THE MAGAZINE YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! YOGA FOR LIFE
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APRIL 2020 | ISSUE 07
YOGA MAGAZINE DANNY FLUKER JR
An exploration in Kemetic Yoga Leadership Connection
EXCLUSIVE!
BUILDING A POWERFUL PRACTICE
Culture
APRIL 2020 | $15.00
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CONTENTS YOGA+ FITNESS + FUN
THE BLACK YOGA EXPERIENCE PODCAST Your yoga stories how you found your practice and what it means to you.
STUDIO DIRECTORY
A list of a few of the studios that you can check out and practice at.
PRIESTESS CONTESSA COOPER Gives Us an April card Reading
DANNY FLUKER JR
11
EXCLUSIVE!
BUILDING STRENGTH IN YOUR PRACTICE
13 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Our teacher training is about education and access.
14 FOOD AS FUEL
what are you eating and how is it effecting you ?
VIRTUAL YOGA STUDIO Become a member of our virtual yoga studio and get access to unlimited yoga ....
YOGA LOVE & MATS With so many mats to choose from it can be hard to figure out what is best for you. This mat comes with a special message.
WINTER HAVEN, FL 33880 HELLO@BLACKYOGAMAGAZINE.COM
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YOGA LOVE
BLACK MEN DO YOGA MENÂ BUILDING COMMUNITY AND HOLDING SPACE FOR ONE ANOTHER
DANNY FLUKER JR SIHA COLLINS BRANDON COPELAND
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April 2020
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YOGA & COMMUNITY
Brandon Copeland
DANNY FLUKER JR
Siha Collins
Black Boys OM was sparked as an idea shortly after I co-led a meditation workshop at Yellow Mat Wellness where all black men were in attendance. Conversation around mental health, and trauma and access to wellness practices surfaced during that workshop. I began to connect with other black male yogis in Atlanta and that connection grew into a word of mouth network that expanded across the country and eventually around the world including London, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, Grenada, Jamaica, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China and Australia.
I was also inspired by the work that my Yoga Mentor, Brandon Copeland was doing with Black Boys in Southeast Washington D.C. and sought to not only highlight the work that many of the brothers in our growing tribe and collective were doing but also to amplify a collective effort in our communities by focusing specifically on schools, correctional facilities, faith organizations and partnerships with yoga studios. The grassroots movement grew from the Spring of 2018 until the Summer of 2019 when Black Boys OM became a Domestically Incorporated Non-Profit in the State of Georgia and at preset we await the approval of our 1023 Application to become a Federally Recognized 501c3
With COVID-19 impacting our communities disproportionately and the world at large our Non-Profit and Collective has been doing a lot of continued inner work, online offerings and discussion around how to better bridge the gap between our communities wellness and our individual tools of wellness. It’s a day by day process of reflection, dialogue and offerings.
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The World
Priestess Contessa : Gives us a card reading for April 2020 IMy world has changed much like most of you. My normal is not so normal anymore. For a brief moment I was in shock then I remembered that our world is always changing. Nothing stays the same. Even in this short about of time, YOU HAVE CHANGED. Some of us learned to pivot and learn a new way of doing things. Some have returned to old habits, hobbies and activities that make us feel good to our soul. Some are battling loneliness and anxiety. No two people are handling change the same way. The one thing I do know is that YOU’VE SURVIVED. There are lessons you have learned. Trials you have overcome. Victories you have won. This is a card of wholeness in mind, body and soul. It’s time to close the book on the old and make way for the new. Resist the urge to return to the way things have been. Open yourself to new possibilities. This is the start of something great.
Queen Of Swords We have been given the precious gift of time. Most of us have more time on our hands then we know what to do with. Take this time to learn...You. When was the last time you took a deep look at yourself? Do you like the person you are? The universe isn’t asking you to change who you are. They created you in a specific way to do the job you are called to do. It’s time for you to acknowledge the real you. Once you’ve done that then ask them how you can begin to love you for who you are right now.
Kindness
Our world can use a little more kindness, compassion and love. The first step is loving yourself. I want to encourage you to spend a few minutes each day doing something for you. Even if it is only for 5 minutes. Love on you, daily. The universe loves you unconditionally. It’s time that you do the same.
April’s Love Affirmations: Today, I choose me.I accept myself unconditionally.I nourish my soul and answer to my true hungers. I appreciate all comments and questions. I can be reached @ContessaLouise on IG and on Contessalouise.com -Priestess Contessa
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Stress & COVID19 Once upon a time, we all had stress from day to day. We had the things we usually think of as stressors: finances, family, relationships, friendships, work. We felt stress from figuring out how to eat healthy. We even felt stress about things that we think of as positive, such as how to make positive changes in our lives, how to start or increase our activity levels, whether it’s exercising in general or our yoga practices or planting a garden. We felt stress from new and exciting things. We felt stress from big huge frightening things. We’ve spent time hunting and researching stress relief, we had our friends, family, and health care providers recommend reducing our stress levels. We still have those stressors and countless others.
And now we have a common stressor that has magnified and, maybe, prioritized where those other stressors fit into our lives – the COVID-19 pandemic. So what do we do about it? How do we manage stress in the time of COVID-19? How do we reduce our stress levels when a lot of what we could do may be limited in order to contribute to and protect the common good and our fellow human beings? What is stress anyway?
First, a little starting place for what stress is in the first place and the definition this article will focus on. In Medical Definition of Stress, Dr. William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR, states that “stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension…stress can initiate the ‘fight or flight’ response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems.” So, in other words, external or internal factors that manifest in those bodily or mental tensions in our lives come from a biological response in our brains and bodies to things that are impacting us physically, mentally, or emotionally. To put it simply, stressors affect our brains and bodies and our brains and bodies react to those stressors with what we call stress.
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These responses to stressors lead to tension in our bodies and minds – that’s what we feel when we say we’re feeling stressed. Think about when you’ve experienced a stressor before. Where do you feel it? Your shoulders may scrunch up or feel tight, your thinking is less clear, you may feel shaky, your appetite may change, your muscles feel really tense, your breathing may get really shallow. You may feel like hiding, running away, or you may get a surge of energy and adrenaline. That’s fight or flight. That’s your brain reacting to stressors. There’s an example I like to use to help explain fight or flight. You’re in the woods and you hear something big rustling around. You look behind you and see a bear. Your brain’s fight or flight response kicks in, your heart rate increases, your muscles are ready to fire, your digestion slows down since your body really doesn’t need to concentrate on working on that lunch you just ate right then since it’s got bigger things to do right now – it’s responding to the stressor of the bear in the woods.
Now think of the stressors in your day to day life. Your brain interprets those stresses in the same way. To your brain, stress is stress. The fight or flight response can’t tell the difference between a bear in the woods and whatever other stressor is occurring. It’s just getting you ready. It’s a really simple example of the physiological component of stress, which impacts our emotional and mental responses to stress. Bear in the woods? I’d wager emotionally there’d be a hefty dose of fear there and a one-track thinking process of getting the hell out of there. Day to day stressors also have those emotional and mental responses. It can all feel very out of control.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, the bear in the woods example and the day to day stressors we live with regardless, which we may or may not have learned to manage the physical, mental, and emotional components of, came the coronavirus. It’s literally impacted all different stressors at the same time (think health, the health of our loved ones, how do we stay safe physically, financial stressors, work stressors, learning to adapt to changes on the fly stressors, nutritional stressors, how the hell do we stay in the present moment when the present moment sucks stressors, how do we do our practices, how do we bring this stress down, etc.) which makes it so important to learn to manage the stress levels we’re feeling.
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That’s all well and good, but what do we do about it? As a licensed clinical social worker working with clients trying to make sense of what’s going on as well as reduce their feelings of stress in a world that feels out of control, I’ve focused on three areas for taking some action. First, focus on the things you CAN control. There are so many situations we are simply not in control of right now, but within those limitations, there are things we most definitely have control over. We can control our responses to the stressors in our lives – we can take the stressors we’re under right now and use them to motivate us to change in adaptive ways. The things we need to do for stress relief may be the same exact things we did before COVID-19 but they may look different. Think about it. If we had a daily yoga practice before the coronavirus, we most certainly can have a daily yoga practice DURING the pandemic. What may look different is the location. We can’t go to the studios right now, but the studio may be doing online classes. We can have our own practice in our own homes. Just because the physical location has changed doesn’t mean the practice has to change, and many studios are working to have the sense of community continue even if they’re doing classes virtually. Better yet, take your practice outside, whether virtually or on your own. Get on out there and practice in the fresh air. We’re able to do that in a socially distant and responsible way. Imagine the mindfulness practices we can put into place practicing outside – the sound of the birds, the feel of the sun, the grass under our feet, the smell of the breeze.
Additionally, we also have to think about how yoga itself and maintaining a practice can help with the physiological impacts stress has upon us. Hmmm, you may be thinking, what can challenge a wired in brain response that leads to physical, mental, and emotional tensions? Or you may not have thought that, but I just planted the seed for you to think that exact thing so I’ll run with it. What we do is we tap into something called the relaxation response, which is also something we have some control over. We work to calm and slow the stress response with an equal and opposite response. How do we do this? How do we use the relaxation response? Two very important ways: breathing techniques and movement. Which brings me to the second way to manage stress, whether during a global pandemic or in day to day life. Breathing techniques and movement. From a yogic perspective, engaging the two limbs of pranayama and asana has the potential to be potent stress management strategies. If we regulate the breath through pranayama and asana, we directly address the nervous system that also connects with anxiety, stress, and mood. If we regulate the breath,
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That’s all well and good, but what do we do about it? As a licensed clinical social worker working with clients trying to make sense of what’s going on as well as reduce their feelings of stress in a world that feels out of control, I’ve focused on three areas for taking some action. First, focus on the things you CAN control. There are so many situations we are simply not in control of right now, but within those limitations, there are things we most definitely have control over. We can control our responses to the stressors in our lives – we can take the stressors we’re under right now and use them to motivate us to change in adaptive ways. The things we need to do for stress relief may be the same exact things we did before COVID-19 but they may look different. Think about it. If we had a daily yoga practice before the coronavirus, we most certainly can have a daily yoga practice DURING the pandemic. What may look different is the location. We can’t go to the studios right now, but the studio may be doing online classes. We can have our own practice in our own homes. Just because the physical location has changed doesn’t mean the practice has to change, and many studios are working to have the sense of community continue even if they’re doing classes virtually. Better yet, take your practice outside, whether virtually or on your own. Get on out there and practice in the fresh air. We’re able to do that in a socially distant and responsible way. Imagine the mindfulness practices we can put into place practicing outside – the sound of the birds, the feel of the sun, the grass under our feet, the smell of the breeze.
Additionally, we also have to think about how yoga itself and maintaining a practice can help with the physiological impacts stress has upon us. Hmmm, you may be thinking, what can challenge a wired in brain response that leads to physical, mental, and emotional tensions? Or you may not have thought that, but I just planted the seed for you to think that exact thing so I’ll run with it. What we do is we tap into something called the relaxation response, which is also something we have some control over. We work to calm and slow the stress response with an equal and opposite response. How do we do this? How do we use the relaxation response? Two very important ways: breathing techniques and movement. Which brings me to the second way to manage stress, whether during a global pandemic or in day to day life. Breathing techniques and movement. From a yogic perspective, engaging the two limbs of pranayama and asana has the potential to be potent stress management strategies. If we regulate the breath through pranayama and asana, we directly address the nervous system that also connects with anxiety, stress, and mood. If we regulate the breath,
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we regulate our entire experience. Breathing diaphragmatically, or deeplyfully into our bellies, is a wonderful place to start. Try it out by laying on the floor on your stomach with your arms stretched out flat on the floor above your head. Place your forehead on the floor and just breathe. This position teaches us how it feels to breathe diaphragmatically without having to do anything other than position ourselves that way. Once we get the hang of it, we can practice it standing, sitting, driving, wherever. Breathing in this way helps start the relaxation response. Your yoga instructor is a GREAT resource for other breathing techniques for relaxation. During this time, ask them to help you learn a new (or brush up on a rusty) breathing technique that can help switch that fight or flight response to the relaxation response. For example, find yourself in a comfortable, upright seated posture. Gently close the eyes or soften the gaze. Bring your attention to the tip of your nose, trace each inhale past the tip of the nose, into the nostrils, and notice the inhale fully expand the rib cage. Trace the exhale the opposite way, noticing the contraction of the rib cage as the breath moves up into the throat, into the nostrils, and out past the tip of your nose.
When the mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath and its pathway in and out of the bod To emphasize the emotional and physiological release breath regulation can offer, try elongating the exhale. Doing so recruits the parasympathetic nervous system, which is necessary for release and relaxation—for decelerating the activation of the stress response. As for movement, exercise definitely counts. I’m a runner. I run. While I run I practice a breathing sequence and I’ve slowed my runs down for just the enjoyment of doing them. I also have a yoga practice, that, admittedly, has been lacking. And it’s lacking in more ways than one, first, because it’s not regular or routine. But secondly, and, I think, most importantly, is the blend of breathing AND movement in a yoga practice that can be extra beneficial especially now. Asana, or yoga postures, can be connected with breath through vinyasa. Practice Suryanamaskara A and B to experience the flow of the breath with movement. Start with five of each version of sun salutations, pairing very slow, deliberate inhales and exhales to the movements in meaningful ways. Each rising movement connects with an inhale, each lowering movement connects with an exhale. Remember to engage mula banda (pelvic floor) and uddiyana banda (core) to perform your practice with stability and from a grounded place. Ironically, or perhaps from some crafty structuring of this article on my part, we come to the third way to manage stress during COVID-19. Have a routine.
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That routine may look different. You may not be getting up to get out the door for work as you may be working from home or you may not be working. Or you may be working as an essential employee. This recommendation goes for all of the above. As much as you can, have the same routine you had before the virus disrupted our lives. Get up at the same time. Do your morning practice. Shower, get dressed, have breakfast and your hot morning beverage of choice. Get into your work tasks for the day, whether they be at home, in the world, helping with distance learning for the kids, or whatever other tasks you have to do. Just keep to a routine. We need thos benchmarks through the day to help feel connected to our days and ourselves. In that routine, make sure you’re staying connected in a socially distant way with others as well – zoom calls with your friends and family, maybe doing your yoga practice with your studio online or with a friend, apps that let you play games with others. Is stress manageable in the time of COVID-19? I truly believe it is. We can do the same things we did before the pandemic but they WILL look different. And that’s OK. We have to honor that’s where things are right now, but that shouldn’t keep us from doing what we can to manage the feelings and physical reactions these stressors are bringing down upon us. We can take this time to find some silver linings and do our stress management practices in a creative, fun, and different way. In a more gentle way. We can take this time to slow down.
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YOGA EXPERIENCE PODCAST SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCAST
MARCH 2020 | ISSUE 6
Join us as we explore yoga and its connection to communities of color and how we can use these practices to grow as people.Subscribe on Apple, Google and Spotify
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AFFIRM MATS & FOUNDER JASON GRAHAM Jason Graham Jason founded Affirmats in July 2011. Their mission is to spread love all around the world through the practice of yoga. With Affirmats even small struggles become BIG VICTORIES on the mat and in the world! Life gets crazy, yoga makes us happy.
Affirmats are form function and Inspiration, wrapped in pure LOVE. We believe you should be comfortable playing yoga, not just comfortable in the physical sense but in a whole-body sense. When life gets overwhelming yoga makes us happy. Yoga allows us to reach another level of awareness, which gives us tools to master the rest of our day. Your yoga mat is a place where you can connect back to you.
Stay Positive Affirmats are shipped worldwide with love to connect you to you and your practice.
Find out more about Affirmats at @affirmats on IG and Facebook.
SHARE THE LOVE By Ashley Adams
Everyone has a moment on their mat when they need a little encouragement.Well Affirmats founder actor Jason Graham thought when he created his line of yoga mats with affirmations it would be just the thing to keep you going. The mats come in a range of bright colors, that are bound to give you a boost. Yogis have to opportunity to personalize their affirmation or choose from a variety options. Affirmats have been featured in studios in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Jordan as apart of the brands mission to spread love around the world. Messages range from "Keep Going, You Can Do This!", to I am Love. Affirmations are also available on towels that are sure to inspire you through all of your workouts.
MARCH 2020 | ISSUE 6
Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
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MARCH 2020 | ISSUE 6
THANK YOU TO CONTESSA LOUISE COOPER OF MOD & ALT WOSD RADIO & JEWEL SIMMONS
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