savasana (corpse pose) or final relaxation, is my favorite pose right now. It may sound like a joke, because I didn’t take it seriously or see its full benefits before, but now it means so much to me. I find it to be my reset button. After practicing yoga or taking a class, savasana is my time to fully surrender and be still. I feel the support of the Earth and an immense gratitude for my body and its ability to carry me through my yoga practice! While in corpse pose I am completely at ease and feel balanced, this makes me feel so clear, connected and open to the present moment.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

Bakasana or crow pose is the most challenging for me. I can do it, but it doesn’t feel good in my body. It bruises the back of my arms and I tend to avoid it. I have been telling myself that if I practice crow pose it will start to feel better and in time I will be doing a jump back to chaturanga dandasana (which looks so cool!) but for now, it’s just a goal.

5. If you were an animal, you would be:

There are so many animals that I identify with but the characteristics of a dog seem the most suitable. They are loyal, intelligent companions, who can offer assistance, and are always excited to see the people they love. Dogs are easy to please and happiness moves through their entire body from the tip of their nose to their wagging tail. I love how dogs make people so happy, too!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: Peacefulness, Openness, Balance, Connection, Unity and Joy

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

That I’ve been bitten by the travel bug and have visited over 30 countries. I once wanted to live abroad and travel so much, I went to Europe in search of work. The only job I could get as a foreigner that would allow me to see more of the world was as a “yachtie” and crew on mega yachts all over the Mediterranean.

The Med was so beautiful, but soon the yachting season ended in that region, so I followed it over to the Bahamas where I continued to crew. Once, I was hired for a two week stay on a private island called Indigo Island with Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and their children! Of all the people I encountered while on this adventure, they were the most gracious.

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

The best advice I can give is something I remind myself of daily – to create a habit or practice of my own. Be open to learning and trying new poses. Let go of your ego, it will always hold you back and creates judgment of yourself and others. Be a positive influence for yourself and those around you and most of all, just have fun!

by Laura McCorry

The body positive movement means finding ways to respect, honor and love your own body as a daily practice. Feeling positively about your body has nothing to do with your health, fitness or size. (Can we repeat that about a thousand times across the twitterverse?)

The culture we live in is always ready to tell us that we’re not good enough. Sometimes all we see in the media are airbrushed and photoshopped images of women and men that misrepresent the natural body of the model. Not only have we elevated one type of body to an ideal, but often the thin/fit/flawless body is a complete illusion.

So what does it mean to step out of this culture and onto your mat to practice yoga?

Every belief you have about your body will follow you onto your mat. If your thoughts are predominantly negative, this can have disastrous consequences for how you feel about yoga and your likelihood of maintaining a regular practice.

But yoga teaches present moment awareness – which means paying attention and honoring how your body moves that day, without comparison to how it moved in the past or how you’d like it to move in the future. The more you practice this mental shift into the present, the more you can circumvent negative self-talk.

Body positivity doesn’t mean complacency in the face of health risks. It means rejecting the “not good enough” mantra and replacing it with affirmations of love, acceptance and encouragement.

When we feel positively about our bodies, we create an atmosphere of nurturing protection for the body and prompt the desire for more positive change. Sometimes the biggest physical challenge you encounter in life is not the super hard workout or the discipline to stay active – the bigger challenge is the radical acceptance of your body. All of it, without exception.

You are only given this one vessel with which to experience the world. Treat it kindly. Allow it to feel the warmth of the sun and the caress of the breeze. Take it on adventures and let your body carry you through a world of new experiences.

Know that all change starts within. If you can change one thought, you can begin to change your way of thinking. If you change your thinking, you can influence others to do the same. Maybe one day the cultural legacy we leave behind will be one that affirms the value of all bodies and contributes to the health and happiness of all.

(Here’s a great place to start, 10 Ways to Practice Self-Love.)

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

by Olivia Cecchettini

“The Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing”

by Carolyn Myss

Summary: Caroline Myss is an acclaimed medical intuitive and motivational speaker. In this book she presents her findings on fifteen years of research into energy medicine as a pathway to spontaneous physical, emotional and spiritual healing. In her discussion of the relation of spirituality to energy medicine, she states: “As spiritual adults we accept responsibility for co-creating our lives and our health.”

Anatomy of the Spirit offers a unique model in which she combines the ancient wisdom of three spiritual traditions – the Hindu Chakras, the Christian sacraments, and the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life, to demonstrate the seven stages of development towards higher consciousness and spiritual maturity. With this model, Dr. Myss shows how you can develop and deepen your intuition, as well as cultivate your own personal power and spiritual growth.

Why I Love It: I love this book because it taught me so much. I strongly believe in the mind, body, spirit connection. In my eyes, we are made up of energy and are all sensitive to it. Our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health is all inter-connected. To stay in harmony and balance we need to look at all four aspects of health equally. This means seeking connection through self-inquiry, which is the goal of Yoga – union, harmony, balance.

Keep an open mind and an open heart when reading this book. It’s filled with interesting facts and information that may be unfamiliar to you, see what you connect with the most and leave the rest behind. Personally, this book taught me how to slow down to connect to myself, others, and all the energy that is abundantly surrounding me all the time. Take your time reading and let it digest.

Recommended For:  I recommend this book for anyone wanting to discover or go deeper into learning about their own energy. Caroline states that everything pulsates with energy and this energy contains information. If you have been feeling more sensitive to energy lately or maybe just curious about energy work in general, this book may be just the thing. It will let you know you’re not alone, expand your knowledge and also give you tools to grow and protect yourself. I hope you enjoy it!

“This book is both an important revelation and a major call to awakening.” – Christiane Northrup

Lots of love this holiday season!
Ciao, Olivia

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia is a yoga teacher based out of San Diego. With a love for people, life, spirituality, reading, and, of course, yoga she spends her days connecting with students and nature. Getting outside whenever she can to enjoy all the beauty this life has to offer.

We read that whenever Benjamin Franklin had to make an important decision he would draw a line down the center of a piece of paper and create two columns. On one side he would list the positive reasons why he should do something and on the other the negatives why he shouldn’t do it. He would then compare the lists – if the positives outweighed the negatives, he would make that decision and vice versa.

We’ve taken the liberty (pun intended) of starting your columns for you:

Attend the Yoga One Teacher Training

 

Yoga One Teacher Training: January 17 – March 16, 2014: 8 Weekend Yoga Teacher Training Course (with a hiatus for President’s day weekend: February 15-1

For more information and to register, call 619-294-7461 or send an email to info@yogaonesandiego.com

We are excited to get to know you and looking forward to sharing the upcoming yoga adventure together!

by Sharyn Greenberg

Spring is a time of flowers, sunshine, love and picnics! After the long, dark, chilly winter days and nights, it’s nice to find ourselves finally emerging from hibernation. Even in San Diego, rain showers, cloudy days and the occasional hail storm kept us indoors. But spring is a time of rejuvenation when nature is reborn and the excitement of a warm breeze makes life seem a bit lighter.

As we set out to face the sun of this new season, the practice of Ayurveda can help put a spring in your step by bringing your body in balance with the rhythm of nature.

During winter and early spring, the elements of water and earth (kapha dosha) are dominant yet as the earth transitions into late spring there is an onset of fire (pitta). These elements are present in both our external and internal environments. An accumulation of too much kapha within a person may lead to sleepiness, depression, weight gain or phlegm – all of which may have been noticed in the winter. Now that spring is here, it’s time to reign in kapha so we can remain in step with nature, which is moving towards light and warmth.

1. Embrace routine to combat any lingering lethargy from winter. Ideally you should wake up with the sun, around 7am, and go for a brisk walk outside first thing. If you don’t have time for a walk, just pop outside to feel the air against your skin.
2. Lighten up your diet. There’s no more need to store up fat for the winter – it’s time to eat lighter, incorporating herbs and spices into your diet. Avoid heavy, oily foods. Enjoy bitter, pungent and astringent foods such as apples, asparagus, okra, leafy greens, beets, legumes and dark grapes.
3. Herbs are nature’s pharmacy. Triphala is good for detoxifying the body (take 1/2 teaspoon at night.) Ginger gets the digestive system going and warms the body; try drinking ginger tea 30 minutes before every meal. Turmeric dries mucus and aids allergy symptoms (mix 1/4 teaspoon with 1 teaspoon raw honey a few times per day).
4. Get moving! Yoga asana that soothes kapha include sun salutations to get the heart rate up, back bending to energize and spinal twists to detoxify. Daily yoga practice is encouraged but equally so are outdoor activities like hiking, jogging and bike riding.
5. Don’t Forget to Breathe. Kapalabhati is the recommended pranayam to do daily in the spring as it promotes detoxification, healthy digestion and a lighter state of mind. Go here for a tutorial.

Sloughing off the heaviness of winter is the main guide to health in the spring. The goal is not only to lighten up the physical body but also the mental and emotional bodies which are also affected by the seasons. Naps are not advisable during spring as they slow digestion and aggravate kapha. Try to stay up and enjoy the daytime. If you feel tired or restless, enjoy some restorative yoga!

Wabi-Sabi

One of the highlights of our anatomy training is when we learned about the spine. We looked at each others’ spines standing erect and folded forward. One of the physical therapists teaching us anatomy spotted a student who had scoliosis. We all gathered around to take a look. As the student bent forward, the uneveness in her spine became amazingly prominent. Many of us were so focused on the apparent “wrongness” of her spine that we were gasping in awe.

The therapist looked around and started to point out what we had missed. “Look how beautiful and even her hips are. Look how even her shoulders are.”

It was true. She was perfectly aligned. We had failed to notice all that was right with her pose because we were looking at what appeared to be wrong.

Our anatomy teacher commented on the beauty of scoliosis, marveling that, “The body will do what it needs to do so you are upright in the world.”

This reminded me of the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. The idea that the imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete are beautiful. And not just in terms of physical imperfections. Wabi-Sabi goes much deeper and is more of an “aesthetic consciousness that transcends appearance.”

A growing interest in anatomy is one of the reasons I’m in this training in the first place. The more I practiced yoga, the more I became curious about my own muscles, bones, and how they function. The more I saw how body movements affected my state of mind and being, the more I wanted to learn the how and the why.

Every week I have fascinating experiences that confirm my choice to make this investment. We are just scratching the surface of anatomy and how it relates to yoga, but I feel like a clear path of learning is being laid out for me to travel in the years to come.

Read the rest of Monique’s article here.

We asked our Yoga One Teacher Trainees for their reflections from week four of the course.

Janssen: What I love the most about teacher training is how immersed I feel in all of it – it’s like my whole life starts on Fridays!

Lynne: What I like most about TT is getting to spend hours and hours and hours with inspirational people in an inspirational space for eight weeks without losing my inspiration for it.

Amy: Being a student!  I love all the information I am learning.

Kim: I love the group support by all the trainees. Everyone gets along well. After a weekend together and what seems like a short four days in between, everyone is happy to be back together the next weekend, focused on the asana, meditation, anatomy and philosophy teachings.

Anna: As a beginner yogini, Teacher Training has commenced my yoga life in right posture, with all the information I need to maintain health and balance!

Romy: The awareness it has brought to my own practice, my life, myself, that everything is BALANCE. Love and Balance!

Dina: The best thing I have loved about training is what kind of person it is shaping me to be. Of course, learning so much about yoga, alignment, philosophy, and anatomy has been an incredible and vital part of the program but truthfully, I am better for having taken part in this journey. I think about everyday items differently and am becoming a more understanding person.

I leave each weekend feeling more inspired than the last to teach with even half as much love as my teachers and it always amazes me how beautiful and thoughtful our world can really be.

Amy, Michael and Diana have put together a program unlike any other and I feel blessed just to be able to learn from such gifted, gracious yogis. Oh, and the beautiful yogis, fellow trainees, are incredible people too!

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!

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

 

 

 

Dear readers, I’m excited to share with you today our very first guest post from the lovely and multi-talented, Sharyn Greenberg! To find out more about Ayurveda, living with the seasons and how your personal dosha impacts your health, come to Sharyn’s workshop, The Basics of Ayurveda: The Elements and Your Dosha, this Sunday (11/18) from 4-6pm. You can read more and register here. 

If you’ve ever felt frazzled and blown about during these autumn months, then you already know that seasonal changes have a profound effect on the body, mind and spirit! Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, advocates living in tune with the seasons: eating seasonal food, engaging in appropriate exercise and reflecting on the energies that are most abundant during a specific time of year. With this wisdom, we are able to take a profound and active role in staying healthy and happy despite the winds of change.

Autumn is ruled by the air and space elements, a combination Ayurveda refers to as vata, which has cold, light, dry, rough, and moving qualities. Vata is responsible for all the mobility within the body such as elimination, respiration, nerve impulses, thoughts and even speech. Vata is one of three doshas (your physical and mental constitution) and it’s the one that goes out of balance the easiest, leaving you vulnerable to discomfort, scattered thoughts and at a greater risk of getting sick.

Consider the following scenario:

You wake up feeling sore and achy, as though you tossed and turned all night. Before your eyes even open, a laundry list of things to do floods your mind. You think about going to a morning yoga class, but instead go to make coffee and do some light cleaning and before you know it, you’ve missed the class. Sit down for breakfast? Who has time for that?! You contemplate the quickly approaching holiday season… the mind jumps nervously from one idea to the next. Eventually, you make your way outside, feel the cool air against your skin as brown and orange leaves swirl around your feet. Your skin feels dry and you wish you’d remembered to throw the hand lotion in your bag. Good thing you brought a jacket, it’s chilly!

If this sounds like your typical morning, it’s time to reign in your aggravated vata dosha! Below are a few tips to help pacify the seasonal uproar:

1. Eat warm, nourishing meals. Good breakfast ideas are warm grain cereals (oats or quinoa) cooked with an apple and cinnamon and topped with ghee. Soups are great for later in the day, as well as lightly steamed seasonal vegetables. Autumn brings all sorts of delicious produce: leafy greens, squash, persimmons and leeks, to name a few. Visit your local farmer’s market and explore new ways of cooking. If you like raw food, try adding spices to warm you up and activate digestion. Avoid foods and beverages that are ice cold. Some herbs to keep on hand and use throughout the season include: pepper, ginger, nutmeg, chili pepper, cinnamon and clove.

2. Take time to rest. As mentioned earlier, vata controls movement and too much movement (physical or mental) can aggravate the dosha, causing you to feel worn out and depleted. Set aside a few minutes every day to sit in stillness and take deep, full breaths. Get enough sleep at night so you wake up feeling rested. Remember, rest is key to avoiding sickness.

3. Practice self-massage. In India, the practice of abhiyanga (self-massage) is performed daily or even twice a day. It’s a great way to nourish the skin and protect it from dryness while allowing toxins to slide off rather than penetrate the body. Massage also stimulates the lymphatic system which boosts immunity. Use sesame oil (not toasted!) Apply generously over the entire body, even the head, scalp, and especially the feet. Let the oils settle into the skin for a few minutes before taking a warm shower or bath.

4. Move! Vata is calmed by heat. Engage in physical activity to create internal heat. Take a brisk walk around your neighborhood, choose the stairs over the elevator, head to the studio for a yoga class. Just be careful not to over-do it! In your yoga practice, flowing through vinyasas is great but also try holding poses longer as a way to ground the body and mind.

Yoga has the power to heal our aches and pains, stimulate us or calm us down, fill us with joy, purpose and freedom – all of which keep us coming back for more as students. But sometimes yoga brings up more questions than answers.

If you find yourself wondering why you feel so good after yoga class; if you glimpse the deep peace of savasana but want a roadmap on how to find your way back; if you feel the difference yoga has made in your life and want to share peace, health and well-being with your family, friends and maybe the world at large – yoga teacher training is the right place for you!

Teacher Training is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the study of yoga so you can bring that power more fully into your life and into the lives of others. Even if you aren’t sure about teaching yoga, teacher training is an ideal place to explore your practice and delve deeper into all aspects of yoga – the physical, emotional, philosophical, historical, and spiritual underpinnings of the practice.

Our instructors are top-notch and have over 50 years of combined teaching experience. This upcoming course will be our 7th annual and each year gets better and better. We hope you will join us for the adventure! For more information, email us at info@yogaonesandiego.com or give us a call at 619-294-7461.

Stepping Through the Door 

I had been aware of Yoga One’s studio for six years before I stepped through the door for the first time. My office looked down onto the small businesses along 7^th Avenue, but not until losing a fight with a very heavy piece of furniture would we become acquainted. After numerous physical therapies, acupunctures and injections, I finally found myself sitting in a spinal surgeon’s office faced with the grim reality that my options were running out and going under the knife was looking more and more likely. Reviewing our final options, the surgeon asked if I’d tried yoga before. I hadn’t and immediately my internal Wikipedia pulled up the image of the sign outside the studio that was my only point of reference to this strange-sounding word.

I think it’s part of the curse of being British that we fear embarrassment more than speaking in public or large spiders, but I can honestly say walking to my first class that I was absolutely terrified. Perhaps I had built up an undefined, slightly suspect, pre-conception of exactly what went on behind that door, but it was certainly nothing I had experienced before. The mat, the blocks, the blankets, the belt; all so confusing. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was having a defining life moment. As confident as I might have been in other areas, in this world, I felt painfully self-conscious and overwhelmed. I had no idea what to do or say and I kept looking at the door.

Just at the point when anxiety was getting the better of me and I was getting up to leave, a soft voice spoke. Wren introduced herself and asked me how I was and if I had any physical issues. Her voice was so kind, I couldn’t help but feel that no matter what was going to happen in the next hour, I was in very good hands. And so over the coming months, I was introduced to this undiscovered country; the practice of yoga. Slowly but surely, the omnipresent pain in my lower back left my body. When I think about the alternative route that I might have taken, it reminds me that important decisions in life are sometimes defined by very small moments.

Stepping through Yoga One’s door was really just the start and the subsequent journey over nearly two years has been a joy. Sharing my journey with new friends and fabulous instructors along the way has been the true reward. I am profoundly grateful to Michael and Amy for providing this oasis in my life. 

If you’re reading this and have reservations about trying something new that sounds like a character from Star Wars, then I encourage you not to wait six years before walking through the door. For me, every time I feel the base of my spine and there is no scar I am reminded of why I’m glad I did. I hope you are too.

Birds migrate, snows melt, green sprouts poke their courageous heads out of the earth, ready to live. It’s time to shrug off those winter blues and embrace warmer weather and a fresh start. While the San Diegan climate doesn’t allow for a lot of seasonal variation when it comes to temperature or rainfall, it’s hard to miss all the trees and flowers in bloom and the lengthening hours of daylight. With the official start of Spring right around the corner, the vernal equinox on March 20th, perhaps some yogic spring cleaning is in order. Here are five ways to re-center, re-invest and re-vitalize your commitment to your yoga practice!

1. Change it up! If you regularly go to the same class with the same instructor, try mixing up your schedule. Don’t worry about abandoning your favorite instructor, there’s a reason you love their teaching style and you’ll definitely be back. All it takes are a few words from a new teacher that strike you personally or the way your body feels doing a different type of yoga to renew your energy and passion.
2. Take the reins and actively direct your study of yoga. Re-invest in your education by signing up for a workshop, a private lesson or even making the leap to join the next Yoga One Teacher Training. Purchase or check out from the library a new book on yoga, read or re-read the Sutras. When you open the door to knowledge, you get to form new connections with yourself and the world around you.
3. Lighten up your diet. Don’t worry, this isn’t an injunction saying you must eat this and never eat that and so on. From a purely health-oriented perspective, I think we can all agree that more fruits and veggies are the way to go. Bonus points if they’re raw. When you eat healthy food, your body gets the nutrients it needs to help you feel lighter and more alert both on and off your mat.
4. Get a change of scenery, starting with your wardrobe. It’s no secret that we’re drawn to certain colors and assign them emotional meanings; so choose to wear colors that inspire you and represent the energy you’d like to have and project to others. Ditch the black and try out a fresh green, exuberant white or daring hot pink and notice the difference in your warrior two.
5. Break out of old habits by experiencing each pose as if you were brand new to yoga. We’ve said it before, begin again. When in doubt, focus on the breath. Take a few minutes each day to sit with yourself in silent meditation. By increasing your mindfulness, you welcome a heightened awareness into your everyday life which can lead to less anxiety and a clearer sense of purpose.