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THE INSPIRATION ISSUE YOGA I ART I MUSIC I WELLNESS I LIFESTYLE

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EXPERIENCE

WHERE EMOTIONS CAN TURN TO WISDOM

The Mandala Lab brings cognitive science, contemplative practice, and participatory art experiences to the heart of the Rubin for visitors of all ages. See, smell, touch, and breathe your way through activities that identify difficult emotions and offer pathways to develop resilience, calmness, and connection. Lead support of the Mandala Lab is provided by the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Rasika and Girish Reddy, Shelley and Donald Rubin, and the Tiger Baron Foundation. Major support is provided by Anonymous, Bob and Lois Baylis, Anne and Albert Chao, Con Edison, Anne E. Delaney, Noah P. Dorsky, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Jack Lampl, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Basha Frost Rubin and Scott Grinsell, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Linda Schejola, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, Taipei Cultural Center

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MANDALA LAB

EXPLORE THE FLOOR TODAY 150 WEST 17TH STREET BETWEEN 6TH AND 7TH AVENUES RUBINMUSEUM.ORG @RUBINMUSEUM in New York, New York Life Insurance Company, and New York Life. Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. We additionally thank the generosity of 223 sponsors and donors who contributed to our 2020 gala, Inside the Mandala: A Virtual Gala. The Mandala Lab’s multi-year campaign is underway, and our supporter list is in formation.

FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF Iana Velez MANAGING EDITOR Frances Hunt

FEATURE EDITOR Stephanie Jade Wong

BEAUTY & WELLNESS EDITOR LouLou Piscatore

REGIONAL DIRECTOR Melissa Honkanen

GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR Ethel Kambourian

CONNECT WITH US info@yogalovemagazine.com On Our Cover: Art by Burcu Koleli

YOGA LOVE MAGAZINE TEAM Abhaijot Kaur, Ingrid Baquero, Justine Ma, Lauren Beth Jacobs, Lauren Cap Miko Hafez, Rina Jakubowicz, Sami Lea Konczewski

2022 Yoga Love Magazine is owned and operated by Northstar Creative LLC. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated, in whole or in part, without written consent. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. Northstar Creative LLC assumes no responsibility for accuracy of information or omissions from the material provided. Company cannot be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services rendered by the advertisers published in this magazine or content featured. The exercise instructions and information presented in this magazine are intended for educational and informative purposes only and are not intended to serve as medical or professional advice. You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting any fitness program to determine if it is right for your unique needs. The creators, producers, participants, and distributors of Yoga Love Magazine disclaim any liability for loss or injury in connection with the exercises shown or the instruction and advice expressed herein.

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ISSUE 01. INSPIRATION 4. PARTNER DIRECTORY Where to find your free copy of Yoga Love Magazine

11. SPOTLIGHT: NYC

Photos of local yogis by Wanda Bogacka-Plucinski

14. INSPIRED COMMUNITY

Susanna, Tejal and Sunaina share inspirations

24. INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo essay by Robert Sturman

30. DEAF YOGA

Deafhood Yoga® founder Rajarajeshwari

37. SPOTLIGHT: SEATTLE

Local yogis photographed by Miko Hafez

40. LOVE LETTERS

Yogis share letters about where they live

46. DEJA INSPIRED Deja Riley Interview

48. SPOTLIGHT: DC

Local Yogis photographed by Spencer Bentley

55. BEE INSPIRED

Interview with urban bee keeper Andrew Coté

55 4

58. VEGAN MAFIA

Meet the vegan brotherhood

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Creating a print magazine about yoga, art and wellness was the path for me since it combined all the things I loved and was excited and passionate about. Being creative and working with artists, exploring yoga and other movement modalities, sharing people’s stories and creating content that celebrates feeling inspired. Yoga Love is more than a magazine to me, it is a community, it is a movement to revolutionize media and representation, and it is an experience.

Love Letter FROM THE FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF My relationship with yoga was definitely not love at first sight. It began almost 20 years ago at a beginner’s yoga class that was mostly full of seniors at a local YMCA in NYC. I was a stressed out freelance art director getting over a broken heart who stumbled into a yoga class wearing sweatpants and an old pajama shirt. I spent the next 75 minutes with my arms and legs moving gracelessly about, my mind distracted and wandering endlessly. Except during savasana. Our teacher walked us through a full body scan relaxation at the end of the class, “Release your ankles, release your calves, release your hips…inhale deeply, exhale…” I had no idea it was possible to hold that much tension in every part of the body, even in my eyebrows! This awareness of what was happening in my body and mind was something I was only able to fully observe, and eventually work on, within the stillness of savasana. Savasana gave me a few moments of much-needed peace before heading back out into the busy NYC hustle. These moments of peace were the reason I kept going back to yoga. As the years went by, I started exploring and expanding my physical practice. A vinyasa class proved to be an amazing outlet for the bountiful energy I had at the time, Iyengar classes helped me focus with attention to detail and study. Restorative yoga was like heaven on earth, deeply soothing and always comforting. At my first yoga teacher training years later, I found myself diving deeper into a study of more than just asana. After graduating, it seemed that the obvious choice was to become a teacher. If you love something, then you should teach it? Well…not so much. Teaching, as it turned out, was not the path for me. YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

What makes Yoga Love Magazine so special? We are a grassroots publication and independently published. We want to celebrate people in yoga and wellness who inspire us. You may have not yet have heard of many of the local writers and teachers you see on our pages, but you will — they are doing work that is inspiring. We distribute our magazine for free so yoga and wellness practices are accessible to everyone. We are volunteer run and Latina owned. In addition to running this magazine, I still work full time as an art director to keep this magazine in print — now thanks to yoga, I have tools to better manage my stress. Creating a magazine that is distributed for free at studios, wellness centers and festivals is only possible because of an amazing volunteer team, and our community of partners, advertisers and sponsors. They are all small businesses like us, and we are excited for you to learn more about them and their beautiful offerings on our pages and website. We encourage you to visit them and support them. If you can’t find a partner location near you to pick up a free print copy of our magazine (check out pages 4-5 in this issue and our directory online for a full list) and if you feel inspired to support this work, visit us online through the QR code below. Your support will help fund our work and our second issue, launching in 2023. I hope you can find a few moments to turn off all your digital devices, hold this print magazine in your hands and feel how it was created with so much love by an amazing global community from the UK, to Mexico, to Hawaii, and all across the United States. Take a moment to pause, reset and enjoy this INSPIRATION themed premier issue of Yoga Love Magazine. Let it be a reminder to choose love. Every time. Welcome to the premier issue of Yoga Love Magazine, our name says it all.

Iana Velez IANA VELEZ,

FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF

Want to support our work? visit us online:

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PLAY 221 Hillcrest Dr. Roxbury, NY 12474 playcatskills.com

ISHTA YOGA 816 Broadway New York, NY 10003 ishtayoga.com

SALTARA HEALING 17 River St. Suite 9 Warwick, NY 10990 saltarahealing.com

KARMA KIDS YOGA Headquarters: 16 Madison Square West 12th Fl. New York, NY 10010 karmakidsyoga.com

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THE RUBIN MUSEUM 150 West 17th St. New York, NY 10011 rubinmuseum.org SACRED SPACE ASTORIA 29-05 21st Ave. 1st Fl. Astoria, NY 11105 sacredspaceastoria.com STONE WAVE YOGA 2694 US 44 Gardiner, NY 12525 stonewaveyoga.com LIVING YOGA 117-20 Queens Blvd. 2nd Fl. Forest Hills, NY 11375 mylivingyoga.com

FIERCE GRACE NYC 172 Allen St. 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10002 fiercegracenyc.com

OCEAN BLISS YOGA At The Belle Harbor Yacht Club 533 Beach 126th St. Belle Harbor, NY 11694 oceanblissyoga.net

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OMEGA 150 Lake Drive Rhinebeck, NY 12572 eomega.org

SOL FULL YOGA 101 Carpenter Place Monroe, New York 10950 solfullyogastudio.com SHAMBALA YOGA & DANCE CENTER 691 Washington Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11238 shambhalayogadance.com SONIC YOGA 944 8th Ave. New York, NY 10019 sonicyoga.com YOGA AGORA 33-02 Broadway Astoria, NY 11106 yogaagora.com YOGA IN THE ADIRONDACKS 2 Coulter Road Bakers Mills, NY 12811 yogaintheadirondacks.com YOGA MANDALI 454 Broadway 2nd Fl. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 yogamandali.com

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Ashrams for Autism grew organically out of a mother’s love for her daughter and a desire to heal individuals through yoga. When founder Sharon Manner’s youngest child Kerri was diagnosed with autism, the young mom went through a gamut of ups and downs, trying to figure out how to best help her daughter -- and deal with the difficult diagnosis herself. As a yogi, Manner instinctively knew her yoga teachers and practices would help support her. What she didn’t realize, at least at first, was how much yoga would help her daughter too. In 2010, she founded Ashrams for Autism, whose mission is to create yoga programs and facilities where individuals with autism can live, work, play and contribute to their community. By utilizing yogic techniques and modern-day scientific advances, these faculties will seek to empower and guide each individual towards peacefully achieving their highest potential. She shares her journey with us here. The theme of this issue is INSPIRATION, what inspired you to create your non profit Ashrams for Autism? Everything we do and commit ourselves to at Ashrams for Autism stems from a labor of love. Over the years of caring for an autistic child, I have found that yoga has consistently provided a space of peace and calm for myself, my child and my entire family. After seeing such progress I decided to share the gift of yoga with others who desperately need the tools and resources to live a full and happy life. So in short, my loving daughter is the inspiration behind the organization. Without her none of this would be possible. Who can take your YTT? We encourage autistic individuals, teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, family members and friends of individuals on the spectrum to participate in this training. We also encourage families with individuals on the spectrum to take it all together. What can people expect from this YTT? This training will exceed your expectations. We have put together a curriculum that is all encompassing from start to finish that includes a team of highly educated facilitators who go above and beyond to ensure an optimal learning experience for everyone. Where can people find classes? We offer free classes on our YouTube channel and you can also check out our website for upcoming trainings and special events. We also specialize in providing yoga in schools and facilities. We are currently working on a directory to include all of our graduates.

Ashrams for Autism seeks to empower and guide the autism community toward peacefully achieving their highest potential through yoga. We firmly believe that yoga can provide the proper tools for self-regulation and empowerment for this population.

LEARN MORE: ASHRAMS4AUTISM.ORG 8

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tans (devotional chanting) and Satsangs (spiritual discussions) draw people from all over the country. Over the years, IYI’s renowned Teacher Training program has certified hundreds of teachers in Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Hatha Yoga, Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga, Meditation, and Gentle and Chair Yoga.

Easeful, Peaceful, Useful The word “Yoga” means union or yoke in the ancient Sanskrit language. It is a perfect description of the science and philosophy of Integral Yoga. Integral Yoga® synthesizes the various branches of Yoga into a comprehensive lifestyle system. The purpose is to support the harmonious development of every aspect of the individual. The six branches of Integral Yoga® are each powerful tools to gain self-mastery. When combined to affect the whole being the results are at once subtle, profound and measurable. Integral Yoga Institute was founded in the 1960’s, by Sri Swami Satchidananda, a spiritual teacher from India. Located in a beautiful brownstone

building on West 13th Street in historic Greenwich Village, it is both an ashram and a teaching center. Over the years, the New York IYI has grown to become one of the most respected and beloved Yoga centers in the city, an oasis for busy New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors. We offer inperson and online, Hatha Yoga classes at all levels. IYI also offers courses and workshops in meditation, breathing practices, health, nutrition, and other related teachings, to create a unique and rewarding atmosphere for learning and sharing. Students gather for Scripture Study to read and discuss such fundamental works as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. Kir-

IYI offers many classes and workshops on using Yoga to deal with a wide variety of life-threatening and chronic physical and mental health conditions, including Yoga Therapy, Cardiac Yoga and more. It has introduced programs called Yoga At Work® and Yoga At School™ to promote its message that Yoga is for everyone in every setting.

The New York IYI is a living embodiment of Sri Swami Satchidananda’s teachings, a community where the goal for all people is to have an easeful body, a peaceful mind, and a useful life.

COME EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF UNDOISM THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF INTEGRAL YOGA.

LEARN MORE: IYINY.ORG YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

What does it mean to be “Pain Care Aware”? Being Pain Care Aware is more than dropping the cue “if it hurts don’t do that.” It is understanding pain, the lived experience of pain and what to do when there is pain in yoga. Pain Care Aware (PCA) integrates pain science and yoga teachings, shifting from inadvertently creating fear and a sense of fragility to exploring paths of greater potential and resiliency. Our broader intention is to decrease the impact of pain on society. We support yoga teachers, yoga therapists and health professionals with techniques, perspectives and knowledge to integrate yoga and science into their work. What happens when pain shows up? No doubt you have experienced pain that was not ‘in the right spot’ (tooth aches), out of proportion with the injury (paper cuts), or the quality of the pain didn’t match the issue in the body (burning pain from a hand in ice water). When there is pain in yoga, we cannot rely on our first experience of the pain as an accurate indication of how bad the problem is, where it is, or what is it. Neither should we ignore it. PCA guides us to the ‘edge of the pain’ - to where we feel safe to explore. Through embodied experiences of the multifaceted nature of pain, we learn that pain care includes, but is not limited to how we position and move our body.

Swami (Swarupananda) Lisa has lived well with Fibromyalgia for over three decades by combining updated knowledge of pain science along with techniques and compassionate practices of kriya yoga. In their dharma as a yoga educator, Lisa saw how class cueing did not well-serve people who live with persisting pain, or anyone experiencing pain in yoga classes.

Common misconceptions about pain: • Pain is immutable. • Pain management is finding the one thing that will stop the pain. • Pain equals damage. • We can learn to cope with chronic pain but we cannot change the pain itself. • We can influence pain related to emotions, but not pain from aging joints. • If the body tissue is not normal, this pain cannot be changed. • It is not possible to have chronic pain and to live well. When you are Pain Care Aware: • You gain a deeper understanding of pain and recognise its complexities. • You know that pain is a human condition. • You acknowledge yoga is well-suited to preventing and treating persistent pain. • You are confident and compassionate, having many options when a student or client has pain during yoga. • You incorporate language and an approach that guides students to be curious about pain. Pain is Changeable. There is hope. Pain science and yoga tell us that pain itself can be changed. We can influence how we consciously respond to pain, we can also influence autonomic responses, and we can influence pain itself. We can influence pain AND we can live well in pain.

Neil’s inspiration has always been the people he has served. Immediately after graduation it was apparent that what he learned in university was of little value in caring for his patients with persisting pain. After decades of teaching pain science to medical professionals, Pain Care Aware allows yoga practitioners increased access to modern pain science. Swami Lisa and Professor Pearson have now created an online self-paced interactive and reflective learning process. Thirty+ hours of continuing education as the first step - Pain Care Aware Foundations. Following this, teachers can complete a facilitated practicum in which they attain the Pain Care Aware Certificate in group applications. Pain Care Aware has a mission of decreasing the impact of pain on society. Please join us.

Become Pain Care Aware - build fourpart interoceptive awareness, and integrate this with a deeper understanding of pain. Learn new language, based on yoga and science, and a new approach to guide your students to be Pain Care Aware. Learn more: paincareaware.com @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

Zen Ki Yoga® A culmination of several different styles of Japanese yoga, Indian yoga, shiatsu and twenty eight years of Janie Larmour’s experience. Janie Larmour is the founder of Zen Ki Yoga and has been looking after people’s health for almost 30 years. She is renowned for her impassioned yoga instruction, extensive knowledge and unique teaching style, which incorporates impeccable alignment with a true appreciation of human anatomy. Zen Ki Yoga is the culmination of Janie’s experience of working with clients in yoga, personal fitness training and shiatsu. How would you describe Zen Ki Yoga? Zen Ki Yoga has different moves and sequences for every organ in your body and it will work your meridians as well, just like an acupuncture session, except you are using your own body movement instead of a needle. It is a powerful healing yoga or you can use it to feel good, opening up your hips, relieving back pain and building a very strong core. Because there is a lot of focus on maximising energy flow through the pelvis, it is great for digestion, women’s and men’s health and staying grounded. Is prior yoga recommended? You don’t need any level of fitness or flexibility. My oldest client started at 82

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years of age and did it until she was 92. She couldn’t even sit up without something behind her. The only requirement is that you have to be able to get down and back up off the floor as it is mostly floor based. What can people expect from a Zen Ki Yoga class? You might do an entire class lying down, but you will still work deeply and internally so you will be challenged at any level. We do some standing poses, lots of sitting poses as well. We don’t use music as there is a lot of instruction so that you can access your organs and meridians and we also tell you the benefits of what you are doing. For example, when we are working the stomach and spleen meridians, you are also working on reproductive health, digestion, weight loss and your immune system. Share with us how you stay inspired. I get my inspiration from watching the excitement from students when they feel the immediate sensations in their meridians or the release in their psoas from one class at a yoga expo and the results they get when they do regular

classes. Freeing up people from pain and health issues and changing body shapes is my passion and that is what Zen Ki Yoga is so great for.

All classes are online and available 24/7 with your subscription. Janie teaches workshops all around Australia and in Los Angeles & Fort Lauderdale, USA and Manchester & London, UK and other various events that come up throughout each year.

Learn more: thecentreofyoga.com janie@thecentreofyoga.com

“Inspiration comes in many forms, as an artist and a muse, I can freely give and receive inspiration. In order to make an impact on my community, and ultimately my world, I have decided to live authentically and unapologetically. I have chosen to create a safe space for gentle thoughts and limitless aspirations.” Thai James @yogawiththai

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Local Spotlight NEW YORK CITY PHOTOS BY: WANDA BOGACKA-PLUCINSKI INTRO: IANA VELEZ

It seems fitting New York is the first place we spotlight in our premier issue of Yoga Love Magazine since this is where our magazine is created. Our hometown of NYC is resilient, unique and truly inspirational – there is no other city like it in the world. We are thrilled to have had the pleasure to work with photographer Wanda Bogacka-Plucinski as we celebrate three of our favorite NYC teachers. Learn more about Wanda’s work: @wanda.photography

"The journey of curiosity in the physical body and one’s ability to manifest is deeply inspiring." Beau-Paloma Dobrikov @beaupalomaxo

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“Inspiration is the energy current in my heart and gut. Inspiration encourages me to have the drive to create, take action, and be a visionary. Inspiration comes in many forms for me like music, performance, poetry, life experiences and nature. The glimpse of inspiration that I experience daily allows me to keep growing and create the world I want to live in.” Amanda Valdes @amandagloriayoga 14

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Inspired Community BY: IANA VELEZ

Susanna, Tejal, Sunaina…these are just a few of the people who inspire us on and off the mat. For our INSPIRATION themed premier issue, we asked them to share with us who inspires them. Here's what they had to share.

Susanna Barkataki

PHOTO: CAROLINE WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

Who inspires you? Arundhati Roy: Indian author, actress and political activist who was best known for the Booker award-winning novel, The God of Small Things and for her involvement in environmental and human rights causes. She is involved with advocating and protecting the causes of the poor in India. Roy has campaigned along with activist Medha Patkar against the Narmada dam project. Roy donated her Booker prize money, as well as royalties from her books on the project, to the Narmada Bachao Andolan, an Indian social movement. She is a spokesperson of the anti-globalization or alternate globalization movement.

Books that inspire you: I am deeply inspired by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — I love Swami Satchidananda’s translation. I also love to read poetry from Rabindranath Tagore, Rumi, Valarie Kaur and Rupi Kaur. Finally, I love Adrienne Maree Brown’s Emergent Strategy because it guides me again and again with regards to making social change.

Where do you go to get inspired: I spend time in nature to be inspired. Nature is like the divine church. All over India, you’ll find altars to the divine — they may be elaborate. Or they may be simple, made with a stick and some mud. They invite in devotion, energy, intention. Nature helps me create sacred space by making a place for the divine — something greater than myself. It helps me open to love and service. Try it — go out in nature and pay attention — enliven the senses! See what you notice and create! Learn more: EmbodyYogasRoots.com

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Tejal Patel

PHOTO: ROB ALCANTAR

Who inspires you? Chunilal Ranchhodbhai Patel (he/him) My grandfather, Chunilal Ranchhodbhai Patel, is such an inspiration to me and many in my family. He was a hard-working, dedicated husband, father of five and freedom fighter. He was alive during a tumultuous time for India and the surrounding regions, as the struggle to gain independence from the British escalated during and post World War II. Around 1944 or 1945, my Grandfather submitted his resignation letter to his boss in order to join India’s Independence movement alongside Gandhiji. His boss ripped up the letter and said, “Take as much time away as you need!” Independence from the British was announced on August 15, 1947, with the partition of India and Pakistan. My grandfather lived with us until he passed away when I was six years old, but I always remember his strong, steady presence during my childhood. I will remember how he continued to advocate for justice in his life. He spun cotton into thread in the spirit of Indian self-reliance from the British, even after moving to the USA in the 1970s. I credit him for instilling in me the fight for justice for all beings. Mira Nair (she/her) I admire activist and filmmaker Mira Nair for her powerful storytelling of everyday life. She showcases nuanced aspects of culture and the immigrant experience in such moving, artistic and dynamic ways. She turned Jhumpa Lahiri’s book The Namesake into a film that continues to speak directly to me as a first-generation, Indian American daughter and sibling. She tackles topics and artfully directs films in an unapologetic manner uplifting, vital, necessary, and often messy narratives like the Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (banned in India), Mississippi Masala (about the taboo of Black and Brown love), Monsoon Wedding (a chaotic family wedding with all the expected and unexpected drama). Mira’s activism extends beyond her films into her family as well. Her son is Zohran Mamdani, an assemblyman in Queens, NY. He once completed a 15-day hunger strike to advocate for the rights of NY taxi drivers. Mira is such an inspiration to me, and someone I hope to meet one day! continued on page 60 YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Sunaina

Rangnekar PHOTO: LAKE MARQUEZ-HERNANDEZ

Inspiration to me is also courage - specifically, the courage to overcome the obstacles life gives you. The root of “inspiration” is “inspire,” literally to inhale or breathe in. For me, inspiration is breathing into your discomfort and breathing into regulation and groundedness. Inspiration is to embrace and alchemize the change that is ever-pervading.

Who inspires you? Rüdrāksh Malheauxtrā (they/them) I love Rüdrāksh because they never fail to show up as their whole self, authentically, with so much energy and love for what they do. They are a true force of nature who does the work to acknowledge their teachers, uplift marginalized folks, and speak the truth (even if it’s hard to hear). They stand for what is right and are so deeply rooted in their yoga practice it inspires me to go deeper. Rüdrāksh is always reading 99 books at a time and helped me increase my bookshelf with authors leading the decolonization movement. By existing as they are, they allow me to show up precisely the way I am! I love you and am so proud of how far you’ve come! Soraya Latiff (she/her) Soraya is a good friend and the first Indian (IndoCaribbean) student I graduated. She inspires me to understand the Indian diaspora more profoundly and honor the beautiful intersection between Indian and Afro-Caribbean culture. Soraya is a true activist and works with students all over the Boulder/ Denver area to increase ethnic and cultural awareness in the school systems. She uses her privilege to disrupt harmful systems while creating brave spaces for folks to show up as their authentic selves. The first time I took her yoga class, I received a spiritual message from my ancestors. That experience invited tears of healing and joy to flow through me - an experience that no one else could give me. Thank you, Soraya, for being you and being my teacher in so many different ways. Sreeja Chakrabarty (she/they) Instagram has been an enormous blessing by connecting me to Sreeja. Sreeja is a one-of-a-kind singer, songwriter, music producer, and overall artist! She constantly inspires my poetry practice and is a strong pillar of support for me. I love that Sreeja writes music in their mother tongue (Bengali) to preserve their culture. I’ve learned a lot from Sreeja about building trust and being a work-in-progress. She is a person I want to center, uplift and honor as someone who inspires continued on page 60 18

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Yoga

7 SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE WAYS TO INCORPORATE YOGA IN LITTLE KIDS’ LIVES BY: SAMI LEA KONCZEWSKI PHOTOS: BRONWYN KIEVE

Primal movement is intuitive for young kids. I watched in awe when, around 4 months of age, both my babies arranged their bodies into a plank. They stacked their shoulders over their wrists, lined their hips with their trunk, balanced on their toes, and lifted their pudgy thighs and round bellies into a shape that rivaled the alignment of some of my more experienced students. And just recently, my 10-month-old son, Sebastian, chilled in a downward-facing dog for well over a minute. That very same day, I received a text from my 3-year-old daughter’s daycare with a picture of her doing a handstand up the wall (in an Elsa dress). I did not teach either of my kids these poses. It’s intrinsic. However, at some point, our society’s lifestyle catches up with our kids. They often trade carefree movement for couches and iPad screens. My daughter frequently asks for a device to watch her favorite shows. That stands in stark comparison to just a year ago when she would have preferred to be exploring and running laps around our yard. As a parent, it’s easy to give in, hand over the screen and settle in for a few moments of silence and safety. But I have found myself asking, “for every episode of ‘Peppa the Pig’ that plays in front of her glazed eyes, what is she losing in her spirit, imagination, and connection to her body?” So as a mom, just like as a yogi, I value balance – a bit of Peppa, a bit of mindful movement. That’s because the benefits are many. It enhances their flexibility, strength, and body awareness. It also supports concentration and relaxation. Yoga helps little ones slow down in a hurry-up world. So how does it work? Well, to be honest, it often doesn’t. Take, for example, the photoshoot for this article. We shot over 500 photos and about 490 of them were a hot mess. But a handful of our final cuts made it all look like magic. Read: it’s not magic. It’s a process, a practice, and often – a beautiful disaster. On the next page are some realistic tools for incorporating yoga with toddlers and babies. Unroll a mat or two, grab some props, settle into a safe space, and prepare yourself for whatever unfolds.

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LET GO OF EXPECTATIONS. This practice will not be about you. While you will get some much-needed movement and be sweetly inspired by the intuitive movement of your children, this is not a day to work on your own alignment, to plan a deep meditation, to have a set time limit, or tackle handstand drills. Expect to finish lopsided and to be used like a jungle gym. But you’ll also find yourself smiling and feeling warm-hearted. GO FOR IMITATION OVER INSTRUCTION. My daughter, Ophelia, is a free spirit. If I ask her to do something, say “butterfly pose,” most likely her reply will be, “no mommy, I’m not going to do that.” So, rather than instruct, I simply move into my own practice and let the kids watch. I tend to flow in a mandala (circle) so I’m constantly facing different directions and can quickly incorporate different parts of the body. I focus on keeping my shapes interesting to them while also enabling me to see all corners of the room for safety. The kids often will naturally start to copy my shapes. USE ALL THE PROPS. Yoga props, like blocks, bolsters, and blankets, are kid friendly! Often while I move my body through some poses, my toddler will eventually bore of imitating me and line blocks up, using them as a balancing beam. Pull out all the props you have and get creative. If you have small babies, you can use the props to create safe barriers as well. USE BOOKS FOR INSPIRATION. There are tons of picture books supporting yoga for kids. I have several, but our current favorite is the Yoga Bug Board Book Series by Sarah Jane Hinder, which shows pictures of children copying animal shapes. I pull out the books and incorporate those shapes into our practice. CHAMPION BREATH. The ability to self soothe is one of the early developmental tools for babies and toddlers. Breathwork supports this tremendously. Keep it simple. With your child, practice taking three deep breaths. Stick your tongues out and cross your eyes for a Lion’s Breath. These practices will help your little ones be able to calm themselves down later on, and may be a good practice for incorporating during toddler tantrums. TRY A BALANCING ACT. Build standing poses into your exploration – tree pose or airplane are great opportunities to practice standing on one foot. Naturally, these shapes support balance for kids as well as adults. DON’T FORGET SAVASANA. Most parents of kids under the age of 3 don’t need this reminder, but if you get to savasana, keep your eyes open. I set my daughter up in a restful shape using lots of props and I give her an eyemask. Then I tend to sit or side-lie while nursing my son. It’s calming for us all, albiet nontraditional. YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Play A Song For Me INTERVIEW BY: FRANCES HUNT PHOTO: NOUSHA SALIMI

In yoga, we connect with sounds that help connect us to our inner selves and to our minds. I am so excited to have this discussion about playlists with one of my mentors, Sheri Celentano. Sheri’s playlists have always been incredible to me. Not only varied in genre, they have the ability to take my mind and body deeper in feelings and thought. Sheri, I have always been captivated by your class playlists. Thank you so much! I love music and movement. I love rejoicing in both with people. I feel like it connects us in amazing ways. Tell me about your background and how it impacts your music selection? My background is in dance, teaching, performance and choreography. I was also a teaching artist in public schools for years. Putting movement to music (or not music) has been a part of my life for decades.

What do you consider when creating your playlists? I first consider who I am teaching, the experience level of the group and method of yoga I will be sharing. Then, I think about my theme for class. Is there a teaching, a myth, a sutra, a chakra or a peak pose I’m working with? What is my physical theme? Am I working on a fiery class or a softer, more restorative class? Music selection will definitely be different if we are working toward arm balances as opposed to upright pigeon or reclined angle. Words or no words? What say you? I use both, taking into consideration the previous answer. Depending on what I’m working toward in class, I may do a whole class of no lyrics. If it’s a spunky/ fun class, I like to drop a few goodies in there with lyrics. This might be controversial, is there music that is not suitable for yoga? Argh!!! You had to ask it right? I have

so many mixed feelings on this. I’m a Brooklyn kid and music has been a part of my life FOREVER. It takes me places, it fills me up and breaks me down. It can also guide me into a meditative state. It can also be distracting. At this point in my teaching, I choose to be more selective, most especially with profanity in my playlist selection. How long does it take to create your playlist? Depends. Usually 20 minutes or so. Sometimes I work it over a couple of days though, as I get inspired, or see what lands or doesn’t land in a class. Is there a specific genre of music you prefer for yoga asana? I love almost all genres of music and can sprinkle them into a playlist including: Blues, House, Hip hop, World, remixes, covers, Mantra, Rock, Alternative. Really you’ll find it all except country music usually (an occasional Dolly though). continued on page 67

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Inspired Art INTERVIEW BY: IANA VELEZ ILLUSTRATIONS: BURCU KOLELI

I was immediately drawn to the vibrant, bold, beautiful shapes and colors when I first came across Burcu Koleli’s artwork on Instagram. An illustrator based in Washington, she describes hereself as a “passionate intersectional environmentalist and feminist… and creates inclusive artwork that celebrates women and nature.” I was so inspired by her art that it is featured on the cover of this issue, and I wanted to get to know her a bit more. This is what she shared below. Your passion for activism is impressive, your work beautifully shares information and creates awareness from everything from Menstrual Health Day to World Water Day and you are an ambassador for World Wildlife Fund. How did you get involved with them? I am passionate about advocating for the planet and people. I am a passionate intersectional environmentalist and feminist. During the pandemic, I was doing a lot of research about climate issues and looking for ways to get involved with organizations to help them save our planet and people. I contacted WWF and applied for their Panda Ambassador program. Our issue theme is INSPIRATION. What are your creative inspirations? My works are inspired heavily by the relationship we have with nature, the activist movements, and mindfulness. Women in my life and all around the world also constantly amaze and inspire me. Describe your creative process. I do both gouache paintings and digital illustrations. It starts with taking a note in my idea notebook when I get YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

inspired, then I sketch on my sketchbook. Depending on what mood I am in, I either finalize the artwork digitally on my iPad or with gouache paints. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an artist? Yes your work is good enough. Yes you are talented enough. Yes you can do this. Do you have a personal yoga and meditation practice? How does it influence your creativity? Besides being an artist, I am also a yoga instructor. Mindfulness plays a big role in my life. Practicing yoga and meditation helps my creative work and my mood so I practice daily. I practice self-compassion meditation every morning and do restorative yoga followed by breathwork to fully relax before bed.

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REAL TALK

ADVICE FROM A NYC BASED YOGA TEACHER ILLUSTRATION: LAUREN REBBECK

On March 12, 2020 I made a last-minute decision to bail on teaching my 6pm class. The reports of the virus were scaring me, and canceling that class was both a difficult and easy decision. Difficult because I never missed a class unless I was away leading a retreat or guest teaching abroad, and I prided myself on always showing up. Easy because despite the fact that they paid me well, not getting paid for one class wasn’t too big of a deal. I have been teaching yoga since 2003. Between leading retreats, teacher trainings and my hard-earned raises over the years, before the pandemic I was making enough to pay my living expenses, enjoy occasional dinners out, and treat myself to live music concerts or dance performances. The bulk of my income was from my two retreats a year, three 200-hour teacher trainings and multiple 25-hour advanced teacher trainings per year. I was a guest teacher both nationally and internationally, I worked my ass off, and LOVED my “job.” I was paid more than most teachers in NYC, even though I didn’t have a million followers or lucrative sponsorships, but I had been around a long time and my students were loyal. Like millions of yoga teachers, everything changed for me overnight once the pandemic hit. My life today looks drastically different than it did in pre-pandemic times. HOW IT’S GOING I have been interviewing my yoga teacher friends all over the country, and many have a very similar story these days. I have done my best to pivot. I have become proficient-ish with Zoom, Vimeo, Instagram Live and Venmo. I in24

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vested in a headset mic, a phone tripod and Zoom Pro. I shoved my furniture aside to teach classes and tried to get my lighting to look a little less Blair Witch Project-y. The three yoga centers I worked at have closed for good. My income has been cut in half or less while my living expenses have gone up. I have not saved a dime in the past couple of years, and have dipped regularly into my savings. GETTING REAL I think it’s important for yoga communities and practitioners everywhere to understand what yoga teachers are facing in this oh-so-different landscape of yoga. Yes, we understand that many people have suffered massive financial setbacks, and our hearts are with you. Many of us (myself included) are teaching on Zoom for donation, with a sliding scale for students who need discounts. Many people attending yoga classes online or in person are continuing to make an excellent living, and they might not be aware that their once popular yoga teacher is now struggling to make rent, having had their income slashed in half or even to one third of what they were making before the pandemic. PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN Let’s take a look at why. We can start with mostly empty yoga studios — assuming they even made it through the pandemic, since most didn’t. So where did all the yoga students go? Some moved away, others got a Peloton bike or an online yoga subscription. Some people are now working from home and found they were actually quite happy not having to commute to get to class and saving money and time practicing at home. Others joined gyms because those places were able to stay open in the pandemic or had a location close by. Some even stopped doing yoga altogether during the pandemic. SO NOW WHAT? If you’re a yoga teacher, it’s time to get resourceful. Isn’t that part of the practice? Go with the flow, get creative and come up with solutions. Here are some of the things I have done; pick a couple and dig in. IF YOU'RE A YOGA TEACHER: Sell on eBay Go through your closet and get real about books, clothing, furniture, and other household items.

GYM YOGA Here’s what can happen when you go from working at yoga centers to working for national or international corporate gym chains. PROS: Insurance: You may be eligible for low-cost health insurance. It may not be the best insurance out there, but it usually doesn’t cost much per month. Cleanliness: Gyms usually have extensive cleaning crews working all day long. This might make students and teachers feel safer, therefore both are more likely to show up. Payment: Teachers get paid a flat rate, we always know what our take-home will be. Promotion: No need to promote like crazy — the gym has a sales staff for that. If you have a decent time slot and teach a decent class, there will be people there. If there’s not, you still get paid the same.

CONS: Classes are almost never longer than an hour: Yes, we are aware that even five minutes of yoga can make a huge difference! It’s hard to cram in some sort of dharma talk, pranayama, a thoughtful sequence and a decent savasana in one hour. Seventy-five minutes is preferable, 90 minutes at this point a luxury. Chanting: Many gyms are uncomfortable with any chanting, even OM’s. I had one teacher tell me that a manager took their class and said, “Nobody OM’s anymore.” Distractions: There are times when we are settling into a quieter part of class, or savasana, and have to compete with the music or voice of the spin class above or below you having a “Don’t Stop Believin’” moment. Mixed-level classes: Beginners and/or people who need a lot of modifications are taking class next to the arm balance/handstand crew. It can be a lot for a teacher to manage safely. There are a lot of us: It’s tough to get a coveted “double,” (two classes in a row at the same location) so often we are running like mad from place to place. With the commute time factored in, we are basically making minimum wage. If we are trying to get free gym insurance, (usually by teaching 15 classes a week) the commute time can translate into working from 6:30 am to 8 pm. That’s a lot of “showing up” for not a lot of money.

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Inspiration Notes

FROM A PRISON YOGA PHOTOGRAPHER WORDS AND PHOTOS BY: ROBERT STURMAN

SUN SALUTATIONS DONOVAN STATE PRISON, CA PRISON YOGA PROJECT

For the past decade, I have visited maximum-security prisons as a professional yoga photographer in the U.S., Mexico and Kenya, using my camera to share stories of healing and hope. There is no question that my work on the inside has been some of the most rewarding in my career. Recently, it occurred to me that just about everything I needed to learn about photography, I learned in prison. Making photographs is a perfect excuse to pay close attention to others and for others to feel seen. I realized that it did not matter if I was photographing someone at the beach who would be on the cover of a magazine or a human being serving a life sentence — the common thread is that we all want to be seen, paid attention to, acknowledged and appreciated. No one in prison has ever asked to see the photos I took. The photograph is insignificant in that moment. It was the human connection, the respect, the trust and our shared humanity that mattered. I also learned of the immense power of the photograph to shift perceptions, to perpetuate evolution and change the world. When I first started sharing images of yoga in prison, very few people were aware that yoga was being offered in the system. People began to see these images over and over again and an emotional impression was being made upon them. Magazines and newspapers began to write about prison yoga. Simply put, I began to see the camera as a powerful, magical box that had the potential to actually change the world. Something that would inspire my entire career to this day and moving forward was one particularly memorable visit to a California prison. The warden invited me to her office after I had spent the day working with the inmates and one simple statement that she made would inspire my life and my artistry to this day. She said, “I noticed that the guys who do the yoga make better choices.” Those words from the warden would send me off on a journey photographing the entire world practicing yoga and meditation, in pursuit of being better at life — from firefighters to police officers, soldiers, Maasai Warriors, our elders, children across the globe, and the list goes on and on and on.

Utkatasana with the appropriate nickname "Fierce Pose” San Quentin State Prison, CA Prison Yoga Project

I have learned so much from the yogis behind bars. Often when I leave a prison, there is a profound sadness in parting ways with the individuals who have so generously allowed me to see them, asking for nothing in return. I look to them for inspiration in my own life to stay focused, sincere and awake on my path. People often ask who my yoga teachers are. More than anyone, they are the human beings I have met who are doing time.

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California Men’s Colony, CA Prison Yoga Project 27

I had the opportunity of traveling to Africa as a resident artist for Africa Yoga Project, an organization that seeks to empower individuals and strengthen communities through the practice of yoga, meditation, health education (HIV/AIDS) and social activism.

I’ve photographed thousands of people. Over time, I’ve grown to realize that the same human being on the cover of the yoga magazines is the same human being in the prison. Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility, CA 28

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LIVING IN THE AGE OF TRAUMA Liz Glover Wilson, E-RYT 500, Founder of Stone Wave Yoga

Stone Wave is offering a 4 day, 3 night immersive Trauma Sensitive Yoga training program in the Hudson Valley (75 miles from Manhattan). Learn how trauma impacts our bodies, and how yoga can heal this November 10-13, 2022. The training will be held at Awosting Reserve and Club; a private oasis with waterfalls, hiking trails, locally sourced food and eco dome lodging facilities. The theme of this issue is INSPIRATION, what inspired you to create a Trauma Sensitive YTT? As a trauma survivor, I can truly say that yoga has brought me awareness, healing, and strengthened my faith. When I opened Stone Wave five years ago, the invitation was “come as you are.” Today, this invitation is increasingly important, as traumatized events increase and suffering is systemic. There is a need for purpose and peace. What is causing this great trauma? To name a few, the pandemic, a rise in violence, over-consumerism, disregard for life, and increasing political divides are wreaking havoc on our nervous systems; leaving us in a perpetual state of fear, numbness and dis-ease. Social media plays on our emotions, causing underlying distress, inferiority complex and disillusionment. I have been studying the offering of Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) for many years now, and have seen the power of this modality. It is a critical time for each of us to do the heart work and heal our own traumas, and also help others heal; building a true ‘healing community.’ What is trauma? Most of us are familiar with the diagnosis of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which continues to be on the rise. The scope of trauma is much wider, as defined by Psychology Today, “Trauma is a person’s emotional response to a distressing experience.”

Today, we see an increase in the results of trauma. For example, Chronic Trauma is impacting relationships and shattering relational power dynamics - domestic violence cases have increased 20%1. Complex Trauma, which comes from many different sources, is showing up with increasing reports of depression2 and anxiety (over 25% increase since the onset of COVID). Developmental Trauma Disorder is also prevalent today, stunting our growth and freedom. Shame and guilt keep us suppressed and broken. Fear of further isolation keeps us frozen. Who can benefit from this YTT? TSY is designed to support the trauma survivor on the journey back to self empowerment and emotional freedom through interoception-based work. This is the foundation of TSY and is a form of adapted mindfulness suited for a wider variety of people who have suffered trauma. Especially children, who can benefit by developing healthy practices of how to tune into their body and emotions. TSY Training is for yoga teachers, educators, therapists, healthcare workers, and other wellness practitioners, or anyone working with trauma survivors, such as those in ministry, community centers, family care and restorative environments, to name a few. All are welcome. What is unique about this YTT? TSY is an interoception-based work model. We will address the impact of complex trauma (and complex stress) and explore ways to help survivors retrain their brain through the practice of interoception to have a more consistent relationship with their own bodies. The body is the key fundamental core of the experience of being alive. If we are numb or desentized, we question our existence and cannot function in our full capacity.

TSY is an offering for trauma survivors to practice reconnection with their own bodies, build autonomy, and learn to live in the reality of the present. You will learn the importance of language, relationship building, practice making choices, sharing authentic experiences, yoga forms, breathwork, inspirations for guiding, use of sound, grounding techniques, and non-coercive support strategies. How can someone prepare for this? This 3 night, 4 day intensive training will alter the way you approach trauma in your own life and the lives of those in your sphere. Write down your vision and desire to help others and come with an open heart and mind. We recommend reading The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk. Is a YTT only for someone who wants to become a teacher, can anyone join? This is a program designed for anyone interested in this topic. An application can be filled out in advance so that we can get to know you better. Feel free to set up an information session by contacting liz@stonewaveyoga.com

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jec.senate.gov World Health Organization

Teaching Body Positive Yoga INTERVIEW BY: LAUREN CAP PHOTOS: YOGAMATTERS

I searched #yoga on Instagram and scrolled through a sea of thin, white women in challenging yoga postures. It was evident that not only were people of color underrepresented, but various physical abilities and body shapes as well. If yoga is for everyone, why isn’t it marketed for every BODY? Additionally, why is a practice that is meant to unite and empower practitioners dimming the light on so many marginalized groups? I then typed in #whatyogalookslike and found an array of beautiful images online of real people doing their version of yoga. This social media search was a simple comparison that I was inspired to try after reading, Teaching Body Positive Yoga by Donna Noble. There are so many missed opportunities in the yoga community, especially when it comes to social justice, diverse representation, and body positivity. Teaching Body Positive Yoga brings awareness to allyship in the community, identifying biase’s and utilizing educational resources, so real change can occur. Donna Noble is the ultimate resource for all teachers and an innovator in the body positivity movement. I had an opportunity to speak with Donna about the industry and a path forward. Thank you for being so open with readers about your personal life, as many people will relate to areas of confidence and self-image. You mention becoming ill with Bell’s palsy and how it initially affected your sense of self, ultimately moving you towards a career path inspiring so many people. What advice do you have for anyone going through a similar experience? I would advise anyone going through a similar experience to not let it prevent 30

“Make yourself a priority and incorporate any changes or adjustment to eliminate any unnecessary stress. Do what feels right for you! This is what I did, and that is when I began to heal.” them from living their life as fully as possible. Ensuring that they take plenty of time to rest and recover. Make yourself a priority and incorporate any changes or adjustment to eliminate any unnecessary stress. Do what feels right for you! This is what I did, and that is when I began to heal. How do you think your yoga journey would have been different if you had access to Body Positive Yoga initially? My journey would have been different because I would have made different choices about my training selections. I would have felt much more confident being able to teach to every body. I would have had the knowledge, the experience and the language to ensure that I did not cause any hurt of harm. I would have been able to achieve greater awareness of my thoughts so that I

could address any unconscious bias that I may not have been aware of. It would have guided my ability to teach yoga in a more authentic way that resonated with me and not having to relearn what I had been taught in order to honor the indigenous roots of yoga. Body Positive Yoga would have removed the narrow lens with which I viewed yoga. Realizing that yoga is social justice – is revolutionary and this is an element that I would have pursued sooner. My journey would have more aligned with the origins of yoga because I would have had access to teachers that would share the origins of yoga in terms of learning about Kemetic yoga sooner. I would have been better able to address the issues of why individuals did not think yoga was for them. You mentioned creating Curvesomeyoga in 2015 and becoming a Body Positivity Advocate due to the lack of inclusivity and diversity you witnessed in yoga classes. Did your advocacy positively influence any teachers or yoga studios you practised with? I don’t think it did initially, but eventually, I was able to see how it had an impact on some teachers and studios. Why do you think it’s such a trigger for people to see curvy bodies in yoga gear doing the same poses a thin person would do? Why do you think it’s so hard for people to admit their own unconscious biases once they are made aware? There is an assumption that you can tell somebody’s health status by their size – which leads to the belief that if someone @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

over. I am hearing from trainees that are questioning whether they should be teachers or not because they do not feel they fit the image of what a yoga teacher should look like. This is very worrying – it seems to all come back to this ‘yoga body’ image that is being seen.

and breathing techniques. We need to be able to change the face of yoga away from the ‘asana.’

This topic needs to be a part of continuing education to help eliminate this judgement – so that teachers won’t have to worry about their appearance and contribute to the body image issues we are witnessing. It can be damaging and potentially lead to eating disorder issues.

When you are sharing descriptions, – always think with a beginner’s mind. Remembering that you too were a beginner. If you describe your class as a beginner’s class – is it really for a beginner? There have been too many instances where this has not been the case.

Let future students know that they can take a pause and do as little or as much as they want.

Normalize all body types. is curvy, they cannot be healthy. Which is completely wrong! Some people are genuinely unaware of their unconscious bias. The biases can be so ingrained and sometimes it is something they have not had to think about, and has become normalized because of social conditioning, family and friends. It also challenges their beliefs – so denial often ensues, and it’s difficult to comprehend. Do you think Yoga Alliance would ever restructure their criteria for 200hr and 300hr teacher trainings to include Body Positivity and Social Justice courses? That is a good question. I hope that they will, because body positivity and social justice courses will help to make yoga more diverse and inclusive. Providing teachers with the tools to serve our diverse communities. I am seeing the benefits that teachers gain from trainings that include these essential modules. There is also a greater demand for these trainings from students. Since there is so much judgment on a yoga instructor’s appearance, Body Positivity seems like a missing topic in continuing education courses. Do you have any insight on this? Yoga seems to really need a PR make-

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“Representation really does matter. How can future students be what they can’t see?” Your appearance does not make you a good or bad teacher. I have been judged on my appearance, and as a result, have been body-shamed – because assumptions were made about what my body can do. I think this is something that is not a consideration, and certainly needs to be. We need teachers to feel confident and be prepared to deal with the diversity that awaits them in their classes.

There are many wonderful advocates, like yourself, who are doing so much for marginalized groups. The case studies at the end of your book were extremely moving as well as maddening. It is a reminder that so much work still needs to be done to make sure yoga is inclusive for all body types, ethnicities, ages, genders or abilities. Your book should be required reading in all teacher training courses. What is your plan to move in this direction, and how can we help share more of your content? To move this in the direction you suggested, I am thinking of evolving the Body Positive workshops that I run, and possibly create a course based on the book. Any plans for book #2? There are no plans at the moment – I do know there is one brewing inside of me.

How can yoga studios and teachers align class descriptions with the content they share so that students feel more included, and comfortable in their bodies? They can show diverse imagery of their yoga community. Representation really does matter. How can future students be what they can’t see? Showing poses that are accessible – and sharing all aspects of yoga. It could be poses like child’s pose, savasana

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Deaf Yoga

INTERVIEW WITH RAJARAJESHWARI FOUNDER OF DEAFHOOD YOGA® INTERVIEW BY: MELISSA HONKANEN

I’ve been enchanted with Rajarajeshwari and Deafhood Yoga® for years, not only professionally as a yoga teacher but personally as my youngest brother is an amazing Deaf man. Rajarajewshwari and I were able to meet via Zoom using American Sign Language before she moved to India. I’m grateful for her powerful story and courage as a leader in both the Deaf and yoga communities.

chanting or yoga philosophy reading was not communicated in advance. Several times, at the end of Savasana, I was left lying without realizing class ended. Sometimes I communicated with the teachers in advance about my needs, yet they were not met. We have resources such as requesting an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, yet this is often expensive for small yoga

Rajarajeshwari founded Deafhood Yoga® in 2010, and offers Prenatal Yoga, Children’s Yoga, Family Yoga, Adults, Chair Yoga, Elders/Senior Citizens, Private Sessions, consultations, Beach Yoga, Retreats, and Free CommUnity Yoga. Deafhood Yoga® was one of the first to explore the concept of online yoga studios in 2013 and in the Fall of 2021 they released their Deafhood Yoga® App. How were you introduced to yoga? My whole life, I have been deeply connected to Mother Nature and grew up with the outdoors as my place of faith. This led me to Yoga, which continued to appear here and there throughout my early life through divine messages, spiritual experiences, and places. A 30+ years journey by now. Can you explain your experience in non-Deaf yoga classes? There was always a language barrier at the yoga studios. Often the yoga teacher walked around giving instructions yet did not demonstrate up front, so I ended up copying and following other students, compromising my safety. There were moments when the lights dimmed and information such as words to the

What kind of programs have you developed for the Deaf community with Deafhood Yoga®? The Deaf community is resilient, yet based on experience with the yoga space being strongly audio centric, I wanted to explore what a Deaf space looks and feels like for Deaf people. That is the goal of yoga. No language compromises. No stress. We offer Deaf-centric yoga in fluent ASL directly without interpreters. A Deafhood Yoga teacher communicates, demonstrates, and teaches yoga through a visual-oriented approach. Deaf culture is weaved throughout the Deaf-centric yoga class. Deaf-centric also unites a visual, heart and humancentered approach.

establishments and Deaf individuals. The interpreter fees usually cost more than the yoga classes or schools themselves. Frequently, an interpreter does not afford me a comfortable line of sight with the yoga teacher. Oftentimes, an interpreter’s personal baggage interferes with the essence of the yoga practice where I not only have to handle their disposition or lack of experience while handling the awkwardness of having the interpreter standing there watching me because my yoga practice is my personal space.

We have designed and developed curriculums that are Deaf-centric with five main fundamentals called “PRALM”: 1. Pranayama 2. Relaxation 3. Asanas 4. Lifestyle (Deafhood and Ayurveda, i.e.) 5. Meditation These fundamentals are integrated in our five courses: Prenatal Yoga, 5 Petals of Life®, 7 Chakras Yoga, 8 Limbs of Yoga, Stretch-In Yoga. We offer a Learning Management System: Deafhood Yoga where our students maintain their yoga journey. Our courses are eligible for Continuing Education Hours with the Yoga Alliance to support Registered Deaf and Hearing Yoga Teachers. They are also eligible for Continuing Education Units with the

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Registered Interpreters for the Deaf to support the self-care of Deaf and Hearing ASL interpreters. How is Deafhood Yoga® a decolonization movement? Deafhood Yoga courses are designed to decolonize one’s body, mind and soul, uplift collective consciousness, so we can vibrate love. We incorporate Deafhood teaching to raise awareness of oppression. We cannot share Yoga without being aware of the oppression that humanity causes. The word "Deafhood" is a term coined in 2003 by Dr. Paddy Ladd from the U.K., who is a Deaf scholar, author, activist, and researcher of Deaf culture. Dr. Ladd expanded and clarified language needed to counteract the stigma of the medical term "deafness." Unfortunately, the word “deafness” carries a heavy suitcase that continues to focus on what is deficient in Deaf people. In return, this behavior often elicits at least one form of oppression with either language deprivation: audism (oppression based on hearing and speaking abilities), and/or linguicism (oppression of language). By targeting only two areas of our body which are our ears and mouths, often the whole union of our being is ignored. The term “Deafhood” gives Deafhood Yoga and the Deaf community the opportunity to differentiate between Deafhood and deafness. “Hood” is a suffix describing the experience of being Deaf, whereas the “ness,” is a measurement of one’s hearing and speaking abilities. Additionally, two capitalizations are needed for the word “deaf.” Capital “D” of Deaf designates culturally Deaf people who are happy to be Deaf and embrace ASL. While lower case “d” deaf is related to medical terms that label us with hearing and speech failures as needing to be “saved.” Deafhood is a process of empowerment. Deafhood assists in counteracting how the medical and the auditory community frequently ignores the natural existence YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

“Our advice is if any yoga studio encounters Deaf people, they are encouraged to refer Deaf people to emerging Deaf yoga teachers. This will create job opportunities for Deaf yoga teachers who can provide direct communication and safety.” of our Deaf people and tries to oppress and “fix” us by removing sign languages. Unfortunately, in the yoga industry, there are people who misuse the phrases “Deaf yoga,” “ASL yoga,” or “yoga in sign language” and are not Deaf people themselves. There are people who try to teach Deaf people yoga, yet do not have the appropriate communication skills nor Deaf culture knowledge to support the safety of the Deaf students. This is very misleading. Often these people are not fluent in sign language or trying to profit from Deaf people. Allow Deaf yoga teachers to pave the way because we understand. Our advice is if any yoga studio encounters Deaf people, they are encouraged to refer Deaf people to emerging Deaf yoga teachers. This will create job opportunities for Deaf yoga teachers who can provide direct communication and safety. With Deafhood Yoga, we handle the Deaf experience through the Deafhood lens. Indeed, there are people with good hearts and the right intentions.

Deafhood acknowledges that all Deaf people have their own definitions of their Deaf identities. Therefore, the Deafhood concept encourages our Deaf people to embark on a journey towards deepening and refining their Deaf selves. In the vision of Deafhood Yoga, by offering yoga as a pathway of self-care, we become attuned with ourselves again. Deafhood Yoga lives, breathes, and honors that yoga is a skill in action to create life transformations in people, communities, and our world. We are reminded of our natural, organic, and whole being. Deafhood and yoga assist with unpacking our negative experiences of audism, oppression, and colonization into positive fuel and action to shift our energy towards justice. Are allies to the Deaf community able to join? We welcome allies in the Deafhood Yoga space with an understanding that they are fluent in ASL. Our classes are appealing to both ASL interpreters and Children of Deaf Adults (CODA), both Deaf and Hearing. What has been the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of creating Deafhood Yoga®? Serving yoga to the Deaf community globally is the most rewarding. The two most challenging items are that we are being forced to grow faster to meet the needs of the Deaf community and to be accessible to various time zones for live yoga courses. What would you like our readers to learn most about Deafhood Yoga®? The yoga experience is available to Deaf people in sign language here, with Deafhood Yoga. Contact us.

Learn more: deafhoodyoga.com 33

Aloha Spirit BY: ABHAIJOT KAUR PHOTO: FEDERICA DALLORSO

The archipelago of the Hawaiian Islands is more than just warm weather, beaches, volcanoes, valleys and Polynesian culture. It is the spirit of love, or Aloha. Before my feet hit the āina (Hawaiian for land) I could feel deep within my heart this was the place I needed to be. I had never been to Hawaii before, and I thought, “Why is this land calling me?” and day by day, the feeling would come through strongly. My partner and I decided to pack our bags and head to Hawaii. When I arrived on the āina, I instantly knew why my soul called me here at this time. It is because the islands are set on a foundation of Aloha. My soul must have known I needed to be here as the world was collectively going through a time of massive transition. We all know the word Aloha. On the surface, you may think of Aloha as a salutation as it is a typical greeting in Hawaii, but it is much more than that. Aloha is a philosophy that directs a code of conduct and way of life. The concept came from the need for Hawaiians to live in peace and work together, as Hawaii is very distant from most places on the earth. Coming together in harmony and kindness in all relations be it the land, people or animals was a priority, so the Hawaiians adopted this Aloha spirit. Aloha spirit is uniting rather than divisive, and a code of conduct that is so relevant for humanity right now as it transcends race and differences and embraces togetherness and equality. Akahai: kindness, expressed with tenderness Lōkahi: unity, expressed with harmony Oluʻolu: agreeable, expressed with pleasantness Haʻahaʻa: humility, expressed with modesty Ahonui: patience, expressed with perseverance. Aloha creates a unified atmosphere of Love, Peace, and Compassion. It is a simple prescription of how to live a life where your heart is so full, it is overflowing with the ability to influence others around you with the presence of your highest spirit on behalf of all. I am so grateful to be here living Aloha on this sacred, loving archipelago. In return, I embody that spirit of life everywhere I go. Here are some of my favorite ways of creating Aloha spirit every day and anywhere: • Smile at the people you pass on the street and greet them with a hello. A smile is an act of kindness. • Share something if you have a surplus. Sharing is an act of unity. • Need help with something? Ask for it. Sometimes we are terrified to ask for help, but we need to remember we are not alone. Asking for help is an act of humility. • Pay a compliment. Compliments are acts of pleasantry. • Sit in observation through meditation, or stand in observation when in line running errands. Observation is an act of patience. The beauty of Aloha spirit is you can take this philosophy with you wherever you are. After all, I think we can all agree that humanity can use more love, or Aloha spirit. Visit Abhaijot at her eco luxury permaculture farm: wai-mana.com 34

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She Warrior INTERVIEW BY: LOULOU PISCATORE PHOTO: MICHAEL CINQUINO

Based in LA, Jennifer Cassetta is a nationally recognized speaker, empowerment coach and self-defense expert. She has worked with tens of thousands of professional women around the country to help them unleash their inner badass. Equipped with her third degree black belt in hapkido, master’s degree in nutrition and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) certification, she develops programming that helps women feel confident. Her skills have been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, Rachael Ray and more. Her new book, The Art of Badassery: Unleash Your Mojo With Wisdom of the Dojo, can be found on bookshelves everywhere in August 2022.

me, he was gone and I called 911. When I started sharing this story, I realized that so many women I knew had similar (or much worse) experiences. So I doubled down on martial arts training, spending hours a day learning how and where to strike and how to get out of every attack imaginable. After I achieved my third degree black belt in hapkido, I began teaching ‘Stilettos and Self-Defense’ as a nod to that night on the street and to equip women with the skills to avoid danger or fight back if necessary. I dreamed of spreading the message as far and wide as possible that women are powerful and that we have the capability to stick up for ourselves and others. Through my train-

ing programs – now called She Warrior Self Defense – I have taught tens of thousands of women across the country to do just that. Why is it important that women learn self-defense? It’s important for everyone to learn self-defense, but especially women and people who identify as LGTBQ+. These groups have statistically higher rates of abuse and assault. One in three women globally will be the victim of sexual violence, according to the World Health Organization. We need to work on continued on page 65

What inspired you to create and teach self-defense classes for women? Martial arts became a life-altering part of my life in 2001. I had been training at World Martial Arts Center in NYC for just about a year. Then on September 11th, I showed up to work three blocks south of the World Trade Center. For a few harrowing hours, I sought out shelter with a woman who helped shake me out of a frozen state of fear. She and I finally made it to the dojo, where we were able to regroup. That feeling of safety and refuge became a theme in my life going forward. All I wanted to do after that day was head to the dojo and train. Wax on. Wax off. Learn the moves. Condition my body. Meditate. It was the best kind of healing. Later that year, I was grabbed on the street by some creep. I was able to scare him off by using my body in a powerful way. Flailing my arms, using a deep tone of voice and strong, shocking language sent him running away from me. I chased him for a bit wearing my favorite black heels. Luckily for him and YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Latina Inspired INTRO: IANA VELEZ

Over six years ago I looked around the yoga community and noticed that something was missing. Even in NYC, where over a quarter of our population is hispanic, this was not reflected in the teachers showcased at yoga events and festivals, or the participants. This was the inspiration for co-creating SOULFest, the only yoga and wellness festival that celebrates the diversity of NYC and the yoga community. When we started production for this issue, I was so excited to learn about inpsiring events happening all across the country, and discovered LATINAFest. LATINAFest is “a community based organization committed to fostering equity, equality, and unity among Latina entrepreneurs primarily from marginalized communities throughout Southern California. LATINAFest works to empower and celebrate these women, including our rich Latina heritage and culture while championing and supporting the significant voices of Latina activists and creative artists at a local and national level. LATINAFest is a celebration of all things Latina.” I asked co-founders Bel Hernandez and Naibe Reynoso to share what INSPIRATION meant to them. This is what they shared with us. Want to learn more? Check out: latinafest.net

“To me, I-N-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N is what births unbridled ideas that appear from source that spill over from our creative brain, passionate heart, and wise spirit. I know I am living a moment of inspiration when I feel butterflies in my stomach and my thoughts start flowing. Inspiration is feeling connected with my inner self. It is instinct at its most creative peak and the seed from which all ideas are born. Inspiration is something you can’t touch or see but feel deep in your soul. It’s the guiding light that drives you. Inspiration is your North Star.” Naibe Reynoso

“Inspiration is the seed that leads you to become the person you are meant to be. It makes the impossible seem possible and it can be triggered by a person, an image, music or a simple smile. Inspiration transforms the way we perceive our capabilities, it makes us feel vibrant and empowered. Inspiration makes us want to inspire others. Inspiration is a gift to be received and to be given.” Bel Hernandez

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Living Life IN BOLD BRIGHT COLORS INTERVIEW BY: IANA VELEZ

Shay Moraga is the founder of Shay’s Warriors, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was formed in the Coachella Valley to help women who have gone through breast and other reproductive cancers. Shay was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2016, and after her own struggles searching for local resources, she had a passion to do more. So with that, Shay’s Warriors was brought to life in hopes of providing a healthy, inspiring and safe space for survivors to thrive in life after cancer. Shay’s Warriors helps build community, connection and authentic conversation around what life is like after cancer so that fellow warriors live “hope in color.” How has your yoga practice and teaching changed through your cancer diagnosis, treatment and healing? I originally taught kids yoga because my daughter, Jalen, has done yoga since she was inside my belly. As she got older, and I got stronger with my practice, I became a power yoga teacher, then a yoga sculpt teacher. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I remember the very first thing that happened to me in the doctor’s office as soon as she told me was I clenched my fists, and held my breath. I wasn’t able to find the natural rhythm of my breath, I don’t even know how I was breathing, to be honest. I was just gasping, and what yogi doesn’t know how to breathe? One of my friends who owned a yoga studio called me and said, “Shay, come and get on your mat.” I said I couldn’t because I was too scared. “Just come and be in Savasana,” she offered, That was probably the thing that I was most scared of. The moment I was still, was the moment I would have to think that I had breast cancer and I didn’t know yet YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

if I would lose my breast, or if I was going to die. She walked me through a class with a ton of modifications. I couldn’t do a Chaturanga, because they had just put my port in my chest for chemo, but I could do a high plank. I could no longer go down on my breasts after my surgery, but I could do a tabletop. It was really learning how to be able to navigate the poses, to let go, to give my body grace to be able to heal.

“I WAS LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS LIKE ME... I WANTED TO CREATE A COMMUNITY AND CONNECT WITH THOSE WHO ALSO WERE GOING THROUGH THESE SAME EMOTIONS AND AFTER CANCER FEELINGS.” Learning how to redo yoga all over again was a big deal for me. Your balance changes after you have surgery, especially breast cancer. Luckily, yoga allowed me to get full mobility back fast. I now teach yoga for cancer at a cancer center, in Rancho Mirage, CA. I went from power yogi, to teaching what I call “move to heal.” It is the practice of movement and healing at the

same time, mind-body connection work. It’s also about challenging yourself, and pushing yourself past fear to live. Tell us what inspired you to create your website, shayswarriors.org. I was particularly struck by the great illustrations and design. After I was done with chemo, I was just kind of like, “This sucks.” There’s no support locally after you are done with active treatment. I didn’t know who to talk to because everyone went back to their normal lives except for me. I went through all of this stuff, and I couldn’t teach yoga. I had major fatigue, no hair, I was so bloated from all the chemo and radiation. I was looking to connect with others like me, so as I continued to write a blog about my life after cancer struggles, I realized a need to do more. I wanted to create a community and connect with those who also were going through these same emotions and after cancer feelings. I went online, but I just couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. All the websites were so doctor-like and sterile. I’d go to these websites, and it felt like I was sitting in the freaking hospital again. I have a creative imagination and background, so I called my talented girlfriend Lindsey, and asked her to help create a website that stood out and was full of color. Happy big bold and beautiful colors. Because I see things differently now, I live life with new meaning. The flowers are brighter. The birds chirp louder. The music hits my soul more. Cancer was a stop sign that shouted stop and start living! Let shit go, you only live once. When I was little, my dad would always say, “After a storm, look up continued on page 62 37

Seattle Spotlight TREVOR TAYLOR INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: MIKO HAFEZ

What inspired your yoga journey? My journey on the mat began my sophomore year at Baylor University. I haven’t been a big fan of gyms or weighted workouts, but as an athlete, movement has always been a part of my life. One day I decided to give yoga a shot, so I downloaded an app, bought a cheap mat, and fell in love! I spent the vast majority of my yoga journey alone because not many people in my South Texas community even owned a mat, let alone practiced or taught yoga. It wasn’t until my recent move to Seattle that I found a community of yogis and a deeper appreciation for the practice. What do you want to achieve through teaching yoga? I desire to travel the world and teach yoga in hopes of learning more about the world around me. Rather than staying in my comfort zone, I’d rather be immersed in the culture of others as I get to share my passion. Through this, I hope to share

the gift of yoga with anyone willing to receive it, and I long to learn from the vast array of people that I will come across in my travels. My dream class is one that resembles heaven; a beautiful group of humans who otherwise would never be in the same room, but sharing a commonality, being yoga. The theme of our issue is INSPIRATION. Who inspires you? I’m inspired by people. Each individual has lived a unique life, and because of that, we all have a lesson to teach others. So I do my best to approach each human interaction as a chance to connect and learn. As we live, we learn, and as we learn, we should teach. One particular individual who has inspired me is Jonah Kest. After attending an outdoor practice Jonah led, I asked about his journey as an instructor, and he left me with a piece of wisdom that I’ve held in my heart as an everyday reminder. As an instructor, all you can do is “teach what you know.” Whether a mentor or a stranger, each individual has a gift to offer if we’re willing to receive it.

Learn more: justliketrevor.com 38

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Local Spotlight SEATTLE, WA PHOTOS BY: MIKO HAFEZ

The gorgeous city of Seattle has something for everyone, including a thriving yoga and wellness community. We invited team member Miko Hafez to help us showcase her favorite local teachers (including Trevor Taylor on the previous page) and share their thoughts on what INSPIRATION means to them. Learn more about Miko’s work: @mikohafez

“Inspiration to me means that something flows through me as I resonate with what is present in the field and I let go of preconceived ideas.” Chiara Guerrieri @chiarayogaseattle

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“When the heart is open, the present moment is more than enough. When the heart is closed, it’s never enough.” Quote by Michael Jeffries Photo of Nancy E. Burtenshaw @nancy.burtenshaw 40

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“Inspiration means to breathe in. Breathing in fills us with life giving oxygen that feeds and brightens our life force, like a good poem or conversation can inspire us to think new thoughts or try new things. Deep breaths of fresh air on a walk through the trees inspires me.” Tracy Hodgeman @tracyhodgeman

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a w a i

TIN

Love Letters If you could write a love letter to where you live, what would it say? Have you lived in the same place your whole life or did you move during the pandemic and find a new home?

r i d o l

Ohio

We asked three of our yogi friends living all around the world where they call home and to share with us what they love about where they live. We wanted to know about the wellness scene, the foodie scene and anything else they loved and wanted to share. Meet Justine Ma, Petrel Wallace and Mackenzie Iglesias as they share their love letters with us.

MACKENZIE IGLESIAS

PETREL WALLACE

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dear hawaii BY: JUSTINE MA

Dear Hawaii, I find myself in a constant state of gratitude every day I wake up in your home. All of your islands are known for their beauty, and I know you for your depth here on the Big Island. Each time I roll out my yoga mat, I feel the lava rock beneath my feet and remember to pay my respects. Since I arrived in 2016, you’ve shown me that I have everything I need. You’ve removed what hasn’t served me, and challenged me in ways that have evolved my mind, body, and soul into the person I am today. Taking time and space away from city life has allowed me to realize what is truly important. I start my day early with a simple practice, journal entry, and fresh coconut water before I walk around the farm with my pup, Olena, to see what’s growing, what can be harvested and if my hens laid eggs. I feel so fortunate to be able to cook farm fresh food, witness the beauty of the jungle, swim year round, and call Hawaii home. Connecting with the land and people in this community has been the most rewarding experience. Mahalo ke akua. Here are some of my favorite people, places and things on the Big Island. Love, Justine

Justine’s Picks Farm to Table Hawaii farmtotablehawaii.org Choose to live simpler and experience modern day homesteading in a tiny home on the Big Island of Hawaii. Fall asleep to the sound of coqui frogs while tucked away on an acre of food forest, and wake up to flowers, dragonflies, and songbirds. Choose the personal retreat option and receive freshly baked goods each morning with a cup of local Big Island coffee or tea. The wellness menu offers customized experiences like private chef services, cooking classes, food tours, yoga, and more! Koana Coffee alohakoana.com Heading to Volcano National Park? Stop by familyowned, Koana Coffee Shop to taste award-winning coffee beans on the island. Located in a shabby-chic building full of personality. Be sure to check out their shop for local treats and gifts! Liliuokalani Gardens Located on Banyan Drive in Hilo, walk these gardens, bring a picnic, sit in a Japanese pagoda, and catch the ocean breeze. You’ll find a local popsicle company nearby and Reeds Bay Beach Park down the road with local fishermen. Kula Shave Ice kulashaveice.com Order ice shave or an organic açaí bowl filled with fresh fruit and raw honey — it’s the perfect treat made from scratch. Don’t forget to add the house mochi! The Locavore Store bigislandlocavorestore.com A one-stop boutique shop curated by Catarina and Arthur. Everything is local and they stock my favorite proteins, coffee beans, veggies, spices, shampoo bars, macadamia nuts and Honey Wine Berry chocolate from Puna Chocolate Co. They even bottle fresh coconut water! Open everyday until 5 or 6pm, so I can shop right before I head home and not have to worry about groceries overheating in my car all day. Gather @gather_hawaii Score one-of-a-kind pieces curated by shop owner in Honokaa, which is a small, quiet town down the road from Waipio Valley lookout. If you drive 15 minutes north, you can stop in Waimea, too!

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dear ohio BY: PETREL WALLACE

Dear Columbus, Ohio, You captured my heart years ago as a high school junior during a visit for our state championship track meet. You left an imprint, but I didn’t know at the time that you’d eventually become more of a home than my hometown. As a college freshman at The Ohio State University, my exposure to the many international cultures nurtured my explorer spirit. The community created on the beautifully diverse and vast campus of OSU became my foundation of lifelong friends, future career connections and eventually where I chose to start my own family. Volunteer work is the heartbeat of the city — it’s how our community thrives. Summer and fall are your greatest seasons. You’ve provided a lifetime of memories, and these are just a handful: Bonding with fellow Buckeye fans tailgating on game days Visiting with the orchids and butterflies at Franklin Park Conservatory Dancing with strangers at Jazzfest and in Goodale Park during ComFest Sampling foods at the Asian, Italian, Latino and Greek Festivals Octoberfest Juneteenth Celebration Shopping local at the Moonlight Market and Columbus Arts Festival Hiking the many trails at your Metroparks Visiting the farmers markets The variety of sweat sessions at local-owned studios You’ve exposed me to the world inside our little interstate highway. You’ve inspired me to stay creative and curious in this living journey. For that, I will love you for life. Love Always, Petrel

Petrel’s Picks Replenish Co-op replenishwith.us An oasis in the city, and my personal haven for wellness. Black, female and familyowned studio offering yoga, massage and an array of thoughtfully-curated spa services. Seven Studio sevenstudioslive.com My yoga teacher training home. The free and donation-based offerings exemplify their dedication to serving the community. Heartfelt Yoga, Spin and Pole heartfeltcyclestudio.com The teaching staff are one of the most diverse in the city. Representation changes lives, and Heartfelt Studios clearly understands the importance of building a community where everyone is welcome. Willowbeez Soul Veg willowbeezsoulveg.com My top choice for tasty, creative and soulfilled vegan eats. While I’m not vegan, I find great appreciation in plant-based meals that leave me curious and intrigued by incredible tastes and textures. North Market northmarket.org In a matter of a few steps, your taste buds could travel from Italy, Africa, India, Greece, The Middle East, Asia and back. Gather a bouquet of tropical flowers and purchase fresh and unique spices all in one visit. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream jenis.com Refreshing and mind-boggling combinations bring great joy to my palate, constantly challenging me to try something new.

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dear florida BY: MACKENZIE IGLESIAS

Dear South Florida, Thank you for creating a warm and sunny place for my husband and I to temporarily call home! After living in NYC for almost five years, we decided to trade in our MetroCards and winter coats for a Jeep and flip-flops at the end of 2020. Packing up our pets and moving away from our home in the middle of the pandemic wasn’t an easy choice to make. But when my husband was presented with a job promotion which relocated us, we took it as an opportunity to move closer to family. The pandemic inspired me to transform my work as a full-time yoga instructor by creating my own virtual wellness space called Charmed Healing. Luckily, working virtually gave me the flexibility to move and still be able to connect with my clients from anywhere! Since moving, I’ve also been able to connect with my new local community in-person through pop-ups, events and workshops. Over the past year and a half, our family has enjoyed year-round sunshine, tropical sunsets from our balcony, nature walks and trips to the beach. Although this won’t be our final stop, we are so grateful for the chance to slow down a bit and enjoy an easier way of life. Love, Mackenzie

Mackenzie’s Faves Herbs and Earth herbsandearth.com The most magical metaphysical shop located in Northwood Village, Florida. The owner, Amy, is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helps lead you in the right direction with picking out what you need. They have a beautiful selection of crystals, handrolled incense, cleansing sticks and a wall filled with herb jars which could be used for spellwork or tea. The shop also hosts wellness gatherings like group meditations, sound baths and yoga! Common Grounds commongroundsbr.com This local coffee shop has chill vibes, delicious food and great iced tea! My favorite thing to order here is the mango black tea and a slice of their vegan banana bread. Bedners Farm Fresh Market bedners.com Bedners Farm Fresh Market offers food trucks, a produce market and seasonal “you pick” produce like a sunflower and strawberry field and a pumpkin patch! When in season, I love picking my own sunflowers and making a fresh squeezed orange juice from the juicer inside the market. Riverbend Park discover.pbcgov.org Riverbend Park is one of my favorite places to go for a long nature walk and to connect with the earth! This park feels so different from the typical everglade trails in South Florida, as it’s filled with large oak trees and lush greenery. There are many different paths, rivers, ponds and fields. Some of my favorite sightings have been a baby deer nursing from her mom and a tree filled with white butterflies! Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens morikami.org This center for Japanese arts and culture offers the most beautiful and serene pathways throughout the gardens, along with exhibits and workshops. Some of my favorite inspirational spots here are the koi ponds, bonsai collection and sitting in the peaceful rock garden.

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I think Mother Nature hates me. At least, that’s how I felt when I moved to NYC. I had to abandon composting — or so I thought. I did some research and discovered a wonderful Lower East Side compost program. Whew! I felt awesome being back in Mother Nature’s good graces. Still, I felt like I could be and should be doing more for the environment. Don’t you?

Eco Activist BY: MELISSA HONKANEN ILLUSTRATION: LAUREN REBBECK

Climate fatigue is real. Where do we start? Life gets so busy, and there’s often a lack of infrastructure to rely upon. Look no further, because Kelly DeMarco of Kelly Green Coaching is ready to help. Kelly is not only an inspiration as a Climate Action coach, but she’s a mom, Wisconsin regenerative homesteader, and her family’s primary breadwinner as an occupational therapist. So basically, friends, as a busy woman wearing many hats, she knows that the most powerful climate action plan is the one that works for you. “I want to help you prioritize climate action and find your way forward, too,” Kelly explains. “I want to help you transform negative emotions about the state of our planet into an exciting vision and a powerful plan that inspires and energizes you every step of the way.” We’re talking about shifting away from both shame and blame and speaking from a place of concern about your ‘why,’ so you can identify how you can make greener lifestyle choices. Kelly also helps you identify your spheres of influence, assists with getting clear on your vision and creating an action plan and strategies for self-care. Did I mention she has a pay-as-youcan, six week program in a small, online group that can assist with finding your path? She’s ready for you. I joined one of Kelly’s online Saturday morning sessions to learn more. We started in a beautiful meditation, introduced ourselves in our small group, and Kelly’s kind, grounding and supportive energy lit up the room. She spoke about her journey beginning in 1990, when she read the first article published by the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change. Her life was forever changed. From cycling through Argentina to raise environmental awareness, to rewilding a five-acre plot of land for her family of four, to becoming a leader in the Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action, Kelly walks her talk. “You don’t need to be an expert to act,” Kelly acknowledges. “You just need to be willing to take the first step!” “The existential threat of the climate crisis can serve as an incredible catalyst for positive change in the world, beginning at home with ourselves. Indeed, we must do what it takes to become the best possible version of ourselves because it’s our best possible way forward. It very well might be our only way forward.”

Learn more: kellygreencoaching.com 46

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Inspiring Accessibility

And Inclusivity Off the Mat: A Conversation with the American Hiking Society

INTERVIEW BY: LAUREN BETH JACOBS PHOTOS: COURTESY OF AHS

When I first pitched writing an article to highlight how the evolution of the American Hiking Society (AHS) might inspire the yoga community to be more inclusive and accessible, I half expected both AHS and Yoga Love Magazine to respond with a polite, “Thanks for the idea, Lauren, but this isn’t a good fit!” I quickly learned that I should never underestimate the ability of a yoga magazine or a service-oriented non-profit to be openminded. I sat down, virtually, to interview AHS Executive Director, Kate Van Waes, and Vice Chair of the AHS Board of Directors, Saveria Tilden. We discussed how AHS went from a service organization composed of mainly white, middleaged men to a more diverse organization that works tirelessly toward its mission of “empowering all to enjoy, share and preserve the hiking experience.” My conversation with Kate and Saveria gave me some great ideas as a yoga teacher about how I could personally inspire accessibility and inclusivity – both on and off the yoga mat. Whether you are a yoga studio owner, teacher, student or simply a person looking to be more mindful about how you move through the world, I am hopeful it will inspire you too.

they love. However, if you looked at photographs of the volunteers and trail crews on those earlier trips versus those today, I’d expect that you would notice a few key demographic differences. Namely, those in the early photos were probably predominantly white and male. AHS had really solid programs but hadn’t evolved much over the years to better serve the “American hiker” of today’s world, according to Kate. Before she came on board, the organization stepped back and had “a sort of existential conversation” about their place in the present world and how they needed to grow to better represent today’s hiking community. From there, the shift to becoming a more diverse executive committee and board didn’t happen overnight. There was, and still, is a lot of intention behind

it. As Saveria shared, the board engaged in all sorts of bias, equity and inclusion training “to see where (they) were and how (they) needed to change before inviting (new) board members.” They did a lot of work to “make sure (they) were providing as positive of an environment as possible…and build relationships with people” before inviting them in. She pointed out, “It’s not enough to say, ‘Well, I invited people, but they didn’t show up.’” Saveria credits this early work as a key reason why AHS has, in the last few years, been “able to recruit and retain a diverse group of new board members.” Today, the executive committee is chaired and vice-chaired by women, and the board is more diverse in gender, race, age and more.

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Lesson 1: You need to Plant the Inclusivity Seed and Nurture It Before It Will Grow Service has always been at the backbone of AHS. The organization started in the 1970s with Volunteer Vacations – a program where hiking enthusiasts would, and continue today, to get out and give back to the trails

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Deja Inspired INTERVIEW BY: LARA LAND PHOTOS: NERIAH MCBAI

Deja Riley is a former professional dancer turned fitness expert and a champion for change in the wellness industry. She danced with Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, J.Lo, and Beyoncé before transitioning her career to fitness, where she has reached the heights blending high-energy movements and various disciplines such as dance, boxing, kickboxing, weight training and nonphysical hosting. I sat down recently with Deja, to talk about her earliest inspirations, how she inspires her following and what keeps her inspired and motivated. I was moved by her generous spirit, big smile, work ethic and ability to shift and grow with such steadiness and grace. Share with us your early inspirations. My mom kept my sisters and I very active. I took everything from ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and hip-hop. Around the age of twelve, my mom started letting me compete and dance. I moved from Virginia Beach to LA to pursue my dance dreams, and it was rough at first. I really appreciate that my parents instilled a work ethic in me. They encouraged me to get out there and try new things, do everything on my own and make mistakes and not be afraid to fail. Having that strong foundation gave me the opportunity to live my best life and really feel powerful. I ended up coming underneath the wings of choreographer Laurieann Gibson, who took me in as an assistant. From her, I learned how to choreograph,

how to do movement coaching, how to be a strong commercial dancer and what it would take to actually book a gig. She put me in my first celebrity professional gig, which was with Lady Gaga on Dancing With the Stars, and she really ignited the fire of my career. From there, I was able to dance for artists such as Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, J.Lo, Beyoncé, Trey Songz, Cher Lloyd, and more. I worked with incredible choreographers like Nick & RJ and Rhapsody James. I was now in the circle with these people, and that was super exciting. From there, I had a professional career of almost a decade before I transitioned into the fitness industry. How have these people inspired you? I’m usually most inspired by someone’s energy. I feel like your energy introduces you before you do. I think of the energy of someone like Laurieann Gibson or Massy Arias or Lita Lewis, some of these incredible fitness women that introduced me to the fitness game. I not only see their energy, I also see women that look similar to me. It’s inspiring to know that they’ve paved the way and pioneered a path so that I don’t necessarily have to knock down certain doors. What are some of the other ways you kept yourself feeling inspired? One of the things that work ethic taught me was time management and how to establish a routine. It’s most important for me to be able to pour into myself before I pour into others. I meditate first thing in the morning because it’s so important to find stillness to set the tone of your day. I like to journal because my

mind is usually moving a million miles per hour, so it helps get some of those emotions and thoughts out onto paper. I also love reading and right now I’m reading Peace is a Practice by Morgan Harper Nichols. She’s definitely one of my favorite authors. How do you determine what goals to go for and how do you go from setting a goal for yourself to making it happen? When I was younger, goal setting looked very much like writing down that thing that I wanted to achieve and really carving out a plan as to how to get there. I’m a big believer in manifestation, so I write down literally anything that I want to do. This year, I’ve been focusing on either short-term goals or no goals at all, and having a lot more freedom in my everyday life. I set down the goal setting and tried my best to just go into this year open-minded and open-hearted. I want to connect with people a lot deeper, so now my only goal is to live authentically. To wake up in the morning and know that I’m trying to be the best version of myself is more than enough for me, and I feel a deep sense of peace surrounding that. Can you tell me about your transition from dancer into fitness expert? Was that a goal you set? It definitely was a goal that I set. I remember the exact pivotal moment — I was dancing at the Super Bowl with Beyoncé. I did “Formation” with her the same year that “Lemonade” came out.

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“To wake up in the morning and know that I’m trying to be the best version of myself is more than enough for me, and I feel a deep sense of peace surrounding that.”

I was also in the Formation video, and it was one of the most surreal experiences in all of my dance career. I mean, dancing with Beyoncé come on! I loved all of that, but I found myself really examining my mental health during this period of time. I was feeling very insecure, undervalued and underappreciated. I honestly was feeling lost. To get to such a big moment in your career and to feel that way is not very rewarding. I found myself saying, “This is going to be it for me. I don’t think that this is a sustainYOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

able career.” I decided that it was time to make a pivot. My friend told me about a new boxing gym looking for instructors. A week or two later, I booked the audition, went straight into boxing training and the rest was history. I fell in love with boxing. I started training a lot more in cardio and strength, ended up getting my certification soon after, started teaching at that cardio boxing gym, and then started my group fitness career.

I’m really grateful for the sport of boxing because I honestly think that it was not only physically rewarding, but it also provided the sense of confidence and strength and empowerment that I really needed in my life at the time. I think oftentimes it can appear to be a very intimidating sport and a male dominated sport. But to be honest with you, the more I get into it, the more I find these encouraging empowering women to continued on page 66 49

Local Spotlight WASHINGTON,DC PHOTOS: SPENCER BENTLEY INTRO: LAUREN BETH JACOBS

DC is known as a city for aspiring changemakers. We chose these local yoga teachers because of their ability to change the conversation about yoga -- what it means to be a yoga entrepreneur, part of a yoga community, or commit to a meaningful yoga practice. We asked each of these teachers who inspire us, to share what INSPIRATION means to them. Enjoy the photos from our shoot with local DC photographer Spencer Bentley and join us in celebrating them. We hope they will inspire the inner trailblazer in you. Learn more about Spencer’s work: @spencerbentley_creates

“Inspiration rests in the waves of breath as I inhale. Inspiration floats in the sky as clouds dance a melody twist. Inspiration penetrates my body as drum beats ignite the rhythm of my soul. Inspiration is everywhere, we simply have to pause and be open to the experience.” Faith Hunter @spirituallyfly 50

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“Life is a seed watered by inspiration. Even as we are riddled with tragedy, inspiration has the power to pivot our minds, awaken, and remind us of our divine aliveness. It tells us that we belong. Inspiration is a healer. To inspire another is one of the highest callings of humanity.” Sihnuu Hetep @yogasihnuu

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“Inspiration: that which builds life force and radiance in your body, generates energy in you, makes you excited, makes you come alive.” Marie Belle Pérez Rivera @mariebellepr

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“Inspiration is a spark of divine energy into the heart and imagination of another so they may transcend limitations and achieve their innate greatness. It is the life blood of spiritual growth and human progress, the gift we give one another – and my dharma and offering as a teacher.” Reggie Hubbard @oreggieglobal

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Inspired BY GRATITUDE INTERVIEW BY: IANA VELEZ

The theme of this issue is INSPIRATION, what inspired you to create Grateful Peoples gratitude journals? My journey with Grateful Peoples began in my early 20’s when I’d keep a notebook by my bedside and write down three thoughts of gratitude each night before falling asleep. Even after a few weeks, I noticed my mind responding to things differently. What ultimately made me realize how powerful this simple practice can be was when I realized that my thoughts about my mother’s Multiple Sclerosis were changing. She was diagnosed when I was still a baby, so her sickness was all I knew growing up. As I got deep into a gratitude practice, I started to understand that my mom’s pain was also my biggest blessing because of the awareness it was giving me. This made me wonder: if gratitude can do this for me, what can it do for others? I developed a strong feeling to create my own gratitude journal in order to share my experience, and thus Grateful Peoples was born. What have you learned about gratitude and yourself through this project? I was really surprised to find a strong relationship between gratitude and my internal confidence. The more time I took to focus on the good things around me, the more of them I would eventually see. This helped me feel more secure in my environment, which ultimately led me to feeling more secure about myself. I realized the more I practiced gratitude, the more I was able to laugh at and release my insecurities. I’ve seen this play out time and time again throughout the 54

schools we work with that have incorporated daily gratitude into their curriculum. The teachers consistently report that their students are more present, behaving better, and there’s less bullying! What I imagine is happening is that gratitude is helping kids feel good on the inside, like it did for me, so they’re less likely to bully others or act out in class. Your journals are in corporate workspaces, schools and more. Can you share with us how the program works? Grateful Peoples is all about getting people to practice gratitude in their everyday lives. Our main focus is in the classroom, where an awesome community has helped donate over 18,000 Gratitude Journals to schools across the US and Canada. We’ve learned that the impact of this project begins and ends with the enthusiasm of the teacher, so we focus on building relationships with the right educators who understand the importance of mindfulness in the classroom.

One of the ways we support our schools project is through a corporate “buy one, share one” initiative – for every Gratitude Journal a company purchases for an employee, we donate a copy to a classroom. We also partner with coffee shops and other small businesses around the country by offering a community Gratitude Journal for their guests to express their grateful thoughts. Over the course of five years, we’ve collected over 75,000 messages and turned them into a coffee table book. What is the best way for people to get involved? Grateful Peoples is blessed with a community of people sharing a little bit of their energy to make it all possible. We’ve grown through word-of-mouth, so the best way to get involved is to share our work with anyone you feel would be interested. We love hearing new thoughts and ideas, so please feel free Learn more: gratefulpeoples.com @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

Bouncing Through Grief BY: LAUREN CAP PHOTO: JOEL MIKULYAK

My uncle passed away unexpectedly a few days before Christmas 2021. His sudden passing was traumatic because of the bond I had with him and the grief I instantly felt. Because grief is so unpredictable, I didn’t realize this sadness would come and go. Little reminders would trigger old memories, like a vintage movie camera playing a loop in my head. Finding ways to process my grief to support my mother was especially important to me. I knew I needed to use movement as a coping mechanism to bring joy back into my life, so I could be a source of light for my family. I promised myself to represent the humorous spirit and lighthearted good soul that he was for all of us. I had been attending classes at a fitness studio in Sea Bright, NJ called Perspirology. On days when I was struggling the most, I would gravitate toward their Bounce classes. I would jump, sweat, kick, dance, sing and fill my soul with a little bit of peace every time. The physical effects on the body when processing grief can take on many forms and is internalized differently for everyone. To those who do not have access to a facility or resources like Perspirology, I encourage you to find any outlet that makes you feel like a kid again. Fill your heart with activities that leave you feeling energized and clear minded. I was able to cope with my loss with movement and family connection, however there are so many stories out there about losing a loved one that are very traumatic. Please consult a licensed physician or therapist for any short or long-term grief or depression. Whatever stage you are at in your grieving process, may your heart heal in time. YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

I had the opportunity to speak with Perspirology co-owner and founder, Katy Fraggos about her popular studio she owns with her husband, Jason Yachanin. Here is what she shared with us: Perspirology offers so many energizing fitness classes that are very unique. How did you originally come up with the concept? I wanted to fuse my dance and fitness background in a way that was accessible and approachable to non-dancers. My original goal of the studio formatting was to keep the workout effective, while still keeping it, "time efficient." We also keep our workouts focused on muscular and cardiovascular endurance to create long, lean, sculpted bodies. How did you discover trampoline fitness and decide to incorporate it into your popular Bounce classes? I can remember the very first trampoline I ever owned was purchased at a

garage sale when I was in middle school in Wisconsin. Once I got that bad boy home, I spent my summers bouncing in the front yard for hours! It is safe to say that I have always been drawn to the trampoline. As I have gotten older, and our studio has acquired a much wider age demographic, the trampoline was the perfect addition. The trampoline workouts allow us to challenge our cardiovascular endurance while minimizing the impact on the joints. Each instructor at Perspirology is very skilled and precise in their teaching styles. What is the training process like? The training process is approximately three months in length. We choose our instructors carefully, as we want to find the right "fit" for our growing team. In the trainings, we focus on proper form, studio formatting, leading a group of

continued on page 66 55

Mindfully Being with Death BY: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU ILLUSTRATION: MIRIAM CASTILLO

As I walked over to where Mr. Wolfe sat in his wheelchair, I saw a frail man I barely recognized. My surrogate grandfather was in rehab after a recent fall of unknown cause. I had almost not come to see him – my family’s respect for formality clashing with my own intuitive knowing. Fresh out of an integrative therapy training program, I thought myself prepared for the visit. I had tools — breath practices, Reiki and yoga therapeutics. I didn’t anticipate the way Mr. Wolfe’s eyes would light up when he saw me, words no longer a tool of communication. I was surprised by my confusion and nervousness when what I sensed about his health didn’t match the words the doctors were using. I felt my body get overwhelmed with sensations as I processed that Mr. Wolfe wasn’t going to get better. For some of us, the dying process produces a need to turn away. Fears arise, and we emotionally or literally run. Others, deathworkers like doulas, psychopomps (a person who escorts a soul on the path to the afterlife) or music thanatologists (someone who uses music to bring ease to a person’s dying process), get a sense of possibility. We turn toward the unknown of the experience, get curious without the pressure of inquisitiveness,

and lean in. We quiet our bodies to stay present and let the magic unfold. We moved Mr. Wolfe into his room to watch the Detroit Tigers game, his favorite. Within minutes, his inhales became rapid and labored. A call to the nurse led to his family and me being escorted out of the room. Voices rising, tears falling, chaos coming forth in the uncertainty of what was happening. I felt my breath quicken and fear fill my body. My old, familiar story of not belonging roared through my ears, but I chose to stay.

still. I prepared to say goodbye to a man whose eyes had been lighting up for me since I was an infant. To enter his room again, I had to embrace the human right to be present to these moments, acknowledging and honoring my love for him. I said goodbye with a kiss, knowing much more had already been communicated between us. Within a few hours, Mr. Wolfe died peacefully with his family by his side. continued on page 62

I found myself on the phone, asking his daughter to come quickly. (Was this really happening now? Should I have been the one making this call?) I felt my feet while getting a glass of water, quenching a need to not stand

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Bee

Inspired INTERVIEW BY: LOULOU PISCATORE PHOTOS: PAULO ANJOU

Andrew Coté is a pioneer of the urban beekeeping movement. He is an outspoken advocate for the importance of bees and the benefits of local honey. He is the leader of both the New York City Beekeepers Association, and Bees Without Borders (a nonprofit that trains underserved international communities to keep apiaries with the goal of alleviating poverty). He maintains beehives in Connecticut, Westchester, New Jersey, and in all five boroughs of New York City including atop landmark buildings like the Waldorf Astoria, the grounds of United Nations Headquarters, and the Queens County Farm Museum. He is also the author of Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper. How did you get into the bee business? Bees have been in my family for generations. I started working with them when I was about 10. At the time I wasn’t really interested in bees, but I wanted to spend more time with my father, and beekeeping was the conduit for that. He taught me, and his mother taught him, and her father taught her, and so on all the way back to the late 1800s. Currently, we have three generations working together. Why are bees important to our ecosystem? Most crops require pollination services from honey bees. There are other pollinators in the world, like butterflies and birds, but to pollinate commercial props on the continued on page 63 YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

magic mushrooms BY: LOULOU PISCATORE PHOTO: LAURA MURRAY

Mushrooms are having a moment. When you start to scratch the surface of what they are capable of, it makes sense. They are magical – a mostly unseen, underground network of mycelium, that keeps the planet alive. They transfer nutrients and information between plantlife, transforming dead plant and animal matter into soil, constantly moving and growing and changing the environment. They can absorb and transform oil spills, soak up radiation, and they are the true stars of evolution – largely responsible for making earth inhabitable for plants and animals alike. They have been proven to significantly improve immune function and fight cancer. They have been shown to improve mental focus, and in the form of psilocybin, are being used experimentally in treating depression and other mental health issues. To get the skinny on the many benefits and uses of mushrooms, I spoke with a few companies that are doing inspiring things – from tinctures to coffee to chocolate to “grow your own” kits. They are finding new and fun ways to incorporate the substantial benefits of magic mushrooms into our daily lives. Real Mushrooms’ founder Skye Chilton has been working with mushrooms his entire life. “So in a way I was born into it,” he said. Around a decade ago, after beginning to revamp his own health, he began to see how magical mushrooms really are. “Mushrooms are such an amazing, undervalued food with so many nutritional health benefits,” he said. “It is very gratifying

seeing the changes in people's health from consuming mushrooms.” What are some of the general and specific health benefits of mushrooms? Functional mushrooms are known for modulating our immune systems, helping to keep our immune system in balance. All of these functional mushrooms like reishi, chaga, shiitake, maitake, turkey tail and cordyceps contain fungal beta-glucans, which help to regulate and balance our immune systems. Some mushrooms lead more towards certain applications. Cordyceps, for instance, is typically used for endurance and energy. Lion's mane is for better cognitive performance, and reishi for better sleep and relaxation. The most important thing is finding a way to get mushrooms into your diet, whether fresh or as a supplement. These mushrooms are not a quick fix and the effects tend to take time to compound. So, working them into your daily routine is key. What should you look for when choosing a mushroom product? The main thing to look for is what plant part the product is made from: mushroom, mycelium or spore as each one has different nutritional properties. This may be hard to discern from the “supplement facts” panel, as many products are mislabeled. It may appear that these products contain mushrooms, when in reality, they contain mycelium — the mushroom's root system. Mycelium is primarily grown on grains like rice and oats, which end up in the finished product. When this happens, it limits the amount of key active compounds, like beta-glucans, that can be present.

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Also, make sure that mushroom capsules and powders are extracted, and not just dried mushrooms. Extracted mushrooms allow our bodies to better access the important compounds inside. Finally, it’s important to make sure that the mushrooms are organic, as mushrooms absorb nutrients from their surroundings. Be sure the capsule or powder has verified levels of betaglucans, so you know you are consuming these important compounds. Lopa van der Mersch of Rasa started working with mushrooms after many years studying Ayurveda and learning about the power of herbs. “Drinking coffee made me feel terrible, and I was in such need of something that filled my energy reserves,” she said. “I knew adaptogens and mushrooms would help, so I partnered with an herbalist to create Rasa.” Tell me a little about the health benefits of mushrooms in general? Medicinal mushrooms live alongside adaptogens under the umbrella of Tonic Herbalism — herbs that are meant to be used regularly to strengthen and balance our bodies. But where adaptogens focus on our stress response, mushrooms are all about our immune system. Just as with chronic stress, immune imbalances are common in our society, and working with high-quality mushrooms can support a healthy, regulated immune system. Simply said, they support our immune systems at doing their thing! What are adaptogens? Adaptogens are a special class of herbs that help the body adapt to and defend against the toxic effects of stress (hence the name). Adaptogens work systemically in the body to help balance, restore, and protect. They actually adapt their function according to your body’s specific needs — helping your body find homeostasis within your unique circumstances. They work bi-directionally — meaning they can rev up or slow down the body as needed. Ultimately, adaptogens are nature’s anYOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

“Ultimately, adaptogens are nature’s antidote to stress. These herbs survived the Ice Age and still live in some of the harshest conditions around the world. They’ve learned to not only be resilient in the face of stress, but to thrive in it. In turn, they can help us do the same.”

tidote to stress. These herbs survived the Ice Age and still live in some of the harshest conditions around the world. They’ve learned to not only be resilient in the face of stress, but to thrive in it. In turn, they can help us do the same. Which mushrooms are in your Magnificent Mushroom blend, and what are the specific benefits? We use six powerful mushrooms in our Magnificent Mushroom blend: Turkey tail, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, poria and tremella. We used this specific blend for a number of reasons. They’re some of the most researched herbs in the world. We want to celebrate the adaptogenic mushrooms by including the only three mushrooms that are also considered adaptogens (reishi, cordyceps and poria). Functionally, this blend is very balanced, with a wellrounded focus on immunity, performance and nervous system nourishment. The taste is surprisingly good (for a mushroom powder!) and I drink it every morning. Erica Huss and Zoe Sakoutis are cofounders of Earth & Star, a functional mushroom company that incorporates adaptogenic mushrooms into readyto-drink lattes, coffee and chocolate. Their goal is “to make functional mushrooms as accessible and deli-

cious as possible.” Rather than adding another supplement to your routine, they wanted to add mushrooms into things you are already using. Tell me a little about the health benefits of mushrooms in general? Adaptogenic mushrooms are among the most powerful immune-supportive foods found in nature. Chaga mushrooms in particular have an antioxidant score that absolutely crushes the better-known superfoods and berries like açai, pomegranate and goji. There is no contest when it comes to immune benefits, but a strong immune system also helps to lower inflammation. This improves overall health, sleep, energy etc. These beta glucans are also known to address these issues, so instead of having to draw from multiple different sources, you are really looking at a powerhouse of benefits all in one product. Do you have a favorite mushroom right now? We love all our babies equally! If we had to choose, we’re both big fans of Lion’s Mane for its incredible cognitive benefits — there’s no one out there who couldn’t use a little bit of extra clarity and concentration. It feels like a miracle to have something so powerful and potent to help lift the fog. Andrew Carter, created Smallhold to “bring one of the most sustainable foods on the planet to your local grocery store.” They focus on organic and local – so local in fact that they have grow kits set up in many local restaurants. They also sell grow kits, so you can grow your own mushrooms at home What inspired you to create Smallhold? I’ve been growing food for my entire career. I’ve had the opportunity to grow millions of plants all over the world, and while it’s an extremely exciting industry, I felt like I wanted to grow something different. Specialty mushrooms are a continued on page 61 59

vegan mafia BY: RINA JAKUBOWICZ PHOTOS: JOSH FOGEL

Don’t be fooled by the name. This band of brothers couldn’t be more about love. Love for animals, food, rock n’ roll and most importantly, love for one another. The Vegan Mafia are three friends who share a camaraderie for the sport of eating delicious vegan food. I had the honor of interviewing them to extract the truths behind this organization after eight years of watching them eat, talk about food, travel at lengths to eat food, then talk about food some more. You see, I am the wife of one of the core members, and most of our dates end up being - unbeknownst to me - with the Vegan Mafia. On the outside, the Vegan Mafia might seem superficial, but the meaning and roots of this brotherly love runs deep. The core members are rock stars in their own realms. Jason Thomas Gordon is the singer/drummer for the rock band Kingsize, who started Music Gives to St. Jude Kids, which benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Eric Paskel, whom they call “the yoga guy,” is a genius philosopher, international yoga teacher and helps others heal themselves with his program, Emotional Empowerment Movement. David Jarrett, also known as “The Don,” is an entrepreneurial mogul and a brilliant, confident leader and CEO of many global companies such as Rootstrap. Each of these badasses have a huge heart and a loving way of connecting to themselves and others. It’s really beautiful to watch. What’s not so beautiful to watch is when food arrives at the table. They turn into 12-year-old monsters who act as if they haven’t seen food in a week. But this is part of the charm of the Vegan Mafia. Here’s a little bit of our interview below. 60

Eric: The Vegan Mafia is an organization that is blood bound to the God of food… Jason: So…God. Eric:…and to the commitment to doing anything and everything to serve that God. We are inclusive, but unfortunately not everyone is willing to do anything and everything to worship the God of food. That’s what bonds us together. At any time, anywhere, day or night, if you get the call for food, you show up. Doesn't matter what the responsibility or drive is, you show up, and you eat big.

Eric: Everyone that is in the mafia has dined with us and impressed us with their absolute gluttony and willingness to debase themselves, debauchery and to sacrifice their soul and their body. The Don: It’s about addiction, gluttony and shame. Breaking his vow to secrecy.

The Don: We can’t tell you how to get into the secret society.

Jason: It’s to be with a group of people that protect you — and no one is ever going to judge you. The Don might have two giant meals one night, then order delivery from Veggie Grill when he gets home. It’s about support and love, and it's inspiring. There's pride here. The other day, I stood over the sink and ate a whole box of pre-made ice cream cones.

Eric is oblivious to the Don’s comment and shares exactly how to get into the secret society.

Eric: And he sent us the picture. With proof. Torn box. Chocolate stains in the sink. @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

Jason: Because only they would understand. The Don: And I woke up to a horrific still life of my own, but I didn’t photograph it. This beautiful binging bond of brothers wouldn't be here without their “guardian angel” Dave Anderson and his restaurant, Madeline’s Bistro, in Tarzana, CA. The Vegan Mafia’s origin started in 2005 with Eric eating there regularly with his family and friends: Jason: One day, I'm just sitting minding my own business and all of a sudden, there’s an explosion from across the restaurant — and the explosion is Eric’s voice, which we all know, projects loud and carries. He was telling me to “Go f&%k myself” and joined me at the table. Eric: I told him, “I've had it with you. I've been watching you for months. You’re getting special treatment — you get dishes that aren’t on the menu, you get the last meal available. This is preposterous. I want to know what’s happening here. I’ve been hating you for months, and I've given up. Now, you and I need to be friends because there’s no other way out of this.” Another day, Jason was eating the 10-course tasting menu at Madeline’s Bistro by himself. Next to him was David, also eating the tasting menu by himself. Naturally, their obsession and respect for their love of the “guardian angel’s” food was mutual. We must remember that in 2005 the vegan community was much smaller with more scarce resources available. These were (and are) a rare breed. Jason said it best, “F&@k man, everyone is awesome, loves music, and loves this kind of food. None of this works without friendship.” Cue the vegan tear. The Don interrupts our interview when he sees me acknowledge the waiter, and confidently says in the most Don-like fashion, “Can I time out for a moment and ask if that meaningful look from the waiter is because our food is ready?” To which I reply, “Yes. Your food is ready.” If I have learned anything from these eight years with the Vegan Mafia, I can’t keep them waiting for their food. It was time to put our food where our mouth is. Bon appétit! continued on page 61 YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Sunaina continued from page 16

Tejal continued from page 15

Books that inspire you:

These books are always on my mind and in my heart: Becoming by Michelle Obama, You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh, The Perfection of Yoga by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Where do you go to get inspired:

me. I can’t wait to hear about more of your creations and support you in whatever ways I can!

Books that inspire you:

Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown has allowed me to re-imagine the future in a way I didn’t know was possible. It inspired me to center black, brown, queer, anti-racist, and social justice movements that allow me to unlearn how society has conditioned us.

Pretty much any coffee shop I find the whole space and setup of a coffee shop to be a reminder of care and attention to detail. I really vibe on the open, welcoming atmosphere and am often productive, creative and at home in coffee shops! Nature trails Being outside in any setting is so refreshing for me. Being outside, surrounded by trees or open air, navigating the land underfoot tends to be where I unwind. I breathe deeply and am reminded of the circle of birth and death, all things sacred and how life goes on with or without me.

Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage and Compassion by Jivana Heyman is a book that has built the foundation of how I actively interrupt harm when I see it. It’s allowed me to work towards unlearning perfectionism.

Podcasts, social and more:

All About Love by Bell Hooks held me in the truth that love is an action and helped me unlearn my old definitions of what I knew about love.

IG Accounts: @shaunking For their social justice efforts and very real humanity

Where do you go to get inspired:

My home temple is a place I go to be in devotion to The Divine and reaffirm my spiritual practices.

@raeekayassaie For their continuous deconstruction of dominant culture in everyday life

The garden in my backyard to ground my energy, be one with nature, and appreciate the privilege of communing with food.

@judy.makes For the craftiness in sewing, knitting and life

My comfy bed so I can rest, nap, and wake up feeling more refreshed and inspired to do my work!

@issarae, @mindykaling, @alokvmenon, @amandaseales Humor, trailblazing, fashion and fierceness

Podcasts, social and more:

YouTube: The Pitch Meeting channel by Ryan George who is creative, consistent and shares critical views of the movie industry and movies while still clearly enjoying them!

@rishi_chidananda always gives me knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita in a grounded and digestible way.

UnF*ck Your Brain podcast by Kara Loewentheil Yoga and Vedanta podcast with Swami Tyagananda

@polyamorouswhileasian helps me better understand the intersectionality of my identities in a way that I couldn’t always name. Yoga is Dead Podcast helped me understand how Yoga has evolved over generations to be what it is today in the West. Learn more: @su9nah 62

Learn more: tejalyoga.com @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

Mushrooms continued from page 57 sustainable source of calories that you can truly feed people with. We thought that if we could bring delicious, certified organic, locally grown mushrooms to the masses, we could change the world. We grow on byproducts from the timber industry, primarily sawdust that would otherwise go to landfill. A vast majority of our waste goes to compost, community gardens and even bioremediation projects. We built Smallhold in a way that thrives in circularity, making it easier for people to have fun, tasty, healthy food that is good for their planet. What are some of the benefits of mushrooms? Mushrooms are the ideal meat replacement. People don’t always need to look toward alternative proteins, or newly invented foods – specialty mushrooms are here and provide the umami, satiation, and nutrition people are looking for. They can be a great source of protein, minerals, special antioxidants like ergothioneine, and can even help with inflammation. The fungal kingdom is vast, and many varieties have their own benefits. What are the benefits of growing your own mushrooms? It’s a great activity, and is relatively easy, even if you don’t think you have a green thumb. Harvesting mushrooms right from your kitchen counter is as fresh as it gets, and an experience that can’t be beat.

Learn more: realmushrooms.com wearerasa.com earthandstar.com smallhold.com YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Mushrooms We Love

Vegan Mafia continued from page 59

TURKEY TAIL: Perhaps the most extensively researched of all the medicinal mushrooms, this colorful shelf fungus is particularly high in immune-balancing beta-glucans. It is packed with antioxidants and can improve gut health. It is also thought to be anticancerial and is often used to improve the results of chemotherapy. CORDYCEPS: This powerful adaptogenic mushroom enhances performance, immunity, sexual energy, fertility and more. Is thought to have anti-aging properties, may boost exercise performance, is thought to be anticancerial and anti-inflammatory, may help manage type 2 diabetes and supports heart health. LION’S MANE: The brain-boosting mushroom is revered for enhancing mental agility and nourishing the nervous system. It may protect against dementia, helps relieve mild symptoms of depression and anxiety, can speed recovery from nervous system injuries, protects against ulcers in the digestive tract, can reduce heart disease risk and may help manage diabetes symptoms. REISHI: The “spirit plant” considered by ancient Chinese sages to be the key to immortality. A Shén tonic and adaptogen, Reishi profoundly balances and boosts the body and mind. Reishi mushrooms are antiviral, and are believed to be anticancerial. They have been used to help enhance the immune system, reduce stress, support heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, improve sleep and lessen fatigue. CHAGA: Technically, chaga is not a mushroom – it is a fungus that grows on trees. It is an immune tonic, and is thought to purify the blood. It supports liver, stomach, heart, lung and skin health, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, counteracts fatigue and can be used topically for wound healing.

Vegan Mafia’s Top Three Restaurants and Favorite Meals: Crossroads Kitchen crossroadskitchen.com by Chef Tal Ronnen Tagliatelle Bolognese, Seafood Tower and Pepperoni Pizza Ma-Kin Vegan Sushi makinvegan.com by Chef Great Piyamit Baked Alaska Roll and Rock Shrimp Roll El Cocinero Restaurant elcocinerorestaurant.business.site by Chef Alex Vargas Carne Asado Burrito and Super Nachos

Other Favorites: Pura Vita puravitalosangeles.com Creamo creamoicecream.com Donut Friend donutfriend.com Craig’s craigsvegan.com Falafel Inc. falafelinc.org 63

Living Life in Bold Colors continued from page 35

Death continued from page 54

in the sky there’s a rainbow. That’s the sign of hope.” That became this palette of colors that we resonated with, which is also somewhat like my personality.

What I hadn’t known was that Mr. Wolfe had been asking to see me for a few months before his fall. As I processed the experience through tears, I understood that look in his eye upon seeing me – he had been waiting to see me.

The theme of this issue is INSPIRATION. How did you stay inspired during this time? What was the light that kept you going through? The light that always kept me going was my faith and my daughter. No matter what, at the end of the day, I was going to live for her. She was my will to live. The second will to live was the connections to the people I met when I went every Thursday to the chemo room. I would see the same people every visit, and it’s important you get to know those people. The one thing that was the common denominator among us was that we were there so that we could live. None of us wanted to die. What was the thing that surprised you the most about going through this process? People are so much more resilient than they give themselves credit for, and your mind is such a powerful tool in healing. Focus on the present moment and do stuff that fills you up — it makes it that much easier to get through things. Get rid of drama. Give yourself permission that while you are going through the hardest thing in your life, to be selfish. When you are sick, let people show up for you so you can take the back seat for once. Allow yourself the time to heal. You think that some of the people you have known all your life will show up for you and be there by your side, but that doesn’t always happen. Then there’s people that come out of the woodwork, they are perfect strangers that will bend over backwards to help you with whatever you need. When people find out you have cancer they go through their own journey, because they are also faced with their own mortality. Easier said than done, but try not to hold it against them. If it hurts you, try hard to let it go for you, not for them. The power in community is incredible when people ask for it, and you have to be willing to be vulnerable to ask for it. That’s where the resiliency comes in. It takes a lot of courage to ask, and when you do ask, it’s like your heart is ripped open and the love just starts pouring in those bold, bright beautiful colors.

Escorting Mr. Wolfe out of this life was a step forward that I didn’t yet grasp. I knew what I was doing, but I understood something much, much bigger was at play. His death opened the door for me to hold space for this sacred process, learning along the way that my yoga and mindfulness practices would be my guiding force. Learn more about Kim’s Yoga Studio: sacredspaceastoria.com Curious to know more about death work or the dying process? These are my most recommended resources:

The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully A book that captures the magic of living and dying through the lens of renowned Buddhist teacher, Frank Ostaseski. Read by the author, the audio book does not disappoint, and the print version gives way to dog eared corners. Narinder Bazen @narinder.bazen.death.life A Death Midwife, Home Funeral Educator, and Holistic Deathcare Activist. Her Instagram account combines art, expression and death education and is an excellent resource for professionals and non-professionals alike. She’s a leader in the reclamation of death practices and offers training for those interested in holistic death work. Hospice NursePenny @hospicenursepenny Educating families and normalizing death via TikTok and Instagram. She uses humor while speaking directly about the hospice experience and dying process. Alua Arthur goingwithgrace.com Recovering lawyer who runs Going with Grace to support the end-of-life process through planning, caregiving and training death doulas. Her work includes online trainings and fostering community for death professionals. Death Cafes deathcafe.com Virtual and in-person gatherings with the sole purpose of talking about death and dying in community to normalize the experience and process. Often, when we’re talking about dying, we’re really talking about living

Learn more: shayswarriors.org 64

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Bee Inspired continued from page 55 industrial level, the power of the honey bee needs to be harnessed. So farmers rent colonies of honey bees from beekeepers, who then pollinate their crops for them. For example, the almond harvest very much requires pollinators, and bees are rented from all over North America for that. Half of all of the hives in North America, millions and millions of them, are shlepped to Northern California in February to begin that very important almond pollination. It’s a big deal. Most of the crops that we depend on rely on bees and beekeepers — millions of colonies of bees, thousands of beekeepers, are required. The bee population is in decline. What can we do to protect them? • Don’t use products like RoundUp. • Don’t put poisons into the water. • Don’t put poison on your lawn. • Don’t buy anything that would be harmful to honey bee health. • Support legislation in Congress. Vote for people who put the health of our pollinators first – it’s very important to anyone who enjoys eating to make sure that our pollinators are safe. Protecting the environment at all costs benefits everyone. • Do not pull up the dandelions. Early bloom is very important, and dandelions are one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen for honey bees, so not cutting or mowing or disposing of them is helpful. • Leave the leaves and brush on the ground in the fall — it’s good for other types of bees and wasps and critters that we need to have a nice healthy balanced ecosystem What inspired you to create the “super local” rooftop hives? I started urban beekeeping because I was living in New York City and I saw no reason to leave bees behind. But I wasn’t the first person – there have been bigscale beekeepers in New York City since the 1840s at least, so I got a lot of attention for it, but I was by no means the first person to do it nor will I be the last. YOGALOVEMAGAZINE.COM

Tell me a little about the benefits of local honey? For starters, when you eat local honey you are also ingesting local pollens, which are the source of seasonal allergies. Eating the local pollen helps people to build up a tolerance. So breathing the pollen triggers the allergy, but eating the pollen somehow builds up immunity. So eating local honey relieves the discomfort of seasonal allergies.

“Working with the bees is meditative, which sounds perhaps counterintuitive, but it's calming for me to work with them and their organized chaos.” What’s the difference between your honey and the plastic honey bear you buy at the supermarket? Depending on the brand, it is statistically unlikely that the “honey” you buy at the supermarket is truly honey, no matter what the label says. Honey is the third most faked food sold in this country, and fake honey is a $1 billion fraudulent industry. The supermarkets are flooded with fake honey made from rice syrup, corn syrup, thickening agent and so on. There is a show on Netflix called Rotten, and the very first episode is all about the fraudulent honey industry. Our honey is 100% pure, raw natural honey, and it is a locally-produced product with a very small carbon footprint. We produce it here in New York City, we extract it here in New York City, bottle it here and sell it here so there could not be a more local product.

What’s your favorite thing about working with bees? I like the clarity of working with honey bees because they will immediately, with no reservation, demonstrate their true feelings. If you do something wrong, they will sting you or they will hover around your face. They will demonstrate their true feelings immediately, and most people don’t do that – they will put on a façade, give a fake smile, say what they think you want to hear, but not bees. Bees are very direct and honest, and it’s immediate, so there’s no second-guessing. Working with the bees is meditative, which sounds perhaps counterintuitive, but it’s calming for me to work with them and their organized chaos. I’m unable to bring my troubles to the beehive for long – when I go to the hive, even with a head full of troubles, I leave having emerged from a zen-like experience.

Learn more: andrewshoney.com

AHS continued from page 45

A more diverse and inclusive board seems to naturally foster a cycle of inclusivity within AHS’s programs and in future board recruiting efforts. While it is difficult to quantify the effect of these organizational changes, Kate and Saveria noted that National Trails Day® – an AHS day of public events aimed at trail advocacy and service – reached approximately 45 million people on social media in 2021. That year, they said they saw a “broader diversity of stories from queer groups, from people of color (and) from disabled groups.” “(People were talking) about how important it is to be welcoming and inclusive on the trail. Or they (were) an Indigenous person talking about their connection with the place that they were hiking and what their ancestral connection had been to it, or a Black woman talking about… how (they) have experienced the outdoors and…where (they) have experienced barriers.” In the past, these conversations seemed to have less depth to them; they were more likely to be about the height of the mountain someone climbed or maybe a photo highlighting that they have picked up a few pieces of trash. Lesson 2: Quashing the “Epic” Adventure Myth Kate Van Waes, Executive Director of AHS said it best: “When it comes to outdoor adventures and telling the world about them, so often we think it’s only shareable or worth anyone knowing about if the adventure is ‘epic.’ The criteria seem to be: Did the person set a record? Or survive a near-death experience? Or scale a picturesque, difficult peak? Or follow some kind of purist lifestyle? I mean, don’t get me wrong, those are amazing feats, but how would it change the world if we turned ‘epic’ completely on its head and celebrated all the ways of being outdoors?” 66

“When it comes to outdoor adventures and telling the world about them, so often we think it’s only shareable or worth anyone knowing about if the adventure is ‘epic’.” When you look at AHS’s media materials, you don’t typically see folks standing out on a dangerous looking ledge at the end of an epic hike, or living their best vanlife. That, like AHS’s inclusivity efforts, is also intentional. Kate compares a lot of what you see out there on social media in the outdoor community to what you likely see in yoga: “[It’s all] about epic adventure and doing everything epically. And, even when you have kids, it’s like: we have two little kids, but we’re still doing the van life year round and everything. And it’s all this unobtainium for most of us, for the rest of us.” She is passionate about ensuring that AHS reach the local hiker who is going to go out for an hour on the weekend on a local suburban trail and let that be their connection to the outdoors. And, she reminds me that the hiking experience doesn’t need to be any bigger than that to be meaningful. Kate also mentions that some people may find a simple hike meditative. And, she talks about how “creative” and “energized” she feels after a hike and “kind

of ready to resolve things” because it’s not like problems don’t enter [her] brain, but they do exactly what they’re supposed to do on the yoga mat.” I relate, noting that I sometimes find it a lot easier to give my overactive brain a rest on the trails than I do on the yoga mat.

Translating Lessons Learned to the Yoga Community: I think about some of the gyms and studios where I have taught yoga over the years, reflecting on the places I have taught with all female or all white teachers. I think about my own tendency to share a photo of my epic yoga pose to go along with my studio bio and my students, at certain locations, all lined up in their most fashionable (overpriced) yoga pants. Surely, I learned a few lessons about how I could better foster inclusivity and accessibility from AHS. And, hopefully you did too!

Learn more: AmericanHiking.Org @YOGALOVE_MAGAZINE

She Warrior from page 33 changing the conversation – start calling out sexual violence as a man’s problem since they are usually the ones committing the violence. There are people who say we place too much burden on women to have to protect themselves. But I refuse to wait for a time when men stop raping and killing women. I would much rather be proactive and learn how to powerfully set boundaries, avoid danger when possible and fight back when I can. How does self-defense empower women in other areas of their lives? When you have the skills and knowledge to avoid danger when possible and protect yourself if necessary, you move through the world differently. Selfdefense is not just about karate chops and knees to the groin. Self-defense includes mental strategies that help women feel more strong, safe and powerful from the streets to the boardroom. The first lessons that I teach in my trainings, before I even get to the physical moves, include practicing situational awareness, setting boundaries and communicating them powerfully. Imagine how you can excel in your work environment when you’re more in tune with your intuition. Or think about how you can earn more money or have more support by using your voice powerfully to ask for what you want or set boundaries around things you don’t. Using strong body language helps you feel more confident anywhere and helps ward off predatory behavior. These are all benefits that women can use by practicing the mental aspects of self-defense. What have you learned by teaching self-defense for women? I talk about this in my book. I learned that as women, we share a collective burden. I receive emails from college women who tell me stories of men breaking into their dorms or slipping blackout drugs into their drinks, and they want me to come teach self-de-

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fense at their campus. After I speak at organizations, women approach me and share their stories of being stalked or assaulted. I speak to women in the hospitality industry who are objectified, inappropriately touched, or spoken down to. I have professional women share their stories of how they are still being mansplained, overlooked for promotions or having their ideas stolen or repackaged by others. I hear from mothers who worry for the safety of their daughters who are heading out into the world on their own. This is the backdrop of what women face collectively. We deserve better. 1 What changes have you witnessed in your students? Immediately following a class, I can see women bonding with each other. There’s a more relaxed confidence in the way they interact. They stand taller and walk with purpose. Luckily, it’s rare that I hear that my students have had to use any of the physical self-defense techniques that I’ve taught them. But I do hear from women who have been harassed on the subway or had an attempted assault on the street and were able to use their voice powerfully, get help and be a helpful bystander for other women. What inspires you? I’m always inspired by the underdog story. My favorite movie growing up was Rocky. Which is probably why I love teaching selfdefense and watching women go from blah to badass by learning to get out of their heads and connect with the power in their bodies. I’m inspired by stories of women who have fought back against attackers, abusive bosses or partners, or just the patriarchy in general. Learn more: jennifercassetta.com This excerpt is from Jennifer’s new book, The Art of Badassery: Unleash Your Mojo with Wisdom of the Dojo Reprinted with permission from Health Communications, Inc. 1

Deja Inspired continued from page 47

Bouncing Through Grief continued from page 53

diverse levels, in addition to learning the extensive proprietary studio content. What is the best advice you have for a beginner coming to a Bounce class for the first time? The best advice I could give a new bouncer is to take it slow at first. We use handlebars on our trampolines (we only use JumpSport Fitness trampolines in our studio) to provide safety and add interest to the workouts. When it is a person's first class, we always tell them to focus on the legs and hold onto the bar attachment until they feel comfortable enough to incorporate their arms. It is an unstable surface, after all. Although Perspirology Bounce classes are physically demanding, I never feel exhausted afterwards as I would have with other fitness classes. Do you receive similar feedback from others? This is not the first time I have heard this one! Many of our clients (in studio and online streamers) describe the feeling after a Bounce class as being “exhilarated” or giving them more energy to get through the day. I believe this is because trampoline workouts allow you to do something that other workouts do not: feel like a kid again. look up to. One of my favorite fighters, Claressa Shields, is literally one of my biggest inspirations. I watched boxing with my dad growing up, and was familiar with Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, who’s also a friend of my dad. I honestly knew a lot about the sport of boxing, but I never saw myself doing it.

Learn more: perspirology.com

What’s next for you? I’ve created this community called the Sweaty Smile Squad. It’s all about having this safe space to feel celebrated and inspired. We can start to cultivate love for ourselves, for others, and keep it light in the world. I have my Sweaty Smile Squad, and I’m pushing that to the forefront. All the work that I’m doing with lululemon, Mirror and Fit For Us, I am constantly inspired by those experiences. The Sweaty Smile Squad is not limited. It is not exclusive. It is something that is welcoming to all bodies, to ANY BODY. If I meet somebody on social media and they’re looking for a place to belong, I’m inviting them into the squad because everyone deserves to have a place to belong. And I will continue to put out encouraging and inspiring messages and let them flow through all of my classes and everything that I do in hopes to make the world a better place. Learn more: @dejariley 68

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Real Talk continued from page 23

Play A Song For Me continued from page 20

Set up a Vimeo library This can bring in some extra cash — for me it's approximately $100 a week. Keep in mind this is pre-tax income (but every little bit helps) and the content is evergreen. Get a tech-savvy friend to help you, or hire someone.

My partner and I have been leading live music yoga classes for years. I love the live music element for deeper connection. Our classes are usually blues music based. I do like to make sure there are a couple of longer, repetitive tracks with no lyrics, few lyrics or a mantra so students can get into more of a moving meditation and connect to yoga’s roots.

Sub classes I have subbed available classes as much as possible. Send out an email to your yoga teacher friends and let them know you are looking for sub opportunities. Pick up teaching classes other than yoga This could be sound baths, meditation or anything to do with movement and mind/body connection. Invest in a training If you need another specialty, and if you can’t afford a training, reach out to those leading it. Chances are good you could work out a payment plan, or they may offer a discount. It’s worth a try! Teach private clients If you do have private clients, let them know you have some availability in your schedule, or suggest additional sessions for birthdays, anniversaries or work functions. Teach at a gym I think it’s worth mentioning that I believe Yoga can be done anywhere. What matters is the intention of the teacher and students. National gym chains are employing a lot of yoga teachers. That’s a good thing, right? Well, sort of. Check out the sidebar on page 23 for more pros and cons of gym yoga. IF YOU’RE A PRACTITIONER: Head back to the studio If you bailed on in studio classes, go back if at all possible. Even if it’s just once a week. We are so appreciative of everyone who walks through the doors. If it’s just not possible to go to studios and you are taking classes on Zoom, pay the top of what your teacher is asking for if you can afford it. We are grateful if you pay before class — we know you get busy and sometimes forget to send the Venmo or PayPal, but this is our work. If you can afford to pay an extra $5, $10 or $20 every once in a while, do it. Cash is king As much as we love a thoughtful birthday or holiday gift from our students, I think I can speak for most of us and say that cash is preferable at the moment. If it feels weird to do it in person, use Venmo or PayPal. Never have I been more aware of how much the tools of yoga are needed, and I am proud to be helping out in any small way. Don’t get me wrong, we know how lucky we are to love our “jobs.” We just want to be able to pay our rent and not get burned out. Please try to remember that we have gone through the pandemic as well, and we have been dealing with everything the world has dealt with and still tried to create spaces of refuge and inspiration.

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What do you want to inspire through your playlist during yoga asana? A feeling of community, fun and focus. Do you ever teach without music? Yup! When I teach teacher trainings/workshops, I often skip the music. I want them to learn to not rely on the music, but to use it as an accompaniment to their classes. In private sessions as well, no music. Just us, close-up and learning together more intimately.

Learn more @shericelentano

Sheri’s Playlist: CLASS BUILT TO THE POSE ASTAVAKRASANA 8 ANGLE POSE

Gaussian Curve l Red Light Romare l Hey Now (When I Give You All My Lovin’) Auntie Flo l Nobody Said It Would Be Easy Hey Ma l Pitbull (with Pitbull & J Balvin Pitbull, J Balvin, Camila Cabello) Hippie Sabotage l Your Soul Trevor Hall l If I Was a Warrior Mar y Tierra l Feathered Sun ÌFÉ l House of Love (Ogbe Yekun) Cat Power l Fortunate Son DJ Taz Rashid, Srikalogy l Native Spirit Dustin O’Halloran l An Ending, A Beginning

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Children’s Yoga Teacher Training

Nothing is more rewarding than introducing children to the world of yoga! Learn over 500 yoga poses, partner poses, group poses, yoga games and mindful activities, breathing exercises, relaxation and visualization techniques, classroom management skills and more for sharing yoga with toddlers through teenagers! Also check out our Teen Yoga Teacher Training Intensive for doing deeper work with the population that needs yoga most...teens! YA approved through Children’s Yoga Teacher Training Collaborative.

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