Black Yoga Magazine January 2020

THE MAGAZINE YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! YOGA FOR LIFE

BLACK

JAN 2020 | ISSUE 04

YOGA MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE!

YOGA ART

NICHELLE

and A Love of Practice Teacher Training Rhythm of Yoga Yoga Art & Alaska

THUNDER BOLT POWER YOGA SMART FLOW KIDS YOGA TRAINING

JAN 2020 | $15.99

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CONTENTS YOGA+ FITNESS + FUN

YOGA AND ART 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.

YOGA - ART - ALASKA

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RHYTHM OF YOGA LISTEN ONLINE

11

EXCLUSIVE!

JOTHOLYN MASON -AKA NICHELLE

13 YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Our teacher training is about education and access.

09

ROBIN DOWNES

YOGA LOVE & MATS

Learn more about our amazing cover model and how she connects to her practice.

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.

Connecting with yoga through art

WINTER HAVEN, FL 33880 HELLO@BLACKYOGAMAGAZINE.COM

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JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 4

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YOGA & FLOW

YOGA AND ART JANUARY 2020| ISSUEÂ 4

ART IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO CONNECT TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA

JOTHOLYN

MASON

BLACK YOGA MAGAZINE

January 2020

BLACKYOGAMAGAZINE

YOGA & ART

Art

YOGA HAS THIS AMAZING POWER TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE...

Yoga

Training Certifications:Thunderbolt Power Yoga Teacher Training 200-hourSmartFLOW 300-hourKids Yoga training Brand Ambassador (Athleta,Bossbabesco and Adventure Travels)Physical poses (asana) are only one way to practice yoga – yoga is about finding joy in the things you do. Think about the thing you do that makes you happier than anything. Maybe it’s going for a walk, maybe it’s cooking a meal at home, maybe it’s music… for Jotholyn Mason of Atlanta GA, her yoga practice is center around her love of Art. What does yoga mean to you?One of my favorite tidbits from my personal work with yoga is that the word yoga means to “yoke” or unify. It means unification or bringing together of people, ideas, and your life’s experiences. The way I practice this idea is by bringing yoga into my life off the mat. I try my best to bring this unification to my job, my relationships, my habits, and to myself so that I can approach life with a sense of ease and peace.

I practice to deepen my understanding of self. In yoga we call this Svadhyaya (selfstudy).I practice to balance my body with strength and flexibility. I practice to face the craziness of my mind yet feel that deep inner calm and peace that is ever present. I practice to make conscious decisions in my life rather than reacting from a habitual place.Yoga is the best way for me to truly practice a way of life. I believe strongly in the power of being able to sit in each moment, good or bad, and trust that that one moment is exactly as it should be.WHY I TEACHIt is so rewarding to teach something I love and am so passionate about.What a beautiful thing to share, this idea that we all come together at one moment in time to "be". Yoga has a way of changing your life in a way you wouldn't expect and it was an incredibly profound shift in the way that I view the world and my place in this world.

JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 4

Kids Classes

I'm inspired by my students, my wonderful family and friends, my Mentor Faith Hunter, the ocean, and most importantly Art it absolutely captures my soul.Yoga and Art both of these practices require immense dedication and creativity. Both painting and yoga require constant practice, both in thought and in performance. These two ideas sort of morphed together for me, with my first love being with Art and yoga coming in to my life at a later point. They have both come to grow and evolve together, and now I can’t imagine yoga without Art influence.

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YOGA 4 LIFE YOGA & ART

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S t u d i o

D i r e c t o r y

LOOKING FOR A STUDIO TO PRACTICE CHECK OUT OUR DIRECTORY

KEEP IT MOVING YOGA & BARRE 8493 Bowden St. Douglasville, GA 30135 THE SOULAR YOGI 1613 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501 SACRED CHILL WEST 2030 Bolton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30311

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THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON CELLULAR AGING: HARVARD STUDY Modern life is stressful. Where the previous generation centered their activities on obtaining basic necessities, we have more complicated lives, more sources of stress and are at greater risk of stress wreaking our health.

JUSTIN BROWN

According to Harvard Medical School stress accounts for between 60% and 80% of visits to primary care doctors.

And chronic stress has been linked to our bodies aging faster and increased chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, two processes that cause cellular and genetic damage.There’s good news. Neuroscientists have recently studied an ancient practice that can help slow down the aging process.

A new term for a new condition scientists have coined a new term for the chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body that is so prevalent in modern society. They call it “inflammaging.”And it’s a term that spells bad news: inflammaging has been associated with conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stress, depression, and a weakened immune system.

Biomarkers for stress in the body According to Harvard Medical School, there are many different types of biomarkers in the blood that can be used to determine the level of chronic inflammation and stress in the body, one being cortisol. A higher baseline level of cortisol is one indicator of high chronic stress. Cortisol becomes less variable throughout the day in people who are chronically stressed, signaling an overactive fight-or-flight or sympathetic nervous system.Another biomarker is brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a naturally occurring protein in the body that regulates neuroplasticity and promotes brain development. People who have depression, anxiety, or Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have lower levels of BDNF.Researchers found indications of lower levels of inflammation and significantly decreased levels of cortisol.

The study also found higher levels of BDNF after the yoga program, suggesting that yoga could have potential protective effects for the brain as well.

In a similar study, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, researchers found that a three- month-yoga retreat reduced inflammation and stress in the body of the 38 retreat participants. The yoga retreat incorporated physical postures, controlled breathing practices, and seated meditations. The program included approximately two hours of sitting meditation, one to two hours of moving practice, and one hour of chanting daily.The results were very promising.Levels of BDNF, the biomarker that is significantly lower in people with depression and anxiety, tripled after the yoga retreat. Levels of protective anti-inflammatory markers increased after the retreat, while harmful pro-inflammatory markers decreased.

Participants also felt less depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms after the yoga retreat.Bottom line.

What yogis have demonstrated over the ages is now being confirmed by academic research: yoga relieves stress and slows down the aging process. Hint: shouldn’t you start looking for a yoga teacher?

JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 04

Recent studies in neuroscience have found that yoga could slow the harmful physical effects of stress and inflammaging.If you want to slow down those aches and pains of approaching old age, new studies suggest that doing yoga regularly will go a long way to keep you looking and feeling younger. In fact, yoga can slow physical aging and the harmful impact of stress at the cellular and DNA level.In a study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, researchers found that 12 weeks of yoga slowed cellular aging. The study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, employed a program consisting of 90 minutes of yoga of various physical postures, breathing, and meditation for five days a week over 12 weeks. Researchers measured biomarkers of cellular aging and stress before and after the 12-week yoga program and found that yoga slowed down markers of cellular aging and lowered measures of inflammation in the body.

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PERFORMANCE SECTION

EVERYONE HAS A YOGA MAT THAT THEY ARE IN LOVE WITH, BUT AFFIRM MATS ARE HERE WITH AN EXTRA SPECIAL REMIND OF WHY YOU PRACTICE EACH TIME YOU STEP ON THE MAT. Keep reading and check out the amazing story of how Affirm Mat came to be and how they are changing the yoga world. Affirmats adds an emotional layer to Yoga by wrapping form, function, and a dash of inspiration in PURE LOVE.It’s simple, life gets crazy and yoga makes us happy. Not only are these yoga mats and towels comfortable and stylish, but each provides you with a little affirmation for that extra kick of awesomeness and support in your day. We're right there with you; celebrating the small victories on the mat and reminding ourselves to be thankful for those big victories in the other 23 hours of the day. Oh, we can't forget to mention our yoga mats are made with a JUTE blend on a Polymer Environmental Resin (PER) base which makes them high quality, biodegradable, and ergonomically friendly to help you master those advanced poses.

JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 04

SELF LOVE MAT AND YOU

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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.

JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 04

Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch

Cazoshay Marie

YOGA

"I’ve been doing yoga since around the time I was in junior high. I used to practice with my father to videos in our living room, which inspired my love of the art form. Along with that, art has always been a part of my life from the time that I was a small child. I was very shy growing up, and found that this was a way to express myself. This enabled me to comprehend and navigate the world around me, as well as my traumas in order to provide a wordless voice to my experiences.

ART AND

I became a certified yoga instructor in 2013. In addition to being an artist, I am a wellness speaker, blogger and podcaster, I teach yoga and meditation classes and am a certified raw vegan chef (although not a full-fledged vegan any longer.) I was in an accident in 2017 that I am still in recovery for, causing me to be unable to teach yoga at this time, but it has allowed my practice to grow and evolve in ways I never imagined. Until the accident I was in in May of 2017 where I was struck by a car traveling 48mph while crossing the street in downtown Phoenix, I had no idea how intrinsically related my yoga practice and creating my art actually are.

Recovering from my injuries allowed me the opportunity to explore, and eventually appreciate, the “new normal” of my practice, which I was then able to express through my art. When I first became a yoga instructor, part of me felt as though I had to try to fit into a certain mold and teach a certain way, particularly being in the minority as an African American instructor. And in a sense, at times I felt the same way about being an artist. There were things that I desired to express, both in my practice and in my art, but felt like they wouldn’t be received or doubted my ability to render them “properly”. Once I began to be able to relinquish the control that I thought I needed to have, the practice became more enjoyable and the art just flowed from me. Because it was no longer forced, I was able to experience a new sense of freedom, which did end up also being appreciated by others.

In my journey through my art and yoga practice, I have discovered that the more I felt free to express myself, the more it has also unbound those I interact with to experience that same freedom. Although I’m still in recovery from the conditions caused by the accident, I’ve been able to further find my voice and identity as an artist and yoga instructor.

" “Negroes and Dogs Not Allowed”, 2013, acrylic on canvas“Proverbs 5:3”, 2013, acrylic on canvasPhoto Credit: Eugene the AuthorCheck out my feature on VoyagePhoenix Magazine!Website: http://www.DIDwithCazoshay.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/cazoshay_ma rieFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DIDwithCazoshay Twitter:https://www.twitter.com/Cazoshay_Ma riePinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DIDwithCazoshay/

January 2020 ISSUE 04

ALASKA

BLACK YOGA MAGAZINE

January 2020

BLACK YOGA MAGAZINE

RHYTHM OF YOGA

By Valencia Folks RHYTHM OF YOGA AN ONLINE SHOW.THIS EXCITING SHOW FOCUSES ON THE BENEFITS OF YOGA AND OTHER HEALTH RELATED TOPICS.Â

14 JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE 04

Decompress, unwind and experience the Rhythm of Yoga. Asanas designed to give you an extra boost of energy. Build strength & flexibility. Release stress. Valencia Folks, owner, and creator of the Rhythm of Yoga studio and its online show.Took her first yoga class in 2005 and became a certified teacher in 2011. Be sure to check out her latest broadcast at http://www.rhythmofyoga.com/online-broadcasts.html

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THANK YOU TO CONTESSA LOUISE COOPER OF MOD & ALT WOSD RADIO & JEWEL SIMMONS

Robin Downes FATIMA NEFERTITI OF RISE-NWELLNESS SHERRELL MOORETUCKER DR. TEQUILLA HILL

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