Q: What do you love about teaching yoga?
My favorite thing about teaching yoga is getting to try new things alongside my students and sharing the joys and struggles of new experiences with them. ?
Q: What’s your favorite fall drink?
Ginger tea with lemon and honey, maybe some thyme. ?
Take class with Paola on Saturdays at 10:30am, Flow Levels 2 & 3
by Amy Caldwell
Dear Rancho la Puerta,
What a gift you are! When I opened the door to my room I literally squealed with glee. YAYYYYYY!
Like so many who visit, I truly needed a pause and reset in the dense forest of my life. A chance to re-acquaint with me. Three days in, I am enjoying my own company (:
While the fitness, insight, and learning opportunities are boundless, the leisurely choosing moment to moment has been just what I needed. The first two days I’ve eaten lunch and dinner alone, and ‘hermitted’ in the evenings reading in my room. Then I participated in a silent dinner–which seemed an appropriate segue. Together, but still quiet.
I see the schedule filling with things I want to do, so I affirm a vow to pause then choose. What do I want / need right now? To let go of hurrying. To prioritize caring for, nurturing, and loving myself.
“We set the pace.
But this press of time —
take it as a little thing
next to what endures.All this hurrying
soon will be over.
Only when we tarry
do we touch the holy.”~ Rilke
At the Ranch, it is easier to receive and take in the goodness of small delights: a wandering black cat or small bird saying hello, Alex’s Oak steadfast on the mountaintop, the trees countless shades of green shimmying, a mint chocolate smoothie sample, a knowledgeable instructor, a magical pool (or 3 or 4), a sumptuous lemon posset with mango puree topping, the list goes on and on.
With space and time to really slow down, I experienced a feeling of shedding my skin. A letting go of what is no longer necessary, a letting go of expectation or judgement. A wandering along the many windy paths. A deep tissue massage. A sound bath. A deeper letting go than expected.
Then, yet another new day arrived–a spring in my step, a waking before the alarm, throwing open the curtains to greet the day. Many moments to pause and consider, what do I really enjoy? How shall I honor that in this day? Paired with a happy fatigue following nearly a week of yoga, pilates, circuit training, pickleball, dancing, soulful music performances, and more.
As I leave the Ranch, I have a deep gratitude for the journey (and all the kind souls who make it possible). Paired with a bittersweet quality that it is over for now. What is one thing we can take with us into our daily life? A new teaching? A recipe? A friendship? Or a remembrance of what it feels like to be our best selves, independent and together.
a re-blog from Rainbow Yoga who will be hosting a 3-day Kids Yoga Training at Yoga One this September 28th-29th, sign up here!
Yoga and mindfulness are wonderful and well-tested tools to help young people, from toddlers to teens, improve their physical and mental abilities and increase their feeling of well-being. These can assist them in improving performance in all walks of life.
Incorporating yoga into a child’s life can bring numerous benefits that extend beyond physical health. It can enhance their overall well-being, and performance in various activities, increase their abilities to succeed at school and exams, enhance emotional resilience, and social connections, and contribute to creating a more peaceful and harmonious society.
1. Yoga increases strength, flexibility, balance and coordination ? This will help your child excel in any sports activity they choose to attend.
2. Yoga improves posture and body alignment ? Regular practice of yoga helps children develop good posture and alignment, which can benefit them in various physical activities. Proper alignment reduces strain on the muscles and joints, leading to improved performance and reduced risk of injury.
3. Yoga promotes body awareness ? This will help reduce the risk of injury in any physical activity your child may attend.
4. Yoga strengthens the immune system and promotes well-being ? This will help your child to be sick less often, feel more vitality and be able to face life with more energy.
5. Yoga builds focus and enhances clarity of mind ? This will help your child study better at school and be more successful in their exams.
6. Yoga helps to reduce stress and anxiety ? Stress is proven to inhibit learning so the coping skills yoga offers will help your child in achieving any learning outcome at any topic they choose.
7. Yoga takes care of the child’s emotional well-being ? This allows them to enjoy more their study and their work, their relationship with their friends and family and all of their daily activities. This is called THRIVING as opposed to just surviving; it is the feeling of happiness we all wish for our children.
8. Yoga cultivates discipline and self-control ? Yoga practice requires discipline and self-control, as students are encouraged to stay focused and engaged in their practice. These qualities can carry over into other areas of life, such as sports training, academic pursuits, and personal goals.
9. Yoga fosters self-confidence and self-esteem ? As children practice yoga and witness their progress, they gain a sense of accomplishment and develop self-confidence. This newfound confidence can extend beyond the yoga mat and positively impact their participation in sports and other activities.
10. Yoga supports creativity and self-expression ? Yoga encourages children to explore movement, express themselves, release emotional trauma and tap into their creativity. This can benefit them in sports, arts, and other activities that require imagination and self-expression and help them interact in the world with a less reactive and lighter heart.
11. Yoga teaches positive coping skills ? This is a fast-paced, demanding and competitive world we live in and research shows that young people who don’t learn positive ways to process and deal with the stresses of life end up using unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drug addiction, screen or gaming addictions, self-harming and eating disorders. The physical techniques, breathing and mindfulness tools that young people learn in the relaxing atmosphere of a yoga session can be used by them under more stressful conditions to self-regulate.
12. Rainbow Yoga enhances social connections and teaches children and teens social skills ? Therefore it reduces social issues, disrespect, violence and bullying and promotes secure connections with our family, friends, peers and community enhancing the well-being of our whole society.
13. Yoga teaches values and ethical principles ? The teachings of yoga encompass values such as truthfulness, non-violence, gratitude, and respect for oneself and others. By incorporating these principles into their lives, children develop a strong moral compass and contribute to a more ethical, compassionate, inclusive and supportive community.
14. From inner peace to world peace ? Society is made out of the individuals in it; cultivating peace, kindness and resilience in the younger people will create a brighter future for generations to come.
Join one of our Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Trainings today!
Get to know Paola who teaches a Level 2/3 Vinyasa Flow on Saturdays at 10:30am. Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register for classes.
Q: How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga shows up a lot right now in my school classroom while dealing with the students and trying to teach them some yoga philosophy that can help them through life.
Q: Where are you experiencing growth in your life?
Currently, I am experiencing growth career wise since |just obtained my credential as a Spanish teacher and will have my first classroom this year. Wepa!
Q: What’s your favorite burrito?
Vegan mar y tierra (surf n turf) burrito from Ranchos Cocina
Get to know Bri who teaches a Vinyasa Flow, Level 2 class on Wednesdays at 5:30pm. Bri is a phenomenal teacher and an incredible human being we’re happy to have on our team!
Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register for classes.
Q: How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga shows up in my life right now particularly through the Niyamas (self-observances). If you’re into astrology, you might be familiar with the term ‘Saturn Return.’ I’m about 2/3 through my first one and let me tell you – a LOT of personal change is happening! Remembering the Niyamas keeps me grounded. I love this new sense of awareness, even if the path there is bumpy.
Q: Where are you experiencing growth in your life?
I am growing emotionally and spiritually right now. Over the course of the last year I committed a lot of time to practices (i.e. therapy, meditation) that support my healing. Although no one is ever fully healed, I am so grateful to have cultivated a deeper sense of self-love, admiration, and compassion. I think it also increases my capacity to give as a teacher.
Q: What’s your favorite burrito?
A veggie burrito! Extra beans, two types of salsa, sour cream, and guac please!
Help us wish Nicole Heller the very best! Her last class will be July 19th at 6:30am. Thank you, Nicole, for sharing your gifts and your light with Yoga One!!
Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register for classes.
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
I find my way onto my mat each and every morning. Yoga keeps me grounded, sane, and I always feel more like myself after practicing.
Yoga serves as a reminder that my body is truly the only home I live in. It is my choice how well I tend to it. Our bodies are designed to move. I love that yoga allows me to play with shapes that are bold, creative, peaceful, and so much more.
I truly believe that yoga is for everyone and every body.
2. Where are you experiencing growth in your life?
Lately, my motto has been “say yes.” I tend to be an over planner, and while it serves me well in many facets, it also keeps me from enjoying sweet, spontaneous moments of life.
My growth has been to recognize moments of resistance in my mind and to redirect my thoughts. I plan less. I say yes. I work on keeping an open perspective.
3. What’s your favorite burrito?
Ohhh this is a tough one!! I’d have to say a Breakfast Hash Veggie Burrito. My go-to spot is Sunnies- you gotta try their orange spicy sauce!
Flashback from founders Amy and Michael Caldwell Office Manager Missy DiDonato on how she joined Yoga One to nurture a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
Yoga found me in Kentucky, of all places. It was 1997 and I was going through the trials and tribulations of being a young teen. I needed a way to channel the pain and angst I felt, so I tried many of the worst avenues – drugs, self-harm, etc.
Nobody could tell me what to do. Yet somehow I knew that the more harmful choices wouldn’t give me what I needed long term.
My mom had a yoga VHS tape. One day, I popped it in. I practiced on the carpet of our living room. I loved stretching and moving my body according to the rhythm of my breath.
We moved back to California two years later. I practiced yoga through high school and into college. Yoga offered me more than temporary relief.
I started to think yoga might play a bigger role in my life. I began a two-year yoga certification through UCSD in San Diego and became an official yoga teacher in 2010.
At the time, I was working at Pier One. I had great colleagues and I loved that it helped put me through college and allowed me to rent in San Diego. But after six years, I was ready to step back from the retail world. I took a huge pay cut and stepped down from store manager to assistant manager so I could focus on teaching yoga.
My first group yoga class was at the PAC in La Mesa. It was a medical marijuana distributary focused on wellness. When you’re just starting out, you have to say yes to every opportunity, so I did.
Students came to yoga looking to relieve their pain and feel more comfortable in their bodies. Many of them had chronic issues or physical limitations and I learned so much from teaching and caring for them. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was why they often had a three second delayed response to my cues. Eventually I realized they were stoned! It’s hilarious looking back on it now, but then I wasn’t prepared.
I started to find work as a yoga teacher at a Buddhist retail store and through UCSD Recreation at Rimac. I was feeling more confident and saw that I could make teaching my career, if I found a place that would support my growth and aligned with my long-term goals.
Then I went to Yoga One. I knew they had been in the yoga business since 2002 and that Amy and Michael were well-respected, but I worried they might be “too cool for school.”
It was nothing like that! The studio was warm and inviting and the people were even better. I met Michael and yoga teacher Hillary first, falling in love with their friendliness, positive attitudes, and humor. Then I met Amy and yoga teacher Laura and loved their dedication and expertise in yoga.
It felt like home. I signed up for classes right away.
I decided to take Yoga One’s Teacher Training to solidify my teaching skills and began a work-trade agreement for part of the tuition. I worked in the Yoga One office, called the Nook (shout out to anyone who remembers why!).
When my trade hours were finished, we all still wanted to work together. Amy and Michael asked if I would be interested in the position of Office Manager, or OM for short. That was 10 years ago this May.
I can’t imagine my life without Yoga One. Amy and Michael have been there for me through some pivotal life moments, through the loss of my step-mom and my dog, and the birth of my daughter. As a team, we’ve weathered a pandemic and the opening of a beautiful new studio.
Yoga helped me find my calling for helping people. Yoga One supported me as I grew into a confident and capable teacher and healer. I can’t wait for our next chapter.
Flashback to Yoga One’s 15th Anniversary
One of the special characteristics of Yoga One is that we’ve never been wholly confined within the walls of the main studio.
We’ve always hosted off-site classes (in board rooms, gyms, restaurants, hotels, you name it) and we love the unique relationships we get to build in those spaces.
We had been providing weekly rooftop and poolside yoga classes at the @hotelsolamar for some time when, in the summer of 2017, they graciously agreed to share their space with us for our 15th Anniversary party.
It was a wonderful, sunny, San Diego day. Amy led a thoughtful and relaxing flow class. Zaria Salkind accompanied class with soulful songs and a sweet, soaring voice.
A human tower was constructed to host Yoga One’s resident student performer Alissa Montalvo skyward as she held aloft the celebratory 15 year anniversary balloons. Hotel Solamar offered a full brunch with drink specials, including frosé (frozen rosé), margaritas and mimosas.
Once again, Julie Moore, our first-ever yoga student was on hand (with her son Paulo and daughter Isabel). Teachers that had been with us since the early days and new staff alike were embraced. Stories and smiles were shared, hugs and laughs relished. Good times were had.
It’s not surprising (but still wonderful) that often the best days are when you simply take time to enjoy life with loved ones and celebrate being part of community. ?
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
It was a classic instance of being in the right place, at the right time.
May, 2014. The terrific Terri Hobbs, representing Yoga One, meets representatives from the Downtown San Diego Partnership and a wonderful relationship is forged.
Over the past 7 years, Yoga One has offered a weekly, complimentary class to the Downtown San Diego community. Classes are held in a variety of outdoor locations. During most of the pandemic, we continued to offer class live online.
It is a pleasure to provide these services to so many residents of Downtown and beyond!
One of the most unique yoga events to arise out of our collaboration was teaching aboard the historic USS Midway. Yoga One was honored to lead the first-ever yoga class aboard ship and 4 subsequent annual classes.
EXT: San Diego Harbor – DAY: June 12th, 2014
A bird’s eye view pans across the enormous aircraft carrier, decommissioned and now serving as a nautical museum.
Planes and helicopters cover the deck. To the west, scenic San Diego harbor glistens like so many scattered jewels. To the east, skyscrapers stand and salute.
Like an army of ants, yoga students by the hundreds file up the ship’s stairs.
On deck and snuggled between the planes and helicopters, a wide assortment of vendors replete with stocked tables and tents are in place to greet the arriving students.
The sun is shining, the weather is sweet, yogis smile and spread their mats and good vibes across the tarmac.
A news crew captures and relays the inaugural occasion to the greater population. Kris Michell, then President and CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, takes the mic and kicks off the proceedings. Scripps Health is the main sponsor. Dave Kemp of DTO Music provides a soothing ambiance.
Then Yoga One’s own Amy Caldwell steps to the platform with the ship’s command tower rising behind her and an illuminated sign reminding all to: BEWARE OF JET BLAST PROPS AND ROTORS.
Amy is calming, inspiring and poised. Strong, flexible, prepared and awesome, she leads the over 400 individuals in a community re-affirming, one hour flow yoga class.
AMY
Thank you all so much for your positive energy. It is an honor and a pleasure to share this experience with you. Thanks again to all the sponsors and organizers. Namaste.
HAPPY STUDENTS
Namaste, yay!
Thunderous applause
Camera pans from the many colorful mats and happy people to take in the 360 view, then pulls back up into the sky to reveal a special day in a special city.
Fade to black.
EXIT
Over the next four annual classes, attendance continued to swell. The last class hosted over 1,100 yogis! This event was always re-affirming and special. Whether we’re sharing yoga with one person or thousands, we are grateful to be helping people live healthier and happier lives.
We love our community! This week, we’re shining a spotlight on Yoga One student Heather
Q: Who are you in 10 words or less?
I’m a public interest attorney who loves yoga and hiking.
Q: What’s the biggest benefit of yoga in your life?
The biggest benefit of yoga in my life is that it teaches me balance and focus, both on and off the mat. I’m also very grateful for the sense of community Yoga One fosters.
Q: Do you have a favorite class or style of yoga?
Whatever Yoga One class I’m in at the moment feels like my favorite! I love how fun Missy’s Saturday morning class is – it helps me remember to not take everything too seriously and just enjoy the moment.
Thank you for sharing Heather and thanks for practicing with us!!
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
Some of the dates and details have dimmed, it was likely late 2002 or early 2003, Amy and I were at Twigg’s Coffee shop in University Heights with some fellow yoga teachers and a few representatives from City of Hope.
We were brainstorming ideas for how the yoga community could raise awareness and support for City of Hope’s mission to research and treat cancer.
It was exciting to be a part of something that could facilitate serious health advancement and relief not just locally, but worldwide. We were honored to be included.
There were a few more meetings and then the City of Hope team went off to figure out their next step.
Towards the end of summer, it was agreed that Yoga One and other studios would host yoga classes and donate the proceeds to the organization. Here is a snippet from our press release:
“September 12, 2003, Yoga One will be offering an expanded schedule and donating all fees collected that day to the City of Hope, a world-renowned biomedical research and treatment facility dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
“”In addition to the strength, flexibility, increased concentration, balance and coordination the practice of yoga provides, it is first and foremost a healing activity. Raising awareness and support for the kind of work the City of Hope is doing is a natural step for us. We want to extend the well-being our students receive in class to the community at large,” stated Amy Caldwell, Owner/Director and Head Instructor at Yoga One.”
With the increased popularity of yoga and lots of good work, City of Hope’s yoga collaboration blossomed into Yoga for Hope, a multi-city phenomenon with events held in such locations as Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
For the 2014 San Diego iteration, Amy was invited to co-teach over 800 students during the Yoga for Hope class in the outfield of the Padres’ Petco Park. In addition, Yoga One put together a donation team and offered classes with the proceeds supporting City of Hope. That year, the event raised over $80,000 to fund the research and treatment of cancer.
It was heart-warming and hug-inducing to practice yoga in the lush, green outfield with so many fellow yoga lovers. It was especially poignant to have Amy’s mother Sally, a cancer survivor, practicing with the Yoga One group alongside her grandkids, Raya and Myles. Three generations together.
Over the years, many wonderful yoga teachers led the Yoga for Hope classes, some who did so in San Diego included: Stacy McCarthy, Michael Fukumura, Claire Petretti Marti, Sean Corne and Dominic Mineo. Thanks to all the teachers, students, and organizers for sharing their time and energy to help others!
Please have yourself and your loved ones regularly checked for cancer. Some cancers can be found early, before they have had a chance to grow and spread.
Dear Yoga,
As I am writing thank you notes to other loved ones in honor of a new year and new beginnings, I wanted to reach out and let you know how grateful I am for you in my life.
Your presence over these many years has been so loving, powerful, educational and supportive. You have taught me how to glimpse and connect to the wisdom within my own heart. I aspire to honor that wisdom in the hearts of all.
Through your example, Yoga, I see that love is more powerful than fear. Presence must be practiced. Relaxation is a skill. Intentional change is possible.
Your timeless teachings of non-harming, a vision of sameness and loving kindness to all are deeply needed in this world.
Thank you for being there through thick and thin. I have always known that if I’m having a challenging day or time, you are there. You hold me accountable and at the same time, continuously inspire me to wake up, to connect to the love within myself and all things.
Yoga, you are a true friend and you have enriched my life beyond measure.
With immense gratitude,
Amy
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
Many of you know the story of how Yoga One began in the early 2000’s with Amy practicing Vinyasa yoga in Redwood Circle, Balboa Park. And how people would interrupt to ask what dance routine she was doing.
How she explained that it was yoga and they asked to join her. And when it got cold, the little community found a place to practice inside. Many adventures ensued and we eventually found our space at 1150 7th Avenue, in downtown San Diego.
Word of mouth was and continues to be the supreme method for spreading the love and growing the Yoga One Family. This is the story of how we grew beyond that initial group of Balboa Park students.
This is the story of how Amy was, for a little bit, a marketing maverick.
Back then, to make a flyer we chose a fun font in a word document, then literally cut and pasted an image likely found in a magazine (remember magazines?) Then we went to Kinko’s (remember Kinko’s?) and made copies.
Amy rode her bike around town and posted the flyer at coffee shops, newspaper stands, mom & pop businesses, etc. In those days, circa 2002, there was ample space on the Whole Foods bulletin board. So alongside guitar lessons and roommates wanted, Amy hung her homemade flyer. The fact that it was photo copied and had a graphic of some sort was already ahead of the curve.
Then one day, like lightning, it hit her. If she was printing flyers at Kinko’s, she could do it on colored paper. BLAM, it was a revolution! Her yellow flyer leaped from bulletin boards all over downtown.
Of course, others were quick to get hip and colored flyers became all the rage.
Fortunately, Amy’s good friend Mel Z had just visited a studio in Connecticut and seen their professionally printed postcards. So being on the vanguard again, Amy arranged to print a postcard. It was a slightly laborious task and the printers, who were more used to working with rock bands, were scrappy and often made mistakes. But we grew together and our first card was raw, rough and a little drab, yet it was double-sided! Whoa! Minds were blown. And the marketing race was on.
Michael wanted the cards to look like Pink Floyd album covers and our friends Summer and Karl lent their graphic design skills and vision. Super yogi Heather F. became our go-to model. The photo shoots were a little rogue (we were yoga posing in places we probably weren’t supposed to be) and it was so much fun.
Printing postcards was such a new medium, in this context, that for a hot minute, people (non-yoga practitioners included) sought out and collected the postcards. We were told they were pinned at work stations and on home refrigerators.
In time, coffee shops and other businesses reduced places to place postcards and the Whole Foods bulletin board became overrun. Marketing all around became glossy and sophisticated. Almost as soon as it began, the golden age of postcards had passed.
Still, we like postcards and produce them from time to time. Are there any collectors out there who have all of the Yoga One postcards ever made? (;
Let us know and we’ll take you out for a drink!
from our Studio Manager, Missy DiDonato
I feel like I need to say this at the beginning: I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I don’t think about resolutions for the New Year, and I definitely don’t write them down. With that said, here’s my take on resolutions…
My life does not radically change on January 1st and I’m pretty sure that’s true for most of you. But I like the idea of taking a moment to assess the trajectory of my life and deciding if that direction is compatible with my vision of who I want to become.
So here are some of my on-going resolutions: thought processes I’m working to build, relationships I’m actively deepening, and physical practices that root me in the here and now. Hope these resonate with you!
So those are my thoughts as we approach 2022. I have faith the new year won’t be as crazy as the past two years, but I’ve been surprised before! Spending time with the people you love is what truly matters. Wishing us all more of those moments. <3
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
The vast warehouse was drafty and cold. Perfect for Amy. She was dressed in a black bodysuit with a hood and covered in electrodes. Over the next few hours, Amy generated plenty of heat as she demoed over 190 yoga poses. Total badass!
It was the spring of 2011 (I believe) and a couple of weeks prior, we had received a phone call from Niall Johnson at Scotland based 3D4Medical inquiring if we were interested in collaborating on a yoga app. Yes! Following a brief brainstorming session, production got underway. I was responsible for monitoring alignment and angles.
Pendulum, the motion capture crew, was known for helping to render high quality video games. They demonstrated their skill creating a superhero type avatar for Amy that was projected onto a large screen as she did the poses. Ultimately, for the iYoga Premium app, Pendulum processed over 340,000 frames of motion capture, rendered over 50 million frames and delivered 8.7 hours for the final video to bring the virtual yoga teacher Amy to life!
“It was surreal to see my movements in real time displayed on a huge screen,” Amy said. “The whole process reinforced for me that yoga is as much a moving meditation as it is a physical activity. The stage was freezing and the motion capture suit was a little constricting. The conditions were challenging, but I quickly got into a rhythm and focused on my breath to stay centered.” Amy was exhausted but exuberant about the project’s future.
Yet there was more work to be done. Amy recorded the voice over instruction for each and every pose and each and every sequence she put together. In the end, there are 16 different sequences students can follow, or you can create your own – all with Amy’s vocal guidance.
Finally, Amy and our friend, physical therapist, and fellow yogi Rachel Krentzman (author of Yoga for a Healthy Back and Scoliosis, Yoga Therapy and the Art of Letting Go) broke down the anatomy of each pose. They notated when muscles were contracting, stretching, or both – one by one, for nearly 200 poses! They included the English and Sanskrit pose names, contraindications, pose difficulty level and category, ie. standing, seated, etc. Needless to say, it was an intense labor of love.
Upon release, iYoga Premium had over 15,000 downloads in the first month and topped Apple’s world-wide Health and Fitness paid app list. The app received positive press in Yoga Journal and Amy was interviewed and featured in Pacific Magazine, among others. In 2016, iYoga Premium won Health Line’s Best App award.
There were some technical limitations, for example, the avatar always needs to come back to Tadasana (mountain poses) during the sequencing.
Some years later, we came full circle and held a class at the studio and projected the app onto the wall and let virtual Amy lead the class with actual Amy offering enhancements.
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
Back in the early 2000’s, if there was music in yoga class, in our experience, it was often heavy new age or Indian classical. As yoga continued to permeate our lives, the lines that separated on and off the mat kept melting. At some point, we wondered why we weren’t playing music in class that we were enjoying at home. So we tried. All of it.
I [Michael] had a great group of tri-athletes on Thursday nights who were up for anything. We did yoga to Heavy Metal (before it rightly became a thing). We offered a hip hop and yoga class with the wonderful Dina Weldin. We did live music and yoga. Once we hosted a class with the Hypnotic Gurus (drums, sitar and drone). We created many playlists (and I admit, the playlist often influenced the sequence). It was an exciting time, full of musical possibility.
At a Zero 7 concert at the House of Blues (with Sia singing before she became a household name), it dawned on Amy and me. “If we are striving to find the perfect music for yoga class, others are probably searching as well. Why don’t we create a CD?”
So that night, I looked at the liner notes of the Zero 7 “Simple Things” CD and found the record company information. The next day I contacted them.
Amazingly, they agreed to meet us at their office on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Bruno Guez, the President, had worked with Chris Blackwell from Island Records / Bob Marley and the Wailers fame (among other artists) so we were in great company.
On the spot, we agreed to work together. Amy and I would select the artists from Quango Music’s roster and our artist friends and put together the sequence. The record company would handle the licensing, production and distribution. We selected an unused image from Amy’s cover shoot with Yoga Journal taken by the amazing and acclaimed dance photographer Lois Greenfield. Lois generously agreed to let us use it and the fun began.*
Hours and hours of selecting tracks, ordering tracks, writing the liner notes and PR descriptions, creating the yoga class sequence that would be included in the CD’s jewel case via tiny figures and intended to accompany the music. It was certainly a labor of love.
Some of the artists included: Thievery Corporation, Zero 7, Bliss and Cantoma.
You can listen to the Yoga One CD on Spotify, download it on iTunes and Amazon or get the actual CD (if you still have a CD player).
* fun note, Lois included the cover image in one of her annual dance calendars.
Marketing Text:
Take a journey into tranquility with Yoga One; a collection of world, dub, and chillout meditative grooves, each consciously chosen to remind you to breathe and to help you become one with yourself and your surroundings.
Chillout masters Cantoma, Bliss, Thievery Corporation, Christophe Goze and Bitter:Sweet all provide a hypnotic soundtrack to today’s modern yoga experience. Get away from the stress of everyday life and slip away into the next level of your consciousness with Yoga One.
from Jackie Liu
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
Vietnamese-style Caramel Tofu Bowl
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 shallot or 1/2 onion, finely diced
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 block of firm tofu
4 tbs brown sugar (or 5 tbs maple syrup)
2 tbs vegan fish sauce
rice
cilantro
green onions
thai chili (if you like spicy)
Quick pickles:
2 carrots
2 cucumbers
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
Make quick pickles at least 1 hour beforehand. Dissolve sugar and salt in the vinegar. Either thinly slice the carrots and cucumbers, or chop them into small chunks. Toss the veggies with the vinegar mixture and place them in the fridge until ready to eat.
Drain and cut the tofu into small chunks. Sauté the shallot in cooking oil on medium heat until translucent. Add the ginger and sauté for a bit. Then add garlic and the tofu chunks. Cook until the tofu gets a bit golden, using your cooking utensil to break up the chunks into smaller pieces as you go. Once the tofu is starting to change color, add the vegan fish sauce and brown sugar. Keep moving the tofu around the pan to get everything nicely coated, when you feel like the tofu is brown enough, it’s done.
Serve on top of rice with pickles, cilantro, green onions, chili.
Notes on tofu: If you have time (and you remember), drain and cut the tofu into small chunks, freeze it the night before, then thaw in the fridge in the morning. This will help soak up the flavors, make things less watery and mushy, and give a chewier texture.
Notes on fish sauce: You can buy vegan fish sauce, a tasty brand is Ocean’s Halo, but it has molasses which adds a sweet taste that I don’t love. I love this homemade recipe. There are also many substitutes for vegan fish sauce, the dish will taste different but still delicious!
Substitutions: If you aren’t going the vegetarian or vegan route, sub the tofu for 1lb of ground pork and sub the vegan fish sauce for regular fish sauce.
Jackie Liu
Contributing Writer
Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/
Yoga One Teacher and Co-Founder Michael Caldwell answers This or That? Yoga Edition
?Vinyasa Flow most of the time, Restorative when I’m wise enough to attend.
?Lounge pants for me, please and thank you. Shorts when it’s hot.
?Morning, afternoon and evening. Any time of day I’m practicing is the best time of day!
?Let’s simultaneously sweat a little and have lots of fun.
?While it’s difficult to know which came first, the chicken or the egg or why the chicken crossed the road, it is likely universal that inversions should precede Savasana. And inversions before Savasana are like peanut butter and chocolate. Better together!
?Our new Mission Hills studio is so wonderful it feels like we are practicing outside (and with the benefits of inside! Yay!
Visit us at 1920 Fort Stockton, San Diego, CA 92103 or Yoga One San Diego to see our full class schedule and plan your visit!
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.
Flashbacks from Yoga One founders Amy and Michael Caldwell on how they nurtured a family-owned business and a thriving yoga community.
Amy was pregnant with who would turn out to be our daughter Raya (aka da Rula). Realizing that travel in the near future would be challenging, Amy booked a flight to attend a Yoga Journal conference in San Francisco. The thought of participating in classes with inspirational teachers while also being liberated from daily responsibilities for the weekend sounded too sublime to skip!
After a pleasant practice with some hundred other yoga aficionados, Amy was approached by a man with a ponytail who had been practicing behind her during class. He introduced himself as Todd Jones, the senior editor for Yoga Journal magazine*.
Jones thought Amy had a nice asana practice and wanted to know if she would be interested in doing a photoshoot at some point. They exchanged information and Amy returned to San Diego where she resumed nurturing Yoga One and planning for the arrival of our first child. (Second, if you count the studio).
Amy’s first overnight away from baby took place when Raya was 10 months old. Amy was back in San Francisco holding deep yoga poses for extended periods of time and having to take breaks during the shoot to pump milk.
On this first shoot, taken by David Martinez, Amy posed for a seven page “home practice section” on how to work up to Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose).
She would return to San Francisco just a year later for two cover shots taken by acclaimed dance photographer Lois Greenfield. One of the shots was eventually used for the Yoga Journal’s 30th anniversary edition.
Some time after the publications, Amy received an email from an individual who had seen her on the cover and wanted to know, not what her favorite yoga pose or book was, but about her shoe size. She does have very nice feet!
* A magazine is a collection of words and photographs that the reader can hold in their hand and typically comes with pages that can be turned.
Do you remember your first yoga class ever? We’d love to hear about it!
“When I was sixteen, I went to a low-income high school. They offered a weekly Ashtanga yoga class for kids who wanted to stop smoking. The teacher who organized the class loved yoga and wanted everyone to have the chance to practice, whether or not they smoked. At her encouragement, I fibbed on the intake forms and joined the class.
I fell in love with Ashtanga. I learned how to breathe consciously. I felt like there was some power locked within my awkward teenage body that I never knew existed before. Students gathered in the classroom and sometimes spilled out into the hallway. Once the lights were dimmed and practice began, the room was transformed into another space altogether. I am so grateful to that class and my first teacher who made such a deep impact on me.”
– Yoga One Student, Allison Page
Part 5 of how Yoga One founders Amy & Michael Caldwell turned their love story into a thriving yoga community! Read Part 4 here.
After backpacking around the world for 3.5 years, Amy and I felt that returning to LA seemed too familiar and too intense. So we settled in San Diego. I became an account manager at a graphic design studio and Amy worked for a family business coordinating the distribution of vegetables.
A few times a week, Amy practiced yoga in the Redwood Circle area of Balboa Park. With increasing frequency, people would stop and ask her what kind of dance she was doing (it was 2001). When she told them it was yoga, many asked if they could join her. As her following grew and winter approached, Amy and company started looking for a space to practice inside.
We tried out residential community centers, dance studios, and friends’ living rooms. For a period of time, Amy even led classes in a Hillcrest night club undergoing renovation. To access the space, everyone literally climbed over a pile of rubble.
Eventually the classes migrated to 1150 7th Avenue downtown, in the exercise room of what was then Bodyworks Gym. The owner, Rich, allowed Amy to lead classes rent-free as long as his members could attend complimentary. It was a great arrangement, except that there was no direct access to the space. Amy and students had to go up the steep gym stairs, down the back stairs, through the long, narrow hallway and then wait until the spin or aerobic class let out. It was worth it since the room had high ceilings, sky lights and a beautiful hardwood floor. (Sound familiar yet?)
However, it also had some challenges – the massage therapist working for the gym could only access her treatment room by walking through the exercise room. Often she would walk through multiple times during class – going to meet her client, going to wash her hands, leading her client out, even during savasana! Amy became adept at deep conscious breathing (:
Still, classes were going well – the people and space had good energy. Rich suggested Amy lease the space directly. After not too much thought, Amy gave up the distribution of lettuce to teach full time.
PS. We loved our time in Redwood Circle so much we got married there. <3
Jackie leads a Levels 1 & 2 Sunrise Flow class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30am 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 provides balance in my life. I live with generalized anxiety disorder, so when it feels impossible to settle my mind and like my chest is going to explode, I’ll do a quick flow of half sun salutations. Even a 5-minute practice helps me regroup, focus on my breath, and connect with the present moment.
In this past year, yoga has given me a sense of community in a time of isolation. With so much violence and hate in our world, yoga continues to teach and to remind me that love, compassion, and empathy still exist.
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
As a practitioner, I’m learning how to enjoy lying in savasana. Yoga teaches us to connect our internal and external experiences together. Lingering in an external experience (like a physically restful pose) can be challenging for me because of what happens internally – heavy thoughts and feelings often ruminate in my mind and heart. When I’m able to connect to these feelings through an asana practice followed by the stillness of savasana, the flood gates open and I start crying. However, I’m growing and learning to find joy in this experience rather than constantly fighting it out of fear.
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
All burritos are my favorite because I love food! I just love eating, especially anything that can be nicely wrapped inside of a giant tortilla. If I’m feeling like a homebody, the one thing that’ll get me to put on my shoes and leave the house is if someone says, “hey, wanna get a burrito?” Doesn’t matter what kind, I’m there.
Do you remember your first yoga class ever? We’d love to hear about it!
“My first yoga class was in San Francisco, on the recommendation of an ex-boyfriend. In my mind, “yoga was for hippies” lol, but I went to a local YMCA and enrolled for a month. After my first class, I was in love.
“Before that, I had been working for my state’s Human Rights Commission. I was 21, fresh out of college, and I wasn’t ready to see the reality of my country, Mexico, first hand. I became extremely anxious, depressed and got into toxic behavior with myself.
“But then a small miracle happened. As part of my job, I went to an orphanage where most of the kids had been taken away from their parents because of addiction or legal custody battles. I thought to myself, I can’t come in here looking like this. The kids need to see healthy people around them.
“I stopped drinking and smoking on the weekdays. It took me two or three months until I decided I needed to quit my job for the sake of my mental health. And I wanted to travel – which brought me to San Francisco. I went back to that YMCA for yoga every day for six months. Then everywhere I went, I enrolled in classes.
“I started to think seriously about taking a yoga teacher training. I realized I wasn’t interested anymore in trying to help the people around me with politics and social work. I wanted them to feel the way I did after every single class. So I looked for a good yoga teacher training in San Diego and the rest is history…
“It’s been almost seven years since I took my teacher training at Yoga One. Every day I go to work with so much happiness and fulfillment that I can’t put it into words. Thanks Yoga One!”
– Yoga One Teacher Training Graduate, Alejandra García Mac Naught
from Kirstin Green
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
If you haven’t heard of or tried aquafaba, this is a great chance to do so! It might seem strange to use the liquid from a can of chickpeas as an emulsifying agent but I promise it works and creates a creamy texture with no nuts, seeds, or dairy. This recipe was adapted from Save the Food.
1/4 cup aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil (such as grapeseed)
1/2 cup fresh parsley and chives
1 tsp dried dill
1 lemon, juiced
In a blender, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Blend, gradually increasing speed for about 1 minute. Add the mustard, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. With blender on low speed, slowly stream in oil until thickened. Pulse in herbs and lemon.
Try it over your favorite salad, with a plate of crudités, or drizzled over a goddess bowl of rice and veggies. Enjoy!
Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.
Part 4 of how Yoga One founders Amy & Michael Caldwell turned their love story into a thriving yoga community! Read Part 3 here.
The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, a slight ocean breeze. Our stay on the island of Viti Levi, Fiji had been serenely stimulating (like the kava ceremony in which we had participated). Pretty perfect.
But we wanted more. More perfection.
What we hadn’t yet done was to explore another island. So we gathered up our things and the food we had: a bag of rice, some water, a submarine sandwich and a packet of Twizzlers. Our conversation went something like this:
“Let’s go down to the dock and see if one of the boat crews will take us to a deserted island.”
Cool, like the blue lagoon?”
“Sure, yeah, why not?”
So we did. And to our surprise, almost immediately, we’re bumping along in a small boat, stunned and a little nauseous from the gas fumes. What had we done?
Some time later, we cleared the open water and drew near to an idyllic island. We could almost see all the way around. There were about 15 people of a variety of ages milling about collecting shell fish and sea creatures. As we approached, some of the small boys took an interest in us. After some short socializing, everyone began to depart, including our boat crew.
“How long do you want to stay?” They asked.
Amy and I looked at each other, amazed. We could read each other’s minds. Wait, what? Everyone is leaving!? This island is uninhabited and you are actually going to leave us?
Awesome! We take a quick accounting of our supplies.
“How about four days?” We said.
“Ok, see you in four days.”
Then they motored off.
And just like that… Amy and I are alone. On an uninhabited island. In Fiji.
For sleeping gear, I think we had a sheet, toiletries, um, a toothbrush, I think… Phones or other communication devices? Nope. We did have a small camping stove. When we cooked the rice, we used too much water and it got soggy. There was no refrigeration and it was hot during the day and yeah, so…
It was glorious.
We literally slept in a cave. It was expansive and dry, not at all dark, damp and dingy. We bathed in the deep azure ocean. We didn’t need a change of clothes because we didn’t need clothes. Except for the time the little boys paddled their canoe over from the adjacent island. But we could see them coming from literally a mile away. Jamme, Eli, and Joe taught us how to create sand suits and face masks.
At another time, we traversed the slim trail through the jungle to the other side of the island and were enjoying the secluded beach when a sailboat of French travelers arrived. Needless to say, they were as shocked to see us as we were to encounter them.
During the days, we climbed rocks, swam, explored, stretched, did absolutely nothing for hours and had some amazing adventures. At night, we listened to the lapping of the waves, counted the stars and our blessings. Then on the fourth day, we heard the sound of the boat’s engine and it was over. It had been more than perfect.
(The photos are us after we relocated to an adjacent island.)
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.
Daniela leads a Flow, Level 2 class on Fridays at 9am and she is the lead teacher for Yoga One’s 300 Hour Teacher Training.
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga shows up in my life as little moments of inner peace. I know my yoga practice is working when even amongst the busiest days or the saddest moments I can take a few breaths and just enjoy being alive– right here, right now.
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
For me, yoga teaching is a part of my yoga practice and my yoga practice is the fuel and foundation of my yoga teaching. I think the place I am experiencing the most growth is in truly integrating the two – teaching and practicing yoga in a way that equally centers health and well-being on all layers of my being (physical, energetic, mental, emotional, & spiritual). This is something I explore in detail on my podcast Yoga IRL which you can follow on Instagram at @yogairlpodcast, or through my website www.yogairl.org ?
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
My fav burrito is hands down the vegetarian burrito with refried beans from Colima’s in North Park. It’s the real deal— muy delicioso ?
Do you remember your first yoga class ever? We’d love to hear about it!
“My first yoga class was in Fargo, North Dakota in 2000! I was a busy architecture student and encountered a special place, The Spirit Room in downtown. I was curious and attended my first class. The owner was a lovely woman in her 40’s who had completely white hair – she looked beautiful!
“I signed up for the monthly fee at The Spirit Room where I not only could attend unlimited yoga classes but also received a key to use the study room in the space anytime I wanted, 24/7. I remember going there at night to study and also had access to the small library in the studio. It was there that I started reading one of my first spiritual books, Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn.”
– Yoga One student, Miti Aiello
Do you know about the incredible practice of mudras? Better yet, do you know how mudras can lift your energy and deepen your yoga practice?
At one point or another you’ve probably heard a yoga teacher say during class, “now bring your hands to a prayer position.” You were doing Anjali Mudra and you might not have even known it! ?
This beautiful mudra means “to salute” or “to offer” in Sanskrit and is often associated with gratitude, humility, and a reunification of the right and left sides of the body. Whether you practice Anjali Mudra in front of your heart or try it behind your back (like this awesome picture of Olivia!) we hope it adds a grounding element to your flow ???
??To practice: Bring both hands to touch so your fingers are pressed against each other and your fingertips are pointed up to the sky. Try not to press too hard into your palms so that you can allow a little space between your lower knuckles. Think of it as a flower getting ready to bloom.
from Kirstin Green
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
Creamy Hemp Seed Salad Dressing (base recipe)
2 TBS hemp seeds
1/4 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup fresh orange juice (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Salt & black pepper to taste
Using a blender, combine ingredients together until creamy. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Variations (add to base recipe before blending)
Cilantro-Lime: 1 bunch cilantro, sub lime juice for the lemon juice (toss a jalapeno in too, if that’s your jam)
Honey-Mustard: 1 tablespoon each of dijon mustard and honey
Herb-Ranch: one bunch of parsley, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Umami-Ginger: sub sesame oil for olive oil, 1 teaspoon miso or soy sauce for salt, and a nob of ginger
Roasted Garlic: if you’ve got roasted garlic laying around, toss a bunch of that in there. (omit the fresh garlic) It’s off the hook.
Basil-Tomato: 1/2 cup fresh basil, and 1/2 cup fresh tomato
Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.
Part 3 of how Yoga One founders Amy & Michael Caldwell turned their love story into a thriving yoga community! Read Part 2 here.
It was early morning. The concrete floor was stone cold. Swami Shivananda, who we would call Guruji, showed up for our first daily private yoga lesson. He was younger than our 27 years, but his big, black and bushy mustache made him look older and certainly more authoritative. As he stood in the center of what was our single room living quarters, he said something about feeling stiff. To loosen up, he jackknifed forward with both legs straight and touched his head near the top of his feet – then, in a flash, he bent backward and brought his head between his legs.
“Uh oh!” I thought.
We had recently arrived in Varanasi from Nepal. One day wandering the streets looking for an Internet cafe (remember those?) we met a man asking if he could be of assistance. His name was Ravi and he invited us to stay with his family. In addition to allowing Amy to learn to cook with the women of the family and finding a tabla drum teacher for Michael, Ravi introduced us to Guruji.
Guruji had us take our positions on the rice bags we were using for mats.* There was a blur of new and intense poses (for us) and the occasional comment from Guruji, including, “After some time, pain finished.”**
And then he was gone, leaving us wide-eyed and astounded. Did we just do what we think we did?
Knowing he would be back the next morning, we immediately established a routine. Re-practice what we had learned, right then and there. Re-practice on the rooftop in the evening and get up extra early to warm up before he arrived the next morning. The weight of our bodies as we laid down on our hard bed increased the soreness. Yet we were keen to learn and explore…and we were having fun.
After some time, the pain finished. Growth and openness to keep learning remained.
*Don’t try this at home, kids. Rice bags are rough and scratchy.
**We encourage listening to your body, not pushing past your edge, and we definitely don’t encourage tolerating any sharp shooting pain.
Do you know about the incredible practice of mudras? Better yet, do you know how mudras can lift your energy and deepen your yoga practice?
Mudra means “seal” or “closure” in Sanskrit, and each mudra requires a specific shape of your hands – like asana for your fingers! The precise position of each mudra is deeply connected to energetic qualities, different natural elements, acupressure points, and more. Incorporating mudras into your practice can elevate the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of your practice ??????
Today we’re sharing Lotus Mudra, which is often associated as a heart-opening gesture. The image of the lotus brings to mind a beautiful, pure flower growing toward the light out of dark, murky waters ? Experiment with holding this mudra at your core, your heart space, and your third eye to notice any shifts in your energy or mood.
??To practice: Bring the heels of your palms to touch as you press your thumbs and pinkies together, using the leverage of this motion to expand your center three fingers out into the shape of a blossoming flower.
This article first published on NTCH magazine
Words by Victoria Derr / Photos by Vivian Morellon
Think back to your first yoga class. Was it a crisp studio space? A room with abstract murals on the wall? Was it a relaxing yin yoga class, or a high powered vinyasa class? A YouTube video? An Instagram clip? Or what about a friend encouraging you to do a few cat and cows?
For Yoga One studio owners, Amy and Michael Caldwell, their first yoga class was far from the norm.
It was on a searing hot blacktop, ambianced with Malaysian marching band music, taught by a dude doing headstands from New Zealand. They both laugh at the memory.
Rewind years earlier, before being studio owners and even before their first yoga class, Amy and Michael were both working in the music biz in LA; Amy, working for Budd Carr, seeking music to place in movie soundtracks and Michael, at Broadcast Music Inc., promoting songwriters and composers. They met at a record release party for Stanley Clark, and from there the yin-yang duo was born. Michael was promoting music to people like Amy, who placed music in movies and television. Already, their meeting seemed synchronistic – a balance of give and take.
Their dynamic duo energy only revealed itself more as the interview progressed. Much like the ebb and flow of an inhale and exhale, their journey with yoga had its moments of collaboration combined with solo self study: from discovering yoga in a book together, to living in separate cities as they deepened their practice.
Shortly after meeting, they wrapped up loose ends in LA and spent the next three years traveling. Between apple picking, bartending, and updating the Lonely Planet guides, the two lived a budget friendly, free-spirited life abroad.
“I mean,” Amy shook her head as she spoke. “This was before the time of smartphones and instant communication, if we wanted to talk to people back home we had to find an internet cafe. Our parents must have thought we were crazy.”
During the last year of their travels, they discovered yoga. For these two, their first encounter with yoga came from a few poses found in a book, Fit for Life. As they continued their travels, they met other individuals who were practicing yoga who would share different parts of yoga, the philosophies, the pranayama.
NTCH sat down with the two yogis, who shared stories of going to JTMF with their kids, driving over tumbleweeds, Vipassana meditation, and balancing their everyday life through yoga.
NTCH: So how did you two come to yoga, or how did yoga come to you?
MICHAEL: It really was super organic. There’s the phenomenon that once you become aware of something, you see it everywhere. So as soon as we did the few poses we found in that book, Fit for Life, we were in Malaysia walking in the forest, and we look down into a valley and there was this guy who was doing something down there. We had never seen a video, or been to class, so we asked ourselves, “Is he doing yoga?” That night we saw him at the coffee shop, and went over to him, and he invited us to come join him the next day.
So my first yoga class ever…he takes us to the edge of a Malaysian high school, and we’re on the blacktop, in the summer, and it’s about eighty degrees, and we took off our t-shirts and put them onto the ground as mats. And we practiced on the blacktop. And in the distance, just across the way, was the Malaysian marching band [Michael imitates tuba sounds for emphasis] And that was my first yoga experience.
AMY: As we kept going, we would find books and other people who practiced. Two years later when we got to India, we were very much ready to immerse ourselves in that experience. We studied with a private instructor for six weeks that came to our house every morning for an hour.
MICHAEL: We were on an exploration. I mean, we both went to college in LA, worked in the music business. How fun, it doesn’t get more fun than some of the experiences we had. But the fact that we were looking for more in terms of personal growth set us up to be open for something like that. Trying to engage with your body for its own purpose rather than as a vehicle to get something done. That was a revelation for us.
Read the full interview with NTCH here.
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! ?
from Jackie Liu
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
Fruit and Veggie Smoothie
3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1/2 cup greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt
a handful of frozen broccoli
a handful of frozen strawberries
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 ripe banana
1 tsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional, if you like things sweeter)
Throw all of the ingredients in a blender. Start off on the lowest setting to get the frozen bits moving. Then gradually increase the speed, adding a little liquid if needed, and blend to desired consistency.
Fun ideas:
– replace spinach with 2-3 kale leaves (stems removed)
– replace broccoli with 1/2 cup frozen peas
– replace strawberries with any handful of frozen fruit
– add 1/4 tsp almond extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Jackie Liu
Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/
from Kirstin Green
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
I cannot stress enough how much I love this stuff. Dress it up or eat it straight off the stems with your hands, oil dripping down your chin. I don’t really want to eat kale any other way these days. This recipe’s chewy, smoky, juiciness satisfies me at a very primal level.
Plan on one bunch of kale per person. You’ll want to fire up your barbecue for this one.
1 bunch of kale (curly is awesome but any will work)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup oil (avocado, sunflower, olive are my faves)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lemon
Wash, drain and place the kale in a large bowl. In a blender, blend the garlic, oil, pepper and salt together. Pour over the kale and toss to coat.
Over low heat, place the kale leaves on the grill. Cook for a couple of minutes and flip, and cook for a couple of more minutes on the other side, until the leaves are soft and edges starting to char just a little bit. Don’t over-grill, as the burnt ones aren’t as awesome to eat.
Remove from the grill. Squeeze lemon juice over leaves and go to town.
This recipe originally published at KirstinGreen.com
Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.
Part One: Yoga One Co-Founders Amy and Michael Caldwell weren’t always yoga teachers in beautiful San Diego… Here’s a flashback story of how they fell in love and the seed for Yoga One was planted. 🙂
Check out this Throwback pic of Yoga One co-founders Amy & Michael in Kala Patthar, Nepal in 1999!
Seeing as ?Valentine’s Day ?is right around the corner, we wanted to share a little background on how their love story brought Yoga One to life in San Diego.
“It was 1995 and I was working for Broadcast Music Incorporated in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. We were throwing a party for jazz bassist extraordinaire and film composer Stanley Clarke. Amy and her co-workers from Budd Carr’s music supervision team were attending the event. With Budd and company, Amy had helped with the music for such films as Twister, Heat, Nixon and Natural Born Killers. Since Amy and her team often frequented such events as a group, someone remarked that she’d never find a boyfriend because it always appeared that she was in a relationship. Amy replied that there wasn’t anyone at the party in which she was interested in, anyway. That is until I walked around the corner. Insert angelic music swelling, a warm breeze blowing my hair, and soft lighting caressing my face. A few years later, we were at 18,800 feet on Kala Patar and with Mount Everest as our witness, I proposed. Amy, cold and oxygen deprived said, “Of course!” We then hiked to base camp for good measure.”
This is ~obviously~ Michael’s version of events! But that party was the start of it all. Stay tuned for the next installment about how Amy & Michael discovered their love of yoga in an Australian apple orchard and the seed for Yoga One was planted! ??????
It can be hard to think of fun and safe date ideas these days. Thankfully our friends at Eco Boat Rentals have complied a list of 7 Outdoor Date Ideas San Diego Has to Offer and Yoga One is #2 on their list!
“If you and your date like yoga or want to try something new together, do an outdoor yoga class. Yoga One San Diego hosts yoga classes live online via Zoom and outside in Presidio Park in Old Town. You can even book a private yoga session for two!”
Or join us this coming Saturday, 2/13 for a special 2 hour Valentine’s Day Flow & Restore class with Nicole Schwander Riel on Zoom from 2-4pm.
This special, two hour soulful practice is designed to fill your heart with love. The first hour will focus on a light-hearted flow to lift your spirits, move with intention, and open your center through backbends with options and modifications for all levels. During the second hour, we will drop into a juicy restorative practice, supported with props to connect with compassion and love for yourself and all beings. This longer class format is a special treat for your body, mind, and heart!
from Jackie Liu
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
Sweet Coconut Black Rice & Beans
Pour the whole can of coconut milk into a pot. Add the rice and water (plus quinoa, if using), and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the liquid is mostly gone. Make sure to give it a good stir every now and then to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. Don’t worry if it does, it’ll unstick itself when you add the beans.
While the rice is cooking, drain and rinse your beans, but KEEP THE JUICE! Heat up the juice so it’s warm to the touch. Add 1Tbs maple syrup and then add the beans back to the juice and stir. Let those soak until the rice is done.
When most of the liquid is gone from the rice pot, remove from heat. Stir in the beans plus the juice and add the remaining maple syrup and salt. The moisture from the bean juice will help free the sticky bits from the bottom of the pot.
Serve warm or cold. Top with almond milk or more coconut milk, hemp seeds, chia seeds, fruit, more sweetener, whatever you like!
Jackie Liu
Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/
guest post by Karen Beers
The power of gratitude is remarkable. When we take time to slow down and mindfully recognize the abundance in our lives, we create a positive inner shift that extends far beyond ourselves.
1. Start the day with gratitude by acknowledging that we are given a priceless gift – to be alive right now. Each day, we wake up with new possibilities and opportunities to learn and grow. Each day, we are gifted time and the pure potentiality of how the hours can be utilized.
2. Feel gratitude for yourself, your body, your physical abilities, and talents. There are countless lessons to be gained from acknowledging what a gift it is to move and breathe. It’s important to appreciate your individual limitations, too. Gratitude can help you slow down and acknowledge the countless skills you have to share with the world. You are an integral part of the community and what you offer is incredibly valuable.
3. Express gratitude and appreciation for community. Family, friends, neighbors, and those connections near and far are integral support systems. These people are there to help us show up and be the best version of ourselves. Our community lifts us up so that we can share our strengths and abilities, and these people also help us to ground and center ourselves when we feel fractured or unsettled.
4. Expand your awareness of gratitude to all of nature. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful world. By simply stepping outside and looking around, we provide ourselves space to receive many therapeutic qualities that enhance our well-being. Take time to acknowledge the natural beauty of the world and receive the benefits it provides to us.
Many blessings tend to go unnoticed when we are distracted by our daily tasks and obligations. By making space in each day to practice gratitude; we find an abundance within and around us. As Albert Einstein so wisely said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Nicole teaches some of our offsite corporate classes. Say “hi” in the comments if you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking her class!
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga shows up in all the nooks and crannies of the day – needing a good hip flexor stretch while standing in line (6 ft apart) at the grocery store, remembering that it’s not about me when holding the door open for someone and not getting a “thank you.”
I find yoga when practicing ahimsa (non-harming) in my thoughts and words (this one is challenging during arguments but it keeps me humble and on my toes – there is always room for more love and kindness), belly breathing as much as possible, especially when stressed or unsettled, and remembering to tilt the corners of my mouth up to form a smile as often as possible. =)
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
I’m reflecting more internally, especially regarding my energy. I have a tendency to over-extend myself energetically (i.e. trying to help “fix” issues that are not within my control, nor mine to “fix”) which drains me and doesn’t serve others. It is a continuous journey, and the more I practice self-reflection, the more I am able to learn from my past actions, thoughts, etc. and nourish my spiritual and energetic growth in this crazy yet beautiful world.
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
Oh man, in my dream world, it would be a vegan and gluten-free one with seasoned tempeh, LOTS of crunchy raw veggies, and a yummy plant-based spicy sauce!! I have yet to find this unicorn burrito, but remain hopeful in my search.
by Amy Caldwell
One morning, while I was practicing in my usual spot outside on our back deck, I took a photo to see if the backbend looked like it felt. In the photo, I see strength and openness, I feel presence and persistence. I also see and feel a place adjacent to my heart that is challenging to bend.
I’ve been focused on the physiological theme of back-bending and its alignment: long torso on all sides with balanced core engagement. The corresponding mindfulness theme I am exploring is conscious participation:
How can we arrive in the present, allow ourselves to be OK with what we are feeling, then to engage in the next moment with openness, curiosity, presence, and kindness?
As I physically and energetically explore opening my heart, there is intense love intermingled with fear. Not fear of my own death or harm, but fear that the safety of my beloveds is out of my control. We continually seek to be equally grounded and spacious, strong and open, balanced with present moment awareness and love. As we age, we have to work harder at both – not to become set in our ways, closed and rigid.
“Every movement toward flexibility, there must be an equivalent movement toward strength.”
– Diana Beardsley
What is it that you need more of in your practice? In your life?
How can we metaphorically open our hearts while remaining strong and grounded in the present?
How can we stand up for what we believe is true and right, while simultaneously loving our adversary as a fellow human who is also doing what they believe is true and right?
As Pema Chödrön advises, we can let go of fear and control… even while embracing the groundlessness of being human. Sometimes the way forward is not without, but within.
Amy Caldwell
Contributing Writer
Amy (E-RYT 500) has dedicated herself to the practice, study and teaching of yoga since discovering its joys and benefits in 1997 while backpacking throughout Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe. Amy is a Co-Founder of Yoga One and lead teacher for their yoga teacher training program.
Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…
Kimchi Fried Rice
– 4 cups cooked rice (1-day old rice will give the best texture)
– cooking oil of your choice (preferably something with little to no flavor)
– 1/2 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped
– 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1/4 cup kimchi juice
– 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
– 2 tsp gochujang (optional-adds a touch of sweetness and umami flavor)
– 3 tsp sesame oil
– 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped (I like shiitake or oyster)
– 1 cup of chopped up leafy greens of choice (kale, spinach, chard are all fun)
**optional: add a chopped up hearty vegetable (ie. 2 carrots, or 1 zucchini, or 1 small sweet potato)
– 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
** (make your own kimchi here)
– a sheet of nori cut up into strips, or use your favorite Nori Furikake
– sesame seeds, or use your fave Nori Furikake
– green onions, thinly sliced
– fried eggs (optional)
In a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan, heat up the cooking oil on medium-high, and saute the onion and ginger until the onions soften a bit. In a small bowl, stir together kimchi juice, soy sauce, gochujang, and sesame oil, and set aside. If you’re using hearty vegetables, add those to the pan and cook until they start to soften, adding more cooking oil if the pan is too dry. Add the mushrooms and cook until they darken. Add the leafy greens and cook until they start to wilt. To the pan, add the chopped kimchi, cooked rice, and the kimchi juice sauce, making sure everything is well incorporated. The fried rice is ready when the juices are all absorbed. In a separate pan, quickly fry an egg or two, per serving. Serve up the fried rice in a bowl topped with nori, sesame seeds, green onions, extra kimchi, and fried eggs.
Jackie Liu
Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/
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
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
I am currently in what is called “the sandwich generation.” I have elderly in-laws, a mother fighting cancer, and two teenagers who need my love, care, support, and attention, especially in these uncertain times.
Our living room has become the “yoga space.” It’s been so wonderful having my kids and husband join me in my yoga classes and my personal practice. Yoga has been my comfort. Yoga reminds me to breathe, to slow down, and it allows me to return to myself so I can recharge.
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
I’ve certainly grown technologically during this time. Navigating Zoom and Webex has been fun and challenging 🙂 It’s been a big shift for me not being in the same physical space as my students and giving hands-on adjustments. Nonetheless, I feel so grateful to offer classes online, where I still get to guide and connect with my students.
I’ve also grown personally in my meditation practice in that I’ve finally learned to be consistent. My daughter and I started meditating together and we’ve been keeping each other accountable. I feel much more grounded, connected, and present when I make time to practice meditation on a near-daily basis.
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
My favorite is a burrito bowl (no gluten!) 🙂 I like it with brown rice, black or pinto beans, lots of veggies, lettuce, guacamole, extra cilantro, pico de gallo, and hot salsa.
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga is like a longtime, dear, best friend to me, always there through both good and challenging times. I’m grateful for Zoom and the opportunity to connect online with my students and fellow yogis. It’s not the same as in person, but I know in the future it will be all the sweeter when we get to be together again.
These days my practice is teaching me presence and patience. I learned the pauses in my practice: the pause after a pose, or a sequence, or the inhale-pause-exhale-pause. I try to sit with the pause, however difficult or uncomfortable or scary it may feel.
I’m applying that to my life now, this pause in our regularly scheduled life. It’s a time to tune in and explore the inner landscape. A time to sit in the pause and feel the sacred space between. Yoga has always been preparing us for this uncertain time. Here and now we get to put these tools of patience, practice, presence to work.
We often forget that we have the tools. I do all the time. Then I come back to my mat, to my breath, and remember.
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
I’ve grown technologically since mid-March. I remember the first Zoom class I taught on March 15. It felt so odd to have my students in the living room with me! My lighting was way off and the sound wasn’t good.
I’ve since moved my yoga space into a guest bedroom with abundant natural light as well as studio lights borrowed from Nam Chanterrwyn. We put the bed and furniture into storage and my kids bought me a microphone for Mother’s Day 🙂
I’ve also become much more dedicated to my home practice. Now that I have the space set aside, I wake up each morning and go to my yoga loft. I read from my yoga texts or draw an angel card and sit to meditate; then I transition into a physical practice for however long I can. Some days it’s just a few minutes, other days I spend 2 hours doing my home practice.
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
I love a good bean and cheese burrito with chips and guacamole on the side ?
1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?
Yoga shows up as a savior. I completely appreciate the break it gives me from my daily stresses. Right now, I’m teaching more than practicing for myself, but teaching yoga is such a wonderful way to decompress and to focus on other people’s comfort for an hour. That gives me life. Yoga has always given me life, this is just the new way it’s showing up right now.
2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?
I’m experiencing growth recognizing that teaching is not what it was 4 months ago. I can’t see all of my students, or their whole bodies, and it’s challenging to not give as many personal cues. I’m lucky to have known most of my students for awhile. With new students, I’m working to offer all that I could in person and making those personal connections. Of course it’s a bit harder online. I’m growing and adapting and striving to offer comfort through my teaching and conversation.
3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?
Right now, it’s the one my husband makes. When we first started dating, he worked at a deli. He knows how to wrap sandwiches and burritos so well, I’m always impressed. Also, he makes them with love and intention, you can tell the difference. 😉
A conversation about practicing yoga at home with Missy DiDonato and Laura McCorry of Yoga One.
Yoga One is offering daily live yoga classes online to support your health and wellbeing, no matter where you’re located. You can find our full schedule of class offerings here.
Laura: I realized lately that the longer I stay at home and attend yoga classes from home, as convenient as that is, there’s something about the experience of physically moving my body from one location to another that I’m missing. I feel like the journey of getting to yoga is part of the experience.
Missy: Totally. That’s why the Yoga One studio is such a special place to me, the physical space it occupies holds the experience of yoga apart from the rest of my life. So the journey of going to yoga, when you practice at home, can be reinterpreted or approximated to make the whole experience more meaningful.
Laura: I love that idea of yoga being set aside from everyday life, a sort of oasis from which we draw rejuvenation, which then carries over into the rest of our lives. When you’re practicing at home, it’s so easy to be distracted and so tempting to check your phone. How do you make sure that your time for practice is set aside and distraction-free?
Missy: I think the process of preparing my space before practice is really important – getting it clean and organized, laying out my mat, grabbing my props. If I’m having a hard day or I’m just feeling lots of emotions, I’ll get out my palo santo or sage and literally clear the air.
Laura: These might seem like small acts, but I bet they’re really important for creating space in your mind. These physical acts of preparing which helps you prepare mentally as well. Just like the physical practice of yoga has an impact on your mental/emotional state.
Missy: Yes! And it comes back to ritual, whatever that looks like for you. Moving furniture, clearing the space, putting on music, using sage, taking a walk around the block, turning off your phone. Ritual helps you drop in to the right headspace and lends weight to your habits.
Laura: Ritual is what signals to your body that what comes next is important. I especially love the suggestion to walk around the block, almost re-creating the experience of going somewhere before dropping in to your practice.
Missy: Yes. I think the practices of ritual, of preparation, and of yoga itself are going to be so important for all of us as we evaluate what happens next as a society. What are your safe rituals going to be as the world opens up? How do you keep your yoga practice a priority, whether that practice is at home or in the studio?
Laura: I know everyone is going to feel differently on the subject of opening up after isolation, and there’s certainly not going to be a one-size-fits-all approach. Throughout our isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, yoga has been the most consistent way I check in with my body and emotions, experience grounding and calm, and practice letting go of expectations.
Increasingly, I’ve realized that I need to schedule my practice time in order to “make it” to class. Do you schedule your own yoga practice time?
Missy: Definitely. I have to look at my week and figure out where I have childcare, what other commitments I have, and then I put the classes I want to take on my calendar. Yoga One uses the MindBody software, which has a feature where you can sign-in for classes ahead of time and you’ll be sent a reminder email the day before. I know that feature is helpful for a lot of people! We’ve all got so much going on, any organization and reminders are appreciated, at least for me.
We are so grateful to all of you outstanding teachers, students and friends. We hope to continue to share the joys and benefits of yoga together for many more years to come! Thank you, thank you! We feel so grateful.
Namaste, Michael & Amy
Thank you to all of our students, now and throughout the years, for your presence and help in building this vibrant and diverse community called the Yoga One family. Thank you, thank you to everyone who contributed to this video and the following testimonials.
I wish the Yoga One family an amazing 18th birthday – so thankful for the great instructors, the empathy they show and the calm they bring to our harried lives, especially these days! – Sandeep A.
Congratulations on 18 years! Yoga One teachers and community have pretty much saved me. I was going through an extremely difficult time in my personal life and their classes kept me sane. I appreciate them working so hard to make the online classes work. I am looking forward to the Mission Hills studio opening and seeing everyone in person again. – Emily W.
Happy Birthday to Yoga One! While I’m fairly new to the studio, it’s no surprise that Amy and Michael have been so successful. Their love of the practice and genuine interest in fostering student and instructor well-being shines throughout every aspect of the experience (even in Zoom). I have practiced yoga off and on throughout studios across the country and this is the first time I’ve felt like I found “the one”. Special shout out to Missy and all of the instructors that make Yoga One so fantastic 🙂 Thanks for all that you do and looking forward to Mission Hills opening soon! – Kelly B.
Yoga One’s month in review, in response to Covid-19.
by Laura McCorry
Just last month (although it feels like eons ago!) the Yoga One team was full-steam ahead getting ready to open our new Mission Hills location We were busy teaching a full schedule of classes at our Downtown location, half way through our Winter/Spring, 8 weekend 200 Hour Teacher Training Course,and leading classes at multiple off-site corporate locations.
Our teachers were sharing the joys and benefits of yoga with students who walked into our studio off the street, with students who had never practiced yoga before, with students who popped into an empty conference room for a lunch-time practice, with students who have been building their yoga practice for years – all of whom trust Yoga One to guide them with depth of knowledge, skill, heart, integrity, and compassion.
Enter Covid-19. California and many other states rushed to issue stay-at-home orders and the world as we knew it was turned upside down. So many more people were working from home. Schools were closed indefinitely. Businesses scrambled to put protective measures in place, some closed their doors, and still others decided to offer their services online.
Our Downtown studio, a place that since 2002 has been an oasis that admits the city, a h-OM-e way from home for so many, was (for the moment) no longer a place we could congregate. We have long believed that sharing the practice of yoga was not just good for the individual, but good for the community.
How could we continue to offer yoga to help people live healthy and happy lives and to foster connection between individuals, building community, right now when people need it the most?
In just two days, we pulled together with staff and students to transition all of our classes online. Questions regarding Zoom ID#s were now as common as namaste. Because our online classes are live and interactive, they have the same feel as practicing in the studio. Teachers and students greet each other in real time. Teachers can watch their students’ alignment and provide feedback and encouragement. Soon we had our groove on and it was inspiring to see everyone really utilizing their yoga practice, way beyond the physical asana –
Holly Wright and David Lloyd got their cat Zimbo to attend classes online!
Allison Page roped her sister Caroline into rolling out her mat regularly next to her.
And the graduates of the Yoga One Teacher Training Winter/Spring 200 Hour course stayed after class for a Catch-Up Party.
It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of love and support from within our community during these challenging times. Small businesses everywhere are hurting right now. When you shop or support a small business like Yoga One, you’re taking one step forward towards the kind of world we all hope to emerge from isolation to find. (Tweet that)
In recent days, we’ve been reviewing our class recordings, trying to determine how and when we might be able to offer them for a streaming service – so students could access quality yoga instruction whenever is most convenient for them.
What we’ve found is not just hour-long yoga classes: We’ve seen our whole community encouraging each other, sharing updates about their families, offering each other blessings and messages of hope, checking in on teachers and students and neighbors alike. Despite the upset of Covid-19, we have found each other and forged a real, human connection through the portal of the internet.
Our community has adapted and our connection is intact and strong. Yoga means union, or to yoke together. Thank you (yes, you!) for showing us through your presence and your support that we really are all in this together.
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
“A piece of old cloth, especially one torn from a larger fabric, used typically for cleaning things.”
Although likening meditation to a rag is not a common metaphor, we are living in uncommon times.
Each one of us is a piece of the whole. And while we aren’t necessarily “old,” we have some amount of human experience under our belts. In our regular daily lives, we can sometimes feel separate or “torn” from the whole.
Right now, we have an opportunity to deeply see and connect to the reality that we are part of a much larger fabric.
Especially under the current circumstances, the importance of cleaning takes on a powerful relevance – why not use this time to investigate our perceptions, what filters and lenses we employ to see the world? Can we allow ourselves to be more open, curious, and loving?
R.A.G. This simple acronym can serve as a daily meditation in as little as three minutes (one minute each):
R Relax
A Awaken
G Gather
Relax. Enjoy a few deep breaths. Move in any way that helps facilitate relaxation: Exhale with an open mouth, roll the shoulders, tense, and relax the face.
Awaken. Bring awareness to anything in the present moment: sound, smell, thoughts, emotions, body sensations. Meet whatever you find with curiosity and love – as you would a cherished friend.
Gather. Locate an area in your body where you feel the breath: i.e, the torso or nostrils, etc. Choose one location and gather your full attention there. Each time the mind wanders away, return to watching and feeling the breath. Remain here, in the present, and enjoy the experience.
Amy Caldwell
Contributing Writer
Amy (E-RYT 500) has dedicated herself to the practice, study and teaching of yoga since discovering its joys and benefits in 1997 while backpacking throughout Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe. Amy is a Co-Founder of Yoga One and lead teacher for their yoga teacher training program.
by Laura McCorry
It was Saturday afternoon. I was going to a 4pm yoga class with an instructor in San Diego. I walked upstairs to get changed into yoga clothes at 3:50pm. I set up my computer and clicked on a link to join a Zoom meeting.
The instructor greeted everyone warmly as they popped up in our virtual class. She explained that to preserve audio quality, everyone joined the group muted but that we should feel free to unmute ourselves at any time to speak.
I sat on my mat rolled out at the foot of my bed, noticing how sharp my image appeared because I’d stationed my computer along the wall with windows. Others had their cameras showing bright windows in the background and they were more difficult to see.
I checked the borders of my own screen, reassured that the pile of dirty sheets I’d stripped from the bed but not yet washed was off-camera. As more students came into the virtual classroom, some of them turned off their video feed and appeared as black icons with a name.
Suddenly, I was very aware of what and who could be seen and not seen. In a typical yoga class, you would expect your body to be seen and your voice to be heard. At first, taking a yoga class on Zoom felt more vulnerable because I was seen clearly by all, though not heard.
When we began to move and breathe on our mats, I was reassured that it felt so similar to taking class in person. It helped that my instructor was a master teacher, capable of providing precise physical alignment cues and verbal descriptions of the intentionality of each pose.
The instructor set up her camera so that all of her body could be seen – and checked that her sound quality was good when she was standing both far and near. I was pleasantly surprised by this level of professionalism; teaching online is entirely new to most yoga teachers.
My camera placement was not ideal. While I practiced, part of my body was frequently off-screen – but this didn’t bother me and didn’t seem to be necessary information for the instructor. Because she wasn’t always viewing each student’s alignment, there were fewer corrections than there might have been in an in-person class – which actually allowed the experience to be more like a solo practice. I was able to focus on my own mat and find my own alignment simply by listening.
Before the start of practice, our instructor acknowledged the circumstances that had pushed this class online – the silent spread of coronavirus across the country and the need for everyone to collectively practice social distancing in order to protect the most vulnerable among us. She invited everyone to take a minute to introduce themselves, their location, and to share how their heart was feeling that very moment.
One by one, the people in tiny boxes before me each shared something real about themselves: their fears, their anxieties, their concern for themselves and for the world, but also their joys, their hopes, their belief that truth and acts of loving-kindness towards all of humanity would prevail.
The experience of yoga online, which at first had felt vulnerable and separate, each person practicing in their own space, was transformed into something shared and intimate. The Yoga beyond asana (the physical postures) flowed through us, transcending boundaries and uniting hearts and individuals through collective intention.
We closed with this invocation:
May all beings be happy
May all beings be healthy
May all beings be safe
May all beings be free
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
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.
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.
fiction by Laura McCorry
It was almost time. Christine Tran took a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching her face in the mirror. Her straight, black hair was starting to grow back, just as thick as before chemo, which surprised her. It felt weird that she was no longer visibly marked by cancer; even weirder to realize that people she met now wouldn’t know about that chapter of her life unless she told them.
A month ago, she’d decided to try a yoga class with a friend. It was a community class, led by a new instructor, and maybe that partly explained their experience, but from the moment Christine walked in the door, she had felt nervous about reconnecting with her body.
In the middle of class, when the instructor tried to physically assist her into a deeper twist, Christine wanted to run out of the room. Instead, she told the instructor quietly but firmly that she physically couldn’t twist any deeper. What Christine didn’t explain was that she was thirty five years old and in the past year, she had undergone major abdominal surgery and lost several organs, as well as a football-sized tumor.
After class, her friend had been incensed on her behalf. “Did the instructor ask you about injuries before the start of class?” No, Christine shook her head. Her friend wanted to complain at the front desk but Christine stopped her. She didn’t like confrontations and she really didn’t want to explain her medical history in front of everyone.
The clock read almost 4pm on a Friday. The sun was shining out the window, which Christine knew meant it was warm enough she would only need a sweater, even in January, because she now lived in San Diego. Back in Virginia, it could be bright and sunny and still forty degrees outside. Christine shivered involuntarily. It had been more than six months since her last chemo treatment and she still experienced near-daily side effects. It was very nice to live in a warmer climate.
“Are you ready?” Christine asked her reflection. Her dark eyes stared back at her with determination. She knew not all yoga teachers were the same and she knew, or had an inkling, that yoga was a practice that might really help at this stage of her life.
It was a short drive to Yoga One downtown and she easily found a parking spot, most of the offices were emptying that time of day. The instructor greeted her at the door with a friendly smile, “Hi, I’m Missy!” Christine filled out the new student form and briefly wrote out her relevant limitations, not wanting to write down the actual saga. She wondered if Missy would read the form or if Christine would need to bring it up herself.
Upstairs, Missy approached Christine’s mat and talked clearly but discreetly just to her, “I saw you noted down abdominal surgery, do you have any concerns you’d like to share or questions about our class?”
Christine felt a warm glow of appreciation inside her chest. “I still have a lot of scar tissue, so I won’t go very deep into twists,” she told Missy.
“That’s totally okay,” Missy reassured her. “Don’t do anything that doesn’t feel good in your body. Feel free to modify any poses and if you need a suggestion for something else to do, you can just wave at me and I’ll be happy to come help.”
Already, Christine’s experience at Yoga One surpassed that of every other yoga class she had attended. She felt seen and heard – and she had been welcomed just as she was, with all of her injuries and insecurities. It was exactly what Christine needed in order to relax and truly receive the benefits from the restorative practice.
Before she walked outside to her car, Missy waved at her. Christine could have waved back and kept walking, but something made her pause and walk up to Missy.
“Thank you,” said Christine. “That was exactly what I needed.”
“You’re welcome,” Missy replied warmly. “Isn’t it amazing how yoga can change your whole day? Just connecting with your own breath and body.”
Just hearing the word prompted Christine to take another deep breath. One breath at a time, it was a phrase she had repeated to herself during some of the worst days of her treatment. Funny to think she had been practicing a form of yoga all along.
“Life-changing.” Christine heard herself affirm in reply. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised to Missy, though she knew the words were also a promise to herself.
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
guest post by Heather Fenwick
How does your meditation practice look and feel? We’re highlighting stories of meditation in everyday life to help de-mystify this life-changing practice and share simple meditation techniques with those just getting started. Share your experience in the comments or by email, info@yogaonesandiego.com
My meditation practice lately is not as regular as you might think – some days on, some days off. I meditate for up to 20 minutes, or as little as 3 minutes. Even just three minutes, (as Amy Caldwell reminds me, “any amount”) is helpful.
I have a meditation altar, which I love. It’s a place that always invites mindfulness when I see it. Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion, sits atop the triple India guide book throne. The Dalai Lama, Chinese medicine accoutrements, and Himalayan salt lamps (to neutralize the ions put out by electronics) complete the scene.
Sometimes I just observe the monkey mind in disbelief (when your thoughts are restless and swirling) and I try to cultivate amusement or acceptance, or some combination of both.
Other times, I drop into a breathing practice that I learned from Sarah Clark:
Breathe in and feel the height of the inhale in the upper palate, lifting to the crown.
Exhale, engage a light root lock, feel the seat heavy on the ground.
Breathing is so simple and so profound.
~ Heather
Even just enjoying a conscious breath can be meditation. Give it a try?
Thank you to each and every reader and student of Yoga One, both online and in person, and we especially love it when those two worlds overlap!
We choose our posts, our writers, and our content with care because we believe that our online presence should reflect the same values we share through our San Diego yoga studio – we value integrity, we are committed to sharing knowledge, and we believe helping the individual live a happier and healthier life leads to happier and healthier communities.
Thank YOU (yes, you!) for being a part of the Yoga One Family!
To celebrate, here’s a round-up of our all-time top 8 posts. Enjoy!
8. Confessions of a Yoga Teacher-Military Spouse
7. 5 Yoga Poses for Your 8-to-5
6. The Potency of Backbends and Breath
5. Top Ten Yoga Myths: Part Two
4. The Power of Intention
3. Yoga Playlist from Amy Freeman
2. Top Ten Yoga Myths: Part One
and appropriately, the number 1 post on our site:
1. The Benefits of Yoga
guest post by Irene Jones
How does your meditation practice look and feel? We’re highlighting stories of meditation in everyday life to help de-mystify this life-changing practice and share simple meditation techniques with those just getting started. Share your experience in the comments or by email, info@yogaonesandiego.com
These days, my meditation practice is me waking, taking my time, checking in with my emotions, my physical self, and my breath (when I remember, because there is a tendency for the cogs in my brain to start gaining momentum pretty quickly.) I do a little yoga in bed. Nothing strenuous, a few yummy stretches, cat cows and twists and neck attendance to loosen up any stiffness.
I brush my teeth, drink some water, and soon enough I sit comfortably on a cushion facing my window that opens out towards spaciousness and the natural elements. Just before this, I light some incense. I sit nice and tall, roll my shoulders back and lift my heart, starting with a good posture. Of course, it relaxes as I meditate and from time to time, I gently reset the weight in my sitting bones and lift the crown of my head.
Grounding first, I encourage my lower body to be heavy and my pelvic floor to relax. I check in with the Manomaya Kosha, the mind sheath, or how we process our thoughts and emotions. I rest here for a while scanning my entire body head to toe.
I check in with my breath and follow it with my awareness until I get distracted and then I gently bring my awareness back to my breath again.
Most importantly, for me these days, in my meditation practice is opening to my emotional self, so I feel-in. I ask myself, “How am I feeling?” “How am I?” and I patiently wait and open to my experience as it unfolds. I meet myself with kindness and permission for whatever is there and for whatever wants to come to my attention. I hold the sensations of my inner experience in a very sacred and tender embrace. This is my practice.
I rest here for as long as I like. I can then move on to my mental space, check in, honor my mind and all that it does for me and for all its potential. I ask myself, “What would peace feel like in this moment?” I rest in patience for a sense, if it comes to me; if I can cultivate it this morning, if not, no judgement. I rest in the light of my own awareness. Every day is different.
I especially love when I can get outside early in the morning, when it’s quiet so I can meditate in nature; I’m not sure if there is anything more lovely. Maybe I’ll do some yoga or qigong too. I am blessed to have gained these skills over the years, practicing on and off, making a gradual home for my expanding awareness and my inner peace.
Meditation in itself is not a difficult thing to do – however, to commit to a daily practice, even if just for a few weeks or months can be challenging. Though the rewards are worth it. Meditation can make a huge difference to how we approach ourselves and others; gifting us with opportunities to experience space and patience and self-acceptance while in relationship, it is a fantastic teacher.
Ultimately, we are listening to our own inner teachings and wisdom. I recently heard, that if we can think of it like brushing our teeth, then it will be an easy habit to begin. Five minutes every day is all you need. For me, it depends on how I feel, 20 minutes, sometimes longer, sometimes less, and sometimes I incorporate meditation into my daily activities themselves. Just being present and mindful in each moment is a practice in itself.
by Laura McCorry
Walney Pond
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.
We asked you, our students, to describe Yoga One using just 3 words and your lists blew us away! We are so proud and humbled, encouraged and challenged, and overall feeling the LOVE!
Thank YOU for making Yoga One a welcoming space for all to enjoy the benefits of yoga and community. Namaste!
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.
Missy is Yoga One’s OM (Office Manager). She’s the big smile and warm spirit that greets you from the studio’s office nook. Missy is the hub that connects all the parts. Here she is delivering the opening remarks for the Festival of Yoga, with the primary class being led by Yoga One’s own Amy Caldwell. Not long after Missy inspired the crowd of yogis, she dropped the mic (figuratively not literally). But either way she rocks! \m/
The next Festival of Yoga is scheduled for June 23rd, 2019 at the Waterfront Park. Click here to register for this FREE event!
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.
fiction by Laura McCorry
Carl sat on the crinkly paper of an examining table waiting for his doctor. He kicked his feet and glanced around for a magazine. As a grown man, he felt ridiculous when his feet didn’t touch the floor. Carl was there for his annual check up, something his wife (and his health insurance) insisted on since he turned fifty.
He took a deep breath and let it out, slow and controlled. The practiced measure of that breath and the peace that followed marked a groundswell of change in Carl’s life from the year before.
A year ago, Carl had sat in the exact same spot, not knowing what to expect, feeling irritated that he had to take time out of his busy work day to be there.
A year ago, Carl had expected to hear that everything was fine, that he was a marvel of health despite the fact that he rarely exercised and regularly indulged in rich food and drink.
A year ago, Carl’s doctor told him that unless he made significant changes, he would need to take daily medication and adjust his expectations for his future quality of life.
Looking back, Carl could see the signs. But at the time, it was too easy to justify the way he was feeling. His back hurt because he wasn’t twenty years old anymore. Lots of people complained of indigestion. He carried some weight around his middle, but so did nearly all of his colleagues the same age as him. If it was normal, it couldn’t be that bad, he reasoned.
Despite telling himself it was a normal part of aging, Carl didn’t like the way he looked in the mirror. And every time he lay down at night, the aching muscles in his back would start to relax a bit which ironically made them ache even more. Laying next to his sleeping wife, he knew deep down that there had to be something more he could do.
It was that routine visit to the doctor that opened his eyes.
“What do you do to move your body?” Dr. Beamer asked, looking Carl in the eye over the rim of his glasses.
“I throw a tennis ball for the dog in the backyard,” Carl joked to avoid the question. He moved through his life with a minimum of movement, from his bed to the breakfast table. From his car to his desk. From the dinner table to his recliner. From his recliner to his bed.
“What have you tried before?” the doctor’s gaze hadn’t flinched, bless him.
“I used to play basketball with some buddies,” Carl offered.
Dr. Beamer nodded his head. “I’m not saying don’t try it, but go easy. Basketball at your age, after a long hiatus, can be hard on the knees.”
And then he said the fateful words Carl had never expected to hear:
“Have you ever considered doing yoga?”
No, Carl had never considered yoga. In his mind, yoga was something his wife did. But that evening, when Carl told his wife about the doctor’s suggestion, she didn’t tease him or gloat. Instead, she simply messaged him the online schedule for Yoga One, the studio in Downtown San Diego where she’d been practicing for the past five years.
Carl looked at the schedule and thought about his week. Fridays were pretty easy, he could often take a half day or work from home. He scanned the list of classes and instructors and saw one that popped out at him: Level 1 and 2 Flow with Michael Caldwell.
He borrowed his wife’s yoga mat and changed at work into a t-shirt and a pair of lounge pants. Carl felt nervous. He didn’t want to be noticed as new.
Even though he arrived early, there were still quite a few people already picking out spots in the bright upstairs studio. At the front of the room, a tall man in a t-shirt and comfortable pants talked and laughed with the regulars.
“Hi, I’m Michael,” the man introduced himself. He asked if Carl had any injuries or questions and they chatted briefly about the Padres. Carl didn’t know exactly what he had expected from a yoga teacher, but he felt reassured and intrigued.
The yoga class was harder than Carl had expected. Somewhere along the way, he’d gotten the idea that yoga was mostly sitting on the floor stretching and lying down relaxing. Not in this class! These people were moving and sweating and working hard.
There was a lot that Carl couldn’t do, but instead of discouraging him, he only wanted to try harder. Every time Michael guided the class into a difficult pose, he acknowledged it and encouraged each student to stay and breathe or back off and rest. By the end of the class, Carl was beginning to feel as though the yoga was more about what was going on in his own body instead of what the other bodies in the room were capable of doing.
It only took one class and Carl was hooked. At first he was doing yoga at his wife’s studio for his health. Before long though, Carl knew he was practicing yoga for himself. He loved the way it challenged both his strength and his stillness. It was no longer his wife’s studio, Yoga One had become like a second home, a place where they both found friends and community.
There was a knock on the door and the doctor walked into the examining room.
“Hi there, Carl,” Dr. Beamer looked up from a clipboard and raised his eyebrows as he smiled at Carl. “You’re looking good!”
“I feel good,” Carl replied with a proud smile.
“I bet,” said the doctor. “Your chart says you’ve lost some weight and, this I can’t believe, you’re an inch taller than last year. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
They discussed how to manage some of the health problems Carl was still experiencing but he was relieved to hear that the focus had shifted from management to prevention. Yoga hadn’t cured everything that was wrong, but it had pushed Carl into a long-lost relationship with his body. Now it didn’t matter so much what he looked like, it mattered how he felt — and Carl felt better than ever.
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
Expand and explore your yoga practice with master teacher Amy Caldwell of Yoga One.
Yoga is an experiential process. A regular practice can help you develop a better connection with yourself, others, and the present moment. Yoga can help reduce stress, anxiety, and bad habits. Yoga means union. At Yoga One we strive to connect mindfulness, breath, and action.
These step by step instructions will safely guide you into and out of this yoga pose. We offer precise alignment cues to cultivate conscientious movement and to keep you safe, so you can refine and benefit from your practice and the subsequent understanding for a lifetime.
Throughout our internationally acclaimed Yoga One Teacher Training Course, we dive further into the details to inspire and assist those individuals looking to take their practice to the next level and for those wanting to share the joys and benefits of yoga with others.
Warrior III – Virabhadrasana IIIBenefits:
Foundation and general alignment:
Common problems and misalignments:
Contra-indications: Weakness, poor balance, knee problems, low back problems, balance issues, practice with caution if you have high blood pressure
Modifications:
Variations: Arms out to the side, back, Anjali mudra, or hands on hips
Enhancements: In version with arms forward, face student, have them press forearms down onto adjuster’s arm and tone belly, or adjuster stands on standing leg side, hip to hip with student, then squeezes in hip of lifted leg hip for stability.
Prep posture: all fours, with one leg up – press shin down, adjuster resists, lift low belly to find neutral spine.
guest post by Wendy Swanson
Yoga, for many of us, can feel particularly intimidating, especially if we follow any “famous” yogi on social media and see lots of pretzel poses done flawlessly, in full makeup and expensive clothing (by the way, this is not really what yoga is all about and most of us do not look like that).
To help ease beginner angst, below are some tips on starting a yoga practice outside of our own homes:
Some other “fun” demons that sometimes rear their ugly head are resistance, doubt and second guessing. Think back to some of the bigger moments and decisions in your life and I bet you will find these guys hanging out. Recently I went on life changing retreat and for weeks leading up to the retreat I thought about backing out. My resistance to change and doing something new showed up in the form of: “I don’t have the money, so I should cancel”; “My family really needs me, so I should stay home”; “My business is super busy right now so this is really not a good time. I should cancel”. There are parts to me and to you that want us to stay small, play it safe and never ever change. These parts stem from aspects that have experienced hurt and pain in our past. They are valid parts of us AND we need to not have them running the show.
I find that when I allow these parts to have a voice and at the same time not run the show, I can make decisions from a grounded and centered place. I literally picture myself stepping into my higher/ spiritual self and asking that part, that truly has my best interest in mind, what I need to do. A vibrant, joyous and fulfilling life comes from paying closer attention to our higher self that promotes growth, self-love, connection and abundance. It was a game changer when I realized that my overly practical side was just resistance cleverly disguised. I encourage you to ask yourself “what part of me is talking right now?”
The practices of yoga and meditation can help us know our higher self a bit better. Taking time to retreat can help us profoundly understand ourselves so that we can have the life we dream of. Our dreams can then move from imagination into reality.
I invite you to bravely stand up to the parts of you that hold you back and go take that yoga class or go on retreat. Your soul will thank you.
This piece originally published on The Art of Living Retreat Center
Wendy Swanson, L.Ac, E-RYT 200
Wendy is a healer, transformational leader, yoga teacher and licensed acupuncturist. She is the owner of Be Yoga & Wellness in Charlotte, NC; and is currently studying at Kripalu for her 500 hour yoga certification.
fiction by Laura McCorry
Marcia had just eased her car into a parking spot when she looked out the passenger window and saw the sign which read “one-hour parking.” A few raindrops hit her windshield and Marcia, resisting the temptation to curse, let out a disgruntled sigh. One hour parking would not be long enough. Her brow furrowed deeper and her shoulders were rigid with tension.
Reluctantly, she turned the key in the ignition and circled the block again, then she circled one block north and found another spot in two-hour parking. Marcia was grateful she had intended to arrive well before the start of the Classic Yoga, level 1 and 2 class that afternoon.
If there had been a level zero class, Marcia would have signed up for that. It had been many years and two children ago that Marcia had last taken a yoga class. Her eyes were the same color, but since then, pretty much everything else about her body had seemed to change. She felt like she might as well be trying yoga for the very first time.
Marcia had called ahead yesterday and spoken to the Office Manager Missy, whose upbeat voice had assured her the class was absolutely beginner-friendly.
Marcia turned off her car a second time and took in a deep breath, but it came out in a ragged rush. The skies were grey and turbulent, and it looked like real rain was on the way. She hurried down the street and ducked under the awning when she saw the sign for Yoga One.
Inside there was a curious little opening in the wall (formally a dumbwaiter shaft) which revealed a closet-sized office. Within, a young woman with long, blonde-ish hair greeted her. Marcia recognized her voice right away.
“You must be Missy,” she said, feeling relieved.
“Yes, I am!” said Missy. “I’m glad to meet you, Marcia. I’ll be leading our class today.”
Missy welcomed Marcia into the studio and asked if she had any questions or concerns before closing the door. Then, Missy greeted the class and instructed everyone to take a comfortable seat on top of a folded blanket.
Marcia sat up as tall as she could, noticing immediately how much more effort it took to sit straight than to slouch. Even with the blanket lifting her a bit off the ground, Marcia could feel the tightness in her hips that kept her knees slightly higher than most of the other students.
They weren’t seated for long, just two or three minutes, yet when Missy’s voice guided the class to come to their hands and knees, Marcia sighed with relief. She worried the whole class was going to feel that hard.
“The most important part of yoga is your breath,” Marcia heard Missy’s calm and steady voice intone as she walked slowly around the room. “If you can’t breathe slowly, evenly, then you’re trying too hard. Try to find a balance between effort and ease.”
Trying too hard. Those words repeated in Marcia’s mind. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said those words to her. Most of the time Marcia felt as though she weren’t trying hard enough.
Her boss was always expecting the completion of some project or another. Her two children always seemed to need supplies for an assignment they were supposed to turn in the next day. Her to-do list was never finished.
If her husband asked her for anything at the end of the day, even something as simple as getting him a glass of water from the kitchen, she sometimes felt herself bristle. Not at him, but at the feeling of being constantly needed. Marcia tried her best to satisfy all of their needs, but it was an impossible task because they always asked for more.
A balance between effort and ease. Did such a thing exist? Where in her life could she do less? This thought tumbled over and over in Marcia’s mind throughout the class. It made her feel intrigued, hopeful, and a little bit afraid. What if something didn’t get done? What if she wasn’t as needed as she thought?
Before Marcia knew it, one hour and fifteen minutes had gone by. The class was over. The students were seated again on the blankets with all eyes closed and hands pressed together before their hearts.
“Take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out,” said Missy. “Thank yourself for making this time to connect mind, body, and spirit. Namaste.”
Marcia breathed in deeply and this time her breath flowed out long and smooth. Thank yourself. Another novel idea.
“Yes,” thought Marcia. “Thank you. Thank me?”
While everyone was putting away the props and rolling up their mats, Missy came over to ask Marcia how she felt. Marcia told her how she often held tension in her shoulders and that the class had been challenging, but that she did feel more relaxed than before.
Missy took the time to show Marcia a few simple poses she could do at work to ease strain in her neck and shoulders. Trying a yoga class after so long hadn’t been easy, but Missy’s friendliness, knowledge, and warmth had put Marcia at ease. As she gathered her belongings, Marcia thanked Missy again for the class and for her suggestions.
As Marcia walked back to her car, her heart felt lighter than it had in a long time. She would gladly leave a little extra time for parking if it meant she could feel this way once a week. Maybe next time she would take the trolley, or a ride-share. Maybe she could go to yoga more than once a week.
Turning the key in the ignition, Marcia nodded her head. It had absolutely been the right decision to take a yoga class that afternoon. It felt like the first step towards the kind of life she wanted to live.
As Marcia thought that perhaps a regular yoga practice could help balance effort and ease in her life, a smile spread across her face.
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 Laura McCorry
Do you ever sit in front of a computer and type? Hold your phone with your ear and shoulder? Wrangle a small, squirming child?
Restorative Fish Pose
So many daily activities cause tension and tightness in the neck and shoulders. Try this super short sequence to find relief at home and when you can, join us for Restorative Yoga with Missy, Fridays at 4:30pm.
Now take a moment to acknowledge the difference in your body, mind, and spirit. Thank yourself for making this time to offer yourself gratitude and loving-kindness.
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
fiction by Laura McCorry
Ally hadn’t taken a yoga class in a long time. Her first (and last) class had been at her boyfriend Evan’s gym downtown. She had agreed to go on a date with Evan simply because when she moved, he was the only person she knew in San Diego. Before she knew it, they’d been dating for six months.
Things didn’t work out with Evan. Ally was the kind of girl who wanted a plan in life and Evan found the whole concept of planning not just unnecessary, but, somehow fundamentally wrong. Just before they broke up, he’d invited her to try the yoga class.
What do you mean you’ve never done yoga? How long have you lived here now? You have to try yoga at least once if you’re ever going to call yourself a local. Evan had pleaded with her.
Evan was right. Yoga was just as much a part of the air in San Diego as salt from the Pacific Ocean. The yoga class itself was fine. The instructor was a thin, bendy woman with her hair gathered in a messy ponytail. Ally copied the poses as best she could and at the end of an hour, she felt tired both physically and mentally from trying to keep up. She wrote off yoga as just one of those things that wasn’t for her.
About two years later on a Saturday morning, Ally was sitting at an open air table at one of the trendy brunch restaurants downtown. Across from her sat tall, lean, dark-haired Tyler. He lived in her building and she mostly saw him in the elevators.
They had the kind of conversations that were always upbeat, slightly humorous, and usually referenced the weather. Ally thought it was strange to talk about the weather in San Diego, where the temperature only varied about ten degrees in a year, but she guessed some things stayed the same no matter where you lived.
After their first conversation, Ally ran into Tyler all the time. Once she even thought she saw him walking out of a coffee shop near her work, but she couldn’t be sure. Each time they met, she caught herself smiling more and touching her hair. Then, just when she was sure he must not be interested, Tyler asked her out.
Most of the men she dated wanted to go out for drinks at night. Tyler had asked her to brunch. And now he was asking her to go to yoga.
They had finished their meal and the bright midday sun struck the awning overhead and made everything in the street blur and their table feel comfortably secluded. Ally couldn’t remember the last time she had so enjoyed a getting-to-know-you conversation.
“Look, I know we don’t know each other very well,” Tyler was saying, “but I’ve got a super good feeling about you. I feel like we understand each other without trying too hard.”
Beneath the table, Ally stretched the cloth napkin between her fingers and smiled at Tyler encouragingly.
“I’m big into yoga and there’s this class that I’d love to go to, but it’s a partner class. I know you said you don’t do yoga, but I was wondering if you would make an exception. I’d love to introduce you to my studio, it’s called Yoga One.” Tyler looked at her earnestly, his eyes bright.
At that moment, Ally thought she would probably agree to go wind-surfing or dirt biking or any other improbable activity that Tyler proposed but she didn’t want to seem too eager.
“Yea, okay, I mean, I can probably give yoga another try,” she replied with a smile.
“Great!” said Tyler. “It’s next week and you’re going to love the instructor. I promise, this class will make up for every mediocre yoga class you’ve ever attended.”
“Well I’ve only been to one…”
Tyler laughed as if she were joking. “Okay, one more thing. Please don’t read anything serious into this, but it’s called a Valentine’s Yoga class. There are plenty of people coming who are just friends though, it’s really just a partner class and you can bring your valentine, or you can just bring someone you like, totally chill.”
Ally floated through the rest of that afternoon and evening but by the day of the yoga class, she had come down to earth. She worried one minute that Tyler was too serious. She worried the next minute that he wasn’t serious at all. Then she worried about not knowing anything about yoga.
Somehow Ally made it to the studio, signed the registration form, and was ushered upstairs into an airy, skylit yoga room where everyone spoke in soft voices and walked about gracefully on the hardwood floors. Ally saw Tyler already setting out a mat for her and she was glad they would be away from the front.
“Hi, you must be Ally,” said a bright voice at her elbow. Ally turned to see a trim woman with a friendly, open face and loose dark hair. “Tyler told us he was bringing someone new. Welcome, I’m Amy.”
Amy reassured her that the class would be appropriate for beginners and encouraged her to go at her own pace. It was such a nice touch, a personal welcome. Ally stepped onto her mat and smiled a bit nervously at Tyler. But when she heard Amy’s voice invite the class to begin she felt curiously at ease.
They moved through some opening stretches and deep breathing before starting the partnered poses. Ally was deliciously conscious of Tyler’s body near hers and she loved that he always asked or looked to her for consent before touching her back or holding her hand during tree pose. Every move they made was no more intimate than anything she would do with a friend, but Ally felt the current of attraction running between them.
After some time though, Ally became aware of another sensation. Her breath was slow and steady, which cleared her head and brought a small feeling of lightness in her habitually tight shoulders.
The yoga poses were changing the way she felt in her body. Underneath all the layers of her everyday life, working at her desk, leaning against the wall in the elevator, curled up on her couch at night, she felt a latent brightness in her body ready to break free. As if this way of moving and breathing called yoga could make her feel again the way she had as a kid, easy and unselfconscious.
When the class ended, Ally pressed her hands together in front of her heart and softly said “namaste” with the group. She turned to Tyler and smiled. He smiled back with a knowing look.
Ally wasn’t sure what would happen next between her and Tyler. But she did know that this time, she was ready for a serious relationship with yoga.
Get in touch with your partner or reconnect with a good friend through the joys and benefits of yoga. Come practice poses together, share some quality time and celebrate friendship and love.
By candlelight you will be guided through fun and accessible partner poses, assisting each other with hands on adjustments and optimal alignment cues, go deeper into your practice and the present moment. Chocolate will be provided. No experience necessary.
When: 6:30-8pm, Saturday, February 9th.
Cost: $50 per couple when registered by February 2nd, $60 thereafter. Pre-registration only. The last date to register is February 6th. Space is limited.
Info@yogaonesandiego.com, 619-544-0587
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
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 Karen Beers.
1. Why do you practice yoga?
Yoga helps me reset and reenergize. Each time I step onto the mat, I access an internal sense of self through simple breath focusing techniques. The practice of yoga quiets the chatter of the mind, softens emotions, and encourages present moment awareness. I am able to reconnect with myself, peeling back layers of stress until I feel grounded, refreshed and balanced within.
2. What was the most intimidating aspect of teaching when you first started?
Being an educator, I’m quite comfortable instructing a class. However teaching in a classroom is vastly different from teaching yoga. When I first became a yoga instructor, reaching students of all ability levels was the most intimidating aspect. It takes a lot of preparation to ensure that all students are guided well. By providing options and modification of postures, I ensure that all students can have a rewarding experience.
3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?
Providing space for community and connection brings me great joy as a yoga instructor. So much of our days are spent focused on individual tasks, it’s very important that we take time to acknowledge each person with whom we share the yoga experience. This connection with others promotes a more relaxed state of present moment awareness. The end result then can be a collective sense of calm and tranquility that brings a smile to everyone’s faces.
4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, it would be…
“In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington & John Coltrane: This song is the essence of positive energy. It has a slow, smooth introduction, progressing into a layered melody that transports you on your own personal journey. It’s filled with incredible talent, improvisation, and inspiration.
5. What’s your yoga inspiration?
Besides yoga philosophy and principles, master yoga instructors are my inspiration. I’m enamored of people who have practiced and devoted themselves to sharing the gifts of yoga, including Tao Porchon-Lynch, Kia Miller, Jason Crandell, and Shiva Rea. Each of these individuals have their own specialization and depth of understanding that they impart through their teaching. Yoga has so much knowledge to share.
6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?
I teach Level 1-2 Flow, Sundays at 10:30am.
by Laura McCorry
It’s December and like many of you, I’m making a list and checking it twice, trying to find thoughtful gifts for all the people I love best. Holiday shopping has never been easy, but in recent years I’ve decided my gift-giving should be eco-conscious, ethically-sourced, and in line with minimalism, as well as something that will bring joy to the recipient. Phew.
You know what we don’t need this holiday season? Another gift guide listing things to buy. Even the most-desired, best-chosen gift in the world cannot make you happy. Happiness is something you have to make within yourself.
For yogis, happiness (or contentment) is the moral observance of Santosha, one of the niyamas. Through this lens, happiness is not something you have, it’s a way of being and something you practice.
The Best Gift Ever? THE Present. The actual present moment.
Here are 6 ways to enjoy the present moment this holiday season:
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
Wishing you healthy, happy holidays
from all of us at Yoga One!
The above words are how students have described feeling after practicing at Yoga One!
Give the gifts of Yoga and Massage!
Special holiday offers available until December 21st:
10 Yoga Classes for only $120
(normally $187, SAVE $67!)*
Click here and use promo code: cheers
*Package expires 6 months from the first class attended (not from purchase date).
No refunds or extensions. Must be purchased by December 21st.
Gift Certificates are also available in any denomination.
Click here for Yoga One holiday schedule.
by Laura McCorry
As Yoga One Teacher Nam Chanterrywn likes to share after his yoga classes, “The more gratitude we have, the more we have to to be grateful for.”
What things great and small do you have to be grateful for and appreciative of? What are you thankful for? Let us know in the comment section below.
Thanksgiving Gratitudes: (a non-comprehensive list)
• bright sunshine on a cold day and the constancy of the natural world
• a warm coat that keeps out the wind, and the many other forms of shelter that keep me comfortable and safe
• the groceries I lug up two flights of stairs, because we have the resources to buy, transport, and cook good food for our family
• my partner, who is always ALL IN on this wild ride of parenting small children
• the limit-pushing toddler, which means she’s healthy and growing just as she should be
• the baby who brings so much joy with just her smile
• neighbors who drop by to visit
• family that are only a phone call away
• restorative yoga for the days when everything feels like too much
• for sharing the truth of Thanksgiving with my children without losing its spirit
• the belief that Justice and Truth will prevail
• the work of my hands, the words of my mouth, and the power of my wallet which work towards Justice and Truth
• the meditation of my heart: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu, May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and that freedom for all.
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 Olivia Hughes
Your 3 Best Super Powers: Meditation, Intuition & Imagination
by Sonia Choquette
Summary: Super powers! They’re not just for super heroes. These abilities exist within each of us, just waiting to be awakened.
Sonia Choquette outlines tools and techniques to develop the super powers of Meditation, Intuition, and Imagination. She believes these three practices, especially when taken together, can have a powerful impact on a person’s life.
Choquette explains that as you spend time developing your “super powers,” you will notice a shift. Where your attention goes, new energy flows. As this alignment deepens, you begin to feel more in tune with yourself, your source of energy, and the world around you.
Why I Love It: This book is so accessible! Sometimes spiritual guidebooks can be challenging to understand or to apply to your everyday life. Your 3 Best Super Powers begins with guided meditations so the reader can dive right into their practice honing these skills. Beginning with meditation and allowing everything to blossom from that fertile soil really resonated with me. Through meditation, both intuition and imagination are strengthened. And the mind is filled with space, calm, and clarity.
By strengthening these practices myself, I was able to stop taking things so personally. I began to see life as happening for me, not to me, which released the victim mentality and allowed me to take my power back! To Choquette’s three super powers, I would add Love and Forgiveness.
Recommended For: Everyone who wants to be their best self! You already have within you everything you need to begin the work of transformation. There is no one-size-fits-all in this world. We are all so unique, special, gifted, and beautiful. The world can easily take us away from this truth. Your 3 Best Superpowers: Meditation, Intuition & Imagination is ideal for anyone who needs to remember that they are unique, and that alone is a super power!!!
Olivia Hughes
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 Laura McCorry
I’ve been feeling lately like all of my life is effort and struggle. The daily work of keeping myself and my children clothed, clean, fed, and rested requires physical stamina and takes up most of the day. Once they’re in bed for the night, I’m often too tired to engage in an activity that brings me joy or restores my spirit (like writing or yoga.) Instead I’ll turn to the things that patch my heart (call my Mama, listen to podcasts, add a few more rows to a crochet project) so I can go to sleep and take up my work again the next day.
When I did make it to yoga class, the teacher’s steady voice slipped past my ears into my heart: try to find the balance between effort and ease.
There are words you know by heart. Words you’ve said aloud many times. And yet, when someone else says these words, they can sound completely new. How do you soften your response to life’s trial?
One afternoon, both of my children were crying hard. I noticed my jaw was clenched and I felt completely overwhelmed. I realized I had been a sponge trying to soak up all of their emotions, in order to give them the space to unburden and let go – but that I hadn’t granted myself the same relief. I desperately needed to reframe my mental approach so I could find the ease, because the sponge was over-saturated.
A sieve under running water was the image that stuck in my head and which I’ve called to mind when I feel the flow of emotion from those two, dear tiny humans, my children. Sieve, noun. A device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material (thanks, Wikipedia.) It hasn’t transformed my daily experience into one of constant ease, but it has lessened the burden of effort.
This too, is yoga. Off the mat yoga, away from asana, the physical postures. This is the deep yoga, the words you hear in class working their way slowly into your heart and mind and into new expressions in your life. Try to find the balance between effort and ease. Let that which no longer serves you slip away. You can choose your response to life. Not just in a warrior pose, but everywhere, at all times. Wishing you, dear reader, the blessings of equanimity.
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
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 Zoe Freedman.
1. Why do you practice yoga?
I practice for so many reasons! Firstly, because it feels delicious in my body. I love to cultivate more space, shift stagnation, and allow each part of my physical being to stretch and strengthen.
I also love finding a meditative flow with my breath, clearing my mind, and creating mental space for genius ideas to sprout. It’s time away from technology as well, which is an added bonus!
2. What was the most intimidating aspect of our teaching when you first started?
I spent two years convinced I didn’t have anything unique to offer my students, and that took a lot of patience and commitment to break through.
3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?
First and foremost, connecting with incredible humans. Secondly, assisting my students in feeling more comfortable in their bodies. We only get one… life is too short to stay stiff and uncomfortable!
4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc… it would be: Lavender.
5. What’s your yoga inspiration?
My yoga inspiration is anyone who shows up for themselves again and again, no matter what life throws their way. Those who commit to seeking enlightenment and inner peace, through all eight limbs of yoga. There are too many incredible yogis doing this to name! Many of my students are such yogis, who inspire me every day.
6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?
I teach Vinyasa Flow levels 1 & 2 on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm!
200-Hours of Study, A Three Week Transformation
guest post by Stacey Ebert
A little over three weeks ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I couldn’t imagine how I would budget my time and had no clue what I’d do in the training I was about to experience.
Now that Yoga One’s 200-hour Teacher Training has come to a close, I’m having yoga withdrawals. I can’t imagine what I’ll do with all this extra time and I am overwhelmed by the emotions stirred up by this magical experience. Since I’ve known them for well over a year now, I’m sure the owners Amy and Michael Caldwell, and OM (Office Manager) Missy DiDonato knew this would be the case – but I didn’t. Needless to say, I’m eternally grateful.
The transformation is palpable. I’ve heard of it happening, but I didn’t know it would happen to me. I jumped in hoping for a deeper understanding of my practice (with only the smidgeon of thought that perhaps, maybe, I might, someday think about teaching). I didn’t expect what would transpire. I entered with eyes wide open; I leave with a soaring spirit, curious mind, open heart (shoulders and hips, too), and a thirst for more.
Together, the 14 of us went through many rounds of practice teaching. We learned to consciously listen, to accept constructive criticism, to provide positive feedback and to give each other useful suggestions along the way. We grew. My wonky scoliosis came in handy for those who needed a visual and ideas for modifications that work for those with an atypical spine. We learned to ask before adjusting, use props to elevate and elongate, check in with prenatal poses, and wind down in the delight of restorative everything.
Together we saw the changes taking place. Greater strength and flexibility occurred, muscles ached and developed, the shy students grew emboldened, those with questions encouraged, and all of us were empowered and enlightened. Whether on a paddleboard, in a pose, or at a potluck – we were united in yoga, inspired by our teacher Amy Caldwell, and determined to learn the paths and postures of this ancient wisdom.
Through adjustments, asanas, and alignment details, Amy never waned. She was there through it all with patience, suggestions, knowledge, and experience. Her welcoming, trustworthy nature fostered a safe, risk-free environment for all to blossom. Hers is a classroom of open communication, trust, guidance, and facilitation. Buoyed by Amy’s easy-going demeanor, we, her students, thrived. She guided us through the three week course with kindness, patience, profound wisdom, and much pranayama (breathwork).
When I posted on social media that I was taking this class, a former student replied ‘once a teacher, always a teacher’. I’ve been a student of yoga for almost a decade and taught in and out of the classroom for far longer. I’ve practiced yoga on two coasts and in fun spots around the globe. Of course, year one of teaching (or practicing) is different than year 8, year 15 or year 20, but from personal experience (both as a student and teacher), I know what I believe it takes to be a good teacher… and I can say with confidence that Amy has all that and more.
It’s mind-blowing to know that in such a (relatively) short time, Yoga One packed 200 hours of information and engagement into our brains and our bodies. Fourteen strangers stepped onto their mats in a studio new to many of them. Three weeks later, we’ve left as friends who were united in something greater than ourselves and who experienced moments that none of us will soon forget.
Mindfulness flourished in the studio; and although there’s no telling where all this will lead, I know for certain the light cultivated will not be extinguished. I’m proud of all of us and grateful for the practice and the people. I am indebted to Amy, my friend and teacher, and I will never forget this experience that literally cracked my soul wide open. Namaste.
Stacey Ebert
Guest Writer
Stacey Ebert is a freelance writer, educator, event planner, and volunteer coordinator who has traveled to over 50 of the world’s countries. Writing about adventure, journey and perspective changing life shifts, she encourages travelers to take the leap, use the world as their classroom and get outside their comfort zones. She has lived in Long Beach (New York), Melbourne (Australia) and is presently based in San Diego (California). Connect with her on her blog, The Gift of Travel, Facebook, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.
guest post by Stacey Ebert
Well over a decade ago, my friend Julie and I took a networking yoga class in NYC. We walked in, borrowed a mat, giggled at the ridiculous of it all, managed to stay for about 10 minutes, then ditched to get dinner.
It was a few years later until I took my second, ‘first’ yoga class on the beach in Long Beach, NY and whether I knew it then or not, I was hooked. Fast forward 8 years (after countless mat, hammock and wall classes around the globe) and here we are – I’ve officially survived the first week of yoga teacher training. If you asked me if I ever thought I’d be here – I’d definitely tell you you’re crazy.
Before I stepped through the door on Day 1 of Yoga One Teacher Training, I was petrified, nervous, excited, hesitant, and consumed with more emotions I can’t describe. Even though I had taught both high school and swimming for over two decades, even though Yoga One is my home studio and I adore the owners, Amy and Michael Caldwell – still, I felt that apprehension and angst. I came home from my first day sweaty, happy, exhausted, and not knowing if I could hack it.
By Day 2, I was achy, still happy, and managed to say two words to the husband before passing out by six o’clock for the night. Day 4, I taught for twenty minutes and all participants (including myself) walked away alive and unbroken – I call that a win! By day 5, I began experiencing change and feeling like the universe was literally cracking me open from the inside and never wanting this to end and by Day 6, I found myself dreaming of how to sequence a yoga class – what on earth is happening?
It was almost four years ago that we moved to San Diego and over a year that I’ve called Yoga One, home. These fabulous humans were there for me when my Dad passed away in December, gave me hugs when I needed it (and when I didn’t know I did), supported me through moves, the husband’s broken leg and dried my tears in many a savasana. Teacher training, for me, has taken that all to the next level – something like yoga, unplugged.
For the past week, Amy, Michael, Missy and Nam have taken fourteen strangers and brought them into the Yoga One community. We’ve learned to listen consciously, share our experiences, learn purpose and priorities we didn’t before know, trust and support each other in asanas and adjustments, breathe and be guided through practice by a kind, curious, experienced teacher. Through the medium of the yoga practice, Amy has helped us believe in ourselves.
For over a year now, Amy and the other instructors at Yoga One have been working with my wonky lungs and back on alignment and modifications that work for me. They’ve answered questions, pointed me in directions, guided me through practice, given me knowledge and shared their favorite books with me. Phrases like neutral/anteverted pelvis, natural spinal curve, breathe into the left back body, anchor the ribs and energetically move the thighs to the back plane of the body have been bantered around, improved slightly, yet often seemed unattainable – until this week.
This week, there’s been change. This week I woke up without back pain, actually felt what it means to get my thighs on the floor in full supta tadasana (reclined mountain pose) and even managed a full (supported) backbend. There have been tears of joy shed and magic felt – I can’t explain it, but it’s happening and that’s what matters.
Sure, I’m still nervous to sequence a class, figure out those transitions from standing to sitting and remember to mirror those tricky left and right directions – but I’m here. Fourteen people keep showing up each day with their eco-friendly bottles of water, snacks, desire to learn, and interest in the practice. Led by a patient, knowledgeable leader, we’ve watched each other grow, learn, share, and do. We’ve learned the difference between Yamas and Niyamas, that rooting to rise is helpful to all beings, that being present matters, that we can all benefit from a balance between steadiness and ease, that the practice of yoga is an artful, meditative dance and that all are always welcome on the mat.
I’m not sure what’s coming next, but I know I want to be a part of it all. None of us truly knows where it will all lead, but there’s magic happening in this training and on the mat and I’m already looking forward to experiencing more of it.
Stacey Ebert
Guest Writer
Stacey Ebert is a freelance writer, educator, event planner, and volunteer coordinator who has traveled to over 50 of the world’s countries. Writing about adventure, journey and perspective changing life shifts, she encourages travelers to take the leap, use the world as their classroom and get outside their comfort zones. She has lived in Long Beach (New York), Melbourne (Australia) and is presently based in San Diego (California). Connect with her on her blog, The Gift of Travel, Facebook, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.
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 Christie.
1. Why do you practice yoga?
I practice yoga to cultivate presence, to sense myself more clearly, and to shift my perspective. I practice so I can take what I learn out into the world. And I practice asana (the physical movements of yoga) so I can delight in having a moving, breathing body!
2. What was the most intimidating aspect of teaching when you first started?
Getting out of my head, and accepting that I won’t always get it right.
3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?
Seeing when things “click” for people. I like seeing people get excited about moving in a new way, and sensing that people are building self-confidence within the practice.
4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc… it would be: This is so hard! Yoga is so many things. For me right now, yoga would be like the flavor “umami.” It’s difficult to grasp and define, yet deeply satisfying when you experience it, and necessary for a well-rounded palate.
5. What’s your yoga inspiration?
My yoga inspiration is the world around me. I learn a lot from witnessing the qualities of trees, grass, sky, birds, ocean, etc. The people in my life inspire me too: my students, my fellow teachers, my partner, my family, my friends, the person in front of me in line at the grocery store…
6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?
I teach Flow 1&2 on Thursdays at 7:30pm. 🙂
by Olivia Hughes
The Sun Does Shine
by Anthony Ray Hinton
Summary: This equally powerful and gut-wrenching true story is about Anthony Hinton who was falsely convicted (through mistaken identity) of a murder he did not commit. He lived on death row for almost 30 years before being released in 2015.
Hinton is an amazing storyteller and his book is hard to put down; it made me laugh and cry all at once. Similar to Nelson Mandela, Hinton even with his adverse circumstances found true peace and forgiveness. Hinton could have focused only on himself, but he was able to help 54 men find their own peace before being executed. Hinton’s inner transformation that then rippled through out the jail is an incredible testimony to the resiliency of the human spirit.
Hinton emerged from this experience more inspired and purposeful then ever. He now travels the United States promoting prison reform and visiting inmates to discuss the power of forgiveness.
Why I Love It: In addition to being emotionally impactful, The Sun Does Shine also exposes the failings of our justice system and advocates for prison reform – something, as a society, I believe we should talk more and do more about. We need to be held accountable for how we treat one another. I’m inspired every time I hear a story where justice and truth prevail. Stories like Hinton’s, someone who had every reason to be bitter about life but chose the opposite, remind me how I want to live my own life.
The theme of forgiveness also struck a chord with me because practicing forgiveness, specifically self-forgiveness, has been the single greatest tool I have used in my personal healing and development. I now offer forgiveness workshops where we employ these powerful words, “I forgive myself for…” Try it! I hope it serves you.
Recommended For: Anyone who wants to be inspired to live fully right now, no matter their life circumstances. There is so much we can learn from those who have suffered yet still participate whole-heartedly in life. We are all one – and the more we can believe it, act like it, and share it, the better. In this book, the underdog rises to the top, love leads the way, and justice wins. This book will give you all the feels! It doesn’t get any better than that.
“An urgent, emotional memoir from one of the longest-serving condemned death row inmates to be found innocent in America… A heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about truth, justice, and the need for criminal justice reform.” – Kirkus, starred review
Olivia Hughes
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 Yoga One Student Stacey Ebert
Genius, she is. Once again, after class ended and I asked Amy Caldwell why she thought I couldn’t quite grasp one particular pose– she knew exactly what to say.
It wasn’t the fact that every body type has different possibilities. It wasn’t about my scoliosis and it wasn’t about anyone’s talent in yoga. And sure, it’s definitely got something to do with the internal and external rotation of the hips, but that’s not the point either. She said, ‘most of the time, in yoga, if you can’t get to a pose – the key is, sit up higher’.
…
On the walk home, I thought about what Amy said. Sure, in that moment, she was talking about the idea of putting a block under my hip and reaching on a downward angle towards the floor which would allow my back a different stretch than it ever had before. To me, the words held far more weight than those. It reminded me of another significant pearl of wisdom about going higher and
reaching for better. It reminded me of decades of derision and lowly taunts of limited and hate-filled rhetoric and the charge to say ‘go high’, be the bigger person, aim for the better road, choose right. It sure isn’t easy. It’s a lot easier just to ditch the thought of ever hitting that pose, flinging up my hands and saying ‘I didn’t need that anyway’. But that’s not true, that’s not me and that sure isn’t the way to choose right, happy or joy – I know better, but we all have those moments.
Take a moment, take a deep breath – and roar
To me, her words meant more about trying to lift yourself and others up along the road of life. Through every journey, there have been highs and lows and
hopefully along the long scope, we learn from both types of episodes. Both tell a story, chart a course and often set our souls on fire; but this time, it was something about the idea of elevating while standing your ground that made an impression. My twisted back and hips are rarely level, but with some assistance, they gain the stability to stand their ground. Perhaps, that’s what it all means. Perhaps whenever Amy starts her class with the idea of root through your feet to rise through the top of your head it means more. Perhaps, in this chaotic time where the world seems to turn on its head every minute of every day, that’s what we need to remember.
…
My hips are happy when I show up on that mat and my heart is happy when I show up to support justice and helping others – so don’t give up.
Show up – you make a difference
Thanks for the reminder, Amy – those nuggets of goodness gleaned from a yoga class hold weight on and without question, off that yoga mat. Sometimes you need to take those moments of time to hide under the covers and take care of yourself. Sometimes you need to spend time away from it all, hug your loved ones, regroup, do something to lift your own spirits and then return to the fight. Sometimes you need to realize your limits, get that support and do what you can. And sometimes you shove that block or blanket under your hip, boost yourself up and set your soul on fire. It was true on Wednesday, it’s true today and it’ll be true tomorrow. It’s not easy, but I’m going to keep showing up. What about you?
Please enjoy the full version of this article at The Gift of Travel.
Stacey Ebert
Guest Writer
Stacey Ebert is a freelance writer, educator, event planner, and volunteer coordinator who has traveled to over 50 of the world’s countries. Writing about adventure, journey and perspective changing life shifts, she encourages travelers to take the leap, use the world as their classroom and get outside their comfort zones. She has lived in Long Beach (New York), Melbourne (Australia) and is presently based in San Diego (California). Check out her blog at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com.
When you sign up for Yoga One’s Teacher Training Program, you’re not only choosing to deepen your knowledge and relationship with yoga, you’re joining a supportive community of people on the same journey in life. Go here to learn more and to register for our next training.
Recent graduate Sher Cowie writes:
When I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training last year in July, I did it as a way to understand yoga fully and to deepen my own practice. Through this, I felt that it would transition into my teaching and help me become a better instructor. Little did I know that it would be so much more for me and that it would help get me through one of the most difficult periods in my life.
Yoga One Teacher Training started January 19, 2018. Our first meeting was held at our instructor’s home where we all shared a meal and got to know one another. Fast forward to February 4, 2018 when my world changed.
[I came] to class that night and told one of my instructors, Diana Beardsley, what happened. She hugged me and offered support through comforting words. [Soon] my other instructors found out, as well as fellow students. I received much needed love and support from my new yoga family.
The last three weeks of class have been difficult but if not for the teacher training, the instructors like Amy, Missy, Diana, and Michael, as well as my personal practice instructors – Missy, Jen, Nam and Arati, I don’t think I would’ve made it through this time with such inner peace and strength. They all, along with my fellow peers lifted me up during this darkest time and I will be forever grateful for this experience and the changes it has brought me.
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.
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 Terri Hobbs, who is leaving Yoga One after 8 years of teaching with us in search of new adventures. All the best, Terri! You’ll be missed.
1. Why do you practice yoga?
I practice for strength, balance, mindfulness, serenity, and because yoga is a creative outlet for me.
2. What was the most intimidating aspect of your teaching when you first started?
Remembering the difference between right and left! Also I used to worry that I would run out of poses to teach before class was over. 🙂
3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?
Whenever a yogi tells me a chronic pain of theirs has disappeared, or the first time a student really “masters” a pose.
4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be: the ocean.
5. What’s your yoga inspiration?
I find a lot of inspiration from my co-instructors at Yoga One, especially Amy Caldwell and Mara Harris! I look to the internet and classes I take when I travel to help freshen up both my practice and my teaching.
6. Usually we ask what classes you teach at Yoga One – but you’re saying au revoir. What will you carry with you from your time at Yoga One?
Words may fail me in describing the Yoga One family. I’ve never felt so supported, valued, and loved as an employee and as a person. Why leave nirvana? Upcoming opportunities to travel and a desire for new challenges.
7. Anything else you’d like to add, share, suggest?
Be love.
Appreciate grace.
Make connections.
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. 🙂
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 Missy DiDonato.
1. Why do you practice yoga?
I practice for the benefit of my mind, body, and all around life issues 🙂
2. What was the most intimidating aspect of your teaching when you first started?
Learning to stop expecting people to like me.
3. What gives you the most joy as a yoga instructor?
Seeing the emotional release of a student during or after a class. Also seeing people at their best or most vulnerable.
4. If yoga were a food, car, smell, planet, song, artist, flavor, etc…it would be: If yoga were a smell, it would be a fart. Because it’s necessary to live and comes in all different varieties!
5. What’s your yoga inspiration?
My 3 year old daughter, Olive. Firstly, because she’s so flexible and that’s proof it’s something we’re born with and it’s only our habits that make us inflexible. And secondly, because she is so present.
6. What classes do you teach at Yoga One?
I teach level 1 & 2 Classic Yoga on Thursdays at 4:30pm and an all levels Restorative Yoga on Fridays at 5:30pm.
7. Anything else you’d like to add, share, suggest?
I am constantly grateful for all of the yogis and non-yogis that come into my life. Thank you from the depths of my heart.
You can find our full class schedule here. Om!
Save
by Olivia Hughes
Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands
by Gertrud Hirschi
Summary: Mudra is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. The ancient practice of mudra can be used to relieve stress, practice presence, connect to your higher self, prevent illness, promote spiritual development, and so much more. Additionally, practicing mudra may help you become more open to and better able to focus on other holistic practices, such as breath work, affirmations, visualization, herbs, and nutrition, etc. Combined with intention, mudra creates a shift in your internal world, creating balanced healing from the inside out.
Why I Love It: A teacher once told me, “Teachers are here to share their knowledge and skills with others to help them grow. If you know something, share it. Educating someone is the most powerful thing you can do for them.” When I started teaching, I took this advice to heart and shared things I had found to be true; even if it fell outside of the mainstream.
I love this book because it adds another layer to my own yoga practice and teaching. The mudras help me connect more deeply to myself and my spiritual world. Yoga is so much more than a handstand or a warrior two – yoga is about a shift in your mind, a feeling in your heart. Yoga is kindness. Yoga is love. Yoga is connection. The seemingly small practice of mudra helps me connect with this deep level of yoga, and I feel compelled to share it with my students.
Recommended For: Those who want to deepen their connection to self, others and the present moment. The practice of mudra is so uniquely personal and portable – no yoga mat needed, no time in your schedule to set aside, nothing to see or watch. The back cover states: “This yoga in your hands can be practiced sitting, lying down, standing, or walking, at any time and place!”
I recommend choosing a mudra you connect with (there are hundreds) and trying it out once a day in your daily routine. This book breaks down how to practice each mudra step by step but also dives into using mudra to develop your spirituality.
Sample Practice: The Lotus Mudra (my favorite!) from page 150
Bring your hands together in prayer and then separate and open up the three middle fingers, keeping the base of the palm together along with the pinkie and thumb. This mudra is the symbol of purity.
Visualization: Imagine the bud of a lotus flower in your heart. Every time you inhale the flower opens up a bit more – until it finally is completely open and can receive the full sunlight into itself. The lotus lets itself be filled with light, lightness, warmth, love, desire and joy.
Affirmation: I open myself to nature; I open myself to the good that exists in every human being; and I open myself to the divine so that I can be richly blessed.
Olivia Hughes
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.
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.
An Original Yoga One Yogi, Arati Lane has been teaching at Yoga One from day one. Yoga One began enhancing the well-being of San Diego residents and visitors in 2002 and Arati has been with us every step of the way. When she’s not teaching you can sometimes find her riding on her high horse. But her yoga keeps her humble. 🙂
Arati has been teaching Yoga since 1989, completing her first training with Sivananda. Arati currently teaches yoga classes and workshops for fertility, pre- and postnatal, infant massage, couples yoga, healthy backs, flow and hatha. She counsels in AYURVEDA and loves sharing these amazing life-enhancing methods to heal and maintain balanced health in all forms! She teaches at Yoga One Sundays at 10am. You can find our full class schedule here. Om!
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 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.
by Laura McCorry
Time has started to unravel a bit for me. As I move further into this pregnancy, I’m falling out of routine, becoming less attached to the segmented hours of the day. This is probably a good thing. I wake when I’m finished sleeping (some days at 8:30, some days at 6am), I eat when I’m hungry (always, always snacks before bed), and I’ve found myself baking banana bread muffins at 10:30 at night.
In Walking on Water, Madeleine L’Engle writes about two different conceptions of time, “Kairos. Real time. God’s time. That time which breaks through chronos with a shock of joy, that time we do not recognize while we are experiencing it, but only afterwards, because kairos has nothing to do with chronological time. In kairos, we are completely unself-conscious and yet paradoxically far more real than we can ever be when we are constantly checking our watches for chronological time.”
The birth of a child is a moment like this, always outside of time. But you are also ushered into kairos at the death of a loved one. (I remember being shocked when I realized that practicing savasana, or final relaxation, in yoga is also a way of practicing death. It’s translation is corpse pose, after all.)
How can you practice both life and death with grace? I think the word that matters most is practice (meditation). Or perhaps grace. For me, moving into kairos is the same as practicing meditation. You allow yourself to move outside time, into space that is neither here nor there, you are not awake or asleep, you simply ARE.
The paradox of life is that we need both kairos and chronos. I need the immediate, tactile chronos, the skin, muscle, and bone of my hands dusted in flour, forming a dough, placing it in the oven, setting a timer (because humans being can move outside time, but yeast, water, and flour cannot if they are to become bread.) And I need those moments of timelessness, of seeing the moment arrive and stepping into it whole-heartedly, whole-bodily: when my toddler bumps her head and needs to be held RIGHT NOW, so I drop everything and cradle her in my arms.
I hope you are gifted the experience of time in all its splendored variation. The moments that are breath-giving and the moments that take your breath away. Moments of kairos when you allow yourself to be fully present; when you take in whatever sensation, thought, or emotion is most present, but practice not letting it define you. And when you need it most, I hope you find those life-affirming moments of chronos, of baking late at night, a solid grounding in time as we most often know it.
We hope to help you find that Kairos time on your mat at Yoga One, click here to view our schedule.
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 Olivia Hughes
Crystal Muse: Everyday Rituals to Tune In to the Real You
by Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro
Summary: I believe an ancient, inner wisdom resides within each of us. We feel it, we know it, but how do we stay connected to it in a fast-paced world that is filled with distractions and responsibilities? The answer is different for everyone. I’ve found that crystal rituals, continual practices like yoga, healthy boundaries, and a certain amount of discipline are necessary for me to feel balanced and fulfilled in life.
Crystal Muse is potent with wisdom and filled with practices that were learned, shared, or experienced through over 25 years of research, world travel, and spiritual quests. Heather and Timmi also chronicle their journey to create the website Energy Muse to share this passion, despite how challenging it was to start their business well before crystals became more mainstream. From creating more abundance in your life, to calling on your soulmate, this book will give you step by step tools to use crystals and intention to manifest anything you desire.
Why I Love It: Crystal Muse really is one of my favorite books, I absolutely LOVE it! I have a lot of crystals and have been working with them for years, but I learned so much more from this book. You can feel how the wisdom and rituals from Heather and Timmi are the kind of resource you can’t Google. They impart a knowledge that only comes after years of experience and from diving headfirst into your true calling and passion.
Suggested For: All my crystal-loving, Palo Santo-burning, entrepreneur hippie friends out there – you will love this book!
There’s something of value for both the newbie just getting started working with crystals to the experienced veteran. It’s simultaneously light-hearted but deeply serious, healing yet playful, filled with knowledge but easy to read. Crystal Muse can be read cover to cover or picked up at random to discover a new ritual practice.
There can be a lot of stigma around crystals, the effect of their impact, whether you’re doing it “right” or not. My suggestion is simply to find a crystal you feel drawn towards and hold it in your hand during meditation. Get curious about it then sit there and wait, observe what comes forward and let that be enough. Less is more sometimes. If this resonates, try it, and let me know how it goes! And happy reading!
“Finally! A crystal book that explains how to use your crystals in the now age. With simple, crystallized rituals that can be done in under 11 minutes, Crystal Muse will take you on a journey within to transform your life from the inside out.” – Jason Wachob, founder and CEO of mindbodygreen and author of Wellth
Olivia Hughes
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.
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.
Denisse Ypina is the go-to yogi. She loves to meet people and get out and about. Here she is rocking the Yoga One lid at the City Center Sessions. During this popular event, Yoga One and other fitness studios provide free classes in a Downtown San Diego city street or park.
The next event is scheduled for February 10th, 8am-noon. Yoga One leads a class at 11:30am. Denisse will likely be there. Click here to reserve your space.
In addition to assisting Yoga One with offsite events and TV segments, Denisse is also a graduate of the acclaimed Yoga One Teacher Training course, an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Zumba Certified Instructor, Nutrition Specialist and Dale Carnegie instructor. Phew!
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 Laura McCorry
Lately I’ve found myself more drawn to silence, more drawn to sitting still and taking in the world as it presents itself. Life asking to be noticed in a small, quiet voice. It hasn’t paraded into my consciousness with fanfare and demanded attention. (There’s enough of that already, and we all know the strategy works, at least immediately.)
As Franz Kafka wrote, “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
These are some of the moments that stopped me in my tracks, when my only response has been to sit very still observing, listening:
There is much pain and suffering in the world. There is so much beauty and kindness. Very often, we only have words to offer each other. (Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is now the right time?) But words can only travel so far – it’s difficult for them to penetrate deep into another’s heart.
You don’t need to meditate on a mountaintop for years to learn that very often, the silence that already exists cannot be improved with words. What can we offer each other when there are no words? Only presence. Only prayer, which in my understanding, is presence offered at a distance.
There is a deep, listening kind of presence that passes directly into understanding and empathy. We’re not very practiced, as a society, at offering this type of comfort. But you can practice feeling it for yourself. Listen to the whisper of the world, asking to be noticed. Sit in silence. Breathe. You are here and you matter.
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
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.
Sometimes you don’t need to travel very far to get a different perspective. Be a tourist in your own town! Longtime Yoga One student Kay Faryan chilling on the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, California.
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 Laura McCorry
Hello, 2018! We hope this new year has dawned bright and full of possibility for all of you. The yoga world has already grown and evolved so much, we thought it’d be fun to look ahead and imagine what the year might hold. Namaste!
What are your predicted yoga trends or requests for 2018? Let us know in the comments!
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
Join Yoga One’s Amy Caldwell for an energizing and meditative 108 Sun Salutations. Celebrate the Winter Solstice and the approach of the New Year by generating a conscious and elevated energy.
All students with a regular yoga practice are welcome to attend, register here.
This week, as the earth turns on its axis, we’ll experience the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, each day following December 22nd will have a slowly increasing amount of sunshine as we move towards Spring. It’s not surprising that so many traditions and cultures around the world have chosen this time of year to celebrate light and hope.
In both yoga and Hinduism, 108 is a sacred number, representing fullness or completion. We will perform 108 sun salutations to represent and cultivate a feeling of fullness and completion. Sun salutations build heat in the body just like the sun warms the planet and as we progress towards our goal we mirror the sun’s progress towards spring.
If you think that practicing 108 sun salutations sounds like an impossible feat, you’re not alone! It’s something many people feel they can’t do. But don’t be deterred.
The collective energy and shared purpose of the group supports the individual. And you won’t be expected to do all 108. We will modify the types of sun salutations performed and you will be encouraged to rest whenever desired. The 108 sun salutations become intentions personified, a moving meditation that helps each participant refine their awareness.
Join us for this fun and transformative practice!
by Olivia Hughes
I don’t know about you, but 2017 has been an intense year! To bring myself back into balance, I consciously practice gratitude during the holiday season. Gratitude not only for all my blessings, loved ones, health, and happiness, but also for my challenges and opportunities to expand my heart and awareness.
This Yogi Gift Guide shifts the focus from buying material things to practicing self-care and sharing the gift of presence with those you love. Let everything you do this month be sacred.
1. Yoga One Gift Card
Give the gift of yoga!!! This is hands-down the best yoga studio in the heart of downtown San Diego. They offer a range of classes every day of the week, from never-stepped-on-a-yoga-mat beginner level to an intense sweaty and pretzel-y advanced level. They also have a wonderfully relaxing massage room. This could be your one-stop shop for wellness!
2. Meditation Cushion from Sittin’ Pretty Still
Helping people stay calm one cushion at a time. Each one is made with love and intention and they are truly the most gorgeous meditation cushions ever made! They also double as a comfy yoga block or bolster and are 25% off until December 31st. Check out their awesome natural soy candles while you’re at their website, too.
3. Homemade Coupon Book
Take the holidays back old-school by creating a coupon book redeemable for all your loved one’s favorite things, big and small. You can include anything from a back rub to offering to pump their gas because you know they hate doing it. Coupon books are a great way to show someone you’re paying attention and that you care about them.
4. Crystal Muse by Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro
This will be my first Yogi Reads review of 2018! Crystal Muse: Everyday Rituals to Tune in to the Real You includes different rituals and grids you can create to manifest the energy you desire in your life. I loved learning new techniques for staying connected to my crystals, the moon cycles, and their energy all year long.
5. Quinntessentials Yoga & Beauty Products
Organic essential oil products for yoga and life. Owner Julie Quinn crafts each product with intention. My favorite right now is her Palo Santo room spray – it’s perfect for yoga classes and at home. She also makes a rosemary oil for your hair, stash wax for men, and a yogi bones salve that will soothe everyone’s tender spots. Check her out online or in person at different markets around San Diego.
6. Momma Pots
Buying from local, small businesses is one of the best ways to give back to your community. Instead of buying candy or sweets for a stocking stuffer, how about a small potted (low-maintenance) succulent plant? All of Momma Pots products are hand-poured and painted concrete, right here in San Diego. Her pots are truly beautiful, with a modern, minimalist aesthetic.
“Elegant pots, hand crafted by a mom, inspired by all things that grow.” – Blaine Tiongson, owner
Most of us keep our calendar on a mobile device these days, but there’s still value in putting pen to paper. A passion planner goes beyond a list of activities each day by providing prompts for your dreams and goals. It’s the perfect tool to help you think big and stay accountable for creating and living the life YOU want.
“It’s designed to be a safe space for you to dream, reflect, and grow.” – Passion Planner Team
8. Morse Code Malas
Handmade in San Diego these mala beads are intended to evoke a feeling or ignite a purpose when worn. Each one is carefully crafted with you in mind. A one-of-a-kind gift that helps to calm your mind and connect to your spirit. Follow them on Instagram @morsecodemalas
9. Donate Time or Money to the ONE LOVE Movement
The ONE LOVE Movement is a non-profit dedicated to supporting children in impoverished areas. Founder Kim Bauman is a local San Diego yoga teacher whose passion was sparked by a trip to Haiti where she realized how blessed she was, having been an orphan herself who was adopted from South Korea at only 9 months old. She has now dedicated her life to helping other children in need. The ONE LOVE Movement is currently looking for ambassadors in any city, as well as accepting donations of time, resources, or money.
10. Host a Party for Your Loved Ones with Al Fresco Events
For the host or hostess who loves the joy of community and a shared meal, but not all the work of preparation and clean up, Al Fresco Events will pull off an unforgettable holiday (or anytime) party. Your biggest concern will be picking out your outfit, because all you have to do is show up and enjoy! Jennie Niezgoda brings the decor, creates an amazing vibe, and tops it off with her infamous grazing platters, filled with goodies that will leave your guests talking for weeks! Check out her Instagram page to see for yourself @alfresco_events
11. Energy Healing Sessions with Antoinnette Chirinos
A Peruvian modern day Medicine Woman and Angel Tarot Reader, based locally in San Diego. Sessions with Antoinnette will leave you feeling validated within and connected to your spirit. Antoinnette has a deep connection to nature and creates essential oils, herb offerings, and elixirs with intention to support you after her sessions. She also mixes in crystals, and energy clearing kits to help you stay aligned and protected.
12. Yoga Retreat with Olivia and the OM Experience
Give the gift of a retreat! Getting away from it all for a few days in paradise by yourself or with a loved one can be an incredibly healing and restorative experience. Join me for daily yoga, waterfall hikes, snorkeling, relaxing, hydrotherapy, and more! This retreat is one-of-a-kind in its luxury and service, hosted by The Garza Blanca resort in Puerto Vallarta, a five star hotel that offers an all-inclusive experience. Learn more at The OM Experience.
*These recommendations were chosen by the author from her personal life experience and do not reflect any paid advertisements.
Olivia Hughes
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 Hannah Faulkner
With the winter holidays approaching, do you ever take the time to notice the world with a unifying perspective?
Are you open to beliefs from people that practice different customs than you?
Are your traditions in line with your evolving values?
Read the full version of this article on Hannah’s blog, Half Moon Yoga and Art.
Tradition refers to beliefs, objects or customs performed or believed in the past, originating in it, transmitted through time by being taught by one generation to the next, and are performed or believed in the present.
A tradition may be deliberately created and circulated for personal, commercial, political, or national self-interest. Fear of other people, customs, and religions may be politically and culturally manipulated to bring more separation amongst the human race.
For example, only a century ago, “anthropologists at the Museum of Man and the Smithsonian Institution worked together to collect plaster life casts of different racial types. These casts were displayed in San Diego at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition as part of an exhibition about the “progress of man” that presented European Americans as racially superior (Museum of Man San Diego).”
However, in the current exhibit, Race: Are We So Different? artists like Kate Clark strive to connect the dots between the museum’s archive of face molds to the reality of living and breathing people today. She created a series of face molds from museum visitors to break down the stereotypes from these older social constructs. Today, so many different races have blended and moved around that the results are remarkably more united.
This exhibit explains in clear, helpful language the origins of race and racism, and helps us understand how to deal with them in productive, enlightening ways. Most of what we think about race is based on myth, folklore, or assumptions unsupported by genetics or biology. No one is free of misunderstandings about race, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
According to a DNA study posted at the Museum of Man, we are much more alike than we think. In fact, your DNA is 99.9% similar to the person next to you as well as all people in this world now.
In his enlightening Television Series, “The Story of God,” Morgan Freeman announces “Our beliefs don’t have to divide us, they can unite us. We all share the wonder and gratitude that we are here at all.”
Thousands of years ago, Pantajali created a guide towards the path of enlightenment and peace. He suggested the practice of yoga. The asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques) are preparation for Samadhi, which means “to bring together, to merge.” Samadhi refers to union. When we experience these moments of awakening, we realize what it is to be an identity without differences.
There is no longer any individuality of our experiences: gender, personal history, family and cultural values, education, etc. The “I” and “mine” of our illusory perceptions of reality is replaced by awareness of the oneness of the Universe blended with connectedness, forgiveness, joy and love.
Yoga reminds us that we are more than the external body, that our souls are the light that matters the most. Feel encouraged to treat your body like the divine temple that it is, the mind-body-spirit connection. The ultimate goal of yoga is to awaken the spiritual consciousness, the divine energy that connects us all.
Join us for Yoga at the Museum of Man – Yoga in the Rotunda every 2nd and 4th Saturday from 8:30am -9:30am. This class is $10.
Click here to save your space and arrive at least 10 minutes early to sign in.
(Please note that the Jingle Bell Run is scheduled for this Saturday in Balboa Park and several roads around the Park will be closed. The run route can be found here and we recommend giving yourself extra time to find parking.)
This Saturday December 9th, I will be teaching a class related to the unity of light throughout the winter holiday season as it relates to the Museum’s message, “Are we so different?”
This holiday season, will you choose to see the unity among the world’s traditions, customs, and religions?
Do you know what the world’s major winter holidays have in common?
From a magical Yuletide log, to the bright star leading the way to a savior, a crescent moon as a symbol for dedicated prayers, festivals of lights with rejoicing in gratitude and family, to wreaths and halos that illuminate the way to compassion, all of these celebrations include LIGHT, which translates to joy, devotion, and love!
When we live on light, we are constantly illuminating the path for ourselves and others. The word enlightenment means to provide insight or knowledge, to awaken or become free from ignorance. In other words, if you have knowledge, let others dip their candles in it.
Through a unified approach of physical postures and lifestyle, we can awaken the loving energy of light and unity that is resting within each of us.
See yourself as the creator of your own life, the sustainer of your reality. Breathe in the light of oneness and divine energy and see yourself connecting with life itself. As a daily reminder, we can repeat this affirmation, “I feel lightness and openness to the bigger picture. I move towards light and enlightenment.”
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.
by Laura McCorry
It’s been said that life is about the journey, not the destination – but if you’re traveling with a toddler, just packing for the journey can feel like outfitting a polar expedition. Getting on the road with the family can be the hardest part!
I recently attempted this challenge, on an annual trip to the mountains to visit loved ones. The car ride itself is five hours without stops, and we wanted to arrive well before the two year old’s bedtime. I very quickly felt stressed about remembering everything to bring and anxious about keeping the kiddo entertained.
We have a cd of kid’s tunes we play in the car and this is one of the songs:
“Try to move a moose in the middle of the road, he’s much too big for you.
He’s ten feet tall and that’s not all, he weighs a ton or two.
When you can’t drive under, you can’t drive over, and you can’t drive around,
you have to wait for the moose to move although it slows you down.
But what’s your hurry, don’t you worry, don’t you know it’s true –
it may take a month or two, but the moose is bound to move.”
If you keep listening, the moose decides to take a nap, cars pile up on both sides, and eventually, everyone gets out of their cars and befriend the moose, taking pictures with him and scratching his chin.
In my yogic journey to the present moment, always trying to arrive, I don’t often embrace the obstacles in my path. I think that’s hard for most of us. What would happen if we did? Would the obstacles change, would we ourselves change, or both?
Yoga teaches us to observe the present moment, to sit with discomfort, to notice our reactions before acting upon them. All of these mindfulness techniques run counter to our culture of more, better, faster. Before you get caught up in the busy-ness of the last months of the year, try to observe the obstacles in your path. Maybe the “obstacle” is an important part of the journey.
As it turned out, we had everything we needed for the trip, the toddler didn’t have a single meltdown in the car, and we even enjoyed stopping to stretch our legs while appreciating the crisp air and fall colors. I hope you find the same joy in whatever journey you undertake.
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 Olivia Cecchettini Hughes
The Tao of Wu
by The RZA
Editor’s Note: Congratulations and welcome back to Olivia who took a break from this monthly column to get married!!! We wish you all the best on this new journey in life. ~ Yoga One
Summary: The Tao of Wu is written in a light conversational style that’s easy to read and hard to put down. What keeps this book out of the light reading category however, is the depth of spiritual insight within that stayed with me for days as I processed and digested it. After I finished reading, it kept me buzzing for a few days: a sign of a really good book!
Part spiritual manifesto, part autobiography, The RZA openly shares his wisdom, guiding principles, and experiences as founder of the Wu-Tang Clan and as a fellow human being. The Tao of Wu follows his journey from growing up in a violent neighborhood of New York City to deeply embracing Eastern Philosophy in Shaolin, China.
Why I Love It: I was completely blown away by this inspiring spiritual memoir which was unlike any other I’ve read. Combining street knowledge, pop culture, eastern culture, spirituality, and rawness, this book was one of my favorite reads of 2017. Highly recommend.
I love that The Tao of Wu breaks through and breaks down stereotypes. I think stereotypes, labels, and boxes are human devices to keep the world small and simple. Yoga has always helped me bear witness to my own judgments and allow them to shatter in the light of authenticity. It’s only when we truly SEE and LISTEN to one another that we grasp the beauty, wisdom, and amazing insight diverse people have to offer.
Suggested For: I’ve been recommending this book to everyone! Seriously. For the hip hop lovers, I gained a better appreciation of RZA’s work – specifically the depth of his lyricism. If you ever wondered why The RZA, aside from being the Wu-Tang Clan’s chief producer, is heralded as the group’s leader, The Tao of Wu will make that unmistakably clear.
For the spiritual seekers, this book is a more personal, more philosophical follow-up to The Wu-Tang Manual. The RZA pulls from a deep school of thought that reflects the inner work he has achieved. I found his writing to be forward thinking and courageous in its authenticity.
Even Cornel West gives it a thumbs-up: “RZA is a towering artist and deep thinker who has much to teach us. I salute his courageous vision and compassionate witness – as manifests in this book and in his life.”
Olivia Hughes
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.
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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
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