Posts In: off the mat

Brittany teaches a Level 2, Flow class on Thursdays at 5:30pm. Join us in person at our Mission Hills studio or online via Zoom. Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register or for more information.

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

I find yoga showing up almost everywhere. I channel my yoga practice to keep me balanced in both life and work. Sometimes I’ll enjoy a strong tadasana (mountain pose), while standing in line at the grocery store or even try a fun balancing pose! 

While working through a challenge at work, the practice of intentional, deep breathing allows me to stay present. Yoga also shows up as yoga whenever I teach and/or take an online or in-person class with my favorite peeps at my all-time favorite studio, Yoga One 🙂 

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

Amy Caldwell once said: the quality of your foundation relies on presence. This really hit home for me. Although I am not focused on this as often as I would like, I find that when I am present, soaking in all that is around me (the good and bad), I can work through challenges with a little more ease or enjoy those heartburst moments with a little more gratitude.  

3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why? This is a tough one!  I cannot choose… so instead, here are my go-to’s in San Diego:

Best Cali Burrito and Pollo Asada Quesadilla: La Perla

Best Taquitos: Don Carlos

Best Carnitas Plate and Plain Quesadilla: Los Dos Pedros

And Why??? They all just taste so great, or bring some wonderful memories; which are usually connected to a good surf session and a tasty brew.

Ben leads an All Levels Candlelight Flow class on Wednesdays at 7pm Pacific. Join us in person at our Mission Hills studio or online via Zoom. Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register or for more information.

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

Yoga is showing up for me in more subtle ways than before, in more of my daily, ordinary life tasks and routines. The differences between on and off my mat are becoming less stark and more fluid. Yoga is showing up in my relationships and interactions with others, I’m seeing myself in more and different ways and seeing myself in more and different people. My practice of yoga is becoming a practice of life.

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

The most noticeable growth is how I’m finding my authenticity, both as a student and as a teacher. The more authentic I can be as a student, the more my teachers are able to see ways to offer assistance. And the more authentic I can be as a teacher, the more my students are able to see my skills and limitations; where I can offer assistance and where I cannot. It’s a practice, but I find I have more time to discover my authentic self when I’m not trying to be what I think others expect from a student or a teacher.

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

My favorite burrito is a bean and cheese, add rice and guacamole with a side of sour cream for dipping. My best friend would order one like this when I was younger. One day I ordered it and I was hooked ever since. And now, whenever I eat this burrito I think of her.

by Amy Caldwell

Ask anyone who practices meditation regularly and they’ll tell you: it’s never the same experience when you sit. Sometimes you experience stillness in your body, but not your mind. Sometimes you experience inner stillness, but not in the body. Sometimes it’s both, sometimes it’s neither.

As COVID-19 continues and tensions run high, consider trying this acronym for your meditation practice: ARGH!

A: Allow – give yourself permission to sense, think, feel – and meet yourself with compassion.

R: Relax – use tools such as deep breathing and yoga practices to help you relax.

G: Gather – be kind while gathering your attention on whatever is needed, your breath, your conversation, or the task at hand…

H: Help – help one another. Allow yourself to be helped AND help those in need.

“An emotion like anger (that’s an automatic response) lasts just ninety seconds from the moment it is triggered until it runs its course. When it lasts any longer…it’s because we’ve chosen to rekindle it.” 

– Jill Bolte Taylor, author, In My Stroke of Insight

Remember that your meditation practice is simply practice. Instead of focusing on something you can’t control (the quality of your experience), try to focus on what’s immediately accessible (like noticing the present moment and slowing your breath). When we do this, we can take our practice off of our mats and into our daily lives. <3

by Laura McCorry

When I think about meditation, I think about sitting down someplace like this: quiet, peaceful, with yellow butterflies (the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) flitting from blossom to blossom.

But being Mama to two little ones, I don’t always get to sit down when I meditate.

Sometimes meditation is simply the awareness of my own breath, breathing in, breathing out. Answering a question about turtles. Bringing my focus to the warmth of the sun on my back. Feeling a small fist close in a vise around my index finger as we walk further along the path. Breath in, breath out.

Even if I had arrived to this spot without the children, who both pull me away and bring me back to the present moment, the world interposes itself.

I can hear the rumble of a backhoe across the street, and the rush of traffic on a major road just on the other side of the park. I stay focused on the butterflies, and the dragonflies, but then come the bees, and the mosquitoes, and the ticks.

It’s hard to welcome it all in, to simply brush away the undesirable (and sometimes it’s scary). But this is the practice – of both meditation and life.

It’s not just quiet and butterflies. Life is also noise and chaos and the wide kaleidoscope of living things all sharing the same living earth and life-giving sun. Breath in, breath out. Can you see that we are all one?

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

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

Contact: laura(AT)yogaonesandiego(DOT)com

AMNESIA

Once again
I’ve confused rigidity for strength,
domination for embodiment.

I’ve missed opportunities for appreciation
for acceptance
for love.

We know in our minds.
We feel in our hearts.

And yet we forget.
We get lost,
confused.
Amnesia of the spirit.

What if the only purpose of life
is to communicate love?
Through our breath
Through our body
Through our thoughts
Through our words
Through our actions
Through our relationships
Through our life
Through our being

Begin again.
Every day.
Every moment.
Every breath.
A chance to wake up.

*****

BELIEFS

How do they form?
How do they shape and filter
the way we view ourselves,
each other, the world?

We look to some beliefs
to help guide positive thought and action,
such as Ahimsa (non-violence),
or a vision of sameness,
to see ourselves in others,
or to (radically) love ourselves…

But perhaps any belief
comes with a small weight,
what we should be or do.

Maybe the next step
is to let go of the belief.

To realize that we already are the same.
We already are love.
We always have been.
We don’t have to think it,
or believe it,
we can just be it.
We
Are
It.

by Laura McCorry

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

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

Contact: laura(AT)yogaonesandiego(DOT)com

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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 Lauren Dickson.

1. Why do you practice yoga? 

I practice yoga for so many reasons – from self-exploration to stress management in my daily life. I love that yoga increases my mindfulness and awareness of myself and the world around me.

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

Not always being able to offer one “right” or “best” way to practice when a student had a specific problem. It was hard to balance the organic and natural openness I feel a good teacher should have, while still being okay with being a student myself.

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

Seeing students find moments of ease and peace within their practice!

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be: Annie Leibovitz, a portrait photographer. I love that she captures the present moment exactly as it is and celebrates it for what it is.

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

Working (and practicing) towards living a balanced life, mentally and physically.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?

You can find me in the Nook and subbing at our downtown location, plus I teach offsite corporate classes. 🙂

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

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 Kairou Chiou.

1. Why do you practice yoga? 

I practice simply because I’ve experienced the myriad benefits of yoga physically, emotionally, spiritually. I feel stronger, more confident, more at ease with myself and capable of facing life’s challenges.

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

Being vulnerable. I was scared that I didn’t know enough. I thought, “Who am I to teach about yoga when I am still learning?”

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

Witnessing and experiencing personal growth for myself and for my students. I love to see students overcome challenges and obstacles and to share in their excitement and empowerment.

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be: first thought… I don’t know why… sherpa blanket. Fluffy, white, clean, comforting.

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

I see all of life as my yoga inspiration. Everything has become a yogic lesson – people, events, situations. Yoga has become my first response.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?

I teach a Level 2 Flow class on Thursdays at noon. It’s an “advanced” yoga class, one that challenges not only the physical body but more specifically our mental and emotional selves.

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

Yoga is a practice that creates space, perspective, opportunity and accessibility for a life that can be fulfilling, gratifying, and empowering.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

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

Caitlin McPhee:

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

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

Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

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

Amy Freeman, Yoga One Teacher:

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

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

by Hannah Faulkner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hannah Faulkner
Guest Writer

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

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Do you take your yoga with you when you travel? 

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

Heather Fenwick, Yoga One Teacher and World Traveler:

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

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

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

 

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 Lynne Officer.

1. Why do you practice yoga? 

Yoga helps my body and my heart reset. It amazes me how just a few intentional breaths can make me feel more grounded, connected to myself, and free of the story line going on in my head.

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

The most intimidating thing was trying to get the words and cues in my head to come out of my mouth. I also felt super nervous when an experienced yogi or another yoga teacher was in class. This nervousness still comes up for me almost 10 years in.

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

It gives me a lot of joy when new people come back. I know how hard it can be to get a yoga practice going in the beginning. I think people are really courageous to show up again and again. 🙂

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, 

etc…it would be: Whoomp There It Is by Tag Team.

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

I feel really inspired by the poem The Guest House by Jelaluddin Rumi. It’s been really powerful to think of everything as temporary and something to honor, dark and light.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One? 

I teach the Monday evening 5:30 pm Vinyasa Flow Level 1 & 2 class.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

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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 Hannah Rae Block.

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I found the practice of yoga when I first moved to San Diego in 2012 and it became an integral part of my recovery from my eating disorder. For me, the practice cultivated balance and bridged the gap between my body, mind, and spirit. My intention when I practice and teach is to let it flow through me, I want to be carried by the wave, letting go of control and feeling every moment of it.

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

The most intimidating aspect of my teaching when I first started was standing in front of a community and offering a part of myself through my teaching.

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

I find the most joy as a yoga teacher in the moments of genuine connection and alignment. There is a synchronicity, a space of understanding, a progression, to be a part of that, to be a witness to it, fills me immensely.

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc… it would be: I like yoga =)

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

To pinpoint one inspiration is hard. I am inspired in so many ways. At the core, my inspiration comes from the desire to share the healing and transformation that I have experienced through yoga with others. The practice is so expansive, there is never an end point, I will never arrive. That is inspiring.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?

I teach a Level 1 and 2 Gentle Flow on Tuesday nights at 7:30pm.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

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 Heather Fenwick.

 

1. Why do you practice yoga?

I practice yoga these days more for the mental and emotional benefits. I love combining the idea of sthira and sukha (effort and ease) while sitting in a traffic jam, or during a difficult conversation.

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

My first teacher training didn’t include any actual practice teaching, so putting together the words and phrases was a great challenge for me. It wasn’t until later that I was even able to observe a classroom properly so that I could give appropriate feedback! (I can’t blame my teacher trainers though, as that program was jam-packed with useful information!)

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

Teaching yoga is often the best part of my day! I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can make the world a better place, and while I would love to wave a magic wand so that every single person is driven primarily by empathy and compassion, I realize that teaching yoga takes a close second. When we feel good, when we can observe our strengths and our faults, when we can approach pleasure and suffering with equanimity, then we can spread joy, acceptance, and altruism out into the world around us.

4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc… it would be: Jim James’s voice of My Morning Jacket. I melt into bliss as my heart cracks open and spills forth.

5. What’s your yoga inspiration?

Every single moment is my yoga inspiration. We are here to perfect the art of living, but not necessarily to live “perfectly.” When I’m in line at the grocery store and catch myself planning out my next 8 steps in my list of things to do – I try to take a single conscious breath, look around me and notice what is true in the Here and Now.

For me, living my yoga is when I can hold my head high in times of disappointment or “failure,” and if I can take success with humility and acknowledge that we are all interconnected.

6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?

I teach Wednesdays Level 1-2 Flow at noon, as well as offsite corporate classes.

You can find our full class schedule here. Om!

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

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

Here are some of our favorite highlights:

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

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

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

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

How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?

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

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

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

by Amy Caldwell

Meditation

What is the point of all this if not to be here now?
How can I remember sooner when lost?
Remember more often?

Portals into knowing slip away
separation, loneliness, depression, anxiety
sometimes accompany the loss

Running doing running doing

I want to remain in being
in peace
in oneness

I want to trust, completely
to learn how to dance gracefully with fear

To love with abandon
this moment
everything
right now
always

 

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

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously”

by Osho

Summary: Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously examines the very human experience of fear and challenges the ways in which we would typically respond. A provocative spiritual teacher, Osho believes that change and uncertainty are opportunities for adventure instead of reasons to experience fear. He asks the reader to use these opportunities to deepen their understanding of themselves and the world. Osho writes that developing inner courage by facing your fears will lead to a more authentic and fulfilled life.

Why I Love It: One of the reasons Osho’s book is so reassuring to me is because it acknowledges that feeling fear is a natural and normal part of life. What matters more is not the experience of fear, but how we perceive fear and our reaction to it. I love the change in perspective that stayed with me after reading this book. I felt more free to accept life as one long journey to experience and enjoy rather than something to conquer or master.

I also love that Osho writes very directly without any fluff, which is such a relief after reading more dense texts. It sends the message that spiritual teaching needn’t be complicated even though the work itself might be very difficult.

Recommended For: This book is for the yogi ready and willing to look within and expand their consciousness. Osho was one of my first spiritual teachers and I’m grateful for all I’ve learned from him. For me, simply acknowledging that fear is not the be all, end all was very powerful. I hope this book inspires the reader to become curious about fear, to explore it without bias and bring to light whatever they find.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it.” – Osho

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.

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Yoga and Long Life” 

by Yogi Gupta

Summary: Books often have a way of coming into your life at just the right time, but I wish this book had found me sooner on my yoga journey!

“Yoga and Long Life” is best described as a “manual” but it covers a wide range of topics including the philosophy of yoga, food, health, and spirituality. My favorite quote is, “Through Yoga, a Hindu becomes a better Hindu, a Christian a better Christian, a Mohammedan a better Mohammedan, and a Jew a better Jew!”

As a yoga teacher, I’ve encountered a lot of people who fear trying yoga because they misunderstand it to be a religion. To me, yoga is a personal practice that creates more balance and compassion in my life – which I feel is compatible with every religion and culture.

I also resonated with Yogi Gupta’s knowledge of food and its effect on the mind, body, and spirit. He ate raw foods for twenty years and writes about the connection between a food’s color and its vibration. “[The color green] influences the heart, blood pressure and the emotions, and vitalizes the nerves. It also imparts wisdom, peace, harmony, sympathy and generosity.” No wonder green juice is so popular these days!

Why I love It: After twelve years of practicing yoga, I became a vegetarian. My friends and family couldn’t believe it (I am Italian and was raised on salami and parmesan cheese!). But yoga has helped me connect to my body and that has heightened my awareness about food choices. The transformation happened naturally and slowly. Reading “Yoga and Long Life” helped me more deeply understand why these transitions were happening in my life.

There are so many tips and tools I want to apply in my daily life, I highlighted passages I’d like to go back and read again. Sometimes I find yoga texts to be dense and I need to read them several times to fully grasp their meaning but this book flowed nicely and was very accessible – which I love.

Recommended For: Individuals who have been practicing yoga for awhile and are curious about why they like it so much!

Disconnection has become such a dangerous norm these days. It takes more discipline and compassion than ever to come back and live from our heart space. I recommend this book to those who are interested in self-study and truly connecting with the world around them.

I find most people connect with the physical yoga practice first and then want to know more about the how and why and what. For example, the yamas and niyamas. And if you have no idea what those are yet, then this book is perfect for you. I hope you enjoy it!

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

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

guest post by Arati Lane

Om
Yoga was back then, in my youth, the stuff you did with the body
Bending, stretching and breathing
And I knew how to do that and shine and be happy
So easy, like playing

And the depths and wisdom yoga has to offer,
The philosophy and psychology of it and how to apply all that…
Came very slowly. With maturity, with time.
With the need of it.

The longing and struggle that turns oneself inward
Away from the illusions of the world.
Yoga for the feeling, yoga for the thinking…
I need it to go through life.

Transformation into motherhood without yoga would have been so
isolating.
I learned relationships can have a foundation in yoga.
My yoga teachers support me in every way even though they have no
physical body anymore.

It’s very profound to have my life immersed in yoga on every level:

When I am sick or hurt, yoga heals me
When I am afraid, yoga soothes me
When I am lost, yoga is my guide
When it is dark, yoga gives light
Where there is ignorance, yoga gives love.

by Monique Minahan

Where is your sacred space? How does it receive you from the world? How does it release you back into the world?

I’ve come to understand sacred space as anywhere we offer or receive love, listening, beauty or life. Sometimes that space has walls that hold us and sometimes it has arms.

The word sacred shares the same root as the word sacrifice. Sacrifice, as in making an offering, not as in being a martyr. In our sacred spaces sometimes we offer up and sometimes we receive.

Sacred space is wherever I feel held; by the earth, by another human, by the walls, by the trees, by open sky, by open minds.

It’s wherever I hold; the earth in my hands, my baby in my arms, the polarities of life in my heart.

It’s wherever I feel listened to, validated, encouraged, seen.

It’s where reality is respected, fear is faced and the impossible becomes possible.

It’s where grief is practiced, vulnerability is nourished and love is planted.

It’s bigger than a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a yoga class or a cluster of crystals and talismans.

It receives me however I am, wherever I am. It releases me back to the world equal parts human and being, with my own unique offering alive and beating in my heart.

This piece originally published on The Huffington Post.

Monique Minahan
Contributing Writer

Mo is a writer and yoga teacher who believes in peace over happiness and love over fear. She likes to set her sights high and then take small steps to get there. You’ll find her walking the dirt path behind her house with her little fluffy dog, practicing walking her talk by keeping her head high and her heart open. Contact: moniqueminahan.com

by Laura McCorry

Have you always admired that person with the clutter-free, minimalist home but assumed it was a mythical ideal you’d never achieve? Minimalism doesn’t have to be a complete lifestyle change that has you throwing out all your stuff!

Increasing your awareness of how you interact with objects in everyday life can be hugely beneficial to your yoga practice, too. Minimalism is essentially the practice of Aparigraha – the yogic principle of non-hoarding, or non-possesiveness, and one of the five Yamas which describe a code of moral behavior.

Here are five easy steps you can take to make a minimalist impact on your day to day:

1. Identify everyday chores and do them everyday. Make the bed. Do the dishes. These will be different for everyone, but choose no more than five chores that you consider essential to enjoying your time at home. Take the time to accomplish these tasks first and then allow yourself to enjoy their completion. Learning to appreciate the everyday maintenance work you do is an important step towards feeling content with what you already have.

2. Take note of your shopping and buying habits. When do you accumulate more items in your home? Write down or think about everything new to cross your threshold in the last two weeks and decide if these items were things that you needed or things that you wanted. Becoming aware of the accumulation process will help you reduce the number of new things you bring into your home in the first place, which goes a long way towards eliminating the need to sort and downsize.

3. Start a give-away box and actually give it away. One of the major tenets of minimalism is actually down-sizing and living with less (surprise!). Pick a room or a closet or even just a shelf and get rid of any object you haven’t used in the last year. You can even start this task by mentally sorting ahead of time and then moving quickly through the manual sorting into keep and giveaway. Anything you couldn’t remember being in that location should automatically be considered for giveaway.

Another technique is to take everything out of the space, clean it thoroughly and then only put back what you want to keep. At the end of the day, take the box to your local thrift store. Take the time to enjoy your newly refreshed space.

4. Identify and eliminate redundancies. It’s natural to desire change and to update items in your home with the newest or trendiest version. If this is important to you, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a minimalist! The trick is to let go of the older version or the excess of what you already have.

Pick a category of items and decide how many of those items you need for your household to function well. Some categories to consider: cleaning supplies, linens, clothing, mugs or dish ware, and entertainment items like books, CDs and DVDs. When you change your focus from trying to carefully re-organize a closet to fit all the things to identifying the function of each thing, it becomes easy to see duplicates (or even triplicates) that can be let go.

5. Use sorting as an opportunity to give a gift to a friend. Sometimes just giving away items can feel overwhelming, especially if they were a gift or have sentimental value. For example, I recently decided to significantly downsize my jewelry and only keep what I regularly wear. There were many pieces with meaning from an earlier time in my life which I didn’t wear anymore and a surprising number of pieces I’d never liked in the first place. Some went straight to giveaway but others I chose to send to close friends who might enjoy them, writing a short note to say hello at the same time. It was a great way to pass on the jewelry I didn’t want to give away as well as reaffirm old friendships.

If you’re just getting started on your minimalist journey, start small and feel proud when you attempt even one of these suggestions. It takes time and dedication to see all the ways our mainstream “more is better” culture influences daily life. If you get stuck along the way, repeat this minimalist mantra: have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

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

“Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wellness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom” 

by B. K. S. Iyengar

Summary: Known throughout the world as one of the great yoga teachers, B. K. S. Iyengar touched many lives through his teachings and writings. In Light on Life, Iyengar shares his insight into the body, mind and spirit connection acquired throughout his lifetime of practice and teaching yoga. Exploring the spiritual and mental aspects of yoga, this book is the perfect counterpoint to Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, which focused on the physical practice. Written in a conversational tone, I felt as though I were sitting in one of his classes, enjoying each anecdote as they were revealed in his mind and heart.

Why I Love It: Timing is everything! They say that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I had tried to read this book many times but it didn’t hold my attention. It sat next to my bed for months until the day I decided to give it another try. Suddenly, I couldn’t put it down. I soaked up every word like a sponge. I had been feeling a lull in my teaching at the time and this book re-sparked my passion and sense of purpose. That connection made me love this book – you never know just when you’re ready to receive the message intended for you.

Recommended For: I recommend this book for anyone who is looking to discover yoga beyond asana (the physical poses.) Oftentimes, it is the physical practice that draws people in, but the sense of connection to a wider community, the deep sense of wellbeing and peace obtained from the mental and spiritual side of yoga is what keeps me coming back. This month I invite you to go deeper with your practice and your life!

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.

Cool. Jimi Hendrix, the Fonz and Nam Chantepie. The type of guy that upon first impression oozes a style, a charm, a persona… and the best part? The more you get to know him, the cooler you realize he is. Come take his Level 2 Vinyasa Flow on Thursday evenings at 6pm. Check out our full class schedule here.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga? 

Hatha Yoga. I like taking the time to really get into the pose and experience the alignment, muscular engagement and extension. Although I do enjoy flowing through a fun and interesting sequence, my home practice is more about exploring individual poses and the slow, deliberate transitions between them.

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

I was living a rather sedentary life, and had just ended a toxic six year relationship. Never having taken a single class before, I looked to yoga to help me transition back into the gym and get back into shape. What I actually got out of my first three months was a clearer head, a lighter heart, a freer spirit and a 30-pound lighter body, and I forgot all about the gym. Yoga lifted me up and showed me so many things I never expected or knew I could find on and off my mat.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now? 

Handstand. I’ve been committed to a daily handstand practice for almost a year. Only within the last 2 months have I finally found a sense of weightlessness and engagement in my handstands.

4. What pose is still the most challenging? 

Ustrasana (or camel pose) has always been a challenge for me. I have a nagging shoulder impingement that keeps me from fully drawing my shoulders back, so it is difficult for me to feel ease or opening in this pose. I almost always modify with my hands on my hips and squeezing a block between my thighs.

5. If you were an animal, you would be: Probably a monkey. Mostly because I’m a goofball and love inverting!

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: peaceful centered space to grow from

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

When I was three years old, my mom and I tried to escape from Vietnam. We were caught three times and sent to prison each time. So technically, my students are being taught by a multiple offending ex-con. 🙂

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

My first week of yoga, I had the honor of taking a class with Yoga One instructor Amy Freeman. Towards the end, I was really struggling and almost gave up on yoga altogether while unsuccessfully trying urdhva dhanurasana (full wheel pose).

Amy came up to me, gave me blocks to modify my pose and said, “It’s ok, you’re doing great. Think of where you’ll be a year from now.” Those words have stuck with me. Those are the words I think about every time I move into camel pose.

Yoga is not about achieving the perfect expression of the poses, it’s about incremental improvements and the humility to take a step back whenever your body needs it.

by Laura McCorry

What does it mean to practice yoga when your physical practice is greatly diminished or taken away entirely from illness or injury? 

Yoga grew out of a tradition that includes eight limbs (or tenets) for a complete practice. Asana, or the physical postures of yoga, is just one of those eight limbs. The others show up during yoga practice as well and contain the philosophical groundwork of the ancient practice. (You can do your own search to learn more or come to our upcoming 8 Limbs for a Whole Being workshop on May 3rd.)

I’ve experienced long withdrawals from my physical practice due to long-term injury and more recently, a period of several weeks wherein I’ve caught one virus after another. Neither condition is any fun because you’d much rather be well and able to move your body freely.

So what does it mean to be a yogi who cannot practice asana?

I started out feeling very sorry for myself and disconnected from most forms of yoga displayed on the internet. I didn’t want to see photos of handstands on the beach or “inspirational” videos of complicated pose transitions. But this is the showy side of yoga and if you dig deeper, there’s so much more.

Physical limitations give you many opportunities to practice non-attachment, or aparigraha. You must let go of what you used to be able to do. You learn to guard your heart against jealousy when others do what you cannot. There is always a choice in how and whether you respond to any given circumstance. Non-attachment means letting go of feeling bitter and lost and broken.

Yoga becomes a more internal experience. During asana practice, teachers often tell you to listen to your body. Without asana, you must listen to your state of mind. (tweet that) The lessons learned on your mat become even more important when you cannot use the gross tool of your body to process them. The mind is slipperier and harder to control.

I found new ways to measure my yoga practice. I could no longer count the number of sun salutations I did in class, but I could ask myself if I spent some time sitting in silence. Did I make the most loving decisions I could make? How long was I able to forget about myself while being present for another? Sometimes yoga meant doing something just because it brought joy into the world.

If you really practice yoga outside the studio and off your mat, you realize that you always have your breath. I learned to make time just to breathe consciously. This was my practice – to be aware of my breath moving in and out of the body, sustaining my life. To allow myself to be carried away by the sensation of breath until the mind gives up listing its grievances and to-do lists. Then you move beyond the awareness of breathing and for an unknowable space of time, you simply are. This is the good stuff. This is samadhi, or oneness with the universe, that all yoga practice seeks to achieve.

Asana is wonderful. It can help transform both body and mind. But it’s not the only path. If you must take a break from asana, do not mourn it for too long. The real work of becoming who you are meant to be is internal and the other limbs of yoga can reveal the process. Stay connected to yourself and to the experience of each moment. This is how yoga moves with you and carries you through times of adversity.

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 Monique Minahan

If walking down the street was a yoga pose, how would we do it? Would we walk more mindfully, consciously, and with attention to how our breath informs our every step?

by Olivia Cecchettini

Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison

Summary: The 365 meditations in this book integrate the mindfulness that yoga teaches into our everyday lives. Each day the meditation begins with a quote from a wide range of beautiful souls that will touch your heart followed by more wise words from the authors to inspire self inquiry, self love, and service. Read it daily or a few entries at a time, whatever feels right in the moment, but take time to digest and let the words settle in deep.

Why I love it: I love this book for many reasons. First, I love quotes! The meaning of profound words changes daily based on my perspective, how I’m feeling and what I relate to in that moment. I love this because you can re-read the same quote everyday for a week and it will continuously have many layers to uncover and take in. Secondly, having something tangible like a book to connect me to body, mind and soul while I meditate is a powerful tool that keeps me feeling balanced and happy.

Recommended for: Anyone who wants to bring more meditation into their lives. Whether it is two deep breaths with your eyes closed or 20 minutes in a seated position, you have to start where you are without judgment. Meditation is a place to stop, breathe and reconnect inward. As we begin to live our lives from the inside out, we create space for peace and healing to come forward creating more compassion and joy within.

I had this book for three years before I finished reading it all the way through, so take your time! Meditations From the Mat can be a great addition to your everyday ritual but it’s okay if that doesn’t happen. The book will always be waiting for you whenever you’re ready, and so will your cushion. Practice and all is coming. Light and love.

“In this free-spirited journey to the heart of yoga, Rolf guides us, through daily meditations,to finding the appropriate balance between standing firm and surrendering to flow—the key to peace of mind.”

– Beryl Bender Birch

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.