Q: What do you love about teaching yoga?
I love holding space for people and meeting them where they’re at on their own personal growth. Seeing a transformation in a student, no matter how subtle, is a gift.
Q: What’s your favorite holiday drink or treat?
Hot cacao with cinnamon, honey, and coconut milk!
Take class with Lauren on Thursdays, 4:15pm Foundation Yoga, all levels welcome
by Michael Caldwell
Many, many years ago, I was in a writing group and presented a poem which described the challenges and possibilities of beginning a new story, poem or article. Here it is: The enormity of the 8.5″ x 11” page. That was also its title.
Since 2002, Yoga One has collected a healthy history/waiver form from each student who attended class via an 8.5″ x 11” piece of paper.
We asked for standard information, name, address, email, phone number, etc. The waiver portion represented to us far more than data – it symbolized a commitment to a unique individual who was joining our community and entrusting us to help them enhance their well-being.
Students now complete an online health history / waiver form. So we decided to recycle the old paper forms. I took them from the file cabinets and had a nice time leafing through the stacks, looking at names, and enjoying memories.
A single piece of paper weighs 4.5 grams (more or less depending on stock quality).
We had 180 pounds.
180 pounds equals 81,646.6 grams. That equals about 18,143.6889 students we were lucky to have in our community, sharing the joys and benefits of yoga.
Thank you all for the honor and opportunity!
I wonder, how many kilobytes is an online health history / waiver form?
Michael Caldwell
Contributing Writer
Yoga teacher and Co-Founder of Yoga One, Michael has been practicing yoga and incorporating its philosophy into his life since 1997. His kind and gentle manner is well suited to leading students of all levels. Michael has published numerous articles on a variety of subjects including yoga, meditation and rock n roll.
For 20 years, Yoga One has been the site where thousands of people, from beginners to
experienced practitioners, have learned about asana and vinyasa, perfecting moves like downward dog, sun salutation and other poses.
The Caldwells began their business in earnest in 2002 in a second-story spot in downtown San Diego, opening the practice to meet a growing demand of students attending outdoor classes in Balboa Park taught by Amy Caldwell starting in 2000.
you can find the full feature here
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.
“Approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first ten years.” – data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shared on Investopedia
Needless to say, in 2012, we enjoyed a collective and long exhale while celebrating Yoga One’s 10th anniversary.
We knew there would be more hard work ahead. We knew nobody would be handing out laurels upon which we could rest (though we did enjoy a lovely savasana.)
More than any other emotion, we were grateful.
Amy and I were grateful that our labor of love had, for a decade, sustained both our immediate family and our extended family (the community).
We were grateful to be supported by so many caring and genuine individuals. The struggle and effort of running a business has been worthwhile, in no small part, because of the wonderful people we’ve met and have come to know over the years.
Our 10 Year festivities were held on the rooftop of the Porto Vista Hotel, where we had been providing regular rooftop classes. The multi-talented Jennifer Tipton led a strong and well-sequenced flow yoga class. As an added bonus, our massage therapists Jacintha Roemer and Amber Largent offered complimentary chair massages.
While reveling in and enjoying each other’s company, we took the opportunity to highlight particular individuals, including the amazing Julie Moore (a.k.a. Student #1). Julie was our very first Yoga One student – she attended Amy’s initial classes in Balboa Park, even before our downtown studio was an idea and before we had thought of the name.
We also passed out dedication and consistency awards to the Summer Yoga Challenge participants (those students who took the most classes in a given period of time).
Michael made a speech and we passed out prizes. We took selfies and staged photos with silly accessories. We leafed through an anniversary scrapbook assembled by Missy. Students left kind messages on a guest board.
Food and drink were served. Merry-making ensured.
Thank you to the Yoga One Family for enhancing our lives, we love, appreciate and are grateful for you!!
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!
by Laura McCorry
Yoga doesn’t care if you have tattoos… or not.
Yoga doesn’t care if you wear glasses or dye your hair.
Yoga doesn’t require a specific gender or identity or weight or mobility…
Yoga means union.
Yoga means all are welcome, just as you are.
Yoga means following the breath, this moment.
Yoga means small glimpses of the oneness of the universe.
Yoga is for you. And me. And everyone.
Because we are all one.
Yoga One Teacher Training – January 2022
Go deeper – Become ONE
Thanks to CBS 8 for featuring Yoga One in a segment on Mission Hills, San Diego. We’re proud to be located in such a beautiful and historic neighborhood, not to mention our beautiful and historic building! Yoga One is excited to offer this space back to the community – for movement, for meditation, and for gathering.
Watch the whole segment here on CBS 8
Yoga One was so excited to celebrate with our neighbors and neighboring businesses at an Open House this month! The 1920 Fort Stockton Building has been many things over the years, and we’re proud to represent its next chapter. We wish a hearty welcome to the newly opened Wolf in the Woods Wine Bar.
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.
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
“Hi friends of Yoga One! I know some of you have seen our beautiful new space in Mission Hills, but I just wanted to welcome you in again and let you know that we’re super excited to see you in studio, online, and in Presidio Park.
We’re really looking forward to continuing to build and enhance community and wellness. Wishing you a beautiful day!” – Amy Caldwell, Co-Founder and head teacher of Yoga One
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.)
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.
by Monique Minahan
Early on in my yoga practice I would often experience an emotional reaction during corpse pose (savasana). Lying still, I would get a lump in my throat and suddenly find tears quietly rolling down my cheeks. I didn’t know it at the time, but my yoga practice was releasing long-held grief from my body.
When grief and recovery from trauma have been processed by the mind, life may begin to seem approachable again and many people feel they can move forward; but the same processes of recovery and healing are essential to the body as well.
Feeling a strong emotional release in a yoga pose or during final relaxation is far from uncommon. One of yoga’s most powerful side effects is its ability to release and heal the BodyMind. Not just the body. Not just the mind. The combined, interconnected, undivided BodyMind.
BodyMind is a term coined by Dr. Candace Pert, a neuropharmacologist who pioneered scientific research into the field of Mind-Body Medicine, advancing our understanding of what are called neuropeptides, or messenger molecules that carry information from the mind to the body and back again through body fluids. These neuropeptides are found throughout our bodies in the heart, sexual organs, and the limbic system, to name a few.
Dr. Pert breaks this concept down with an example of the gut. The entire lining of our intestines is lined with these particular transmitters. She posits, “It seems entirely possible to me that the richness of the receptors may be why a lot of people feel their emotions in their gut – why they have a ‘gut feeling.’”
She further comments: “I think unexpressed emotions are literally lodged in the body. The real true emotions that need to be expressed are in the body, trying to move up and be expressed and thereby integrated, made whole, and healed.”
When we move our bodies through yoga, our BodyMind is allowed expression. It can begin to release emotion and tension that’s been stuck in our bodies for a long period of time, perhaps even years after we think we’ve mentally processed the event.
Exploring these heavy emotions in our yoga practice, whether intentionally or accidentally, might feel intimidating. Resourcing is a technique that helps us stay present during uncomfortable or overwhelming sensations by finding and connecting to a resource, such as the breath or one of the five senses. This connection works like an anchor for a boat and we can begin to observe sensations safely, without fear of getting lost in the sea of our experience.
Join me this Mother’s Day at Yoga One for a special commemorative practice where we will explore three ways to use resourcing with yoga, as well as learn how to identify where emotions reside in our individual bodies. We will focus specifically on how to apply these tools when dealing with loss and grief.
This practice is for anyone interested in learning how to use yoga as a supportive healing modality, but especially for anyone who has lost their mother and would welcome a supportive, safe, non-judgemental environment to honor their mother on Mother’s Day.
Loss is something we will all experience in our lifetime. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. Our yoga practice will not show us a way out of grief, but it can show us a way through and support us through every stage of healing.
Note: If this is something you’re interested in, but find the cost prohibitive or cannot attend for some other reason, please contact Yoga One to arrange a way for you to receive the information: 619-294-7461 or email info@yogaonesandiego.com
Monique Minahan
Contributing Writer
Mo is a writer and yoga teacher who believes in peace over happiness and love over fear. She likes to set her sights high and then take small steps to get there. You’ll find her walking the dirt path behind her house with her little fluffy dog, practicing walking her talk by keeping her head high and her heart open.
Read more from Monique on her blog, mindfulmo.com
guest post by Amy Freeman
It’s easy to be grateful when everything is going our way, but what about when it’s not? How do we shift our focus from burdens, misfortunes and challenges to the abundance that already exists?
A few months ago, I was the victim of burglary. Someone broke into our house and stole most of our valuables and a few irreplaceable family heirlooms. Fortunately, none of my family was home at the time. Even though I tried to console myself with the thought that things are not as valuable as people, I still mourned the loss of our sentimental items. More than that, my home, my sanctuary felt violated. I spent the next several months feeling anxious, helpless and fearful.
Not content to wallow in unhappy feelings, I searched hard to find the lesson in my loss. What could I learn, appreciate or share? What was there to be grateful for? Upon sharing my story, three dear friends came over on a Friday evening and spent three hours cleansing and blessing my house and family. Another friend immediately leant me an extra laptop. It’s often during difficult times that we are given opportunities to grow. With the outpouring of support from family, friends and my yoga community, I was reminded of the goodness all around me.
Gratitude is a spiritual practice that teaches us to give thanks for all of Life: the blessings, burdens, joys and setbacks. To say we are grateful is not to say everything about our life is great or that we’re happy with our lives the way they are. Struggle and hardship will always be a part of life but living a grateful life means refusing to allow those negative experiences to dictate your response to life.
Rather than waiting to feel satisfied when we get that promotion, new iPhone, or practice the perfect scorpion pose, allow yourself to feel joy and gratitude for the small things already present: the fact that you made it to class, hit all the green lights on the way to work, or that the sun is shining overhead. Use gratitude to keep things in perspective. Transforming your life into a grateful one is a process and it’s not easy. Every time those dark feelings of fear or anxiety come up I have to consciously tell myself to pay attention to the blessings of abundance and grace in my life.
“A hundred times a day I remind myself that my life depends on the labors of others, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give, in measure as I have received, and am still receiving.” -Albert Einstein
Just as yoga seeks to bring more awareness to the experiences of the Self and the physical practice of yoga increases your body and breath awareness, practicing gratitude conditions your emotional awareness. Regular practice leads to feelings of appreciation, compassion, love and generosity. Living in gratitude connects us to the good vibration of the Universe. When we are in sync and aligned with the Universe, rooted in the real, we can go out into the world mindful of our place in this grand symphony called Life. With gratitude and thanksgiving we are aware of our connectedness, interdependence and Oneness.
A Thanksgiving Exercise in Gratitude:
Every morning write down 3-5 things for which you are grateful. It is important to write them down. At night write down 3-5 things for which you are grateful that happened during the day. Commit to this practice for ONE week (or the rest of the year!) and watch your life begin to transform.
Amy Freeman teaches Vinyasa Flow at noon on Tuesday and Thursday and at 10:30 am on Saturday at Yoga One. Amy’s vinyasa classes blend physical alignment and core strength in a fluid rhythm. Her goal is always to help her students find and maintain a peaceful mind and body.
