Posts In: vegetarianism

Part 2 of how Yoga One founders Amy & Michael Caldwell turned their love story into a thriving yoga community! ? Read Part 1 here.

“After living on an uninhabited island in Fiji for four days, we returned to the main island Viti Levu where we met a man whose parents owned an apple orchard in Australia. Months later and wanting to make some extra money to fuel our backpacking adventures, we traveled to Stanthorpe and began a two-month grueling and glorious time as apple pickers. 

At the crack of dawn, we rose like zombies and made our way to the orchard. There we fired up the tractor and rumbled to our assigned paddock. For the rest of the day, we frantically scaled up and down ladders grabbing as many apples as we could and then unloaded them one bag at time into the trailer bins. At night, we returned to our cabin, hastily made sandwiches for the next day, enjoyed a quick dinner and went to sleep.

If there was any spare energy, we would read a section of “Fit for Life” by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. We had become vegetarians a year or so before and were trying out veganism and food combining. The book also suggested we do yoga and there were some super simple stretches included. After picking apples for ten hours a day, ten days in a row without a break, the handful of poses felt tremendous. And that was the genesis of our asana practice. Perhaps in retrospect, we had already begun our yoga practice by becoming conscious of our diet and lifestyle; the poses helped to further expand our awareness. 

Once you turn on to something you often see it all around you. As we traveled from country to country, we found additional inspiration to deepen our practice. By the time we got to India, we knew yoga was something we wanted to embrace more fully, and we began an earnest practice, study, and discipline. During a ten-day Vipassana meditation near Bangalore, we first heard the mantra, “Start again.” – Amy & Michael Caldwell

?Stay tuned for Part 3! ?

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.

Ever try convincing your friends to come to yoga only to hear one of these myths? Check out Part One of the list here.

5. MYTH: Yoga is not for men.

FACT: Yoga in the western hemisphere may be dominated by women, but historically, yoga was only practiced by men. Both men and women can benefit from strength-building, flexibility, balance, mindfulness, stress-reduction and all the other benefits of yoga. Take a buddy or go to a class led by a male instructor if you’re feeling hesitant about being the only dude.

4. MYTH: Yoga is too expensive.

FACT: Yoga One has many competitive membership and class package options that reduce the price per class. For example, the 10 class package breaks down to $12/class. Compare that to $14 at the movies or $15-20 for lunch downtown. Come to class more often with our unlimited membership and save even more! An investment in your health and wellbeing is never something you should put off for later.

3. MYTH: A $100 mat is better than a $20 mat (a close relative of #4).

FACT: You don’t need expensive equipment or clothes to do yoga – that’s part of its charm! Ask yourself this simple question: do your hands slip in downward facing dog? If the answer is no, chances are your mat is working just fine. The best yoga accessory is the willingness to come to class and give it your best effort.

2. MYTH: A true yogi eats a vegetarian/vegan diet, drinks kombucha, won’t eat processed sugar, etc.

FACT: Practicing yoga will increase your awareness. You become more conscious of how the body and mind interact and react to each other. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself approaching other areas of your life with more mindfulness and compassion. Yoga doesn’t tell you what to do but it might change your mind!

1. MYTH: You must be calm and relaxed all the time because you do yoga.

FACT: Life can be hectic – many people do yoga because it helps them relax. Yoga can help you gain perspective by encouraging you to slow down and pay attention to the present moment. A regular meditation practice has been proven to reduce stress and feelings of anxiety.

BONUS: Watch this awesome instructional video – how to meditate in a minute!

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

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