Posts In: self-discovery

by Olivia Cecchettini

Decoded

by Shawn Carter (Jay Z)

Summary: Decoded is an unconventional memoir. It’s part autobiography part interpretation of Jay Z’s most famous songs and lyrics broken down by the rapper himself. I couldn’t put this book down. His inspiring journey includes growing up in the Marcy Projects located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City and selling crack to being the first MC inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

When Jay Z first started writing, he wrote for himself, never knowing if anyone else would ever hear his work. Even when he was plagued by doubt, he never stopped writing and he never stopped dreaming. It takes courage to hold a mirror to your life and embark on the journey of self-discovery. Neither is it easy to expose your inner self to the world.

Yoga is another way to hold a mirror to your life, to reveal your personal thoughts, emotions, and actions. I strongly believe that we are all natural-born healers. Jay Z found healing through sacred storytelling. I came to healing first through yoga. It’s not about the method, it’s about the journey and whether you’re willing to take the first step.

Why I Love It: I love this book because it felt so relatable. No, I didn’t grow up in the projects or have the same kind of difficulties in life. (Although yes, I do like to rap old school 90’s hip hop but only for my fiancé.) I grew up in a divorced family, with very young parents. I remember struggling a lot, moving a lot, trying to depend on family and friends for stability. There are happy memories, too. But I was on a quest for independence and I started my own life at 18 in San Diego.

I grew up tremendously fast those first few years on my own. It would be 12 years until I started teaching yoga. Sometimes people think yoga teachers have been practicing since birth, meditate every day, and never get sad – but the truth is that many people, including teachers, come to yoga for healing. In Decoded, Jay Z acknowledges that beneath his doubt was a greater fear of not fulfilling his potential – and this is part of my story as well.

Suggested For: Hip Hop lovers, especially the incredible music that came out of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. They just don’t make music like that anymore! I know that’s what every generation says, but it’s the truth.

Seriously though, this book shows what it means to honor the journey of life. As I edge closer to 40 than I am to 30, I see more clearly how all of life is a practice and a journey. It’s not about where we start out, or whether we end up rich and famous. It’s about the moment to moment living, the practice of self-love and acceptance. May we practice more kindness, practice compassion, listen to our intuition, remember the sacredness of storytelling, and honor those that have come before us.

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.

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already past the midway point for the first month of 2012! Even though the new year is still so fresh, I know I’m not the only one day dreaming about a vacation. (I see you in the back, nodding your head, don’t be ashamed to admit it.) Not the midwinter vacation to visit family or the summertime road trip type of vacation, either. A true vacation getaway. Indulge me for a moment, if you will:

Picture yourself lying on the beach. Not the beach twenty minutes from your house where the distractions of errands and schedules can creep into your mind. A beach far away, a white expanse of sand before you and the sound of the surf in your ears. Beneath the warmth of the sun, buffeted by waves and salt you’ve come back to the primordial blank canvas. The elements batter you down into a more basic form of yourself. You let go of the way you used to define yourself at work, at home, to your friends and for a short period of time, you simply are. At one and the same time, you reconnect to the earth, to the greater community of life that surrounds you and to the life within, the true definition of who you are.

This May, let Yoga One take you away to Mexico on retreat. When you travel and transcend the physical locations of the everyday, the emotional and psychological dimensions start to blur and disappear as well. Yoga One’s Mexico retreat will allow you the opportunity to redefine or rediscover who you really are, with daily yoga led by your favorite instructors, Amy and Michael Caldwell and Paisley Close. For five days and nights, you could be relaxing on the beach, taking yoga classes overlooking the ocean, indulging in freshly prepared, healthy meals and staying in eco-chic accommodations at Xinalani, outside of Puerto Vallarta.

You could miss out and stay in San Diego this spring, which we all know is just this side of paradise. Or you could dream big, demand more and receive so much more. A retreat is not just a vacation, but a journey. A magical place where you encounter personal transformation, but also group transformation. People who go away together return different than they were, they build close relationships over days that would usually take years. Think it over. How much would you like to go to Mexico on a journey of self-discovery through yoga, supported by a community of love? When you say yes, give us a call.