Posts In: peace

Our mission at Yoga One is to help you live a healthier and happier life. Through mindfulness and movement, yoga supports your overall wellbeing while also releasing fear, decreasing anxiety, and cultivating a sense of peace. Yoga is a powerful force for connection.

3 Ways to Practice Yoga and Foster Connection at Home

1. Stream Yoga One Classes Online

Yoga One is happy to be able to continue sharing the joys and benefits of yoga and community with you online via Zoom live interactive classes. See our full class schedule here.

Here’s how to practice with us online: When you pre-register for a class online, you’ll be emailed a unique viewing link to practice alongside your favorite instructor live. Download Zoom on your device (tablet, phone, computer) and have your charging cable nearby if needed. Then simply roll out your mat, test your audio, and enjoy your practice!

All memberships, class packages, and drop-in rates will apply – click here for more information.

2. Private Instruction over Videochat

Did you know you can set up a one-time or recurring private lesson online? It’s a unique experience from an in-person lesson and there are some serious benefits: tailored instruction for your body and how you’re feeling that very day, practice in the comfort of your home, enjoy deepening your knowledge of yoga from one of our highly trained teachers. Email info@yogaonesandiego.com to find out more.

3. Home Practice

If you’ve ever wanted to practice yoga at home, now is the time! Practicing yoga by yourself deepens your relationship to yoga, to your body and to mindfulness. How long to hold a pose? It’s up to you! Move and breathe in the moment exactly the way that serves you best. Yeah! Here are 6 Ways to Build a Home Yoga Practice. 

Check out Yoga One’s newest class offering with Heather Fenwick, Gentle Flow with Mellow Grooves. Join us Sundays, 4:20pm-5:30pm.

Yoga One: What excites you the most about this class?

Heather: This class is exciting because we get to listen to awesome music WHILE we’re doing yoga! Oftentimes yoga teachers play soft, background music during class to keep the focus on the postures and breathwork. While this is a really wonderful idea, I also believe that listening to music can be a yoga practice in and of itself – we can tune in to what’s happening in the present moment by getting lost in a song, and let the music guide our yoga journey.

Also, doing gentle yoga on a Sunday evening helps set the tone for a well-balanced, calm transition into the work week – a pretty genius way to enjoy the weekend’s finale.

Yoga One: What are your playlist inspirations?

Heather: Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin got me hooked on proper music when I was in college, but they really just started to blaze the trail for musical inspiration from everywhere. These days, I love the Bahamas, DJ Drez, Tycho, even Thievery Corporation keeps putting out solid tunes… I’m also open to any suggestions from fellow music lovers – please feel free to hit me up on Facebook (Heather Fenwick) or Instagram (recoveringgypsy).

Yoga One: What do you hope your students will feel or experience?

Heather: My wish for these students, and for all beings, is to feel chilled out, happy, and connected. The pace of life around us moves all too quickly… so slowing down and enjoying seemingly little moments is good for our health, wellness, and ability to shine brightly in the world around us!

Yoga One: Thanks Heather, can’t wait to join you for class! You can find our full class schedule here. Ommm.

by Laura McCorry

I’m still rather new to minimalism. I love the concept – a clutter-free home that invites both unexpected guests and private relaxation. But the practice of de-owning often feels overwhelming and exhausting.

In July, I was invited to participate in a 30-day declutter group hosted online. It was great to have the support of other people in the group and to have a pre-set monthly schedule of different areas of the house to tackle each day. It usually didn’t take me more than ten or fifteen minutes, and every day I found items I could place in a large cardboard box marked for donation.

Then the cardboard box sat in a corner of my bedroom for three months. Does this sound familiar? Sometimes the follow-through is the hardest part. But just last week – last week! – I made a trip to a household hazardous waste site (don’t throw your batteries in the trash, people!), electronics recycling, and a local charity that accepts household and clothing donations. It only took about an hour.

When it doesn’t take very much time, why is it still so hard to let go?

So often in life, I find myself clinging and grasping. I keep letters from loved ones, gifts that remind me of people, books that remind me of people. I try to hold on to the idea and experience of my toddler as an infant, and I feel a kind of desperation every time I realize another day has finished, never to return.

One of the eight limbs of Yoga is Aparigraha, which translates as non-greed, non-attachment, non-grasping. Fear teaches us to cling tight, even to things which can’t be held. When we let go, maybe prying open one finger at a time, we find Trust, Plenitude, Equanimity. (These words that don’t have an everyday coinage because they’re so frequently out of circulation.)

To what (or to whom) do you find yourself clinging most often? Is there physical or emotional baggage holding you back from feeling a sense of peace with the present moment?

Yoga’s emphasis on the present moment actually helps me to be a better minimalist. When I shift my focus to what actually matters, right this very moment, it’s easier to see how so many objects in my life belong to the past or to an as-yet-unrealized future. As Autumn’s full glory approaches, I intend to simplify my home and my routines, letting go of excess to better appreciate the things, people, and routines that serve me best right now.

Thoreau himself embraced yogic values with his injunction to “simplify, simplify.” Let go of grasping and see what fills your hands and your heart.

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

by Amy Caldwell

Life is fragile
enjoy each day
make time to be
grateful
joyful
playful

We know this life is temporary
why not live
like it’s our last day

Be kind
love
see the good
don’t sweat the small stuff
be here now
find a way

All the things we know to be true
but forget because we get busy
and distracted
and afraid
let’s choose to remember
and when we forget,
remember again,
sooner

What would we change if we could
if we can, why not try
if we can’t, how can we find peace
with what is
sometimes terrifying
sometimes heart breaking
one human moment at a time
one moment in time

What is it that helps us remember
our aliveness
our connection to breathing
our power to love completely
just humans being

Life as we know it
could end tomorrow
why not
be
here
now

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.

guest poem by Tiffany Brown

I realized sometime recently that I had lost this.
This ability to sit. Stand. Be. Still.
I am moving, texting, calling, playing.
Always.
I often put down the tech for the joy of real life activity but never for stillness.
Never to be bored.
Never to be unstimulated.
My free moments have been raided. Captured by the little blue f, the Clash of Clans, the internet.
My children will remember me in their childhood and it will often be the view of the top of my head as I look down at a lit screen.
I do not simply sit in the sun. Or on the porch. Or in the car.
I do not give myself time to ponder. To think.
I wonder now what we are losing when we lose this.
Because I am not alone. I am not unique.
We are all losing the art of stillness.
Of simply being.
And with this loss comes a new sense of stillness.
A new sense of connection.
And it is with our smart phone, our kindle, our tablet.
This is now our alone time.
Connected to millions.
I am not sure yet if it is better, or worse.
But I am very aware of it being different.

by Olivia Cecchettini

I turn on the news and all I hear is violence and it stuns my heart
because I have cultivated a life of peace.

It’s astounding to me that we are still killing each other
over race, sexuality, religion, and so on…

The human race has advanced so far
in technology, in space exploration, in medicine,
but what have we learned about our treatment of other humans?

What have we learned about connecting to one’s own spirit?
What is it worth, your spiritual survival?

We are so far removed from our neighbors
from our rainforest
from our compassion
from our hearts
that we are numb to the world around us
and we have lost touch with the world within us.

Every day I see people who suffer physical and emotional pain,
these two are intertwined with little separation.

The body speaks. Listen.

This is yoga – more than physical postures –
yoga connects the physical, mental, emotional selves
into one spiritual Self.

We look outside ourselves,
never thinking that everything lies within.

But the world is changing day by day,
I believe there is a wave of passionate, intelligent people creating change,

The kind of change that starts within –
within our reactions,
within our suffering,
within our humanity,
within our hope for the next generation.

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 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 Monique Minahan

I sit on the Earth herself and hold a smooth rock in the palm of each hand. I dug them up when we moved into our house and I use them when I need extra grounding, like today.

Mooladhara chakra is rooted in survival and threatened by fear. It’s located at the literal “root” of our bodies; the Sanskrit word moola meaning “root” or “foundation.” Its location differs for men and women. For me, I visualize it deep in the cervix. 

“Lammmmmmm. Lammmmmm.”

I start with the beeja mantra Lam because sound has always calmed and focused me on a deep level very quickly. The mantra lets me start low. From there I travel within. Deeper than I want to go. 

I allow my thoughts to keep running, and for the moment I descend into the breath. It changes from a natural breath to ujjayi pranayam, and I focus on it like my life depends on it. Because in so many ways it does. 

Once I feel grounded here, the rocks heavy in my hands and my breath steady and full, I feel safe to explore. 

Now I can dance with fear. Now I can speak with fear directly. Now I can feel my fear without being swept away. I’ve been running from her ever since she showed her face during a recent illness.

Sitting with my fear is uncomfortable. It is sticky. It is all mud and no lotus. I want to run but I stay put. I stay present. I keep breathing, I keep observing, I keep listening.

Eventually I open my eyes for nasikagra drishti, nose-tip gazing. This is one of the traditional meditations for mooladhara and inviting my attention to hover just above the skin anchors my vision, which helps steady my mind.

Before emerging, I come back into my breath.

I visualize each successive exhale traveling down through the root of my body, into the ground beneath me, winding its way through layers of earth and liquid until it reaches the intensely hot inner core of our planet.

Then I imagine my inhale drawing all that earth energy back up, through layers of earth and liquid, up through the ground beneath me and into my root chakra.

Nothing outside me has changed, but something inside has shifted. Like the rocks I dug from the earth, I sense my fear has been unearthed, acknowledged and respected. In the pause before I move, I savor this moment of feeling both connected and free, grounded and lightened, human and being.

Part 2 of a 7 part series. You can find Part 1 here: Ajna, The Third Eye.

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

Don’t do yoga. Step onto your mat with your bare feet. Breathe. Pick a yoga pose, any pose. But don’t do it; at least not the way in which you’re accustomed. Arrange your arms and legs and body to take up the outer form of the pose, then wait.

Breathe. Feel the yoga pose spread from your center and push out into the edges of your body, refining. Don’t move so much as expand by millimeters wherever it tells you to make space.

Start on the outside. Soften skin, then muscle. Then ligaments and tendons and bones. Let go everywhere except those isolated muscles needed to hold you steady.

Then go inside. Soften your thoughts, your feelings. Can you let go of your fears? Allow a thin mist to drape over your dreams and ambition.

Still don’t practice the yoga pose. Allow the yoga pose to practice you, to work on you and through you.

You’ll know when it’s finished. You’ll feel the weight of your body humming the same low tones as the rooted trees in the forest. You’ll become aware of your own absolute stillness. This is what comes after.

When Yoga becomes subject and you become the object acted upon, what comes after is the real fruit of your practice. After exertion, the deep peace of stillness. After the rough seas of life, the wide, clear expanse of your own soul.

 

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 Complete Guide to Yin Yoga”

by Bernie Clark

Summary: The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga provides a great in-depth look at the practice and benefits of Yin Yoga. All forms of yoga provide benefits on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels but Yin Yoga is practiced at a reduced pace. Poses are held for up to five minutes at a time, which allows deep access to the body’s connective tissues, ligaments, fascia, joints, bones, energetic channels, meridians, nerves and even the blood system. Now that’s some serious body work!

The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga includes break downs of over 30 yin poses, making this book the perfect tool to help you slow down and bring your home practice to life.

Why I Love It: This book helps me slow down, a lesson that has never been easy. Over the past year and especially in the past six months, my life has become very full as I take on more classes and responsibilities. I couldn’t be more excited about all of this growth, but it can feel overwhelming at times. A Yin Yoga practice helps me stay grounded, balanced and clear. 

Recommended For: Anyone who needs some time for themselves (and isn’t that everyone during the holiday season?)

I remember taking a Yin Yoga class with a friend a few years ago. I thought it was so wonderful to finally slow down and be in my own energy. She, on the other hand, said the hour long class had felt like five hours! She found it so challenging to stay still and focus on her breath.

Whether you can relate to me or my friend, the benefits of Yin Yoga are still the same: improved range of motion, ease from chronic pain and an excellent opening guide to seated meditation. My suggestion is to try different styles of yoga and be open to new experiences. Welcome the ebbs and flows in everything you practice and remember, “life is a journey, not a destination.” Hope you enjoy taking some time to connect with yourself this month!

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.

Ever find yourself at the end of the work day wishing the yoga studio was just a little bit closer to your office? What about having yoga classes available in your office?

Yoga One proudly offers high-quality yoga instruction on-site for local businesses. We’ve helped establish corporate yoga programs since 2002 for companies such as SDG&E, SEMPRA, and Cox Communications.

Establishing an onsite class is easier than you might think! There are many different models of cost sharing available between employee and employer. All you need is an open space (often a conference room!) and you and your team can experience the joys and benefits of yoga:

Benefits to Employee

• Decreased stress
• Promotes a healthy lifestyle
• Improved strength and flexibility
• Sense of peace and relaxation
• Improved listening and communication skills
• Increased energy
• Better emotional balance
• Leave class feeling refreshed and renewed!

Benefits to Employer

• Increased productivity
• Increased workplace satisfaction
• Fewer employee sick days
• Promotes a positive office environment
• Excellent team-building experience
• Your office will love it!

Contact Michael Caldwell to set up yoga at your workplace today! Phone: 619-544-0587 or email: info@yogaonesandiego.com

guest post by Missy DiDonato

During this month of November, we’re reminded to give thanks. I count myself lucky that I’m grateful for my family, friends, my body and breath. These things are so important, but also obvious in a way.

I was taught to look for the good in everything. This year, I’m trying to find the positives in the unpleasant and downright annoying experiences of life. Here’s my top three unexpected situations I’m grateful for this season:

TRAFFIC: The sound of the word alone probably sparks an ugly feeling inside you, as it does me. Like many other San Diegans, I drive a lot, so being stuck in traffic happens often. I use traffic and driving in general to practice patience and compassion. I’ve come to the realization that no one wants to be in traffic – we all have destinations and other places we’d rather be. So instead of complaining and yelling (which is my first instinct) I simply put on some mood music and try to enjoy just being. I am grateful for the time to relax and listen to good music.

JERKS ON YELP: We recently got a yelp review that rocked my world! The guy was a pretentious asshole who didn’t have any traction for his opinion of the teacher whose class he almost attended. My first response was to be defensive, angry and sad. After I calmed down, I asked myself why a rude comment on the internet upset me so much. I realized it was because I have created a life filled with people who are supportive and non-judgmental. I am grateful for my family, friends and colleagues who show me their love on a daily basis.

DIVORCE: Now this one is pretty unique to my experience. Divorce may have had a different impact on your life. The divorce in my life happened to both of my parents before I was born. They were both married and divorced before they met each other, so I wouldn’t be here without it! They both had children with their previous partners, which helped create the large family that I have today. I embraced their exes as parents, so I got double the love. My second mom has taken me around the world which has been a huge influence on who I am today. My dad’s ex-wife remarried a man who was also divorced and had two sons whom I now consider my brothers. We are lucky because there is a mutual respect for all the ex and current spouses. As hard as it can be for families to separate and recombine, I am grateful for divorce because it has given me the loving family that I have today.

Missy DiDonato
Guest Writer

Missy began practicing yoga at home when she was fourteen, following along to a DVD in her living room. She has since completed two separate 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings with UCSD and Yoga One. Missy loves helping others find their own yogic path and students of all levels appreciate her warm and friendly teaching style.

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!

Thanks for the feature! Click on the image below to read the whole article.
To find out more about our Yoga One Teacher Training with these incredible instructors, go here!

 

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 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.

guest post by Missy DiDonato

Yoga has always been a source of connection for me. I feel connected to the earth when I practice in nature. I am better connected to my family, friends and strangers through the shared experience of group asana. Most of all, yoga connects me to my body and this has been never been more true or important now that I’m pregnant.

Pregnancy has brought dramatic changes to my body in a relatively short period of time. During the first trimester (1-3 months), I barely practiced yoga. My body was working over-time to grow my baby and prepare for the rest of pregnancy and I was physically exhausted. I honored this natural process and kept my practice really mellow. Some days all I did was legs up the wall!

The second trimester (3-6 months) I was able to get back to my regular practice with modifications. I kept my feet hip-distance apart for better balance and to allow space for baby to grow. I omitted any deep twists and began to use blocks under my hands in uttanasana (forward fold.) I began to get light-headed more easily, so I rarely came into a full fold and often used a block underneath my forehead in down dog which eased the sensation of blood rushing to my head.

Now into my third trimester (6-9 months), I’m using these modifications along with lying on my left side for savasana. I never thought this would be as comfortable or relaxing as traditional savasana but IT IS! The most unexpected and wonderful part has been discovering how comfortable pregnancy modifications are simply because they were designed for my new body.

I’ve discovered how much I enjoy having my little buddy with me wherever I go. She hears my voice when I teach and is soothed by my yoga playlists. More importantly, she is encircled by the peace, calm and focus from the class as a whole. I feel great in my body, but it’s no longer mine completely. This is a wonderful part of being pregnant, but it’s also taken some adjustment.

Practicing yoga a few times a week has kept me in shape physically and eased the aches and pains of stretching ligaments and muscles – but it has also sealed the bond between us. I’m not only practicing for myself, I’m practicing for her. We are two bodies contained within my own and I try to tune in to how my position feels to her. I move through asanas to strengthen and restore my body, but also to create space for her to be comfortable and to grow.

* Please consult your doctor before beginning yoga or any other exercise program. If you are pregnant and new to yoga, we recommend you attend dedicated Prenatal Yoga classes.

Missy DiDonato
Guest Writer

Missy began practicing yoga at home when she was fourteen, following along to a DVD in her living room. She has since completed two separate 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings with UCSD and Yoga One. Missy loves helping others find their own yogic path and students of all levels appreciate her warm and friendly teaching style.

Check out this awesome review of Missy’s Friday afternoon Restorative Yoga class at 4:30pm! Click here to read Jessica’s full review or scroll down for an excerpt. 

My restorative yoga experience was led by Missy, a kind teacher with a calming voice who was so attentive from the moment I walked in the room, helping me first to gather the many props that I would need to really make the most of my practice. On the list for the class- two yoga blocks, one yoga strap, one rolled up yoga mat (in addition to my mat that I brought) and six blankets. With the sound of calming ocean waves playing in the background, Missy provided great instruction through the hour and 15 minute experience, and also helped everyone to get comfortably settled into each pose to truly surrender and let go as we spent anywhere from 10-15 minutes releasing into each pose.

…

The “rest” you experience in a restorative yoga class is true relaxation—it’s where the body becomes still, the mind becomes quiet and in the effortless ease of each pose you truly begin to rejuvenate from the inside out.

Happening this weekend and there’s still time to sign up for the early bird pricing! Explore meditation techniques for taming your wild mind and wild heart and experiencing inner peace. Go here to register online.

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.

Hi, there! In honor of Yoga One Blog’s first birthday, we’re checking in with blog writer and yoga teacher, Laura McCorry. Usually behind the scenes writing and organizing blog posts, Laura also leads a Gentle Flow class at Yoga One on Thursday nights at 7:45pm. It’s the latest class on the schedule, but it’s the perfect yoga nightcap – including a forehead massage during savasana. Check out our full schedule here, no reservations required.

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

My favorite style of yoga varies with the seasons, time of day and my energy level. I love a quiet restorative practice whenever life gets overwhelming and an energetic Vinyasa flow for those days when you just need to move and sweat!

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

I started practicing yoga during a very stressful time in my life when I was anxious during the day and having nightmares every night. I’d tried going to a meditation class but the chaos inside my head only increased. Someone told me that yoga was a moving meditation with the eyes open, so I went to a class at my local gym. Even during that first savasana, I felt glimpses of the peace that comes with practice.

For me, the best part about practicing yoga as a new student was that I needed to pay attention to my breath and the way my body moved. I’d never done that before and it was very challenging! The unique combination of breath and movement turned out to be the key to releasing the frenetic energy of my thoughts.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

Restorative twist with a bolster or folded blankets. (Shout out: Missy often includes this pose in her 4pm Restorative class on Fridays.) This pose is super relaxing for my body, I have to be careful not to fall asleep! I find that my mind is quietest when my gaze is down or to the side rather than straight up – so for me, this pose is often more peaceful than savasana.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

I thought about answering with wheel or handstand but seriously, one of the poses that challenges me the most is chair. It’s never easy, never comfortable and always a struggle to remember to breathe. I’m the first person to stand up in tadasana or fold forward when it’s over.

5. If you were an animal, you would be: a cat. I almost always know my own mind and I’ll often ask for advice from others and then do exactly what I’d been planning all along. I think cats are contrary that way. Also, they’re very wise: they know you don’t need to work too hard in life in order to be happy and that’s a philosophy I can get behind.

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words: peace, healing, challenge, strength, joy, prayer 

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

I went to university to study French and desperately wanted to be a high school French teacher after graduation but it wasn’t meant to be. Enrolling in a yoga teacher training course and learning to teach yoga (another passion) soothed my soul and gave me a new purpose.

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

Yoga can be so many things: exercise, stress-relief, spiritual connection – soak up what resonates with you and let the rest go. Do what feels good in your body and don’t be afraid to modify. Never compromise your physical well-being for the sake of keeping up with the class. With that in mind, be sure to challenge yourself: hold a pose longer, take that stretch a little deeper, try out the scary arm balance. The biggest challenge any yoga student faces is simply showing up to class. 🙂

Most of us have it tucked away in our minds, a master list we can turn to whenever the going gets tough and we feel like giving in. The list contains all the reasons our dreams aren’t practical or won’t succeed, fears we’d rather not face and insecurities aplenty to counter every ambition.

Sometimes it’s there first thing in the morning when you look in the bathroom mirror and it floats around with you all day at work, at lunch with a friend, maybe you even take it to bed with you at night. The worst part about the list is how it hides. It’s much easier to view each experience in life as separate, with extenuating circumstances all their own. In reality, we habitually combat each item on our list with a pre-fabricated set of excuses that mask the source of our discomfort.

Perhaps you turn down an opportunity at work not because you’re already too busy but because deep down you’re afraid of failure and maybe success as well. You don’t call up your friend not because you’ve drifted but because you’d rather not let them see your insecurities. And you won’t take care of yourself by eating right, exercising and taking some down time not because you’re too busy taking care of others but perhaps because you don’t believe you’re worthy of that care and attention.

The list is a terrible, dirty thing, but it doesn’t need to dictate our every move. The practice of yoga is powerful and transformative enough to destroy this list one item at a time. While yoga means many things to many people, filling roles as diverse as cross-training exercise and a path to spiritual enlightenment, yoga always contains the seed for inner growth and transformation.

Learning the postures strengthens and creates more mobility in the body, improving self-control and confidence. By controlling the breath, you gain control over the chatter of the mind and notice how the list sabotages your health and happiness. If you commit to a regular practice of yoga and self-reflection, over time you will alter the pathways of the brain so you no longer turn to your list until one day it no longer holds any power over you.

What’s on your list that you don’t want to carry around any more? This week, set aside one item on your list and bring it to class. Set your intention to replace fear with confidence, insecurity with love and worry with peace. Meditate on your intention throughout class, breathe in confidence or love or peace whenever you find yourself struggling. Then just before you get up from savasana, take that heavy burden you no longer wish to carry and lay it down on the floor of the studio. Arise and leave it behind you, rededicating yourself to your intention and practice.

In the words of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, “do your practice and all is coming.”

This month we’re checking in with Shauna MacKay who teaches a hatha class on Sunday mornings at 8:30. Click here to see the online schedule, no reservations required for class. One special announcement: as a Lululemon Ambassador, Shauna’s collecting shoes for the “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” campaign to aid the homeless in San Diego. Drop off gently used athletic shoes in the box at the top of the stairs until the end of March. 

1. What is your favorite style of yoga?

Although I understand why others commit to one style of yoga, I am not a yoga purist. I completed over 500 hours of YogaWorks training, a style that intelligently blends the alignment of Iyengar, the flow of Ashtanga Vinyasa and the individualized teachings of Desikachar. I love taking the best of various styles and adapting them to my own needs and the needs of my students. I value having a giant tool box of yoga resources to draw upon and love continuing my education to keep adding new tools to my collection.

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

Relief from pain! After more than twenty years of running (literally and figuratively), I was tight, inflexible and constricted in my hips, hamstrings, neck and shoulders. Not to mention my heart, which was tied up in knots.

3. What is your favorite yoga pose right now?

My favorite pose at the moment is ardha chaturanga dandasana, or plank pose. I love practicing it and I love teaching it. Sometimes students have an aversion to it because it’s physically demanding, but once they learn to stabilize the shoulder and pelvic girdles and engage the muscles on the front of the body, they access a strength they didn’t know they had. I love the moment my students get it and feel that possibility within themselves.

4. What pose is still the most challenging?

The most challenging poses for me are always backbends like urdhva dhanurasana, wheel. A childhood gymnastic injury left me with a tight lower back, making the posterior pelvic tilt necessary for safe backbends a challenge. Yoga, patience and perseverance have helped a great deal. I am slowly opening up that previously locked area and look forward to more and more backbends to come.

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

I often look to my kitties, Henry and Millie, for yogic inspiration. They are masters of the ability to fully relax in their bodies. Even after stressful situations, they quickly “shake it off” and free themselves to relax in the present moment. And nothing beats the blissful sound of a cat purring at peace.

6. Describe what yoga means in your life using just 6 words:

Lengthens, strengthens, opens and frees me.

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

One of my favorite things to do is cuddle up with my husband and watch competitive cooking, singing or design shows. Whether or not you like the type of food, singing or styling, it’s beautiful and inspiring to watch the performer’s ego soften so the purity of their gift can shine.

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

Your practice matters! Every time you come to the mat, even for a few minutes, with the intention of opening yourself, you have an impact on those around you as well as the world at large. By making more space in your own mind, body and spirit, you are contributing to a more flexible, peaceful and loving world. It all starts with kindness in your own inner world. Just keep showing up. Namaste!

Recently we asked our students to share with us the joys and benefits they’ve received from yoga, using just three words. Taken separately, each person replied with a unique answer but when the words they submitted were tallied up, there were multiple repeat answers. With the most popular responses in the largest font size, we couldn’t be happier that your top two picks to describe practicing at Yoga One are peace and strength!

We love our students! Special thanks to everyone who submitted: Heidi C., BJ M., Angel S., Debbie R., Frank R., Jennifer M., Ann E., Lisa A., Marc J., Ted H., Anne S., Katy B., Karen J., Andrea B., Kate W., Michele C., Rachel P., Amanda T., Hillary H., Jill J., Brenda W., Julie H., Silvia S., Jaycie O., Jill Z., Cynthia, Dylan B., Katie C., Kim O., Susi R., and Mack R.

What exactly is savasana or shavasana? One translation for this posture is corpse pose, but I prefer the more technical that-lying-down-thing-we-do-at-the-end-of-class.

At first glance, it seems pretty straightforward: at the end of an hour spent stretching and moving (strenuously or not) through different poses, lie down for a final pose of relaxation. But the one pose found in every yoga class is cause for all manner of contentions among teachers: how long one should stay in savasana, when to practice savasana during class, whether or not the teacher may leave the room, how students are instructed to practice savasana, even the reasons given for why savasana should be practiced are all matters of debate.

To the uninitiated, savasana often seems like time for a glorified group nap. Like kindergartners, we grab our blankets, lie down on our sticky mat cots and close our eyes in the middle of the day while the teacher keeps watch. But that’s where the similarities end. During savasana, we’re instructed to relax the body and the mind, to let go of the constant stream of thoughts in search of a quiet place within, and to resist falling asleep.

For a pose purported to bring rest to your body and deep peace to your mind, there’s something fundamentally uncomfortable about savasana. Even from a linguistic standpoint, there’s no simple approach. Most teachers prefer the foreign Sanskrit word over the English translation, corpse pose, which feels macabre amongst all the animal poses. However, for those who delve beyond the initial discomfort of trying to still the body and mind, there are great benefits to enjoy.

According to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, savasana occupies the middle ground of consciousness, “not waking, not sleeping.” That middle ground, between waking and sleeping, is a place of mystery for most people. Through the practice of asana, the physical movements of yoga, we move beyond the demands of the body to better explore savasana’s largely uncharted territory of passive, heightened consciousness. The purpose of savasana can be anything from deep relaxation to meditation to a spiritual experience. People have used savasana to relieve stress, reduce headaches and fatigue, lower blood pressure, and even probe the limits of consciousness to connect to the spiritual world. Often used as an introductory guide to meditation, savasana is not so much a pose of the body but rather of the mind. The goal is to quiet the thoughts until there are none, not even the thought of having no thoughts.

If you’re anything like me, though, the minute you lie down and close your eyes is the same minute everything on your to-do list flickers through your mind like a movie reel!

Practicing savasana in class with a teacher makes all the difference in the world. Their presence allows you to fully relax, confident that they will guide you out of your meditation after a certain period of time. Without having to worry about how much time has gone by, you can delve more deeply into your awareness of the present moment and remind yourself again and again to let go of intrusive thoughts or worries. As adults, there are very few things that we must rely on others to do for us, such as cutting our hair. Sure, you could do it yourself, but it’s better to trust a professional. The same goes for savasana. By all means, take the time at home to relax and seek out your inner peace, but the voyage is easier when you have a guide you trust lead you there and back, without having to worry about how long it’s been or getting lost along the way.

Whether savasana is just another yoga word you’re not quite sure how to pronounce or an old friend whose company you relish, time spent in this pose is often powerful and transformative. When so many good things in life offer only delayed gratification, savasana is a shining beacon of immediacy that continues to unravel benefits for those who return time and time again. That lying down thing we do? It’s pretty awesome. Come to class and let us guide you today.