Posts In: iYoga

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

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

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

Q: What brought you to San Diego?

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

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

Q: How did you begin modeling

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

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

Q: What would surprise us about fitness modeling?

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

Q: How do you define health and beauty?

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

Q: What is your vision for Yoga One?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More info on the process:

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