Colorado Yoga + Life Magazine | Issue Summer 2015

colorado

yoga teachers unite COMMUNITY & CONSCIOUSNESS

inspiring colorado yogis

Kate Mulheron Gerry & Nicole Wienholt Stephen Uvalle Waylon Lewis

seva mission

Everest mission supports victims of sex-trafficking

ACE OF HEARTS

vertical

yoga YOGA FOR ROCK CLIMBERS

SUMMER 2015 // COMPLIMENTARY

Heart-openers for the season

Manifest what you want Colorado road trip the business of yoga

YN Y o g i N a t i o n

In Partnership with

Denver

Begins June 20th

What's possible when the community comes together to create an experience that empowers and uplifts ALL... from the ground up.

Tickets: Yoginationevents.com #​powerofcommunity​

Photo: Carly Budhram

WE ALL DO BETTER WHEN WE ALL DO BETTER. LIVING IN YOGA IS LIVING IN HARMONY WITH EACH OTHER, WITH YOURSELF, WITH MOTHER NATURE AND WITH THE UNKNOWN. ~ JULI RATHKE, PUBLISHER PUBLISHER

Juli Rathke - CEO/Founder

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keith Allen

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sami Lea Lipman

IT/COMMUNICATIONS Emily Steingart

CONTRIBUTORS

Gina Caputo Jon Lipman Leslie Ross Tabitha Farrar Marsha Austin Dayna Seraye Leslie Glenn Karen Anderson Jessica Durivage-Kerridge Michelle Weldon Ann Vermeer Kelly Benish Jo Schaalman & Jules Peláez

NATIONAL SALES

Iana Velez, Jennifer Derham, Jennifer Van Zeipel

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Please visit us at coyogamagazine.com for a list of locations or to order a magazine online.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

Contact our corporate office or request a Media Kit: www.coyogamagazine.com CO Sales: 845.652.3686 Email: keith@coyogamagazine.com CO National Office: 815.414.YOGA

FEATURES

If you would like us to consider featuring your business or event, please contact us at 845.652.3686 or email us.

OPPORTUNITIES

Please contact our publishing office to inquire about adding new regions and titles to our network of lifestyle magazines. yogamagproductions.com | 815.414.YOGA (9642) Email: juli@yogamagproductions.com 2015 Yoga Magazine Productions. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated, in whole or in part, without the written consent of its publishers. Every effort has been make to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. The publisher 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.

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Summer/Fall 2015

CONTENTS PROFILES

AMBASSADORS // TEACHERS // STUDIOS // ENTREPRENEURS

10. WHO ARE WE?

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Meet a few of our ambassadors

12. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

Colorado YogiNation teachers share what it means to them

16. KATE MULHERON

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Lost in grief, found in nature.

20. STUDIO PROFILES

Meta Yoga // Hidden Yoga Studio // Volo Yoga // Yogadurango

22. GERRY & NICOLE WIENHOLT

Colorado yoga visionaries

24. WAYLON LEWIS: ABOUT YOGA AND MEDIA

It’s the end of yoga as we know it… and I feel fine

LIFESTYLE

COMMUNITY // HOME // TRAVEL // ART // MUSIC // PRODUCTS

32 40

26. COLORADO YOGIS UNITE TO PROTECT

The integrity of yoga teacher trainings

28. TO YOGA OR NOT TO YOGA

In inner-city public schools

32. BREW DOG

Brewery yoga grows in Colorado

36. EAST IS BEST

Yoga for the home

38. COLORADO ROAD TRIP

Boulder to Hot Sulphur Springs

40. PRIZED POSSESSION PROJECT

Denver homeless individuals reveal what they value most

44. EDICA PACHA

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Architect of magic

50. #PUTABEATTOIT

DJ Yoga – Get the vibe

52. THE COLORADO RUNWAY

This season’s apparel and accessories

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YOGA

ASANA // HOME // SEVA // BUSINESS // MEDITATION // PHILOSOPHY

58. ACE OF HEARTS

Heart-opening poses for the season

62. SUP YOGA

Colorado standup paddleboard yoga teachers explain

64. VERTICAL YOGA

Yoga & rock climbing

68. MOUNTAIN CLIMBING & SEX TRAFFICKING

Mission 14

70. BUSINESS KARMA

Making money with a yoga-mind

71. SIMPLE AWARENESS MEDITATION

Step-by-step meditation

72. HOW TO MANIFEST WHAT YOU WANT

Yogic methodology for manifesting

74. THE POWER OF THE CIRCLE

The cycles of seasons

64 72

76. MY PRACTICE

Yoga and grief

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HEALTH

FOOD // PSYCHOLOGY // ASTROLOGY

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78. WHY CLEANSING WAS DANGEROUS FOR ME

Cleansing and eating disorders

80. HEALTHY SUMMER RECIPES

From the Conscious Cleanse

86. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF HUMANS

And the natural world

88. HOROSCOPES

Six-month astrology forecast

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EVENTS FESTIVALS // LISTING

90. ARISE FESTIVAL

Connection, consciousness, and yoga

92. STAPLEOM COLORADO

Denver’s free festival brings local yogis together

94. UPCOMING EVENTS

Listing of this season’s best events

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8th Annual

July 9 - 12, 2015 featuring:

CHRISTINA SELL

MICHELINE BERRY

SIANNA SHERMAN

TIAS LITTLE

GINA CAPUTO

PETER STERIOS

Karl Straub, Rebecca Butler, Shannon Paige, Gioconda Parker, Allison English, Anton Mackey, Cat McCarthy, Nancy Stechert, The Yoga Slackers, Sharon Caplan, Will Duprey, Surya Little, Manoj Chalam, Eric Shaw, R.R. Shakti & many more

Find Yourself in Telluride 4 Days of Yoga and Wellness including: yoga • hikes • music • meditation • climbing • SUP yoga • wellness vendors • ayurvedic dinners • and more! with over 100 class offerings in Telluride and Mountain Village

PURCHASE TICKETS AT TellurideYogaFestival.com

FROM OUR PUBLISHER

I am a proud Minnesota native now 17-year Colorado resident, and like many of you, I pinch myself when I wake up each morning. We live in such an amazing place. Over the past two decades, together we have witnessed an amazing evolution (good, bad and indifferent) of an industry. But what remains strong is a cultural shift to create real meaning, to affect positive change as an ever growing conscious society. But all of this has to start at with us as individuals and in our community in order to expand.

As the inspiration evolved to launch regional yoga and lifestyle magazines around the country, my “gift to give” also needed to be actualized. As a person in the media, I was always amazed at the profound gratitude people felt when I interviewed them and retold their stories. I discovered this as well when publishing images for rising photographers, giving the stage to hungry musicians and sharing celebrity events to raise money for non-profits. I had discovered shining behind the light of others is a rewarding experience.

Our magazines (insert amazing team here) evolved out of my desire to represent the “rest” of us – who you don’t see and hear in your popular newsstand titles, as we desire more authenticity in print and online media. We show and tell real stories about real people in YOUR community with a philanthropic effort in mind. Everyone has a story to tell, a message to share, and a gift to give – and I want to help provide that platform to even the least expecting people. And because we are locally based, your story travels farther to truly qualified readers.

ABOVE: JULI RATHKE, FOUNDER/CEO YOGA MAGAZINE PRODUCTIONS

So please share with us - your triumphs, your failures, your causes, and your missions.

Send us your images, a link to your music, pictures of your art, and tell us about your events. We are listening, and a bigger part of our conscious community is listening too.

Your time is now!

In admiration, Juli Rathke

FROM OUR EDITOR

I am overjoyed to be co-creating our first publication of Colorado Yoga Magazine. This magazine is a collaborative opportunity for our Colorado community to combine forces, ideas, and unite. The amount of support, enthusiasm, and love from across the state in the manifestation of our inaugural issue has been potent.

We have a gold mine of talented, inspiring people doing meaningful work in Colorado. Our magazine is a platform to highlight those who share their gifts here. It is about the people in our own backyard. From the content, to our team, to our contributors, to our advertisers; this is a project at the community grass roots level.

This hands-on involvement from within our community is what establishes us as the local publication leaders in the areas of wellness, fitness, food, family, entrepreneurship, travel, outdoor enthusiasm, artisan culture, philanthropy, and all things Colorado. Human stories that move us will all be at the core of Colorado Yoga Magazine. This well-rounded, real, and engaging read for everyday, like-minded people in our state is a catalyst to keep creativity flowing through the power of modern media.

And of course, there’s yoga. Yoga in 2015 is more diverse, dynamic, and abundant than ever before. More people are stepping into yoga for the first time every year. As we collectively witness, partake, and the lead growth of yoga’s power, we are at the forefront to capture the essence of it’s unfolding.

ABOVE: KEITH ALLEN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CO YOGA MAGAZINE

The vision for Colorado Yoga Magazine, is to be an empowering resource for a conscious, balanced, and yogic lifestyle in the modern world. And to harbor a reality where our diverse state-wide yoga community can work together more fully to strengthen one another’s endeavors. I look forward to making this vision a reality with all the wonderful people in the state already on board and those to come. Let the journey begin.

With gratitude, Keith Allen

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this issue’s

Contributors

GINA CAPUTO Gina Caputo is the Director of the Colorado School of Yoga. Check out ginacaputo.com or reach her at gina@ ginacaputo.com.

JON LIPMAN Jon Lipman, AIA has been practicing Vastu architecture since 1997 and directs MaharishiVastu.Org. He is an award-winning architect and New York Times–recommended author who has lectured at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. In 2013 he gave Oprah a televised tour of a Maharishi Vastu home for Oprah’s New Chapter. Jon has practiced yoga daily since 1974.

He can be reached at Jon@JLipman.com.

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LESLIE ROSS Leslie Ross, 25+ year CO resident and 500 YA RYT teaches yoga at Meta Yoga Studios, Breckenridge Recreation Center, and on her SUP in Summit County. She spends as much time outside as possible when she can unplug from managing the studio or making prayer malas.

DYLAN JUNKERMEIER Dylan (aka DJ Daboco) resides in Boulder and mixes at all types of events. A student of music for life, he started playing the drums at age 5. He is an up-and-coming EDM DJ. Follow him @djdaboco or work with him in your next class or event - daboco.com.

SAMI LEA LIPMAN Sami Lea Lipman is the Creative Director for Yoga Magazine Productions and a vinyasa yoga teacher in Boulder. She has taught at various festivals, internationally, and on the White House lawn. Sami chronicles the journey of love, suffering, and loss on her blog: grievingmybeloved.blogspot.com.

Learn more about her at samileayoga.com.

TABITHA FARRAR Tabitha Farrar works as a writer and editor in Boulder, CO. She also manages the yoga department at Colorado Athletic Club and is the founder of Boulder Yoga Project.

MARSHA AUSTIN Marsha Austin is the owner of Radiance Power Yoga and a Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga teacher.

Marsha has trained directly with Baron Baptiste since 2008 and is 500 Hour Certified (ERYT 500) through the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Institute. She assists Baron at yoga trainings worldwide. For Marsha, yoga is about breaking open.

DAYNA SERAYE Dayna Seraye is devoted to cultivating the path of the heart through the sacred body temple. She leads transformational ceremony, classes, workshops and retreats nationally and internationally to support individuals and communities in connecting and awakening. Dayna is the cofounder of Hanuman Adventures, offering extraordinary yoga retreats with a unique focus on seva and sacred sites.

Photo: Olivia Katz

KAREN ANDERSON Karen lives in the mountains of Colorado.

Astrology is her life’s work. She affirms limitless human potential with effortless manifestation through astrology. She is the president of a local chapter of an international astrological organization. On weekends she does readings at metaphysical fairs and at Blue Owl Books in Nederland. She is available for consultations by appointment at 303258-7258.

JESSICA DURIVAGEKERRIDGE Jessica is the founder of Where is My Guru – an intimate, in-person and virtual learning center for spiritual, personal and professional development. She is known through her interview style, yoga teaching and writing for her mindful, practical and humorous approach to life and practice. whereismyguru.com

MICHELLE WELDON Michelle loves big ideas, transformational thinking, busy cities, used book stores, the texture of music, exquisite food, and big hearts. In the professional realm, Michelle delights in blending her training in Psychotherapy, Neurosculpting®, Meditation and Yoga to support her clients in healing trauma and anxiety and increasing feelings of wellbeing.

Michelle is the founder and owner of Vibrant Medicine, LLC and the cocreator of Neurosculpting® Yoga. Visit vibrantmedicine.org.

ANN VERMEER Ann is a yoga and certified iRest Yoga Nidra® teacher and offers classes and individual instruction in Longmont and Boulder. She is particularly interested in depth psychology and how Eastern and Western mythologies and philosophies inform individuals and cultures in the current decade.

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KELLY BENISH Kelly is a 200 hr CYT/ RYT who teaches yoga to rock climbers at Sport Climbing Center in Colorado Springs.

She’s a Mind-EnergyBody Transformation Guide who helps others raise their consciousness to anchor into personal power. She’s worked in cancer diagnostics for 15 years.

In her spare time, she loves live music, dancing, bouldering, sport climbing, and running.

JULI RATHKE Juli is the CEO/Founder of Yoga Magazine Productions. She has channeled her professional career into helping others do the same with the creation of Yoga Magazine Productions. Long-time yoga teacher, magazine publisher and TV host now business mentor, retreat leader, and media inspiration. Follow her @julirathke or learn more about her offerings at julirathke. com.

JULES PELÁEZ & jO SCHAALMAN Jo and Jules are co-authors of the book The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body and Transform Your Life in 14 Days, a bestselling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life.

Together they’ve led thousands of people through their online supported cleanse through their accessible and light-hearted approach. They’ve been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show. To learn more about “Jo and Jules”, the Conscious Cleanse, and their new 80:20 Lifestyle Plan, please visit consciouscleanse.com.

KEITH ALLEN Keith is the Editor-inChief of Colorado Yoga Magazine, a yoga instructor in Boulder, and an artist. He is a lover of people. Yoga moved Keith so deeply in his very first class, that he knew instantly it was to become a positive part of his life. He uses yoga to guide people to connect deeper with their bodies, love themselves immensely, and find presence. He uses portrait photography to connect us more deeply, become moved by human stories, and to inspire us to reveal ourselves more fully.

Keith lives in Boulder and can be found on his skis, dancing, or traveling the world when not occupied by his professional passions of media, yoga, and art.

He would love to hear from you!

CO YOGA MAGAZINE AND YOGA MAGAZINE PRODUCTIONS ARE CONDUCTING A COVER CONTEST FOR SPRING 2016 ISSUE! SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO ENTRIES ONLINE AT: WWW.COYOGAMAG.COM

About our

covers ON THE SUMMER COVER Model: Sami Lea Lipman samileayoga.com Photographer: David Oakley d.addisonoakley@gmail.com Location: Chautauqua Park, Boulder Clothing: The OM Collection theomcollection.com Jewelry: French Bailey frenchbailey.com Studio Affiliates: Radiance Power Yoga: Boulder, CO and The Little Yoga Studio: Boulder, CO

ON THE FALL COVER

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A CONTRIBUTOR FOR COLORADO YOGA MAGAZINE OR YOGA MAGAZINE PRODUCTIONS?

GET IN TOUCH!

Models: Mark Stefanowski (outlawyoga.com) and Stacy Baker Photographer: David Schlatte davidschlatterphotography.com Location: Oskar Blues Brewery Longmont, Colorado Clothing: Mark – OUTLAW Yoga Tee, Lululemon shorts, Stacy – Lululemon lululemon.com Studio Affiliates: Mark – OUTLAW Yoga, Radiance Power Yoga: Boulder, CO, Colorado Athletic Club: Boulder, CO, CorePower Yoga, local breweries.

815.414.YOGA I COYOGAMAG.COM COYOGAMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILES / Ambassadors

EMILY STEINGART Find growth, awareness and acceptance around doing one thing a day that challenges you mentally, physically and or emotionally.

Meet a few of our ambassadors.

who are we?

AMBER COOK

Sometimes the universe gives you a clue on your journey.

My hope for you is to reach out to the people that show up with integrity, inspiration, truth, and joy.

KIMBERLY & KRISHNA

Realign your body, spirit & mind!

Some days sparkle.

Reminding you of the beauty and magic in the world.

LESLIE GLENN May we connect fearlessly, expand into the fullness of the moment and allow the song of creation to flow freely through us!.

CRISTINE GOOGINS Don’t be afraid to start now. Your journey might surprise you.

LAUREN CHAMPA

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KRISTIN TAYLOR ANN VERMEER We don’t have to bring old behaviors into new situations.

Anything can happen on a Tuesday, because it is a day with endless options. Just the way I like it.

JENNA BEE

Don’t worry about building strength, so much as finding and using the strength that you already have.

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PROFILES / Teachers

THE COMMUNITY power of Colorado Yogination Teachers Share What it Means to Them

The Colorado Yoga Community inspires me everyday. Coloradans by nature are well suited to Hatha Yoga with our great love of embodied expression. But in addition to this, there is an inimitable adventurous spirit here that causes us to be curious, engaged and thoroughly intrigued by possibility. Curiosity shows up in a sincere interest in the deeper dimensions of Yoga and how the time we spend on our mats translates to our evolving consciousness and relationships. We’re passionate about living fully and so we stay engaged in the journey that is Yoga whether we’re summiting peak experiences or working through the valley of shadow.

We are explorers of the inner and outer landscapes, always redefining what’s possible. I’ve never felt more impassioned and motivated than as a part of this yoga community, it’s a privilege to teach here. Our collective voice is incredibly strong and we are all teachers by example.

Gina Caputo, Founder of Yogini on the Loose

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IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL HEART OF YOGA, SHADOW LIVES AMIDST THE LIGHT; THUS, YOGA CAN QUICKLY ACCELERATE YOUR PERSONAL EVOLUTION, YET A SILENT SUFFERING. IF YOU DON’T FEEL AT PEACE EVERY MOMENT, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

The Colorado yoga community is a battleground – “Love and Light” vs. “Real, Uncomfortable, Raw Vulnerability”. In the philosophical heart of yoga, shadow lives amidst the light; thus, yoga can quickly accelerate your personal evolution, yet a silent suffering. If you don’t feel at peace every moment, you are not alone. If you are willing to admit it publicly, you are winning! Classically, the true nature of yoga is reducing suffering. Yoga helped me through the challenges of my medical residency and beyond. Many of my patients, yoga teachers, and peers suffer privately when support resides a compassionate, kindred spirit away.

Which will you choose? I choose to invite people to be REAL, OPEN to holistic health and healing, and ACCOUNTABLE to the dance of suffering and discovering one’s authentic self.

The Colorado yoga community reliably reminds me of my work (and worth) in this world.

Thank you.

Brent Jaster, L.I.F.E. Medicine Founder

The Colorado Yoga Community is wonderfully reflective of our state’s work hard, play hard mentality. I appreciate the many ways our community uses yoga to bring people together in creative, fun, and adventurous ways while also maintaining a respect and reverence for this ancient practice and it’s many facets. Colorado yogis certainly know how to have a good time – hence the many yoga festivals and events happening around the state this summer.

But we are equally capable of measurable impact and positive change, as we saw with the recent passing of Senate Bill 186. As a Denver studio owner, my greatest priority is creating space where yoga unifies individuals (body, mind spirit) and the collective. I am so grateful that the larger Colorado Yoga Community is a constant source of inspiration for this work and that my fellow yogis remind me to make time for play!

Danielle Barbeau Cook, Manager of The River Power Vinyasa Yoga Studio

The Colorado Yoga Community, in the words of my 7¬year¬old¬daughter, is family. The unconditional love and commitment to each other’s well¬being is certainly evident in the local community. Like any family, there are times when the community comes together with beautiful intention and other times when the family is divided. Nonetheless, local students’ commitment to positive evolution and general concern for the well-being of it’s fellow yogis is palpable. Inspired by this local tribe, YogiNation was built on the ideals of a true collaborative – an event series dreamed, planned, and funded by the community and for the benefit of the community, both in encouraging a conscious lifestyle and in providing sustainability for careers in the industry. YogiNation strives to be an inspiring force for true collaboration and a unifying endeavor from which a deeper level of community can emerge.

Jennifer Lux, YogiNation Denver Founder

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PROFILES / Teachers

the power of COmmunity (continued)

The Colorado Yoga Community is my teacher and my inspiration. On a regular basis I see the members of this community ebb and flow and with all the change they show up and do their work! Colorado yogis are hard working and gracious. I am consistently humbled by their dedication. A community is greater than the sum of its parts and we are certainly no exception. I offer the Colorado Yoga Community my heart and my gratitude.

Christen Bakken, Teacher Development Lead at The River Power Vinyasa Yoga Studio

In a city where yoga studios are outnumbered only by dispensaries, studentship is strong, but leadership acts a bit...paranoid. Studio owners and managers operating from a place of scarcity pass this standby setting along to teachers intuitively and to students subconsciously. “Yoga business” is an oxymoron.

Business is driven by competition and fueled by fear. If the yoga practice is to realize its ultimate potential in the Colorado Community then it’s time for real cooperation.Here’s a free idea to anyone willing to implement it – create a One Colorado/One Yoga pass, charge a reasonable monthly fee and pay each participating studio a split per/person/visit. It would mean getting a lot of competing chiefs to communicate – maybe Gina Caputo could pull it off? Don’t like it? Prove me wrong. Create community by crossing your fence, your culture, and your familiar pattern. Remember, community means going to other people’s shit, not just inviting them to your own.

Justin Kaliszewski, Outlaw Yoga Founder

The Colorado Yoga Community is a powerful place to BE! I am so grateful to have spent 13 of my 17 years as a yoga teacher in Colorado. The yogis of Colorado are open, giving and growing. I have had students that I have meet over 10 years ago who came to my Jivamukti classes, and then started a family. As they grew, so did I, shifting to become the owner of a kids yoga Business. Our Omazing yogis have practiced prenatal yoga with me, then joined me for baby yoga and toddler yoga – and now have their kids join us for kids and family yoga. Something for everyone! We have practiced in several studios around town, the parks, and even online! I am so grateful for the power of UNITY through the Colorado Community! Namaste and play!

Casey Feicht, Owner of Kids Yoga Guide

The Colorado yoga community is thriving - we are a definite US yoga “hub”. Due to the incredible popularity of yoga in the Denver and Boulder areas, we are blessed with an abundance of exceptionally talented teachers, many of whom are on YogaDownload and have been with us from the beginning. We have very strong ties to the community through those teachers and the students who enjoy taking their classes both in the studios and online. We feel honored that we’re able to share the teachings of such talented community leaders with the rest of the world.

Jamie Kent, YogaDownload.com Founder

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I first arrived in Boulder searching for my new yoga teacher and before long I found myself in nearly every one of Stephen Uvalle’s classes.

I was there because he got it and his dharma spoke to me. Stephen is an empath. He sits in front of a class of fifty people and speaks his message in poetry, but it feels like his words seep directly into your heart. He asks his students to look inside, recognize their uniqueness, explore the journey towards selfacceptance, and question everything along the way. He stands out in the Boulder yoga scene. Not only because he’s, in his words, “a tattooed Mexican dude” but also because of his confidence as a teacher who isn’t afraid to question both the current state of yoga and the pathway the of the lineages before now.

What brought you to yoga?

Pain and grace brought me to yoga. I was suffering in a way that evoked a curiosity in me. I was searching for something to take me deeper into understanding my experience. A friend suggested yoga.

What is your daily practice?

PHOTO: DJ PIERCE

STEPHEN

UVALLE Boulder-based yoga teacher & urban mystic INTERVIEW BY SAMI LEA LIPMAN

Stephen lives as an urban mystic anchored to the art and practice of loving kindness. He encourages and assists students to wisely explore their bodies and personal experience through deep and compassionate personal investigation. He is a grateful father of a brilliant daughter. He is a teacher and mentor of teachers. Stephen travels nationally and internationally offering workshops, retreats, community classes and personal mentoring. littleyogastudio.com

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My daily practice is both on and off the mat. On the mat my practice usually starts around 6am and consists of mindful breathing and concentration within posturing then finishes with meditation. Off the mat I practice mindfulness and loving kindness throughout my experience. Staying connected to the ancient wisdom of this living art is contextually relevant in everything that occurs.

Yoga lives and breaths with and within us.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by my practice and the magic of being alive. I have lived an uninspired life and that is what keeps me disciplined in the practice of awareness and a continued curiosity into broadening my perspective. Narrow vision squeezes the life out of inspiration.

What does “yoga” mean to you?

It depends on which lens I have on. Yoga can be seen – and I believe is necessary to be seen – from different perspectives. For me yoga can be seen as a technique and practice for living more wholly. Yoga is a path to a holistic way of being; an integration and connection to ourselves, our immediate and global community, and nature. Yoga is the insight into the idea that we are all connected. We can, and do, have great influence on each other and our environment. We are responsible.

What do want your legacy to be?

Yoga has a legacy free of me; it is freedom. I am clear I can not claim anything if someone benefits from this art. I know for me, my practice is my focus and the fruition undoubtedly has been personal freedom. Yoga has been a way to relate to my experience that supports me and those around me.

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PROFILES / Teachers

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KATE

Mulheron Lost in grief. Found in nature.

BY KEITH ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARY JOBE

ith piercing blue eyes, an aura of motherly love, and a powerful laugh, my teacher Kate Mulheron sat down with me recently to share her journey, message, and heart. She humbly credits her challenges, yoga, and her greatest teacher; mother nature, for lighting her path and guiding others to light their own. “Allowing ourselves to completely fall apart, get back up, and recharge. Recharge ourselves using our yoga practice and using our time in mother nature. That is the work,” she explains. A lover of healing work, Kate is open in revealing what brought her to being the admired leader, healer, and source of strength for her loyal community since the experience of deep loss in her early years. Today, Kate dedicates her life to guide others to discover how to love, heal, and protect themselves.

Starting from the beginning, Kate is vulnerable in opening about her childhood experience of losing both parents. A testament to my beloved teacher, mentor, and friend of over three years, I

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never knew the details of her past, because Kate’s message is not about staying stuck in our past or getting caught in dwelling. Still, she is inspired to share as it is a vital part of her soul’s journey. “I come from trauma,” she reveals. “My dad committed suicide when I was five, and my mom had breast cancer for 19 years (before passing). While rooted in the present, Kate expresses gratitude for her early lessons on the nature of loss. “It’s part of my path and part of what brought me to where I am.”

The last few years of her mother’s life marked the beginning of Kate’s spiritual journey. “I would say her dying at 23 was my first gift on my spiritual path.” She lights up when speaking of those last five years with her opera-singer and music teacher mother. “I went home to take care of her for those last five years, and it was awesome. It was the best thing I could have ever done. We had some really beautiful healing.” A previously unknown spiritual world opened to Kate at 23 in the wake of losing her mother. “I was tapping into the light, the divine, at 23. And I was able to communicate with my mom. Whether you want to believe me or not. It was a way for me to heal. It doesn’t really matter what other people think, it was what I needed to heal, as I was not okay after losing my mother.”

These challenging early lessons laid the foundation for the healing tools she began to develop that she now shares with her tribe.

I met Kate when I was a fresh-face to Boulder at age 24. I instantly connected with her guidance,

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PROFILES / Teachers

START SPEAKING FOR YOUR SPIRIT, START SPEAKING FROM YOUR SOUL. WHEN YOU TEACH YOGA, TEACH FROM THOSE PLACES IN YOUR PRACTICE THAT INSPIRE YOU.

yoga, and message of using breath, connecting to the power of the natural world, and going deep within to find healing. After I continued showing up to her classes, I soon felt an enormous amount of love both from and for this woman, my teacher. She continues to guide me to build the foundation of a strong yoga practice, access and transform old wounds, and believe in myself.

“I am here to show you the healer that you are,” was something Kate said in class just a few weeks ago, that I think sums up her approach as a teacher and why so many are magnetized to her presence. Her eye contact alone penetrates layers of self-doubt and brings myself and others to the place of soul, our truest essence, and purpose.

Yoga brought Kate to be the powerful leader she is today, since her discovery of yoga tapes on VCR as a teenager and early classes at gyms. It was hot yoga that took Kate’s practice and more importantly, her love of yoga to the next level. She lights up when up describing those early days of discovering transformation through asana. ”I found Hot Yoga! That was my first real step”, she says with an epiphany. It was quickly a source of inner confidence. “It was so beautiful for me and I was good at it!” Kate giggles. She also spotted her own potential for being a great teacher. “I think one of the most powerful things about being a student was watching a teacher teach and saying to myself ‘I can do that’, I deeply believed I could.” Although remaining humble, Kate knew early on she was gifted enough to teach. It was years later before she began walking the path of a teacher.

Years passed before divorce brought her back to yoga, more dedicated than before. “Leaving my marriage was yet another challenging transition beckoned by spirit.” Again, a potent time of transition, loss, and change was the compost

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for Kate’s evolution. “I would not be where I am at today if I did not step away and it was scary as hell and I fell, thousands of times.” Yoga crept back in while she was looking for additional work and finding her feet as a single mother. “A friend suggested I get a job at CorePower with their nutritional programs.” She laughs explaining their response. “Nope, no nutrition job, but we’ve got this teacher training. A hot teacher training.” Kate rediscovered the confidence she embodied early on. “Five years ago I thought hey I probably could do this,” and she could. “I stepped into this training and it came so naturally to me.”

In that first hot training Kate met her then-boyfriend; a connection that steered her in the direction of Forrest yoga. “We had a beautiful connection of being able to support teaching yoga together. He was the first guy after my divorce that could really see me.” He was her pathway into the magic of Forrest yoga.

“He was in a Forrest teacher training. I had never done Forrest yoga.”

Training with Ana Forrest was a turning point, as Kate combined the spiritual gifts she experienced after her mother’s death and her confidence teaching yoga into a real tool to share with others. She stepped into her power as a healer for the first time during Forrest teacher training. “That was a powerful journey. That for sure changed my path. Ana Forrest was the first one who recognized and reminded me of the healer that I am,” she grins. “I got some really special time with Ana. I remember one time I was practice teaching and she looked at me and said ‘What was that?’ She saw my power, when I didn’t yet see it. She knew the power I was stepping into. I didn’t know that woman yet.”

Kate uses yoga as a ritual to guide others to their spirit in her unique offerings, instead of focusing merely on perfect technique, anatomy, and rigidity. “I love

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mentoring others to help them find their spirit voice. Sure we have to all know cues, but unless we believe what we’re saying our students won’t connect in our yoga class. Start speaking for your spirit, start speaking from your soul. When you teach yoga, teach from those places in your practice that inspire you.” This comes across clearly in her classes. She infuses her sessions with the power of the seven-directions, native teachings, and sound healing. It is not uncommon to hear students sighing, roaring, and audibly releasing stuck patterns in their bodies during Kate’s classes.

She sees asana as a tool for profound personal transformation and her classes are anything but ordinary. “As a teacher, we don’t hold the room, universal flow holds the room. You ask for help from the divine.” That message is at her core. It is not her doing the healing work, she is showing students how to do it themselves with the help of source energy.

While humbled by the potency of yoga, nothing is more powerful for Kate than nature. “My greatest teacher is mother earth. Done. Period.” It is her sanctuary to reset her energy so she can serve her community. “As a sensitive I need to be in nature, because mother nature is always in balance. Human chaos, emotional chaos is always coming at us, so it’s our job to reset ourselves. Mother nature knows how to rebalance us.” Nature’s greatest blessing is that we are a part of it. It dissolves the veil of separation. “Next time you are in mother nature, take a moment, and allow her beauty to connect into your heart center, instantly you will feel connected.” She goes on to explain the importance connecting with nature as human beings.

“Being separate creates suffering. When you see through the illusion of separateness, when you see

that you are part of it all, you are not alone, you are supported, that’s when you start to heal.” Anyone who spends a meaningful moment with Kate can feel the Earth’s influence in her strength. And her deep love for reminding others of it’s beauty and ability to support us.

The nature of Boulder, Colorado has been pertinently profound for many who have come to Kate in recent years. “In Boulder, many people come here that don’t even realize they have come here to heal. They didn’t even know they needed to be healed! That’s the power of this place.” Nature gets us back to our soul and less wrapped up in our egos. That is Kate’s mission on the planet. “I can see deeply into soul. Healing is not easy, it’s often really uncomfortable and messy. You have to be ready, and more and more people are coming to me ready step into this work.”

Still, Kate emphasizes the importance learning any healing modality with the proper tools to shield, clear, and protect oneself. “We need protection.

Sometimes we don’t know how to work with the energies that be.” This is especially true if you are a sensitive being. There can be danger in taking on any unwanted energy from others. “If you are intuitive and you are not taught properly how to use your gifts how to shut them down that is the danger zone. You will deplete yourself.” Three years ago she learned the significance of this lesson when she got sick repeatedly. “No one could make sense of it. I do not drink or do drugs, I eat clean.”

This illness almost led to death. She explains it as a “spiritual purge” which brought her face to face with why she is committed to being on this planet.

“I had a choice laying there. I decided, hell no, I’m not going to die today. It was from that moment

forward I made an agreement with the divine that I was going to do everything in my power to stay on this planet.”

To know Kate is to appreciate her. She is unapologetic for why she is here, not ashamed to speak her mind, and so overwhelmingly loving. The following she has amassed is growing, spreading, and her message of resetting is beneficial for us all. “I have a commitment to the divine, I have a commitment to this planet, I have a commitment to this work. Those are my three commitments. That’s all I know. That’s been my journey. This work has allowed to me not deplete myself.”

2015 has ushered in an expansive time for Kate, as she finds herself being called by Universe to offer teachings and workshops in various beautiful places throughout the world. You can find her in June hosting a Summer Solstice Ceremony under the stars in Boulder CO, or the following week in Ojai, California, where she will be co-facilitating a weekend retreat to support people in exploring their soul path through the practice and wisdom of yoga and astrology, Soul Radiance. In July, Kate is thrilled to be teaching at Wanderlust Aspen where she will be offering wildly popular Chakra series, as well as Native Teachings for the Sensitive Self and she will also be guest teaching at the Ra Yoga Studio Teacher Training in Costa Mesa California later in the month. In November, she will be co-facilitating a retreat in Ojai with her beloved teacher Trudy and there are plans in the works for retreats in Seattle, Fiji and Greece for 2016. You can find information on all of Kate’s workshops and retreats on her website katemulheron.com or on Facebook.

MOTHER NATURE KNOWS HOW TO REBALANCE US.

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PROFILES / Studios

Meta Yoga Studios

The Hidden Yoga Studio WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR STUDIO? We offer smaller class sizes with exceptionally well trained and experienced teachers in a beautiful environment. Each student receives individual attention, instruction and adjustments. Whether you are a beginner looking for clear, precise instruction in a supportive, non-competitive environment, or an intermediate student looking for knowledgeable teachers who can help you take your practice to the next level, you will find it here. When you’re ready to go deep, Our Sadhana West teacher training and Yoga Immersion programs have earned 5 stars from Yoga Alliance. Veterans get first 4 classes free.

WHAT IS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY AND COMING TOGETHER TO PRACTICE? WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR STUDIO? The cornerstones of Meta’s foundation are Seva, Kula, Authenticity and Transformation. Meta Yoga Studio’s opened its doors November 2010 as the only dedicated yoga studio in downtown Breckenridge and currently continues to serve the community and expand its reach beyond the four walls through community outreach programs. The front door is a portal for many as they transition from their hectic day into this sacred nourishing space. Guests are welcomed as part of the family and invited to show up as they are. The staff, gathering from around the globe, are encouraged to share their talents and extensive knowledge through their own unique style. At 9,600 ft., overlooking the Ten Mile Range, MYS has been touted as one of the best views from a yoga mat.

WHAT IS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY AND COMING TOGETHER TO PRACTICE? There is something very powerful about practicing in community. Practicing together stimulates a memory that not only are we all connected, but also we are all on our own unique journey, with many similarities. Group yoga classes remind us of the supportive community we live in and to not take ourselves so seriously and be in gratitude for the lives that we are living.

WHAT KIND OF YOGA DO YOU OFFER: The diverse cliental can exercise body, mind and spirit through a variety of styles and teachers. Meta offers “Yoga for Every Body”. Daily classes available from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. include the full gamut of styles from Kundalini, Classical Hatha and Tantra, to Vinyasa and Power Flow, Hot, Fundamentals, Restorative, Meditation, Gentle and Yin. Seasonal comprehensive YA Certified 200hr Teacher Training Programs and summer daily Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga classes and SUP YTT also available.

When like-minded souls come together to practice the collective Shakti propels everyone forward. There is power in community. It’s all about love, and creating an environment where people feel free to explore, to ask the big questions or simply to be silent and still, and rest in the beauty of their own heart and soul.

WHAT KIND OF YOGA DO YOU OFFER? We offer vinyasa flow, foundations, restorative and gentle yoga, in a comfortable (not hot) room. Our flow classes range from slow and gentle to dynamic and challenging. Our teachers are trained and certified in Jivamukti yoga, Baron Baptiste, Para Yoga, Tantra, Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar and a host of other specialty certifications and styles. Most of our classes include either meditation, dharma, chanting, pranayama or a combination of these. This Fall we will offer specialty classes for Veterans, first responders and Aid Workers dealing with PTS, Pre-Natal Yoga and Yoga for Menopause.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOGA IS MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD? The more people who learn to have a peaceful, calm, tranquil and inwardly flowing mind, the more compassionate and enlightened the society. We are holding the space for our families, friends and communities during a period of great change and yoga is helping to create a worldwide movement of global cooperation and community based on the understanding that we are truly “All One”. Hari Om, Om Tat Sat.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOGA IS MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD? Yoga is increasingly affecting positive change on many levels, from the individual consciousness spiraling out to the global kula. From the outside in, the practice of yoga helps us to feel good in our skin, and something shifts positively in how we show up off our mats. Yoga sparks curiosity, awareness, compassion and connection. Transformation happens as the movement of prana wakes and shakes things up in both our internal and external worlds.

breckenridge, COlorado / metayogastudios.com

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Niwot, COlorado / thehiddenyogastudio.com

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Volo Yoga Studio

Volo Yoga has partnered with Pura Vida Fitness and Spa to simultaneously launch the next evolution in practice of yoga. Volo Yoga, a form of aerial yoga, is a purposeful cross training and restorative method designed for the athlete, yet accessible and beneficial for all. The classes have a progression easing the practitioner safely to the next level at their own pace.

Yogadurango

Yogadurango, located in the picturesque mountain town of Durango, has been in successful operation since 2006. With two locations, Yogadurango serves the community as a place to connect, grow and learn both on an interpersonal and intrapersonal level.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR STUDIO? A studio in the air, with the world’s leading state of the art suspension equipment imported from Italy, the Queenax System designed as a solution suspension fitness and aerial yoga in the same practice space.

The studio is situated on the fourth floor of Denver’s premier health and spa club home to some of the top trainers in the nation, members are able to find a balanced training program of innovative fitness and yoga programs. Pura Vida offers 60 yoga classes a week in two studios as part of the membership.

WHAT IS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY AND COMING TOGETHER TO PRACTICE? Having that common sanctuary to see familiar faces and friends and share a space with those who have parallel intentions and goals.

WHAT KIND OF YOGA DO YOU OFFER? Volo Yoga; a new and purposeful practice of aerial yoga with four signature methods; Volo Restore, Float, Flow and Invert.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOGA IS MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD? Yoga is helping our planet’s collective consciousness reach a higher level of mindfulness, while improving the physical health and balanced lifestyle of the individual practitioner.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR STUDIO? We strive to make our studio a welcoming place to be. Our aesthetically beautiful, clean studios enhance the practice environment but are without extra bling and embellishments. We prioritize our relationships with our clients, getting to know them authentically and developing healthy, supportive relationships. We want our clients to feel that they are known and accepted regardless of their experience with yoga.

WHAT IS THE POWER OF COMMUNITY AND COMING TOGETHER TO PRACTICE? When we are open to others getting to know all parts of who we are, we are also welcoming support into our lives. When we practice together, we are creating a collective energy that recognizes pure potential. We breathe together, om together, put sincere effort and action into our practices and we find calm together. We simplify and see one another through greater clarity in the mind and hold space in a relaxed body.

WHAT KIND OF YOGA DO YOU OFFER? We empower our instructors to teach what they love, practice, and know. Because of this philosophy a sampling of classes on our schedule looks like: beginner, prenatal, ashtanga, hatha, yin, bhakti, and vinyasa.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOGA IS MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORLD? Whenever we are realizing more about ourselves, we make a difference. We require quiet spaces to clear the mind, release the dramas, and be clear enough to see purpose and path. When we decide to live in the present, honor our purpose and share our gifts, we change the space around us.

denver, COlorado / voloyoga.com

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durango, COlorado / yogadurango.com

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PROFILES / Studios

GERRY & NICOLE

wienholt Colorado Yoga Visionaries

Gerry & Nicole Wienholt, franchise owners of the YogaPod, sat down with Colorado Yoga Magazine to discuss abundance, creating a vision, and their love of yoga.

What does abundance mean to you?

GERRY: We love to refer to abundance in the Latin ‘abundantia’ (pronounced a-boon-don-chia). What it means to us is an openness to the resources that abound everywhere and an openness to be in alignment to the universe to create the channel where abundance can touch our lives. It begins with the whole philosophy and mentality that we believe there is an ad infinitum supply and the universe is generous versus this scarcity mentality, where often in the instinct of human survival it’s more natural to feel the need to stack horde and accumulate. Nicole and I are committed to resisting that. To open our hearts to know there is so much and it’s better to give.

NICOLE: We tend to err on the side of generosity, which is an oxymoron, of course. How can we give. We try to be generous with everything; our teachers our business, our friends.

G: That’s it. With the abundance mentality, it helps us with any temptation to allow competition in our industry to affect us negatively. That’s a huge piece of it. It allows us to understand the concept and philosophy of abundance so we are not inhibited. So we are not allowing fear to control our actions and decisions. Abundance is huge.

N: As long we are doing the right thing and feel confident and secure in what we are we doing we will be successful in a positive way and a very natural, loving way. When we are doing what we do in the spirit of love and generosity, we are set.

What is your advice on creating a vision and manifesting it?

N: It’s essential to write down your vision and write it in present tense. That’s the paradox - we write it in the present tense but it’s about the future. Writing it in future tense could cause a sense of procrastination. If you write it in the present tense, it’s more likely to create a sense of urgency. And then the more you can share your vision with your circle and with others the more the resources will come if you stay true to your vision. It’s perseverance really, it’s sticking with it long enough to allow the reward to happen and to allow your vision to open up in front of your eyes. What happens a lot of times with people is they get impatient and then they convince themselves it was not meant to be, that is wasn’t in the cards for them and they move onto another idea.

Instead of just knowing this is my path and revisiting that vision constantly and keeping it in your soul and spirit, it is really important.

G: Vision correlates with mission for us. Mission is symbolic of the clock - how we invest our time. And vision is symbolic of the compass - the direction we are going. As Nicole said we write this vision down. And we do it based on a hierarchy of roles. We consider every role we want to have in our personal and professional life, and it’s either roles that we currently have. Husband, wife, business owners, yoga teacher, consultants. Or the roles we desire to have.

Because vision is about the future. A conundrum but a powerful conundrum.

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COMMUNITY IS THE LIFELINE OF OUR BUSINESS. That phenomenon of shared vision where you raise the awareness of the vision, and resources seemingly come from nowhere, it comes from the law of abundance. Resources seemingly come from nowhere to help you achieve your vision. That phenomenon is lost to anyone who does not have a vision or has not articulated their vision, which is a real missed opportunity. So, we cherish it, we value it. Every year we go away late in the year, usually in December, and cast a new vision for the new year, so its a revising of the vision. It’s all about to see. It’s what we long to see, what we hope for, what we long for. Born from the vision are our goals, although again, it’s all written in present tense. We go through the vision line by line and see what is not a reality today and extract out a goal from the vision and then put the goals in short term and long term. Short term are our goals for the next 12 months and long term is a two to five year plan. And from that comes the action plan. It goes from the macro to the micro. Tactical to practical. Mission, vision, goal, and action plan. That is how we live our life. It’s all positive, and rooted in the realm of reality. Positivity is a huge part of this. The composition of all those roles written about in present tense, comprises of this vision.

Why do you love yoga?

N: Oh gosh, what’s not to love about yoga. It’s for everybody. Everybody and every body. It’s nondiscriminating. It’s such a beautiful way to express movement and breath, which is crucial. Our body craves breath and oxygen. Our body needs that to survive and thrive. Not just the breath we take walking down the street, but the time we take to be with our body in our practice and meditation. And that quality breathing that we actually get to enjoy.

Our body just needs that. It just leads to being a healthier person in so many ways. My body craves it. The movement, the lengthening of muscles, and the being.

G: I think for both of us, what it means to us is lifestyle. It’s not something we do, it’s something we are. It’s not so much this practice as a state of being.

N: It changes you. Once you have a solid practice it definitely changes who you are in a good way.

G: Yes, it’s very transformative.

How has it changed you?

N: What you put in your body changes everything that you do. If you overindulge in anything it affects your activity, your sleep, what you do, your next day.

Yoga makes you more conscious of what you put in.

And to me moving on my mat feels so good.

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More than that it has definitely brought me to a place of more peace and calm. I don’t feel rushed, I don’t want to feel rushed. I want my life to feel at a much easier pace. I want to just be able to breathe through each day and not feel like I have to rush from thing to thing. And I feel way more compassionate than I did before. I’ve always been a compassionate person, but since my yoga practice I feel like it’s just opened up that whole world to me and I really do feel very compassionate, empathetic, and a little more patient. My practice definitely makes me feel patient.

G: Balance and stretching but not what people think. But the balance that it brings to life off the mat and outside of the yoga room, the priorities in life, and not overindulging and taking just what you need. And the stretching part, yes its the elongation of the muscles, but its the stretching of the mind. Yoga has allowed me to see so many things so different. Politics, socioeconomic things, I feel so stretched in philosophy.

N: If you allow your practice to get past the physical and into the spiritual realm, it does, it opens door and stretches you in ways that you never thought were possible.

G: Spiritual stretching. Seeing it differently.

Why is community so important to you?

N: Community is one of our seven values at the Yoga Pod and when we list our values it is one of the first ones we list. It’s amazing the relationships we see take place in the yoga studio. After class, the connections that are made are so rich. Community is the lifeline of our business.

G: The word unity within community is the huge piece that makes us so happy. So we can bring the synergy, the unity, the likemindedness together and do extraordinary things that you could never do by yourself.

What inspires you?

G: The word inspire comes from in spirit. What inspires me and Nicole is the love we have for people.

What we love is the spirit of people. Who they really are. We just love people.

N: It’s being around people. Feeding off the energy of others. I feel like when I walk into a yoga room, whether I am practicing or teaching, right away I just get this hit. That is inspiring to me. Loving people and honoring people in our lives.

G:: The potential we have to impact people with love and care and encouragement.

What is the hardest part of being studio/ franchise owners?

N: It’s bandwidth. There isn’t much that we don’t love.

G: We would not have it any other way. We are choosing this. We are expanding.

Why is it important to be authentic?

G: Shakespeare says, “to thy own self be true”. I don’t know any other way to live. To be real. Naturally it translates to the credibility you have. But that’s not the reason. If you’re not real with yourself it compromises integrity, that is, what you say and what you do should be integrated. If you don’t have that integration with yourself, I don’t know how you can have it with the world. I think authenticity is who you are and how comfortable you are with who you are and your calling and your standing in the universe. It’s difficult to have quality impact, it’s difficult to be credible if you’re not authentic, especially in public roles.

N: The yoga business is a very emotional business.

People are tender. Fortunately, authenticity for us is pouring love. I can’t help it. It’s who we are and we can’t be any other way. This business just demands love and compassion and that is just authentically who we are.

How do yoga and business support each other?

N: As we franchise and as we grow we instill in our franchise partners that there are three things that we look for. The first thing is that they love people.

Really really important. Second thing is that they love yoga. And the third thing is that they love business. You need to first, have that passion for people and be compassionate. And then, you have to know how to run a business. You have to have some element of love for business to make it successful. If you put your heart and soul into it, it will be successful, without having to try really hard. It always comes back to authenticity. Just be who you are and if that shines bright right out of you without any kind of force, then the rest comes.

G: We are very entrepreneurial in nature, we are going to be in business no matter what. That is our calling, passion, longing, mission - all synonyms. Because we love business and we love yoga we combine that. I came from this franchise background, business background. Nicole came with this lifestyle of balance, discipline, yoga, and vegetarianism. It was like, let’s take your knowledge and passion for yoga, with my knowledge of business and franchising, and let’s do this. Let’s marry the two.

N: I knew what I wanted to be. It comes back to vision. I knew what I wanted to do. And I put the wheels in motion.

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PROFILES / Entrepreneurs

PHOTO: CARL KERRIDGE

IT’S THE END OF YOGA AS WE KNOW IT, AND I FEEL FINE.

Talking with

waylon lewis about yoga and media BY: JESSICA DURIVAGE-KERRIDGE

It would not be a far stretch to give Waylon Lewis a big nod as the guy who helped to put yoga on the internet. He is the man behind the screen at elephantjournal.com. He is the soon-to-be author of the upcoming book, Things I Would Like to Do With You, and he recently wrapped a successful Kickstarter campaign that is not only funding his book, but also his new venture, Elephant Books - a mindful, eco-book publishing company. There are countless websites, dozens of “yoga rockstars” as we know them today and hundreds inspired, half naked yogi gods and goddesses leading retreats on sun soaked beaches of tropical islands - all who got their start over at elephantjournal. com. You know who you are.

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COYOGAMAGAZINE.COM

Elephant Journal is dedicated to the mindful life and Waylon Lewis is at the center of this homegrown, grass roots, sustainable online magazine/ movement. Elephant is what he eats, sleeps and breathes. His relentless dedication to his work has sometimes put him at the center of criticism from others about his website, his opinions, his articles and whatever side of the fence he sits on about certain issues. I guess that’s what happens when what you say matters. Not everyone is gonna like it. But, more often than not, you will most likely find him sitting at The Trident in downtown Boulder, CO, with his bike parked out front, his dog Redford at his feet, a cup of coffee at his side and sharing the latest Google analytic about the site reaching a new milestone.

At the moment, Waylon is enjoying a bit of breathing room around his typical 16-18 hour work days. Elephant is on the rise and with that comes more paid staff, support and (gasp!) more time off. He showed up for our late night interview to talk yoga and media (via Skype) wearing a Howard Dean trucker hat and his slippers. Perfect.

Waylon Lewis: I don’t know what time it is, but I know it’s late, so thanks for doing this!

Jessica Durivage-Kerridge: Hey, you are

welcome! Let’s jump right in. What I find interesting is that there are a lot of people who got their start at elephant journal who are now writing books, running successful yoga websites, teaching at festivals and leading retreats. How has elephant journal or more importantly, how has media and exposure changed yoga?

WL: Yoga has expanded so rapidly ever since the

late 90s. With it’s growth has come a lot of opportunities and a lot of challenges. I think right now we have the best of times. We have the veterans like Cyndi Lee, Richard Freeman, Eric Schiffman - and we also have the yoga stars like Tara Stiles, Kathryn Budig, Rachel Brathen, Seane Corn, with all of this great energy to draw people in. My concern is we will not always have the veterans around. I think in a generation, yoga will be very dumbed down. I don’t think people will have studied in the depth that we have access to now. This concerns me. You know, the vets are more positive than I am, so I will take their lead and just say everything will work out and hope they do. But, when I am out at conferences and festivals I hear more about TV deals and being on the cover of magazines instead of teachers sharing how they went into retreat to do some boring meditation where they can’t Instagram themselves.

JDK: So would you say that the media is helping or hurting the tradition of yoga?

WL: Every single yoga interview I have done has touched on this. I think media and study are two different things. Media, like Instagram, elephant,

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Yoga Journal or TV is like the branches and leaves of a tree, and study and practice are the roots.

It’s great that Instagram is reaching millions and millions of people and inspiring them to do a down dog or go to a class, but practice is something you have to do all the time. I have to practice all the time to learn to be present or deal with my stress or my body issues. The roots need to be paid attention to, too. Media has provided a lot more distraction from the roots. We need to make sure that the CorePowers and the Yoga Pods and the Exhale teacher trainings of the world will really get into the roots so we have something to pass onto the next generation.

JDK: Well, you can’t Instagram yourself meditating.

WL: There is a reason why meditation is not dominating Instagram. It’s the one time of day when you can deal with your speed and your aggression and just be and sit with your mind and your heart and relax. Yoga is wonderful and powerful at that - but yoga is what Buddhists would call a moving meditation. It’s a bit more charismatic.

JDK: How has yoga helped you personally? Do

you have a regular yoga practice? Do you still carry around your 10ft yoga mat?

WL: Well, I retired the Manduka, basically be-

cause I was tired of carrying it around all the time.

Here is a funny story though- my manduka mat saved my life. I was riding my bike and got hit by a car. The car actually hit my Manduka from the side and bounced my bike and me out of the way.

JDK: Wow. I am glad you are OK. WL. Yeah (laughing), well, I didn’t have healthcare for many years so that would have been the end of elephant for sure.

I practice once or twice a week at Yoga Pod in Boulder. I am OK at yoga. I have never been that good or anything. I am relatively flexible. Yoga kicks my ass. I often say that yoga is really hard and not very fun for me because I am dealing with my stiffness. Richard Freeman talks about stiffness as a blessing and “the edge” and not pushing past it aggressively - that is yoga. It opens me up and I feel great for the next week. I go for my mind and my neck and my heart and my breath and my shoulders. I love the feeling after yoga. The feeling during yoga, for me, is hard.

JDK: In your opinion, what does the future for yoga hold?

WL: My hope is that as yoga gets huge in terms

of reach and accessibility, there will also continue to be depth. If there can be more depth and more teaching and more studying from the younger teachers and the new generation, then there will be better classes, fewer injuries, and more progress for the millions of students out there.

That might sound kinda positive. I actually don’t feel that positive about it. I think the general focus for yoga teachers - and I am talking about the celeb yogis here - is career/money/trying to build your Instagram following. All that is fine - but unless something evolves to really focus on the transmission of yoga, then the future of yoga could become nothing more than a piece of our pop culture.

JDK: Jai Waylon.

JDK: What do you think about Yoga Teacher

Trainings and Yoga Conferences moving online?

Is there something that needs to be said about the transmission and passing down wisdom from teacher to student? Can that be done virtually?

WL: The online thing is wonderful - to a cer-

tain degree. You can get a lot, but you can’t get everything from it. You can’t fight fire with fire. The only way to truly enter this powerful path is to slow down and go in with the intention to achieve some depth. You simply cannot accomplish this online alone.

THE ROOTS NEED TO BE PAID ATTENTION TO, TOO. MEDIA HAS PROVIDED A LOT MORE DISTRACTION FROM THE ROOTS.

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lifestyle / Community

COLORADO YOGIS

Unite protect

THE INTEGRITY OF YOGA TEACHER TRAININGS

BY GINA CAPUTO

n November 2014, the Colorado Division of Private Occupational Schools (DPOS) sent out 82 letters to Yoga Teacher Training directors across the state indicating an intention to regulate our educational offerings. To many of us, particularly small studios and independents, the stiff fees and resource overhead to comply would prove to be devastating to our programs, leaving Colorado yogis with limited options for education and higher fees in the programs that survived.

The issue was, do yoga teacher trainings truly fit the description of a post-secondary school providing “occupational education”? Are we primarily providing training or instruction to fit individuals for “gainful employment”? And, could the DPOS’s regulation realistically help prevent “substandard” yoga teacher training? For many Colorado programs, upwards of 50% of people attend avocationally, in other words, with no intention of yoga being their vocation, or main occupation. In most 60-75 minute public yoga asana classes, imparting the deeper dimensions of yoga is a challenge and for students seeking more in-depth education but not a vocation, our “teacher trainings” are the readily available opportunity to do so. Programs that are registered through Yoga Alliance, as the majority in Colorado are, must adhere to their educational standards.

In a 200-hour program, for example, only 35 of the required 180 contact hours are specific to Yoga as a vocation. The remaining 145 hours are broader Yoga education. And while Yoga Alliance provides standards that include required categories of material, they do not go so far as to define an “approved” method or viewpoint, leaving room for the teachers to offer their own.

Unlike Asbestos Training programs, which the

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DPOS currently regulates, Yoga, as a body of knowledge, is incredibly vast with many lineages, methods, and viewpoints. It seemed highly unlikely that the regulatory systems currently in place at the DPOS were up for the task of regulating something as variable as Yoga education and as such, would likely provide no real quality control and only insignificant protection of prospective students.

More likely, the DPOS’s regulation of Yoga Teacher Trainings would be little more than a fee collection system that favored the larger and chain studios who could swallow the associated financial and administrative burdens.

Yoga Alliance got wind of our plight and hired a local law firm and lobbyist to represent the interests of Colorado yoga teacher trainings.

Their initial attempt to communicate with the DPOS about the dissimilar nature of our offerings to the vocational schools they regulate was met with an insistence that the only ways around their regulation were to become a religious institution or to get a state law passed to exempt us.

Their next step was to rally Colorado yogis behind their effort to pass a bill to exempt Yoga Teacher Training from state regulation. The mission required that yogis across the state from all different lineages and philosophies come together en masse to communicate with our legislators

about Senate Bill 15-186. In support of this, the Facebook group “Colorado Yogis Against DPOS Regulation” was born. Within 24 hours, the group had 600 members and within a week, that number had grown to over 1100 strong. Suddenly, our union made Colorado yogis a force to be reckoned with! Our lobbyist, Matt Knoedler of Denver’s Squire Patton Boggs, insisted the most impactful thing we could do to affect state legislation was to write letters to our district senators and representatives asking them to support our bill. And though many of us were dubious and deeply concerned it wasn’t enough, we wrote. And we emailed. And called. And we asked

COLORADO YOGIS CAME TOGETHER, WE CREATED UNION, WE PRACTICED YOGA IN SPITE OF OUR DIVERSITY IN APPROACH, PHILOSOPHY AND OPINION AND ACTIVATED CHANGE.

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everyone we knew to do the same. And then we did it again. And legislators from both sides of the aisle began to notice the size and letter-writing power of our grass-roots campaign.

In late February, an impassioned group of Colorado yogis including students, teachers, studio owners, and training directors took our group’s position in testimony first to the Senate Education Committee, culminating in the bill passing unanimously and Committee Chairman Senator Owen Hill doing crow pose on the desk! Next up, our letters and the tireless support from our bipartisan bill Sponsors (Senators Laura Woods (R), Lucia Guzman (D), Cheri Jahn (D)) resulted in our bill passing the full Senate, 34-1. Across the state, in studios large and small, we kept writing.

And emailing. And calling. We came back to the Capitol a few weeks later to testify in front of the House Education Committee where we heard our first testimony from the bill opposition and also from the DPOS. After a nerve-racking hour and a half and no guarantees, our incredible champions in the House (Representatives Alec Garnett (D) and Tim Dore (R)) pushed for a vote and it passed 10-1. Tears of joy were shed and victorious fists were raised high in the Capitol that day! After a final push of letters, emails and phone calls from yogis, the bill made its way to the full House where it passed 63-1. And, on April 16th, Governor

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Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 15-186 to exempt Yoga Teacher Trainings from DPOS regulation into Colorado law.

Many yogis that rejected DPOS regulation and supported this law were not indicating a blanket acceptance of current systems and standards or lack thereof. Our industry, like every other, deserves a thorough and critical introspective look from time to time to evaluate how well we are serving our communities. This ordeal certainly begs the questions: Are our business practices and safety standards such that students are at risk for fraud

or harm? What are our main motivations in offering yoga teacher training? Are our program directors and lead faculty highly educated and broadly experienced? Is the quality of our programming meeting or exceeding the expectations of our students?

This is our next step.

Colorado yogis came together, we created union, we practiced YOGA in spite of our diversity in approach, philosophy, and opinion and activated change. Together, we created an opportunity for the community at large to rise up and to elevate yoga education from within.

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lifestyle / Community

to yoga TO YOGA

BY AIESHA TEAGUE

in INNER-CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Science Backs Mindfulness Curriculum in Improving Student Lives & Academic Outcomes 28

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indful educators are bringing yoga and meditation into classrooms in urban Colorado’s low-income neighborhoods and the results are promising.

“It’s so simple, let kids move, help them take big belly breaths – which we know calms the parasympathetic nervous system — and then give them a break from the stress,” says Aiesha Teague, who teaches free mindful movement, meditation and relaxation classes to children in Denver and Boulder public schools. “Even outside recess has its stressors. These kids are taking in so much they’re ready to burst; so we give them time to breathe, relax, process and be safe. Principals, teachers and even parents saw a need in students for down time and less stimulation. The kids were just stressed out.

Once we start teaching yoga in schools, the program always grows.”

Time is seemingly the biggest obstacle in getting these programs off the ground in each school. “These teachers have so much to fit into a day, and the kiddos are overworked, overstressed,” she says. “We make time because it’s actually saving children’s lives, but it’s challenging with testing, assignments, assessments and extracurriculars (to fit in yoga).”

Still, a space in the school day to allow children to learn, coexist and find peace, make it worth the incredibly hard work of fitting more into a child’s daily routine, says Teague.

One of the most-lauded studies backing the use of yoga for children, conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, found preschoolers who participated in attention, breath and body-based curriculum performed higher in academia and showed improvements in areas that predict later-life success than kids who did not. “There was a strong interest in looking at cultivating qualities of compassion and kindness,” says the study’s author Lisa Flook, a CIHM scientist. “Knowing how critical these skills are at an early age, if there are ways to promote them, it could help set kids on a more positive life trajectory. It’s something that’s so simple and it allows them to experience internal quietness and a sense of calm.”

Modern science is now backing the call for more yoga and meditation in schools. A 2011 study from Harvard found that a mere eight weeks of daily meditation physically alters the brain’s grey matter, increasing density in the hippocampus (linked to memory and learning) and decreasing density in the amygdala (associated with stress and anxiety). There has been a 79% reduction in suspensions at Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco after four years of daily meditation. A 2009 study by the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology cites an 80% reduction in adolescents’ mental health problems. A 2013 study by the

PRESCHOOLERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN ATTENTION, BREATH, AND BODY-BASED CURRICULUM PERFORMED HIGHER IN ACADEMIA AND SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN AREAS THAT PREDICT LATER-LIFE SUCCESS THAN KIDS WHO DID NOT.

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lifestyle / Community

Journal of Positive Psychology of low-income students practicing a once weekly meditation, yoga and breathing has seen increased attendance, academic performance reductions in bullying and self-harm rates. Perhaps more profound has been a noticeable decline in hyperactive and ADHD symptoms.

“It increases quiet time, quiet minds, throughout the day, not just during practice,” says Teague. “We say ‘peaceful thoughts, peaceful words, peaceful actions,’ and our kiddos practice that all day long. They’re proud to tell us about how they shared their yoga during the day.”

WE SAY ‘PEACEFUL THOUGHTS, PEACEFUL WORDS, PEACEFUL ACTIONS,’ AND OUR KIDDOS PRACTICE THAT ALL DAY LONG. THEY’RE PROUD TO TELL US ABOUT HOW THEY SHARED THEIR YOGA DURING THE DAY.

The amygdala, responsible for emotional responses, plays an important role in the sometimes erratic behavior adults witness in preteens at a time when their emotional development jumps ahead of that of their language and self-expression development. Meditation helps bring balance and gives young children the tools to communicate their feelings in safe ways by increasing self-awareness, replacing anxiety, stress and depression with perspective, focus and peace.

“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persists throughout the day,” says study senior author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology. “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

With the average children’s class falling between 25 minutes and an hour, yoga stands to give all children, but especially those who meet life’s challenges early, a mental advantage over their peers, says Teague. “Kids don’t just try something once,” Teague says. “If you give them this tool, show them that they have a little bit of control, they keep revisiting that. We might not see it immediately, especially in teens, but we watch them use what they learn when they really need it. That’s all of the proof we need.”

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BY LAUREN FERRIER 32

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lifestyle / Community

Brewery Yoga grows in Colorado, integrating tradition with contemporary, and teaching students to find a higher self within reality.

n Colorado, our love for yoga has become visible in some interesting places. We chatauranga at Red Rocks, tree-pose on 11,000 ledges, and forward bend with skis on our feet. Now, many are chanting the sounds of Om to the sound of buzzing beer kettles at increasingly popular brewery yoga classes around the state.

In February 2013, brewery yoga was introduced in metropolitan Denver. The inclusive nature of breweries and the creativity of such yoga venues has united a diverse group of yogis from all experience levels, lifestyles, and ages. In the process, the beginnings of mutually beneficial partnerships between local breweries and yoga teachers have formed.

Walking barefoot onto a cold cement floor as you roll out your yoga mat with the smell of freshly brewed beer in the backdrop, entering a brewery yoga class feels markedly unique in its setting. The people practicing are an assortment of college students, families, brewery regulars, and others. All walks of life come together to begin their mornings in downward facing dog and start their afternoons with a cold beer in hand talking to a new friend.

This is brewery yoga.

Over two years ago, Mark Stefanowski, cofounder of Outlaw Yoga, began a weekly tradition of yoga and beer Sundays at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont. Serving as a power yoga community intended for the modern yogi, Outlaw’s classes are taught to rock and roll classics like “Cherry Pie” by 1980s metal band, Warrant.

A company that produces the clothing for both Outlaw Yoga and Oskar Blues inspired the con-

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lifestyle / Community

nection, and the brewery scene quickly became Stefanowski’s home for teaching. Aiming to work in an environment that best suited his beer-drinking, Harley riding, rock ‘n’ roll loving self, he brought his teaching into a bar. In turn, Stefanowski brought in people who had never before stepped foot in a yoga studio. He fills the space with positive energy, a raucous style, and pure enthusiasm as he shouts words of encouragement, while jumping between mats. “Each and every one of you has something to offer,” he says. “And today, yogis, I challenge you to step up and be the bright light in your community.”

Denver local, Jonathan Findley, makes a 45-minute commute on Sunday mornings just to attend his class. “I started coming here right after Thanksgiving a couple of years ago,” he said. “I was looking for something, but I didn’t know what. The more I came, the more I wanted to come back. It has changed my life.”

Since his 2013 debut at Oskar Blues, Stefanowski has expanded his teaching to neighboring breweries, including Sanitas Brewing Co. in Boulder, and 38 State Brewing Company in Littleton. The fact that the brewery classes are also donation-based makes the lessens the barrier of cost in getting people

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on a yoga mat. A monthly schedule can be found on the brand’s website at outlawyoga.com.

The positive trend of brewery yoga is growing and others are spreading this work too. In January 2014, Boulder-based yoga teacher, Jenna Bee, continued the brewery yoga trend and teamed up with Sanitas Brewing Co. for a weekly Tuesday night class. Although her and Stefanowski share the same goal of encouraging a regular yoga practice, her classes are taught in a slightly more traditional style (if traditional means doing yoga next to a 40-foot stack of beer cans). Bee is confident that when it comes to yoga, the first step is to get people through the door. She recognizes the reality that some people may be more comfortable at the brewery than at a quiet, pristine yoga studio. The beer is a great trick and added bonus. “It offers a new dimension for people who already include beer in their reality,” she says. “My goal is to create a situation where we don’t need to escape all the way. Hopefully, we can just find windows of escape within our own existence.”

Student Andrew J. Coate has been attending her classes since they started over a year ago. “I find it easier to focus on my practice with all the noises and

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MANY ARE CHANTING THE SOUNDS OF OM TO THE SOUND OF BUZZING BEER KETTLES AT INCREASINGLY POPULAR BREWERY YOGA...

distractions around me,” he says.

“It’s often a challenging workout and then my friends and I go have a beer afterward. We call it ‘Detox, Retox.’”

Bee offers a one-hour vinyasa flow class for $15, which includes a beer at the end. For patrons who do not drink alcohol, non-alcoholic beer and kombucha are available. Her schedule can be found at jennabeeyoga.com.

Bee recently inspired her friend and teacher, Tracey Garcia, to start up brewery yoga in her own community of Falcon, a small ranching town outside of Colorado Springs. In May 2015, Garcia began a weekly Tuesday night yoga class at JAKs Brewing Co. in Peyton. She shares a similar goal to Bee, in creating a greater sense of connection, community, and positivity. “With this being a ranching and military community, it can be a little harder sometimes to get a man into a yoga class,” she says. “It’s a really great way to bring a whole new vibe to yoga.” Her classes are $10 for yoga and a beer, and her schedule can be found at yogabytracey.com Brewery yoga in Colorado is getting more people to fall in love with this ancient practice in a unique, accessible, and connected way. Less important than the beer, is the success of this concept in getting people to come together. Furthermore, it supports the growth and creates community among two keynote sectors of the Colorado entrepreneurial community; breweries and yoga teachers.

At it’s core brewery yoga is another experience available for everyday people celebrate being alive with one another while getting to delight in both disciple and indulgence.

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lifestyle / Home MAHARISHI VASTU HOME IN AUSTRALIA. PHOTO © 2013, PRANA WORLD DEVELOPMENTS AND DESIGN

EAST IS BEST Yoga for the home

hat is yoga for our home? How does a Vedic home strengthen our yoga practice?

Our homes should nourish and harmonize with our physiology--after all, they’re an extension of it. The Vedic tradition of architecture teaches us how to do this, and modern science is beginning to give us a glimpse into why it works....

Our physiology is controlled by our brain, and, believe it or not, brains are affected by the direction we face. Several biomedical animal studies have found that neurons of the thalamus, deep in the brain, communicate differently based on the directions the head is facing. The thalamus is a critical part of the mind-body connection as it’s an intermediary between the prefrontal cortex and the body, as well as the controller of our limbic system, which regulates growth, aging, and responses to stress.

The Vedic tradition teaches us that there is a best direction to face for key activities, such as yoga, work, and sleep. Regardless of where on the planet you are the best direction is always east, the direction of the rising sun, the direction the surface of the earth is travelling, the direction from which the cosmos approach us every day. Published research reveals that the direction in which people sleep correlates with incidence of depression and anxiety in just the way that the Vedic literature predicts.

And, because our home is an extension of our body the orientation of our dwelling affects our mind and body as well.

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BY JON LIPMAN, AIA

“Living in a Vedic home has brought a wonderful softening and deepening effect on my yoga practice,” says Eva Norlyk Smith, Ph.D., an Iowa-based yoga teacher and writer.

Here, too, east is best, and the ancient Vedic texts say that south is the worst building orientation as it is associated with problems and suffering. Studies validate that those who live in south-facing homes have worse mental health, are more likely to be under the care of a cardiologist, and even are less prosperous. We want the physiology of our homes to resonate with the physiology of planet Earth in order to avoid these damaging influences. Even east light in our homes—from east-facing windows—improves our health.

Since the sun generates different energies at different times of the day, yoga for the home locates rooms so that the different energies of the sun enhance the functions of each room. Just as there is a right place for each organ in our bodies, there is an optimal place in a house for different activities—for instance, cooking is best done in the southeast part of the house, where the Vedic texts suggest that the transformative power of digestive fire, agni in Sanskrit, is greatest. Likewise, we benefit from doing yoga and meditating in the northeast part of the home, where an influence of transcendence deepens our practice.

When we live in such a home we live in harmony with the deepest structural level of nature. The ancient texts tell us this nourishes our physical health, happiness, family harmony, success in our work, and growth to enlightenment.

I’m an architect who has practiced yoga and meditation daily for most of my life, so it was inevitable that I would search for the connection between building design and the inner peace that yoga cultivates. I discovered the connection when I learned that the Indian sage Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had introduced to the US the ancient system of Vedic architecture, which we now refer to as Maharishi Vastu architecture. (Vastu is a Sanskrit term referring to the qualities

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DAVID AND JENOA NAVARRETTE AT HOME

of balance and coherence that are maintained in the structures of nature.) I’ve been studying and practicing this system for eighteen years, and I’ve found that the Vedas give us guidance to create powerful yoga for our homes.

We’ve had hundreds of clients now and yes, they are reporting just the changes in their lives that the Vedic literature predicts: Longtime yoga practitioner David Navarrete told me, “There’s a sweetness and order that permeates Vastu. I’ve noticed it over time in the silent harmony that permeates anything I do at home. In Vastu there’s a deeper resonance indoors. Whether I’m working in my office, reading intently, or listening to music, each experience carries an aura of purposefulness, as if the environment was attuned to my intention. I experience a pervasive feeling that makes me feel grounded, settled, as if I were part of a much larger, unseen environment.”

The comment I hear from almost every family that live in Maharishi Vastu homes is that they feel more at home than they’ve ever felt in a home before.

While some of these homes are large, others are tiny, and the effect of living in either seems to be the same. I think that what underlies this experience is that a Vastu home is an expression of the same deep levels of natural law that organize our own physiology—Vastu really is yoga for the home.

I’m often asked what can be done to integrate the effects of Vedic architecture into an existing home or apartment. As long as a house faces one of the cardinal directions, you can take a few simple but powerful steps: • Use only east or north doors to enter the building • Do yoga and meditation in the northeast part of the house or apartment • Sit facing east or north for work or study • Sleep with your head to the east or south

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Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is best known for bringing the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM) to the West, and more recently as the inspiration behind the David Lynch Foundation. It is less well known that starting in 1960 he taught hatha yoga to many of those who learned TM, and through his programs hundreds of thousands of people in the United States have learned yoga. Subsequently, he introduced the holistic, natural healthcare system ayurveda to the West and in the 1990s brought sthapatya veda or Vastu architecture to the West.

Roughly $500 million in Maharishi Vastu homes, schools, and businesses have been built in the United States. For more information, and to download citations for the research mentioned in this article, see MaharishiVastu.

Org or contact info@MaharishiVastu.Org.

A couple in the Midwest once asked me to consult on their west-facing home.

Their adolescent daughters had quarreled with each other nearly their entire lives. To the amazement of the parents and me the very day that the family opened a new east door into their home and stopped using the west door the two girls became best friends.

Nonetheless, a few years later I stopped working with clients to modify existing dwellings because I found that people were experiencing the full effects only in Vastu houses designed from the ground up.

The owner of one of these ideal homes told me, “My experience is that my home is a totally safe, secure refuge, a sanctuary of purity and stillness and happiness. I feel that my house protects me, not only when I am in it, but even when I am away from it.”

It’s the complete, holistic approach of Vedic architecture which harmonizes all of the inner and outer energies. These homes offer their inhabitants increased peace, health, happiness, and enlightenment—deepening the effectiveness of yoga, and more.

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lifestyle / Travel

BOULDER TO HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS

BY LESLIE GLENN

Colorado Road Trip ESTES PARK & GRANBY

BOULDER

Enjoy weekly Farmer Markets in Estes Park on Thursdays and Granby on Fridays .

Start here!

HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS

DILLON EXTRA TIME? Extend your road trip with a night in charming Breckenridge. Cruise Main Street, take advantage of world class mountain biking, hiking and restaurants. Relax and rejuvenate with a yoga class at local’s favorite, Meta Yoga Studios. Enjoy stunning views of the Ten Mile Range and a variety of classes. Schedule, location and details at metayogastudios.com.

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The Yoga Journal Live Conference will be back in Estes Park September 27-October 4, 2015.

Connect with yogis from around the world to learn from a diverse group of incredible teachers.

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD

The hot springs have a storied history dating back the Ute Indians who first settled the area. The tribes recognized the medicinal importance of the water referred the hot springs as “big medicine” or “magic waters”.

BRECKENRIDGE EXTRA TIME?

ESTES PARK

Take a yoga break at Peak Yoga Studio in Dillon, CO with gorgeous mountain views and a diverse group of talented teachers. Schedule, location and details at peakyogastudio.com.

Trail Ridge Road is only open late May-mid October. (For an alternate route, follow US-40 E from Hot Sulphur Springs past Granby and back to I 70 E.) Check rockymountainnationalpark.com for the latest information on seasonal closures.

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he open road, it captivates the best of us with an intangible sense of wonder. An opportunity to be present, spontaneous and curious. To stop wherever your heart desires along the way. We live in arguably the best state to head out on the road to get lost and found here in Colorado. The drive from breathtaking Boulder to Hot Sulphur Springs for a serene soak will wow even the most seasoned road trippers.

From Boulder, head south on CO-93 for nearly 20 miles, before entering the maze of mountains on US-6 W. From the moment you enter Clear Creek Canyon the power of nature is palpable. The steep canyon walls are green with vegetation and delicate trickles of water cascade from the high above into Clear Creek rushing below. Keep a look out for kayakers navigating the rapids and climbers leading routes up the Canyon’s rock walls.

offering 58 weekly classes in: hatha • vinyasa • kundalini • meditation • yin restorative • gentle • prenatal • hot • power flow acro • partner • kids & teens • sup • outdoor privates, special groups, workplace wellness, customized local and destination retreats available.

Merge onto I-70 W in Idaho Springs. Follow the highway 35 miles to the Silverthorne, Exit 205 CO-9 N. Look for Red Buffalo Coffee and Tea on your right.

Take a moment to sip a delicious house-made loose leaf tea or coffee on their back patio along the shores of the Blue River. Stock up on gas, snacks and necessities before heading out of Silverthorne.

The route winds north following the towering peaks of the Gore Range. Aspen forests and rustic ranches dot the landscape. Continue past Green Mountain Reservoir to the small town of Kremmling and turn right onto US 40 E towards Hot Sulphur Springs. After a few miles you will enter Byers Canyon with stunning geology as the road begins to parallel the Colorado River. Follow the signs to Hot Sulphur Springs Resort and Spa. The hot springs have a storied history dating back to the Ute Indians who first settled the area. The tribes recognized the medicinal importance of the water referred the hot springs as “big medicine” or “magic waters”. Plan a few hours to soak in the eclectic pools and healing water. Camping, cabins and motel available at Hot Sulphur Springs or book a cabin, room or campsite in beautiful Grand Lake.

Continue east on US-40 for 9 miles then left on US-34 E towards Grand Lake.

Swim, kayak or SUP yoga at the Beach at Grand Lake or take a short one mile hike to Adams Falls. Back on the road, follow US-34 E/Trail Ridge Road into Rocky Mountain National Park. The road rises from Grand Lake up to 12,183 feet with breathtaking views, wildlife sighting, summer wildflowers and fall foliage cultivating a true sense of adventure. Plan lots of time to explore the park and stop for photos along the way. As the road winds down from the high elevations, you descend into picturesque Estes Park. Walk down Elkhorn Avenue for shopping, grab lunch at Nepal’s Cafe or take a tour of the historic, haunted and world famous Stanley Hotel. When you are ready to head home, US-36 E will take you back to Boulder, through winding canyons, blissed and satisfied from sulphur water and spectacular views.

NOTHING BEHIND ME, EVERYTHING AHEAD OF ME, AS IS EVER SO ON THE ROAD. —JACK KEROUAC, ON THE ROAD

Become a Yoga Instructor, and Stay for the Ski Season.

At 9,600 feet, North America’s Highest Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga School, our worldclass staff will educate you on the foundations of Yoga. Topics span from philosophy and history to postures, sequencing, anatomy and Ayurveda. Develop a personal practice and learn to teach these techniques.

OCTOBER 1 - DECEMBER 13, 2015 PRICE: $2,950 (EARLY BIRD: $2,700 BY 8/31/15) $250 non-refundable deposit to reserve a spot.

Space is limited. Inquire about lodging options.

exercising body, mind & spirit with inspiring views from your yoga mat.

118 South Ridge Street in Breckenridge 970.547.YOGA metayogastudios.com

lifestyle / Art

Prized Possession

PROJECT

BY KEITH ALLEN

DENVER HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS REVEAL WHAT THEY VALUE THE MOST

I approached homeless individuals in Denver, Colorado with one simple question, “What is your most prized possession?” There are two main objectives to this project. The first is to examine the way in which we relate to “things”, from people in our society who have the fewest material goods. The second, is to humanize the epidemic of homelessness in this country, by giving homeless individuals a chance to share their personal journeys. This population are largely categorized as a problem. By empowering some of them with a chance to share their stories, we are reminded, these are unique humans, like each of us. And we can learn from them.

Possessions come and go. The emotional attachment with them remains eternal. What do each of us treasure in our heart and soul? And why?

BOBBY-DEAN GRABEAU

Prized Possession: His sign

YOU BEGIN EATING OUT OF DUMPSTERS. THEN YOU SLOWLY ADAPT.” BEFORE LONG, THE FRUITS OF THIS LIFE BEGAN OUTWEIGHING THE HARDSHIPS. “I’M ADDICTED TO (HOMELESSNESS). IT’S A FUCKING RUSH BEING AROUND ALL THESE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME. THE WAY I AM, THE WAY I SMELL, MY VOICE. HELL OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING.

To see more and follow this project visit: www.facebook.com/prizedpossessionproject

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“I’m diagnosed as chronically homeless,” explains thirty-eight year old, Denver native, Bobby Dean, holding up a handmade sign to passing cars on the outskirts of the park. He is open to share his story with a slow, raspy voice. He considers his situation more of a choice than a plight. “I choose the homeless lifestyle. It gets risky once in awhile. The winter is a risky one.” His path to life outside began in 2000 after being kicked out of his parents house.

“First time I became homeless I was living with my parents and wasn’t supposed to smoke marijuana and my mom kicked me out. I put a brick through a car window. My car. I ended up under a bridge.

Classic story,” he recalls with a hint of humor. Now a veteran to life on the streets, those early days of homelessness seem like a lifetime ago for Bobby Dean. “You begin eating out of dumpsters. Then you slowly adapt.” Before long, the fruits of this life began outweighing the hardships. “I’m addicted to it (homelessness). It’s a fucking rush being around all these people all the time. The way I am, the way I smell, my voice. Hell of a psychological understanding.” He declares alcohol to be his substance of choice, and enjoys a mid-day drink. “I stick to the alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. Occasionally the hard stuff.”

Prized Possession: Bobby Dean’s sign is his most prized possession and has a storied history.

“A black magic marker and piece of cardboard from a trash can has literally kept me alive, fed me, drugged me, since 2001,” he declares. “This same one.” He appreciates his connection to it.

“Occasionally I’ll try and spice it up,” he adds. “It keeps me out of trouble. Unless I fall out on the corner from too much alcohol. That can happen.

Days when I just trip.” Standing in the sunshine, Bobby Dean holds it on display.

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SHE’S MY MOST VALUABLE BECAUSE HONESTLY I COULD LOSE EVERYTHING AND AS LONG AS I HAD HER I WOULD BE HAPPY.

CHRIS

CRASH

Sitting alone, under a tree and removed from other park patrons, Chris is a 30 year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah. Smiling, kind, and approachable, Chris explains, “I’ve been in Denver for two months. The marijuana law brought me out here. I went to Oren (Utah), and panhandled for a ticket two weeks after the election,” he grins. “The economy is worse in Denver. But it’s very liberal.”

“I want to love.” Crash has quite a story, wise words for anyone willing to listen and an abundance of loving goodwill. At forty, the former Connecticut resident has been on the streets since the age of eighteen, with the exception of a few years spent in an apartment that he “lost because of drugs and alcohol.” The path has not been in vain, as soft-spoken Crash pronounces, “The most important thing is to be soft and compassionate. The streets and have made me stronger and more wise. When people look down on me for begging, I pray for compassion.” He thanks God for his present inner peace and shares the origins of his faith. “The streets pushed me away, but God embraced me. Something changed in me.

When I was eighteen I used to cut myself, drink, I was mean. I admitted to God that I needed help. I used to be so angry, I wanted to hurt people. Then I changed. I’m done suffering.” Crash refers to the Ninja Turtles character, Master Splinter for some insightful wisdom. “Master Splinter said to Rafael, anger clouds the mind. It does.” He encourages the Prized Possession project with positivity, telling me, “Proceed with what you’re doing. You inspire people with your pictures. You inspire the world.”

He is optimistic about his future and an upcoming journey. “This month I am going home to my family in Connecticut for the first time in a long time. I have three nephews I’ve never met before,” he says with a proud smile.

Prized Possession: Blankets

Down to earth, Chris shares his path to homelessness. “I’ve been homeless off and on for ten years. Bad budgeting, laziness, and I’m kind of a minimalist too.” He adds, “My family is all gone too. I have a brother in Nebraska somewhere. I’m mostly alone.” He’s carved his own techniques for surviving on the streets. “I have years of experience. I stay to myself mostly. You get more drama with crowds,” he divulges.

At the same time, he admits, “I really want a job and rent. I’d sacrifice the weed. I don’t live to work, I work to live. I’m just a little bit lazier than most people. I just want an apartment though.” Seemingly relaxed about this wish, he recognizes that homelessness has become a force in his life, and something he continues to foresee in his future, although he’d enjoy a reprieve. “I see myself being old and homeless, but this decade would be nice to have a place.”

Prized Possession: In the meantime, Chris’ blankets keep him warm, comfortable, and sheltered.

They are his most prized possessions. “The blankets. It’s a love-hate thing,” he explains, “Carrying them sucks. If I’m freezing in the night though, I go crazy. I have these two, and another sleeping bag that zips, and I stay warm.”

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Prized Possession : Self-love

KITTY & CHUCK

Prized Possession: Each other Still fairly new to life outside, 21-year old Kathleen aka Kitty, describes her homeless experience with a smile and only one word: “cold”. Asked what she’s learned from her experiences, she bluntly states, “Nothing. I learned to walk more. Other than that, no.” A year and a half ago she simply states “my mom kicked me out because I couldn’t find a job and wasn’t going to school.” Despite this, she is in good spirits.

Prized Possession: Her husband Chuck. “If I lost everything it wouldn’t matter to me if I was with him. He’s the thing that makes me sleep at night and happy in the morning. Without him I wouldn’t be anything.”

Chuck’s story of survival contrasts with his wife’s.

Homeless since he was sixteen, he had little to no support system as a child. “I was in the foster care system. They tried to put me on some medication and pretty much zombify me and I said ‘screw you guys,’ and ran away. Then I was 18 and under my own jurisdiction. I’ve been trying to make it since.”

Chuck met Kitty a year and a half ago when she first hit the streets.

Prized Possession: His wife, Kitty. “She’s my most valuable because honestly I could lose everything and as long as I had her I would be happy.”

Prized Possession: “My most prized possession is my self-love. If I can’t love myself, I can’t love God. I want to love. I don’t want to hate anymore.”

While gazing at the other urban inhabitants, Crash observes, “ The reason people are not happy today, is because they don’t know who they are. TV, cell phones. It’s all taken them away from themselves.”

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lifestyle / Art

LARRY

Prized Possession: Wallet-sized photo of his family A Vietnam veteran from Portland, Oregon, Larry has been intermittently homeless for twenty years. The first subject of the project, he was open in sharing his tales. “I’ve had moments where I thought, oh I want this (housing), but every time I get there its not where I need to be. I don’t like the pressure of having to pay rent, pay the electric man, get food.” To Larry, there is an insanity in the acquiring and hoarding of stuff. “I don’t have a lot.

But I have sufficient enough. I don’t need more, more, more, more, more. I share what I have.”

There is no shame in the simplicity of this lifestyle.

“It’s okay to be here. I am not ashamed of my homelessness. I don’t even like that term homeless. I’m a human being. Everybody is a human being. It took me a long time to get to that. Some of the most talented people I’ve ever met are on the streets.”

While the points of wisdom continued to be shared, Larry acknowledges survival on the streets came with experience. “When I first hit the streets, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to eat.

There are a lot of people who help.”

Prized Possession: A wallet sized photograph of Jessica, the younger of his two daughters, with high granddaughter Kayla, and his son-in-law John. His most prized possession was a source of emotional strength. This part of his family lives in Washington state. It is a reminder of unconditional love for Larry. “If I lost this picture I would be heartbroken. My youngest daughter has stuck through me with everything more than anyone and I love her. She also sent it to me through the mail which seems to be rare these days.”

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PHYLLIS

PAUL GERARD BENJAMIN

Brash and raw, Phyllis broadcasts in a booming voice, “Nobody gives a fuck about your documentary,” before participating in the project. Phyllis is a dose of insight into how painful life out on the streets can be. She was real though. The Chicago transplant found the park she spends her days in five years ago. “I thought this was my place and these were the people I was supposed to be with,” she says. “Most of these people have felt extreme pain in their lives. Nobody knows what a lot of these people out here may have been through.”

She turns to the pain in her life story. “I had a family once. Then my husband died. Then my daughter died.” It is pain one cannot fully comprehend intellectually. “My daughter was an adult, and died only a few years after my husband died.” Surviving on her own after all of this time, Phyllis considers cold weather the greatest enemy to homeless life.

“I’ve lost a finger out here. I come out here and I done lost body parts. It’s horrible,” she recalls with a wince. She’s witnessed even worse. “I’ve seen a man freeze to death right here in this park. No one gives a fuck.”

“I’m twenty-eight!” Paul jokes, eager to add a little humor to his life’s tale with enthusiasm and big grin. The fifty-five year old New Zealander has been intermittently homeless for many years and was diagnosed with schizophrenia decades ago. Still, his condition and circumstance are no deterrent for living a joyful life. “I’m the best,” he laughs.

“I’m okay without my psych-meds. They fuck me up. They wanted to put me away for my whole life.

I’m not crazy, I’m just trying to love my life. I love my life,” Paul beams as he hands over a file of medical papers from over twenty years ago that detail much of his history. The youngest of seven children, Paul’s mother passed away from a brain tumor when he was 13. In his younger days in St. Louis, he was a cook at three different Denny’s, and a manager at another restaurant. Today he lives off his social security benefits. Volunteer work has been a meaningful part of Paul’s path.

He happily shares a letter praising his volunteer work in numerous states. “Paul’s a good guy,” he says of himself. A traveller at heart, he has grown fond of Denver. However, he is trying to make his way to San Francisco, because “that place is like Disneyland.” Engaging with Paul’s warm energy is not something one quickly forgets.

Prized Possession: Her body

Prized Possession: Despite the cold, or perhaps because of it, her most prized possession is her body. “I still got my body and I’m alive. No matter what’s fucking going on. I’m alive.”

I’VE LOST A FINGER OUT HERE. I COME OUT HERE AND I DONE LOST BODY PARTS. IT’S HORRIBLE.

Prized Possession: Cross

Prized Possession: With his Christian faith is a key component of his life, Paul cherishes his pocket bible, although he selects a rainbow colored cross as his most valued item. “I bought it at a Denver souvenir shop for $4. I bought it here and I follow the Lord.” After sharing the story of the cross, he gave it to me. After initially declining, I accepted the special gift. “I like you. It’s yours now because you’re my friend.” Paul continued cracking jokes until the last remaining daylight disappeared behind the buildings.

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lifestyle / Art

Vast. Where heavens meet earth, and the worlds

between, weave the unseen into the dance with mystery.

Atlas Altar, an exploration of texture and light, tapping ancient wisdom that grows in the luminous scape.

Middle world archetype, layered with wonder, and painted with the tale of time. Shamanic in nature, we walk with the ancestors and sing the songs that connect our creativity with the cosmos. The collaboration speaks true to the land, true to the moment, true to the space beyond this plane of existence.

Double exposed, in camera. Unknown what will

reveal until we reach the other side, and then what emerges is a pulse from the other side. A reflection in the breath of time.

ARCHITECT OF MAGIC.

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lifestyle / Art

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lifestyle / Art

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Edica Pacha’s love affair with creativity began with film photography, and long hours in the darkroom, at the age of 14. She took this gift and studied further at Rhode Island School of Design and Prescott College. During this time she expanded into video, installation and performance art. Her studies took her deep into the power of creativity and how this impacted community. She also works in graphic design, runs production for a fashion industry brand, and continues to photograph the landscape of her imaginal realms. edicapacha.com

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lifestyle / Music

I PERSONALLY TAKE THE ELEMENT OF MIXING AS SERIOUSLY AS ANY TEACHER DOES CREATING THE INTENTION AND FLOW OF THEIR CLASS.

#PUTABEATTOIT

DJ YOGA

BY DJ DABOCO

DJ Yoga is undoubtedly becoming more and more popular. It makes sense as both music and yoga are entirely based on energy so putting them together can make a yoga experience significantly more meaningful. As a teacher finding this connection takes some practice. As a practioner, you know and can feel the difference when the “vibe” is there. Here are a few tips to help you set your class apart from the rest.

FOR THE TEACHER: As cliché’ as it sounds, communication is key. You cannot expect to be “with”

your DJ if you never look at them, tell them what you expect or what your plan is. Even if it is simple eye contact and a slight nod in the middle of the session. I generally like to go over an outline of the class before it starts. That gives me an idea of how I can coordinate my music according to the energy of the class. Verbal cues such as counting breaths is also a great indicator for upcoming transitions which can be exemplified with the music.

Both the teacher and the DJ should understand the idea of the bell curve. Generally, a yoga session’s

energy will follow this shape. That is, starts soft quiet and slow, builds to an apex of noise and movement in the middle of the class, and finally a decrescendo or decline to the end of the session which usually ends in minimal sound and movement during meditation or savasana. If for some reason the class is going to follow a different shape in energy, it is important that both the DJ and the teacher knows so they can understand how to coordinate the session together.

When the mixing and the yoga choreography are synchronized the energy and experience can be profound.

GET THE VIBE: I personally take the element of mixing as seriously as any teacher does creating the intention and flow of their class. It was described to me best when I was first starting out 4 years ago on the yoga scene by DJ Drez himself he said, “It’s all about holding space for people to experience what they need.” In my mind, one can happen without the other (yoga & live mixing) but why if they can be so amazing together.

So join your DJ, don’t just add them to the class, and make it an event! You are both headliners.

This allows the DJ and teacher to work together as equals to create an amazing experience of energy and flow. And remember, “Music can heal sometimes what meditation can not!” #putabeattoit Follow me @djdaboco or reach out so we can work together for your next event or class.

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September 18–20, 2015 | Eagle, CO EagleYogaFest.com

Cristine Googins Yoga Certified Yoga Instructor CO Yoga Magazine Ambassador

Private Instruction Group Sessions Corporate Functions Special Events Available by appointment throughout metro Denver and northern Colorado.

(720) 341-7176 | cgoogins@comcast.net Also available: Handmade jewelry by Synergy Designs.

Call, email, or search Facebook for “Synergy Designs.”

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6/11/2015 3:01:09 PM

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lifestyle / Products

THE COLORADO

Runway PHOTOS BY DAVID OAKLEY

TOP: Dharma Dragon Tank by Android Jones $65 from The Cotery PANTS: 2 Tier Flow Pants $88.00 from Om Collection JEWELRY: French Bailey frenchbailey.com

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TOP: Leopold Women T-shirt (orange) $35.00 from Leopold Collective PANTS: Red Rocks Topo Leggings by Kind Design $80 from The Cotery JEWELRY: French Bailey frenchbailey.com

VEST: Leopold Sleeveless Hoodie $30.00 from Leopold Collective TANK: Tattoo Phoenix Tank by 99th Chakra $70 from The Cotery PANTS: Organic Isabel Bell Bottom Pant $86.00 from Om Collection

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lifestyle / Products

CARDIGAN: Long Cardigan with Waist Level Pockets (green) $70.00 from Leopold Collective JEWELRY: French Bailey frenchbailey.com

TOP: Blue Cloud Tank by 99th Chakra $70 from The Cotery LEGGINGS Blue Cloud Leggings by 99th Chakra $90 from The Cotery

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DAVID OAKLEY Colorado Photography • Portraits • Events • Fine Art

contact D.ADDISONOAKLEY@GMAIL.COM DAVIDAOAKLEYPHOTO.COM

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Yogi - Chelsea Gilday; Biker - Unknown - Paine’s Park, Philadelphia PA.

yoga / Asana

As we move into the warmer months, there’s a natural tendency for a more heat-building asana practice. During the winter season, it feels natural to focus on heavier parts of my body with long hip openers and deep hamstring awakening.

But now that the sun is out, it’s time for deep heart-openers.

Backbending has healed my body. When I was sixteen, I had a major surgery on my lumbar spine. At twenty-one, a motorcycle wreck resulted in a titanium rod being inserted to stabilize my pelvis and hips. Adding backbends into my practice keeps me pain free – especially in the heat.

Here’s some of my favorite ways to add backbends into a yoga practice.

HEART-OPENING POSES FOR THE SEASON

BY SAMI LEA LIPMAN | PHOTOS BY DAVID OAKLEY

BEFORE YOU START!

Backbends aren’t just about flexibility in the spine and require a lot of power from many other areas of the body.

Start with a few Sun Salutation As and Sun Salutation Bs to create heat in the body and warm up your muscles.

As you move, create flow with breath. Allow your breath to fuel a sense of lightness. At the same time, pay attention to grounding down and using the earth as a source of foundation. The combination of tapas (heat), breath, and foundation will build strength and prepare the body to explore these ecstatic heart-openers.

1.

BLOCKS-IN-THE-BACK VIRASANA

Place one block on the high setting between your shoulder blades and another one beneath your head, then lie back into Supta Virasana. This opens the quads, shoulders, throat, and heart. TO MODIFY: Sit on a brick and clasp your hands behind your back.

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2.

FUNKY BHUJANGASANA

Lay in a prone position and place your hands slightly off your mat, in line with your nipples. From spider-fingers, arch your spine up one vertebrae at a time, but leave your chin into your throat. Draw the shoulder blades together and press your chest open. Lift your head last.

TO MODIFY: Enjoy Sphinx pose. Be sure to draw the forearms energetically towards your toes.

3.

ANJANEYASANA

From Anjaneyasana, go back! Hug into your midline, trust your feet, and engage the bandhas for stability. If you feel a tweak in your low-back, lengthen the lumbar curve by moving your tailbone down. TO MODIFY: Place your hands on your thigh in Low Lunge. Shift your hips forward to awaken your back quadriceps.

4.

G’NELL’S DESSERT

From Lizard on your forearms, bend your back knee, reach around, and catch your lifted foot with the opposite hand. Take it a step further by looping your lifted elbow over your head. Hello shoulder and quadriceps!

TO MODIFY: Use a brick under your hand and a strap around your foot.

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yoga / Asana

5.

6.

ARDHA CHANDRA CHAPASANA

From Ardha Chandrandrasana, bend your back leg and clasp your foot with your lifted hand. I like to grab the big-toe side of my foot – it opens my shoulder-girdle more. Be sure to kick your lifted leg back, rather than up.

Look up! TO MODIFY: Use a block under your front hand and gaze down.

7.

TRIKONASANA VARIATION

Add a backbend into Trikonasana by walking your grounded hand back, and off your mat on spider-fingers. Support the back of your head with your lifted hand to encourage Jalandhara Bandha.

Recruit each vertebrae of your spine. TO MODIFY: Use a block or two to bring the earth closer to you.

ONE-HANDED TIGER

From all-fours, bend one knee and kick your foot up to the sky. Catch the pinky-side edge of your lifted foot or ankle with your opposite hand.

I choose to tuck the back toes because I feel more stable. Be mindful not to dump your grounded hand’s shoulder forward. TO MODIFY: Use a block under your front hand and a strap around the lifted foot.

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8.

GANDA BHERUNDASANA

From all-fours, bend your elbows and shift your weight forward and down, so your chin rests on the earth. Tuck your toes into a Down Dog variation and lift one leg up.

The other leg will follow. Be sure to use strength before momentum. And I speak from experience when saying, do not try this on sand! TO MODIFY: Use blocks under your shoulders and try with straight legs before backbending.

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9.

BACK & FORTH

KING DANCER

Getting the shoulder rotation can be the trickiest part when going from Dancer to King Dancer. You have to swivel your lifted elbow forward and then up, so it points toward the ceiling. TO MODIFY: Use a strap. You can slowly walk your hands up the strap and closer to your foot.

10.

Flexion of the spine immediately after extension of the spine is a controversial topic in yoga sequencing.

After a big pose like King Dancer or Full Wheel, flexion is often the intuitive reaction (folding forward or hugging the knees into the chest).

In my body, this is the wrong choice.

I choose to keep my spine neutral for a few breaths to recover from each backbend. This also allows the synovial fluid time to redistribute its cushion between the vertebrae before bending the spine in the opposing direction.

We are all different. Take note of what works in your body.

DWI PADA VIPARITA DANDASANA

Come up into Full Wheel. From there, place the crown of your head back down on the earth, bring your forearms down one-at-a-time, and clasp your hands behind your head.

Send your chest forward, press your forearms down, walk your legs out, and lift your head. TO MODIFY: A simple supported Bridge variation with straight legs will hit the spot.

11.

FULL-BODY STRETCH

Allow your spine to recover by stretching out from your fingers to your toes.

TO MODIFY: If your low back is yelling at you, spend a few breaths in Supta Baddha Konasana with blocks beneath your knees.

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SUPYOGA

COLORADO STANDUP PADDLEBOARD YOGA TEACHERS EXPLAIN

Experience a new way to explore steadiness and ease in your practice...on the water

BY LESLIE ROSS

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra II:46 doesn’t tell us how to practice, what or where to practice, only how to practice. It asks us to practice with steadiness and ease (Sthira sukam asanam). B.K.S Iyengar elaborates a bit in his translation; he writes “Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit.” Now imagine practicing on a floating surface. This not only ups the ante, but practicing asana on a floating mat, demands you to drop into the present and mindfully, intelligently and artfully move from posture to posture - to avoid falling into the water.

Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) Yoga is the ultimate experience to improve balance, build core strength and connect with nature. It’s both playful and meditative and calls in that adventurous spirit sometimes checked at the door for studio classes.

Yoga on a SUP is a moving mediation, allowing the practitioner the opportunity to balance and harmonize through that connection with the elements and your five senses. You feel the wind blowing, you hear the sound of the birds, the sun beating down on your back and the water splashing on your legs. Practicing on an SUP, you are able to drop into what Joseph Campbell refers to as the “bliss station”; the place where we are completely

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tapped in, connected, mindful, inspired and unaffected by our daily “stuff”.

When inquiring with Colorado SUP yoga teachers about their draw to SUP Yoga, similar themes emerged. A water lover from a young age, and a self-proclaimed “kayaker on leave” since the late 90s, I missed the river and spending summers on the water. Two years ago, when Rachel Brathen, SUP Yoga Instagram diva came to CO, I was instantly hooked. What could be better than practicing yoga outside, on the water, among the elements? The feeling was energizing, humbling and calming all at the same time. I felt peaceful, connected and inspired to explore this new way to practice yoga. Savasana was the highlight; the epitome of a relaxing, peaceful and rejuvenating experience.

During the class, floating two boards over from me, balancing on her head as if she was in her living room was Vail Valley resident and Paddle Yoga Colorado founder, Julie Circo. We instantly connected after the class scheming up how we could bring SUP YOGA to more people in Summit. Like Julie, I fell in love with the new way to experience yoga and wanted all yogis to try it too.

For Julie, SUP Yoga blends her love for the outdoors, yoga and adventure all into one! “SUP Yoga keeps my practice honest, joyful and light. There is no way to kind of do a pose on a paddleboard.

I like the instant feedback and I love that it helps me not take myself to seriously.“ For Lindsay Gonzalez, Golden based SUP Yoga Teacher and Breath on Board Founder, the challenge enticed her to SUP YOGA and the opportunity to develop new relationship with her practice. Simple poses on the mat take on a whole new challenge and experience when the ‘ground’ is moving. “The fear of falling has kept me from doing some things in my life and the vulnerability presented in SUP yoga has help me overcome that fear and engage more each time. My personal practice has become stronger, more stable and more fun in nature!”

Shanti McLinden, Surf’SUP teacher at Chatfield Reservoir shared, “I’ve always loved the water and being surrounded by nature. This is more than enough to keep me coming back! What continues to amaze me is the amount of core, focus and breath SUP Yoga requires. This definitely has transformed my practice with the slower flow and mindfulness in the transitions.”

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Getting Started with SUP YOGA: Treat yourself to a SUP Yoga class with an experienced instructor who is not only a yoga teacher but has been properly trained on how to lead a safe, fun and effective class.

Most outfits include SUP boards in the price of the class and offer a discount if you BOYB. Wear comfortable yoga clothes, bare feet is preferred, sun screen, inexpensive sunglasses – or good leashes so you won’t loose your expensive shades.

Leave your valuables on shore or secure them in a watertight container secured to the board. Bring an open mind, adventurous spirit and release any expectations. As you dive into SUP Yoga, take it slow, build up to more difficult poses and always modify as necessary. Resist biting off more than you can chew until you are comfortable with your balance on the board and you know your limits.

Julie’s advice, “ Anyone can do SUP Yoga! Paddle boards are very stable platforms… but you’ll be surprised what you can do in a short learning curve.” This summer, step outside your box, take your practice to a new level and find your “ Bliss Station” through SUP YOGA.

SOME COLORADO LOCATIONS THAT OFFER SUP YOGA Boulder Reservoir Radiance Power Yoga radiancepoweryoga.com Amana Yoga amanayogaboulder.com

Dillon Reservoir & Maggie Pond Meta Yoga Studios metayogastudios.com

Chatfield Reservior Breathe On Board breatheonboard.com Colorado Standup Paddle coloradostanduppaddle.com

Eagle-Vail Pond Paddle Yoga Colorado paddleyogacolorado.com

YOGA ON A SUP IS A MOVING MEDIATION, ALLOWING THE PRACTITIONER THE OPPORTUNITY TO BALANCE AND HARMONIZE THROUGH THAT CONNECTION WITH THE ELEMENTS AND YOUR FIVE SENSES.

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Union Reservior Rocky Mountain Paddleboard rockymtnpaddleboard.com Colorado Standup Paddle coloradostanduppaddle.com

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Yoga & Rock Climbing

BY KELLY BENISH

Are you ready for a new challenge? Take your yoga practice off the mat and onto the wall. Every tool you’ve learned on your mat applies to climbing against gravity. Bring your focus, strength, flexibility, and zen to the cliff’s edge to test your limits. Rock climbing IS vertical yoga. Maintaining balance on the rock demands the union of opposites: power, strength, and dynamics combined with fluidity, lightness, and grace.

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yoga / Asana

limbing movements resemble yoga postures. Asana begins with awareness of our feet/foundation as climbers root down through their feet to rise up the rock wall.

Foot placement is extremely critical as vertical climbing involves higher risks. When our feet are stable, body and mind are at ease.

Learning steadiness and ease (sthira sukham asanam) on the mat transfers to the vertical world.

POSES FOR A BETTER CLIMB

1.

LIZARD

Yoga and climbing are “one” at our mental edge.

Through challenges and self-observation, we learn how mind and body work together. As fear induces mind chatter (chitta vritti), it reveals self-limiting patterns that do not serve us. The self-saboteur limits our physical performance at the crux of a climb or in a peak posture. Breath is the gateway back into the body and the present moment.

Regulating the breath (pranayama) regulates the mind, creating space for awareness. Concentration (dharana) sharpens. The parasympathetic nervous system activates. Heart rate slows. As the mind calms, the intuitive self emerges. When mind becomes still, that is yoga. We let go of extra effort and make clear decisions by fully engaging in the moment.

As the oldest system of personal development in the world, the science of yoga revolutionizes a climber’s skills. Yoga improves focus, balance, strength, and flexibility. It cures physically overworked shoulder and chest muscles while opening hips and legs; adding core strength for dynamic and fluid climbing. A sense of balance develops on and off the wall, while toning the body and stilling the mind creates balance/peace within. Climbers learn to get out of their heads and into a relaxed state within the body. Vinyasa teaches a climber to use the breath for powerful, efficient, and fluid movement. As yoga deepens the breat-body-mind connection, a climber learns to move through the crux of a climb with confidence and effortless ease.

Yoga has provided the solid physical and mental foundation for my climbing skills to advance. Since I’m 5 feet tall, my wing span is short. The high step is my secret weapon on the wall due to my hip flexibility. I practice yoga before every climb. My body opens. My breath is deeper. My mind is calmer.

Every aspect of my life is richer after practicing yoga, including climbing.

Vertical yoga deepens my sadhana (personal practice). The added risk and fear of falling provides a faster track for transforming my self-saboteur.

There’s nothing like breaking through my limited sense of self, transforming my “I can’t do this” into “I can do this”. I often repeat mantras to create a specific state of mind. “Breathe”, “relax”, or “keep moving” are most effective for me. Applying the science of yoga helps me attain the unattainable in all aspects of my life.

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Step your front foot to the outside of your hand. A deep inner hip stretch and strengthener to allow for higher leg lifts in securing foot holds.

2.

WIDE LEGGED FORWARD FOLD (CLASPED HANDS)

Step your feet apart wide and fold forward with strong legs. This well-rounded pose increases mobility, strength, and security in the lower-body, opens the shoulders to lengthen reach, strengthen the arms, and prevent shoulder fatigue, and is also an inversion, which brings a greater mental clarity for a climb.

TWISTED CRESCENT LUNGE

3.

From a lunge position, keep one set of fingertips (or palm) down and reach your other hand to the sky to twist. This pose brings awareness to different points of the feet, a deep opening to the outer hips, and rejuvenates the entire spine.

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4.

EXTENDED SIDE ANGLE

Press your back foot down and reach your fingertips overhead.

This deep open hip stretch allows for a greater vertical lift of each foot to make higher foot holds more accessible.

STANDING FIGURE FOUR

Cross your ankle over the opposite thigh, bend your standing leg, and fold slightly forward.

This will deepen balance, focus, and hip mobility for greater leg reach on the rock wall.

AIRPLANE

Press down equally in all points of your standing foot and engage your core to find balance. An effective post to cultivate core strength, greater balance, and open shoulders to support a fluid climbing experience.

6.

5.

7.

DOLPHIN

Place your palms down in line with your elbows and lift your hips. Press down equally with your fingertips and elbows. This outer shoulder stretch and strengthener allows for greater shoulder mobility, strength, and stability.

RABBIT

From bent knees, tuck your chin to chest, come to the top of your head, and pull on your heels. This prepares for a stronger pulling action on the rock and is a satisfying counter stretch to the majority of upward gazing while rock climbing.

9.

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BRIDGE

Press your feet down, lift your hips, and interlace your hands under your sacrum. This pose increases leg strength, core strength, and upper body mobility.

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yoga / Seva

MISSION 14:

Mountain Climbing &Sex Trafficking

Nick Cienski has always had a passion for the mountains. A veteran climber with expeditions to Everest, Manaslu, Broad Peak, Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua on his mountaineering resume, Nick’s connection with the world’s highest peaks and the outdoors has been a part of his life for as far back as he can remember. So when he set out to help fight the growing problem of human trafficking and slavery, he knew mountains were the key to his raising awareness and supporting the groups that help victims recover from the abuse.

In addition to being the Senior Director of Innovation for Under Armour, he’s also the founder of Mission 14, a Baltimore-based non-profit organization committed to raising awareness and funds to combat the growing problem of modern day slavery, an epidemic that touches an estimated 30 million victims worldwide, more people than at any point in history. His vision to bring together the mountains and his dedication to end slavery is the 6 Summits Challenge (6summitschallenge.com), a world-record attempt to climb six 26,000 foot peaks in one calendar year, something never before done. We caught up with Nick on the phone before he left Kathmandu, Nepal in May to find out more about his incredible mountaineering expedition, his organization and how we can all make a difference.

CO YOGA MAG: How and when did you begin climbing? For you, what is most challenging and most satisfying about exploring the mountains?

I started climbing in my late teens and by the time I was 20 was traveling to South America to climb in Peru and on the Mexican volcanoes. I spent the next decade climbing on some of the highest peaks in the world with Polish climbers. Although the goal was to stand on the summit we climbed in small teams with no supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support so many expeditions were not successful, however, that never detracted from the adventure of traveling to remote locations and attempting something that few others had tried.

CO YOGA MAG: How did you get involved in the fight against human trafficking?

SADLY, DISASTERS LIKE EARTHQUAKES MAKE PEOPLE DESPERATE AND VULNERABLE AND TRAFFICKERS PREY ON THAT DESPERATION.

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Like many of us, I was largely oblivious to the epidemic of human trafficking. It wasn’t until a good will mission to Nicaragua with my church in 2010 that I saw its revulsion first hand. I was at this massive garbage dump, surrounded by piles of burning trash as far as the eye could see, suffocated by this unrelenting heat and humidity. Within the dump, there were hundreds of families living, making what money they could by finding items they could later resell. But for some families it wasn’t enough to make ends meet and they sold their children as sex slaves. This hit me like a rock slide and ate away at me for weeks. I knew I had to get off the sidelines and do something, but simply writing a check and going on my way wasn’t going to cut it. I wanted to do something

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that would help enlighten the public to what’s happening all around us and learn how to be an agent for change, while acting as a fundraising organization for the groups that fight the problem day in and day out. As a climber, I saw the mountains as the key to making this heightened awareness a reality.

CO YOGA MAG: Climbing one 26,000-foot mountain is hugely dangerous, but attempting six seems impossible. Is it worth the risk?

Absolutely. No matter how much I might suffer or experience pain while climbing these peaks, it’s nothing compared to the unbelievable terror and struggle a trafficking victim endures. If I can accomplish this expedition and save just one person from the horror of slavery, it will be worth any amount of risk I will face. Knowing that every step I take is a step closer to ending trafficking is what will motivate me on these climbs. And as more people take notice of this record-attempting expedition, they’ll learn why I’m doing this and learn how THEY can make a difference in the fight to end trafficking. It’s all about our commitment to “Be Brave” and go beyond our comfort zone and do something that can make the world a better place.

CO YOGA MAG: The first three mountains in your expedition were going to be Lhotse, Everest and Makalu, but that changed after the Nepal earthquake in April. How did that disaster change your commitment?

We were at Everest base camp when the avalanche hit and as the snow and wind hit our tent, I thought it was the end. Then, after we climbed out of our tents and realized our team was safe, we immediately started search and rescue operations, looking for survivors. After several days helping to

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get the injured off the mountain, I spent a lot of time praying and meditating on what to do and realized that the climbs needed to be put on hold so we could go to Kathmandu to help our Mission 14 organizational partners that are actively preventing trafficking in Nepal, which is already one of the worst countries in the world for slavery.

Everest was later officially closed by the Nepalese government, but I had no intention of climbing when I knew that there were these people who needed so much help. Sadly, disasters like earthquakes make people desperate and vulnerable and traffickers prey on that desperation. So if anything, I feel more committed to completing the 6 Summits Challenge than ever. We’re working on securing permits for expeditions to three other 26,000 foot peaks in July. The final three peaks of Manaslu, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma are still on schedule to be climbed in September and October 2015.

CO YOGA MAG: Once you’ve complete the 6 Summits Challenge, then what?

CO YOGA MAG: When someone learns about what you’re doing and why, how can they get involved to fight human trafficking?

You can learn more about Nick, his organization and how to fight human trafficking and slavery by visiting Mission14.org. To follow his record-setting climbing expedition, head to 6summitschallenge.com.

As I said, we want people to be brave. For me, that means doing the 6 Summits Challenge, but for someone else it could just be going to our website, Mission14.org, and learning about human trafficking. That’s one more person who now knows about trafficking who didn’t before. From there, they tell someone else who maybe takes it a step further and volunteers with an anti-trafficking group or makes a donation or creates their own Be Brave Challenge to generate awareness or raise money to fight human trafficking. These are real, tangible ways to fight slavery. Awareness is the first step and it all flows from there, but there is no small action in this fight. Any step in the right direction is one and that could literally save someone’s life.

My mission doesn’t end when I summit the last mountain. No matter what I do next, Mission 14 is committed to ending slavery as long as it exists in the world. Whether I’m climbing mountains, or working with our partners to rescue and rehabilitate victims, we’ll be fighting human trafficking and educating the public about its existence. I think so many of us just assume slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. But it’s happening everywhere, maybe even your own street. My question to anyone who knows this and realizes slavery didn’t end in 1863, will you be brave and stay on the sidelines, or take a step and get into the fray?

I’m taking tens of thousands of steps to complete my challenge, but all I’m asking is for everyone else to just take one.

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yoga / Business

Business Karma

MAKING MONEY WITH A YOGA-MIND

BY JULI RATHKE

Over the years, from my first days in management on a college campus to being the Fitness Director for the Town of Breckenridge, to working for Outside Television, to owning my own studio and every other experience in-between, I have found that people who work within their passion-careers often lose sight of their own worthiness and don’t reap the rewards they should. We all deserve abundance. Here are 5 ways to bring your “YOGA” into your BUSINESS.

1. BE OPEN TO ABUNDANCE

4. BE PRESENT

(Charge What You Are Worth)

When it comes to working within your passion, don’t lose sight that we all deserve - ABUNDANCE. I work with clients each and everyday as a business mentor and coach who struggle with the conversation of money. We live in a world that requires money to do things and I don’t foresee this changing anytime soon. It is really hard to put a value on your gift, but more often than not, the gift you are giving is undervalued.

(Dump the Baggage)

PEOPLE WHO WORK WITHIN THEIR PASSION CAREERS OFTEN LOSE SIGHT OF THEIR OWN WORTHINESS.

5. CHOOSE HAPPINESS

2. CULTIVATE YOUR OWN PROSPERITY

(Enough is Enough)

(Practice What You Preach)

I am not suggesting you throw in the towel if things aren’t going as planned. But what I am asking you to do is to evaluate where you are in your business, assess your goals and then give a finite amount of time to get there. Many times people find themselves years down the road still treading water with no real advancements in their career or business. After I sold my first business, I told myself, that I should have done it two years prior - listen to your gut. Ultimately you need to decide to choose happiness over being right.

Traci Wallace, founder of Coffeehouse Collectives and facilitator for Yogi Camp shares, “The #1 mistake I see people making is when they start focusing on their business in this industry is they the stop focusing on their own well-being. In my own experiences and with my clients, it doesn’t matter how much money you invest, how many emails you send, social media posts you put up, or how passionate you are; those are all secondary. If you are not taking care yourself and creating a solid foundation for which to grow upon, this can have catastrophic effects on your own health and will be the #1 obstacle in cultivating your own prosperity.”

3. SEEK CLARITY

(Simple LOA - Law of Attraction) Many business owners are trying too hard to attract everyone when if they just focus things down a bit and really hone in on what niche they have personally and professionally, they will find a whole set of demographics they can market to instead of being all things to everyone. This helps create a game plan with your business that gives the clarity you seek.

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No one can take away from you your previous life experiences with work, relationships or previous clients. I often find many of my clients are caught up in what didn’t work before so they find themselves paralyzed to move forward with the next phase of their business. In addition, who you were as a 22 year old trainer is not who you are as a 42 year old. Be present with who you are today, not yesterday.

Juli Rathke is the CEO/Publisher Yoga Magazine Productions, business mentor, and retreat leader.

To meet Juli, visit www.julirathke.com.

Regardless of your career path, these points will help you find clarity in what you do for a living.

I work with people from all avenues including those who want to write books, mentor others, launch online businesses, open studios, manufacture clothing etc. So whether you want to be a comedian, or raise a bunch of kids on a goat farm (my mom), or lose all your flab, or raise money to ship fire trucks to Cambodia (real client), or write your first novel (that’s me), the key to it all is believing, I mean really believing that it’s all available to you and that you deserve to be/do/have it too. Why not?

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YOGA / Meditation

Simple Awareness

MEDITATION

BY MICHELLE WELDON

The purpose of this awareness meditation is to focus on sensation, rather than the interpretation of your sensation. When we focus on present time/present moment sensation, we take ourselves out of the “story” that is causing distress. When we take ourselves out of the story, out of the distress, we 1) create space to access our higher order thinking; 2) exercise the part of our brain that helps maintain focus; and 3) provide temporary relief from the neurochemicals produced by distressing thoughts/interpretations.

THE INVITATION • Begin by sitting comfortably with a long spine.

• Notice your tailbone rooted firmly to the ground (This creates a sense of grounding) • Lengthen the crown of your head a little higher toward the sky (This creates space around the cerebellum - the base of the skull and top cervical vertebrae) • Notice a few easy breaths in and out of the nose, without needing to change anything • Allow your gaze to be soft, at a half gaze (keeping your eyes at a half gaze allows you to remain visually relaxed, but still present and conscious making it easier to integrate this practice into your daily life, for example while you are waiting in line at the bank!)

• On your Inhale, begin to notice the sounds, the smells, the feel of your body on the ground, the temperature, etc. Notice, without getting caught on the stories about your experiences.

• Continue to experience, notice and release your thoughts and return your awareness to the qualities of breath and sensation of your body, again and again, without any battle of rigidness of how it is supposed to feel or be.

TRY DOING THIS FOR 10 MINUTES AT FIRST AND WORK YOUR WAY UP TO 20 MINUTES A DAY. FOR A BONUS, DO THIS EVERY DAY FOR ONE WEEK, AND THEN TELL US HOW YOU FEEL!

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yoga / Philosophy

how to

manifest

BY MARSHA AUSTIN

WHAT YOU WANT

e are constantly exposed to the message in yoga - in our classes, workshops and trainings, in marketing slogans and product endorsements - that through our practice we can create a life that we love, full of our heart’s deepest desires. We’re told that passionate relationship, financial wealth, adventurous travel, and the joy and peace of a life well lived is right here for us.

Well, then why after months or years of dedicated asana, meditation and perhaps even soulful inquiry, are so many of us still stuck in the struggle and effort of trying to create an abundant life?

There’s a science and an alignment methodology - call it a law of the universe - that has to be recognized, adhered to with discipline and trusted implicitly to put into motion the energetics of manifestation. And from what I’ve seen it’s often misrepresented and misunderstood.

If we are to believe the mainstream messaging around manifesting, all we have to do is cut pretty pictures out of a magazine and glue them to a vision board, then sit back and wait for all our wildest dreams to come to us. While part of this instruction holds some merit, there is a missing piece and it is in this where we find the keys to the kingdom.

WISPY AND CASUAL DREAMS WON’T EVER MAKE IT.

Too often this critical element is missing. And so the tendency is to throw the baby out with the bath water, relegate the practice of conscious manifestation to the world of the “woowoo” and return to a life of striving to earn and make a desired outcome reality.

From my own experience – and I started manifesting seemingly miraculous circumstances in my life long before I was ever a yogi or had any idea that I was actually practicing co-creation with divine forces – the following elements must coincide for desires to begin to take form in our visible world:

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1.

A burning desire. This is almost an all consuming passion, dream and vision. I find I experience it as nearly bordering on obsession. Wispy and casual dreams won’t ever make it.

2.

A singleness of purpose. When this is present you are determined at a level that might surprise others to do whatever it takes to see your desired result come to pass. Most of your spare time and thoughts are filled with seeing your desire fully realized.

3.

Absolute knowing that the object of your desire is yours and is coming to fruition right now. It’s the feeling of “of course this is going to happen” even when others might think you’re still dreaming, or are a little crazy.

4.

Let go of trying to figure out the “how”. At first you’ll want to analyze the thing to death. Your mind will chew it all to bits with all the reasons why it’s not practical and the risks and the lack. Suspend disbelief and instead watch for unexpected opportunities that will come your way. And be ready to act when they do.

5.

A willingness to take action in the form of leaps of faith.

What I often find with this step is that the actions will look like giant risks to others, but to you, since you have steps 1-3 in place, will feel like the most natural, solid and obvious step in the right direction that you could take. A big part of this is having the courage to ask for what you want and believe that you deserve. I can’t emphasize this piece enough. Almost all of my life changing manifestations came from asking people for things that others thought I was nuts to ask for.

6.

Patience. Sometimes the lining up of circumstances, the right people, places and things at the right time takes time. Keep watering the seeds daily with a vision of the full fruits coming to bear and watch for stepping-stones and invitations to play (synchronicity) along the way.

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Manifester’s Tool Kit Daily Meditation. This is where you connect to your deepest and most authentic desires and listen for inspirational “hits” that will guide you on your journey.

Journaling. Writing helps you take thoughts and put them into their first

forms through action. Write down a list of what you are manifesting, not as wants but as “I am…I have…I experience…” And then keep track of synchronistic signs that you observe. It’s like a detectives’ notebook.

Daily Mantras. Create short and to the point affirmative statements to keep your mind focused on what you want and off of what you don’t want.

Example: Money comes easily and freely to me and I am well paid for the good works I do for others in a job that I love.

Look for and Trust In Serendipity and Signs. Keep your eyes

open in continuous expectation of seeing clues to how your desires will come to you and for meeting people who will connect you to your next step or offer to help and support you along the way. Believe that the signs are all around you if you’ll just trust in faith. Often signs are simply confirmation that you are on the right track.

Having the Faith to Act on Inspiration Without Hesitation.

Hesitation is a sign of doubt and that energetically you are blocking your own progress towards your desires with fear. When you know in your gut that what you are co-creating is authentic and true and especially if it is designed to set you up to share your gifts creatively with others for good, take action immediately when you sense an opportunity: the right person to make a request of, or an opening for submitting your craft; writing, art, music, financial coaching, whatever it is, has appeared.

When it comes to putting these principles into action, one of the biggest disconnects that I see in my yoga students is the gap between what people truly desire and where their attention and energy is focused on in their daily lives. This is a fast-block to manifesting. There may be an expressed desire, but if the predominant thoughts inside the person, and the actions they are taking on a daily basis don’t align, there is nothing that the forces of the Universe can do to get that desire to show up in reality. For example, have you ever known someone (maybe you) who talks about how they want to start their own business, maybe a yoga studio, but 90% of the rest of the what they talk about is how much they can’t stand their current job, they don’t have the money and there’s too much competition in their town?

And for some, there’s the first big stumbling block to creating and living a lit up life is between their conscious mind and their heart: They don’t know what they really want. This most often shows up as: “What’s my purpose? Do I have one? Why can’t I find it?” Trust me, it’s in there, it’s going to take some quiet time seated in meditation just listening and then watching yourself like a detective. What books and articles are you drawn to?

What do you compulsively search the internet for in your spare time? What sort of people do you

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find yourself envying? Those are important clues to your inner desires. Open the space and listen.

The answer will come. Remember, it’s inside of you. Not out there somewhere.

Every major “miracle” I have manifested in my life came from a deep inner-knowing and an almost compulsive sense that this had to come to life for me and that it was meant to be. Time and again I put myself out there in ways my friends and family were baffled by. Here are a few examples: I grew up with a single mom and we really had no money. Yet I was one of the few people from my town who went away to a private college by combining financial aid and scholarships with an unexpected gift from a distant relative. In a super competitive market where writers were told they had to provide clips and a portfolio to prove their merit, I got a job in the newspaper industry with a political science degree and my college term papers as writing samples. I went on to become an award-winning journalist in my field. When I first had the idea that I would open my own yoga studio I was not yet a certified yoga teacher and I had nothing in the way of savings or means to create my business. I now own a thriving studio in Boulder, Colorado. I could go on and on…In some ways I was lucky in that I often have simply had to create my dreams from nothing. I never have had

family money or support. I just was always a kid with an overactive imagination and a fire in my heart and belly that made me brave and maybe even what some would call slightly reckless in my willingness to dive right into the deep end of my passions. When I look back on my life though, I see a neat little checklist, fulfilled, step-by-step, all my greatest dreams right here in form in my life’s legacy. And I know that my unfailing trust in the unseen force that lives in the spaces in between, call it the ether or the cosmos or Universe or God, it doesn’t really matter, results time and again in what I see and experience in my “real” life.

Einstein is famous for saying that if he were able to ask God one question it would be: “Is the Universe a benevolent or malevolent force?”

I have come to believe that it is neither. It’s a force and it’s at the ready to manifest into the form of your life whatever your predominant thoughts are focused on. Whatever you ask of it, consciously or unconsciously, it co-creates with you. Like a vine grows towards the light no matter how it must wind and contort itself to get there, the Universe is always seeking the light in you and opportunities to express itself in your life. Your job is simply to give it clear direction.

73

yoga / Philosophy

PHOTOS: OLIVIA KATZ

the

Power of the

Circle

BY DAYNA SERAYE

n the end was the beginning, and in the beginning was the end.

Gabrielle Roth, the founder of 5Rhythms™ dance, outlined five universal rhythms inherent in all of nature. The very first rhythm, the foundation for all the others, is flow.

Flow is the circle. Flow is the feminine. Flow is the Mother.

We come into this world through the womb of our mother. She is our portal into this existence. Her body nourishes us and gives us life. Mother is our foundation.

In the yogic tradition, the feminine is known as Shakti. She is the Divine in manifest form. She is energy itself, and has no beginning and no end.

She is the circle.

So many of us today hear the call to reclaim the feminine in our own lives and in our society. We are responding to the intensity of imbalance that

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5,000 plus years of feminine suppression (in both men and women) has caused in our world.

The myth of Durga, the Great Mother Goddess of the Hindu tradition, speaks of a time much like we are living now. Demons have taken over and the world is greatly out of balance. The demons represent our ego – our self-centered view of reality.

They are the parts of us that tempt us into fear and keep us separated from love. These demons are so powerful that the Gods can not defeat them. They must call on the Goddess to save the world, and so Durga magnificently comes into form.

Durga enters the battle with her fierce love of truth and proceeds to fearlessly take down all of the demons. She is a shape shifter, manifesting into many different aspects of the Goddess as she wins the battle.

We too are asked to be shape shifters in this time.

We are asked to listen to what is needed and to flow into form and respond as is befitting in the moment.

We are each being called to take our place in the circle, as equally valued members of the whole. As

Chameli Ardagh says, “in the yogini path, the circle is the guru.” The circle teaches us everything we need to know. All we need to do is to be present.

The circle is the foundation of all of life. When we look to nature we rarely find straight lines and right angles. All of nature grows in the circular pattern of the Fibonacci spiral. Each year we flow through the seasons, spring blooming into sum-

THE LONG WINTER HAS PASSED, THE INCREASING LIGHT OF THE SUN WARMS THE EARTH, AND NEW LIFE BURSTS AND BLOOMS ALL AROUND.

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mer, prospering into autumn, letting go into winter, rebirthing into spring.

activity of the light half of the year. As the leaves change color and fall to the earth, we surrender into the process of letting go. We release what no longer serves us, giving it all back to the Earth to become compost for the next growing season. We physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepare for the darker, colder days ahead.

This great cycle of the seasons is a map, guiding us through a conscious and connected life. To sit in circle together, present to the rites of passage that the seasons offer us… present to our own heart and soul longings, is a deeply healing and transformational practice that reconnects us to the feminine.

In spring we welcome the energy of rebirth. The long winter has passed, the increasing light of the sun warms the earth, and new life bursts and blooms all around. Wild animals birth their babies.

We paint eggs and celebrate bunnies and honor the renewed fertility of the earth. As we plant seeds in our garden, we can also reflect on what intentions we are planting in our hearts for the growing season ahead.

In summer we delight in the fullness of life. The days are long and the sun is hot. We play hard, adventuring into the wild places of nature and our hearts. We are very outward, engaged in the world, expressing ourselves, connecting in community. We work hard to take good care of our gardens that are now filled with flourishing plants and delicious fruits and veggies. We stay

We arrive in winter. The life-force of nature has burrowed itself deep below the surface of the earth. We, too, get quiet and still. We listen to the whispers of Spirit. We rest. We cuddle up in front of the fire and tell stories and sing songs to warm our hearts and help us through the darkest days of the year. We dream deeply, patiently awaiting the return of the light. We tend the flame within and give ourselves ample space and time to restore our reserves of energy. present to nurturing the intentions we planted in the spring, taking action to manifest our dreams and visions.

Summer gives way to autumn and we harvest the fruits of the growing season. We physically collect and store the food that will carry us through the long winter ahead. We spiritually collect the lessons we have learned with all the movement and

The Wheel of the Year turns, spring comes again and we spiral onwards. The circle is the guru.

Nature is our guide. Like a tree rooted deeply into the earth, we root in the foundation that is flow… feminine… Mother…Goddess.

From there we rise.

Like Durga, committed to our love and truth, we slay the demons and restore the world to balance.

DENVER

DATE PRESENTED BY INSTRUCTOR MUSIC 5/31 Kindness Yoga Ellen Kaye DJ Sundragon 6/28 Mudra Yoga Heather Lindemann & Tracey Lanham Members of Chimney Choir 7/26 Two Moms in the Raw Jay on the Drums Shannon Paige 8/23 YJ LIVE! + Peaks Flavors Festival Amy Ippoliti Solomoon 9/6 Endorphin DJ Powtron Nickki Head, Briana Constance, Chris Lindley & Valerie Perrone

SUNKEN GARDENS 9 - 11:30 AM

Kids Camp offered!

Come for the yoga - stay for the Two Moms in the Raw Backyard Vendor Village

FREE admission. Space limited. Register today!

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Donations gratefully accepted for our non-profit partner, Food Bank of the Rockies.

75

yoga / Philosophy

MY

Practice

moving through gRIef

BY SAMI LEA LIPMAN

craves you, but I can’t give you to her.

So I give her my practice, the other thing she knows.

SO NOW, I PRACTICE IN SADNESS. I PRACTICE IN A SOULFUL SEARCH FOR A CREVICE OF PEACE.

Sami Lea Lipman, Yoga Magazine Production’s Creative Director, lost her fiancé to sudden death in October of 2014. Sami stumbles her way through grief, trauma, loneliness, and questioning everything, but her yoga practice remains paramount. In her blog, Sami writes to her departed soulmate, Ted. The following is an excerpt. n the days after your death, my dear friend Natalia called me from Spain. She, along with her prayers, condolences, and love, told me, “Now is when your yoga practice really starts.” Before I even got off the phone, I ridiculed her comment in the back of my mind. I thought to myself, “I’m supposed to think about yoga, now!? My soul mate died and she tells me to do yoga?” And for one week, I didn’t do yoga. And that was OK. But after those seven days, my body started to mourn its practice. My back started to hurt and my lack of eating started to take its toll. I got dizzy spells. I threw up constantly, my brain was traumatized. My spine throbbed from laying in bed and rolling around in the fetal position.

My body couldn’t handle the grief I was inflicting on it. So, if only to ease the pain in my lumbar spine and encourage an appetite – I went back to yoga.

But what I’ve gotten from my yoga practice isn’t just a prescription for my back pain, it’s peace.

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So I am alone on my mat. I am alone with my breath, though it used to ebb and flow with yours. I am alone with my dance, though I used to have a partner. I am alone in my thoughts, making space for you to come join me. I am alone in my body, fantasizing about when I used to press it to yours. But I am not alone in my surrender, because you are there too.

So now, I practice in sadness. I practice in a soulful search for a crevice of peace. I practice in solitude because even if I’m in a room full of breath, I can’t hear yours. But in my practice, I commit to hunt for the collective union of breath, for that “Om” that embodies me and you and all of spirit.

Five days after your death, a bear came into our garage. He ate all the garbage and made a huge mess, but, he also made my heart sing. You had known I really wanted to see a bear – and I felt he was a sign from you. But the bear did something else too. He climbed up onto a bench and left muddy bear prints all over my yoga mat. I don’t remember why my mat was out of the car that day, where it always lived, but it was. And I didn’t notice the prints until I went to unroll it a couple days later. But now when I unroll my mat, I see those prints and those scratches, and I know that you’re reminding me to practice.

You want me to practice my coming back to my breath – because my breath can’t escape the now like my mind can. You want me to practice coming back to my body – because my body needs to be strong to support the loss of my heart. You want me to practice coming back to my drishti – because I need supreme attention to recognize intuition. You want me to practice coming back home – home was with you, so I now feel homeless – but through my yoga practice I’m reminded that home is actually inside of me. And since you are now infinite, you are here too.

When we met, you had never been to a yoga class. But you embodied the yogic limbs more than I certainly did. And while over the next year and ten months, I taught you asana – you taught me breath, you taught me stillness, you taught me peacefulness, you taught me moderation, you taught me self-study, you taught me compassion, you taught me to breathe, you taught me purity, you taught me awareness, you taught me truth, and you taught me to surrender. Here I was, new to town, and desperately searching for a teacher – when I had him right there all along. You were my teacher. And you were a sage.

Lately, as I’ve moved through my practice, I’ve felt a chill shudder over my skin.

Maybe it’s a whisper from you that’s awakening the hairs on my body. I close my eyes and I think of you. My breath deepens as I run through the pages in my memory of our love. The closest I get to intimacy now is the touch of my teacher. I close my eyes and imagine a conduit, a gentle caress from you. It’s a desperate place to be. My body doesn’t understand you’re gone. My body

TED & SAMI AT BURNING MAN IN 2013

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First Month

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HEALTH / Food

WHY

Cleansing

was

Dangerous

for mE

BY TABITHA FARRAR

he truth is that most of the benefits of cleansing are mental. One feels better because they believe they are doing something that will make them feel better. A placebo of sorts. In the short term, this is harmless, but in the long term, binge cleansing will take a toll both mentally and physically.

In some cases, the cleanse culture can have a very deep, damaging, and hidden effect. Take for example, me, I suffered from anorexia, a brain-based mental disorder, for almost ten years. Anorexia is genetic in base, but it is affected by environmental triggers. Cleansing was never a healthy practice for me - quite the opposite - it was an outlet for my eating disorder, and a very dangerous one!

But, I was an extreme case in that I had a clinical eating disorder. What about those of you in the middle... not a fast food junkie, not a person who has suffered from an eating disorder? And who cleanse because you have been told you should and believe it will bring greater health to you overall. Can this cause harm?

Well, in my opinion, the answer is “yes”. On a physical level, restricting fats and calories can disrupt the natural balance of your body and this can actually stress the liver and organs which are trying so hard to help you detoxify. The liver has

Why was cleansing so dangerous for me?

Because is it accepted. Cleansing is thought of as a healthy and good behavior, so nobody was going to tell me not to do it. My eating disorder had found something to hide behind.

For those of us with a history of eating disorders, cleansing is far from a healthy behavior. It can trigger a relapse.

Now, recovered, I never, ever cleanse, diet or restrict food in any way. I am over anything that involves not eating exactly what I want to eat, when I want to eat it. I don’t cleanse, I am not vegan or vegetarian, I eat meat, dairy, and gluten and I have never been happier!

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CLEANSING WAS NEVER A HEALTHY PRACTICE FOR ME; QUITE THE OPPOSITE, IT WAS AN OUTLET FOR MY EATING DISORDER, AND A VERY DANGEROUS ONE!

a number of stages it works through when it is detoxifying the blood, and in the first stage, special enzymes called the P450 group are used in order to alter the chemical structure of the toxin so that it can later be removed from the cell that is carrying it. Among the many vitamins that these P450 enzymes need are vitamins A, D and E - the fat soluble vitamins.

Fat soluble means that in order for these vitamins to be absorbed, you need to eat them with fat. So on this very basic and functional level, one can see that going on a juice cleanse is not particularly beneficial for the liver. Juicing can be a healthful practice, but it needs to happen alongside a balanced diet.

Mentally, there is potential for the development of a troublesome self-image. A fixation on the idea that unless one does something drastic (like eat only fruit for a week) one is somehow unhealthy, dirty, and in need of cleansing. There can be too much focus on the faults of our body, a striving for unattainable perfection, and extreme endeavors without proper nutritional knowledge.

In some ways, this concept that the body is inherently unclean and needs to be cleansed IS toxic. I don’t need to repent. I don’t need to be told that I am impure. My liver is not unclean, my colon is not hoarding waste. So long as I look after myself, eat a balanced diet full of healthy fats, protein, fruits and vegetables, exercise, rest, laugh and love, I don’t need to cleanse. And... neither do you.

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HEALTH / Food

HEALTHY SUMMER RECIPES FROM THE CONSCIOUS CLEANSE Want to jump-start your yoga practice this summer?

Start by changing the way you eat.

The research is in. Eating a diet rich in whole foods – veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and non-gluten grains – is good for your health!

But did you ever stop to think how your diet is affecting your yoga practice?

Eating a “clean diet” – one that is void of processed foods, refined sugars and empty calories, will not only help you release extra pounds, you’ll also detoxify your body and decrease inflammation.

Inflammation is one of the precursors to disease; so when we start to eat whole foods based diet, inflammation and extra stubborn pounds, start to fall away effortlessly, resulting in a lighter, more flexible, open body!

Ready to get started?

Summer is here, making it the perfect time to clean up your diet. Start by adding in these simple, healthy and delicious recipes and take your health and your yoga practice to the next level.

BY JO SCHAALMAN AND JULES PELÁEZ

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MINT MADNESS SMOOTHIE Yield: 2 cups

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup almond milk (homemade is best) 1 frozen banana, peeled 2 TB. raw cacao powder 1½ TB. raw cacao nibs 1 tsp. maca powder 10 fresh mint leaves or alcohol-free mint extract, or to taste 1 handful of spinach 3 or 4 ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS: In a high-speed blender, combine almond milk, banana, raw cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, maca powder, mint leaves, spinach and ice cubes until smooth. Serve immediately.

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CUCUMBER

RADISH SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

2 cups cucumber, skins on, diced 1 cup radish, diced 1 avocado, diced ¼ cup fresh herb of choice (cilantro, dill, mint or parsley would be delicious) 2 TB lime or lemon juice 1 TB apple cider vinegar 2 TB olive oil Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, toss together cucumber, radish, avocado, herbs, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil until well combined.

Avocado should become creamy but still chunky. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before serving.

(Yield: 2 Servings)

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retreat o o t e d

in Breckenridge, Co

October 8-12, 2015

Breckenridge, CO with Juli Rathke and friends of CO Yoga Magazine

register at julirathke.com or metayogastudios.com

Yoga. Hike. Bike. SUP. Food. Friends. Relax. Fun. Lodging Included. Weekend Reatreat.

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GRILLED

STEELHEAD TROUT

(Yield: 2 trout fillets)

INGREDIENTS: 2 (4- to 6-oz.) steelhead trout fillets, preferably with skin on 2 TB. coconut oil, divided 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced 1 TB. fresh rosemary or any fresh herb, minced ¼ tsp. sea salt Pinch freshly ground black pepper Juice of 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the grill to high heat. Add trout fillets to baking dish with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. If coconut oil is hardened, melt first and then add to baking dish. Add garlic, rosemary or other fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Massage seasonings and oil into the flesh and skin of the fish. Even if skin won’t be eaten, it’s best to leave it on while cooking to prevent the fish from curling. Add lemon juice and cover to marinate at room temperature or in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

When ready to grill, use the other tablespoon of coconut oil on a paper towel, and using metal tongs, grease the hot grill. Using a regular or fish spatula, then add fillets to the grill, skin side down. Close grill lid and allow fish to cook for at least 6-8 minutes before flipping. The fish is ready to flip when it releases easily from the grill and does not stick. Cook on opposite side for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

Skin and garlic slices may be eaten or discarded after cooking.

Variation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking dish with tinfoil before adding coconut oil and trout, skin side down. Add remaining ingredients and massage seasonings into fish flesh. Fold the foil to close, sealing each edge to form a packet around the fish. Marinate at room temperature or in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Then bake fish for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.

Discard skin and garlic slices (optional) before serving.

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INTRODUCING LUVBYRD! Perhaps the most Colorado-y dating site of all time!?

Anyone who is single, living in Colorado, and wanting to find a soul mate who appreciates nature and a good outdoor adventure, look no further. Introducing LuvByrd, an ultra-specific dating site that matches outdoor enthusiasts with others who enjoy the same types of outdoor adventure activities.

It’s pretty simple, and it’s unlike all the other dating sites. LuvByrd is different partly because this dating site does not require members to answer three dozen questions related to their hair color, their body type, or their astrological sign. LuvByrd is interested in only a few very specific things, such as: “What’s the one thing on your bucket list you’d like to try tomorrow?” And, “What are your favorite summer and winter outdoor activities?” As well as the places where they most like to ski and ride most.

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LuvByrd is on a mission to connect likeminded people who have one thing in common: a love for outdoor adventure and spending time in the great outdoors.

Everyone knows that a first date can be awkward and nerve-wracking, but LuvByrd solves this problem. Members of this dating website automatically know that individuals they select for a date share the same adventurous spirit and passion for the same outdoor activities as they do.

This allows a couple to plan stress-free and relaxed time together without those first-date jitters.

One of the best features of all is LuvByrd memberships are completely FREE. The site is geared toward residents of Colorado, but eventually it will be available to individuals from other geographic locations. For now, Coloradans looking for “Luv” all across the state of Colorado can find a partner for a date or can participate in group activities organized by LuvByrd and promoted on the LuvByrd site.

LuvByrd is shaping up to be one of the most exciting dating sites ever, and it is no surprise that outdoor enthusiasts are flocking to the site. Regardless of whether LuvByrd is used as a means of finding true love, or as an instrument to find a friend with a similar adventurous spirit, the idea for this matchmaking site is ingenious.

Helping active singles find others with the same passion for the outdoors is an idea like no other!

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HEALTH / Psychology

The Psychology of Humans

& the Natural World he last half century’s increasing enthusiasm for yoga in the West has, for many people, facilitated profound experiences of connection and change. These meaningful experiences are revitalizing cultural narratives and validating that we as human beings do not stand outside nature. Instead, we are intimately connected with all aspects of nature: species, ecological processes, geological cycles, meteorological events, and the inevitable processes of decay and renewal. The moral imperative of svadhyaya, or self-study in the form of ecopsychological inquiry, can take us more deeply into the sense of connection with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.

Theodore Roszak coined the term “ecopsychology” in his 1992 book Voice of the Earth. He further explains that “[o]nce upon a time, all psychologies were ‘ecopsychologies,’ and that healers of the soul “took for granted that human nature is densely embedded in the world we share with animal, vegetable, mineral, and all the unseen powers of the cosmos.” (Roszak, T. Voice of the Earth, 2001) As human beings, our prevalent narrative of being disconnected from nature needs deep repair.

Lori Pye, founder of Viridis Graduate Institute: International School of Ecopsychology and Environmental Humanities has further developed the idea of ecopsychology into a theory and praxis that asks us to examine who we are and what our role is on this planet. Pye utilizes ecology, depth psychology, biology, and mythology to examine the drivers of destructive attitudes, behaviors, and practices. Her method considers

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how energy, diversity, waste, change, and connectivity are expressed in our personal psychology. (Pye, L. Our Manner of Living, 2010. viridisinstitute.org) By asking questions, we can begin to discover the attitudes and habitual patterns that inhibit changes in our behavior: What energy do I bring into new situations? When might I misuse my energy? Are the profound losses of habitats and species in the outer world resulting in a loss of inner abundance? Do I welcome all of who I am, or do I get stuck expressing one-sided emotions or attitudes?

What does resistance to change feel like in my body? What is my experience of being connected? From whom or what do I feel disconnected? These are all examples of questions that can bring greater awareness to our behavior.

The self-study process can go even deeper by engaging the imagination and noticing how our bodies resonate with particular images from nature. We might inquire: Do I feel sloth-like when I’m exhausted? Or am I a dry sponge?

We can find new clarity about our emotional life by asking, Does my anger feel like a tidal wave, a wildfire, or a raging bull? If we are feeling stuck, we can imagine a compost heap and ask ourselves what bits of old patterns are breaking down. Perhaps there is a bone of contention that is taking decades to decompose. When we feel like we want to move on in our lives, we can ask: Is newly formed soil prepared to receive the seeds of new attitudes? Am I willing to venture into an unfamiliar landscape or am I difficult to uproot like a dandelion? By engaging the imagination we can discover images that speak to an experience of connection or disconnection.

This questioning and imaginative self-study process is not a superficial endeavor. It is laborious and requires commitment, but we do it for ourselves, our communities, and the planet. Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist C.G. Jung stated that the psychology of the individual is expressed in the culture;

BY ANN VERMEER

therefore, if we can investigate deeply how the despoliation of our home planet begins with each of us, it will certainly have an impact on our communities and larger ecosystems.

Maybe an ecopsychological approach seems like a luxury or too slow when climate change is so pressing, but experts agree that fundamental changes are required.

In a recent public radio interview, professor and ecological economist Dr. William Rees said, “Regardless of alternative energies we may discover, it is our change of mind that is necessary to make significant changes.”

This inward turn and examination of our attitudes and belief systems can help to uncover the troubling narratives that perpetuate destructive policies, practices, and actions. With this greater inner awareness, we can choose more creative narratives and behavior patterns in order to make the changes that are needed in the outer world.

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HEALTH / Astrology

HOROSCOPES SIX MONTH ASTROLOGY FORECAST

BY KAREN ANDERSON

The summer of growth ahead for all the signs is well-earned after the last few years, stimulated by the clearing of the seven Uranus/Pluto squares. These challenging configurations paralleled the seven chakras, cleansing them and activating them. The portal that is opening is the next expansion of the Aquarian Age, bringing in fresh forms, new products and satisfying alliances for both ourselves and the planet. The summer flowers after the radical pruning we have experienced and the fall brings a harvest of wisdom. While at times you may find the discomfort of the past few years rising up again, this will be short-lived and new growth returns again.

If you have been searching for dates for deep work – a yoga intensive, cleansing, or core psychological work, June 14th through September 17th would be ideal. The Eagle Transformation portion of the stars, famed for its ability to catalyze change, will be activated by a rare visit from Saturn, the lord of the rings. Remain fearless in your quest to uncover certain portions of your psyche and reap the benefits. After radical change, new growth and transformations, the fall brings a harvest of wisdom.

LIBRA: As a cardinal sign, you are breathing more deeply and cosmically now that the seven cardinal squares have finished. Those cosmic configurations were sculpting you over the past three years.

Now you find that you are back to your customary ease and expertise in partnerships, with the added refinement that you have developed from this growth cycle.

SCORPIO: Scorpio is ready to leap forward.

Prepare to unzip a layer of karma from your energy field! Every 29 years Saturn, the lord of karma, enters each sign for 2 and a half years. He left your sign at the end of December and returns from mid-June to mid-September for a final empowerment in the Eagle portion of the stars, which will propel you into your new phase.

SAGITTARIUS: While one could say that Saturn entering your sign in September is a radical reminder to bring your life together, it would be more accurate to say that this 2 year visit will allow you to create the next 29 years in your life in the style that you want. You have a freedom that you have not experienced before, so design the future that you have always envisioned.

ARIES: Unexpected new growth in areas where you would not have thought to see it arrives for the first sign of the zodiac. After the radical pruning you experienced as a cardinal sign in the last three years, you will delight in the new forms and friends that are appearing in your life. Expect the unexpected is the phrase that signals the changes that are refreshing your summer.

CANCER: Cancer is one of the decisive cardinal signs in the stars. A long term winnowing process, with your goal of finding personal power in relationships, continues for the moon children. You are blending your innate heart chakra gifts with solar plexus will power. As these two energy currents merge, you lead the planet in heartfelt choices powered by the strength of will.

CAPRICORN: The diamond body of the sign of the resolute mountain goat has been activated when Pluto, the god of the underworld and psychological transformation, entered your sign in 2007. He is refining you to eliminate any flaw in your gem body, to allow you to turn light into rainbow colors. As a cardinal sign, expect a summer of growth blending into the wisdom of fall.

TAURUS: You are finishing a profound cycle of personal growth that has spanned the last two and a half years of your life. The final portion of this occurs from mid-June until mid-September, with an astrological eagle activation, allowing you to demonstrate both the creation of new boundaries in partnerships and clearer ideas about who and what you are looking for in life.

LEO: The lions are fulfilling long term plans with Jupiter, the planet of earned spiritual good fortune, continuing in your sign until mid-August. This is traditionally a fortunate time for expansion, so move forward with all of your dreams. After August, you have a year of financial support from the cosmos which will allow you to move your ventures forward in the fall.

AQUARIUS: Oh, to be an Aquarius as we enter the Aquarian Age, bringing in new levels of evolution, merging the ancient with the new. The flowers of the past two thousand years have come forward to be integrated and sculpted into new forms for the present and future, with yoga and acupuncture serving as cultural examples of this phenomena, and you as the guide.

GEMINI: The twins are in a phase of manifestation. Mercury, your ruler, the quicksilver messenger of the gods, enters one of his well-known retrograde cycles from mid-September to mid-October in the partnership oriented sign of Libra, looking backward over intimate relationships for refinement. You are in a fine cycle, with the potential for success and growth.

VIRGO: Super financial aspects are tracking the sign of Virgo – turn to sponsors, grants, foundations, and public support. The cosmos continue with this theme for you, because in mid-August Jupiter, the good luck planet, enters your sign for one year to allow you to further expand your outreach to the planet, with ventures that move both yourself and civilization forward.

PISCES: Pisces prepares for growth and wisdom.

For the first time in 144 years, Neptune, your ruling planet, is in your very own sign. This gives you the ability to not only live in the realm of spirit and intuition, where you have traditionally been an expert, but to manifest your dreams right here and right now. Envision the future that you want, and find that you are empowered.

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THE REJUVENIZER Phyllis Light, Ph.D & Telepathic Healer

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A LIFETIME OF HEALING AND PROTECTION

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After wearing the Personal Rejuvenizer for only 20 minutes, she reported feeling more awake, energized and refreshed.

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events / Festivals

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COYOGAMAGAZINE.COM

CONNECTION, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND YOGA at Colorado’s

ARISE

Festival Upon a gentle meadow plateau nestled against red rock mountain vistas that collide with infinite blue skies, we are invited to lay down our yoga mats, sink our toes into sacred earth, and nurture our hearts at the ARISE Music Festival, Colorado’s very own music, yoga and activism festival. The weekend imbues the air with music and from above a hawk lends its voice to the song. In this sun-kissed sanctuary, with a breath-taking panoramic view of our magical natural world, wisdomwoven movement, and dynamic sound bring yogis from Colorado and beyond together and welcome them to experience the power of simplicity and presence with a touch of alchemic passion.

Over the years, ARISE has held an energetic space for profound connection between attendees and

our planet through music, yoga, art, environmental activism, and beyond. This legacy of inspiration, intention, and purposeful action brings those that find themselves playing throughout the grounds back, time and again, to what truly matters.

Jeanie Manchester (of Boulder, CO), taught the first two years and returns again in 2015 for the 3rd annual event. “The whole premise of the ARISE Music Festival is that something is shifting in consciousness, right now. Humanity is shifting, transforming, and planetary awakening is taking place. We get to come together and be a part of that. It is so much fun to teach yoga in an environment where people are happy, playful, and enjoying being outside and moving their bodies. What I have loved most about this experience has been the freedom of sharing

yoga in nature, with live music, and among such a creative gathering of people,” shares Manchester.

This year, ARISE is honored to host worldrenowned musician, DJ, and yoga teacher Bibi McGill. Originally from Denver, McGill expressed her excitement around ARISE. “The ARISE Music Festival is a huge deal for me because I am finally coming home to Denver, and I get to connect into this conscious evolution that is so close to my heart with my tribe and spirit family.” And, when asked about yoga, she’s all about keeping it real.

“Yoga is important, old, ancient, and certainly something I very much respect, but it’s just yoga. I want my yoga classes to be accessible to anyone.

Any shape, color, age, fitness or experience level... yoga is for everyone; it is for EVERY body! Yoga is such a significant part of my life and I am grateful to be able to share it.”

Yoga at ARISE is highly vibrational, community-centric, supportive, and eclectic, with an underlying current of great love and joy that transforms the ordinary. What you seek you will likely find here, whether it’s a deeply spiritual experience or one filled with body-grooving fun! Teacher Gina Caputo (also of Boulder, CO) comments, “The musical lineup at this year’s ARISE festival is second to none and the stylistic diversity of the yoga offering is really exciting! I appreciate ARISE’s commitment to including Colorado talent, both musicians and yogis. I am looking forward to celebrating our relationship with the beautiful land we’re on, and the high-vibes and fun-loving spirit of the people!”

In the heart of nature, may we each find our heart’s own truest nature. And may we realize that we are in this together. To change anything for our world, we are going to need everyone. Won’t you come “arise” with us?

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events / Festivals

StapleOM COLORADO Denver’s free StapleOM Festival Brings Local Yogis Together in it’s Second Year

BY BERNADETTE SLOWEY

With all the summertime activities the Front Range has to offer, a much needed breath of calm breezes into Denver just before Autumn to restore the soul. On September 18 and 19, the second annual StapletOM Yoga Festival will be held at the Founder’s Green on 29th & Roslyn in the Stapleton neighborhood and will feature live music, workshops and of course, yoga. The festival is open to the public with free admission into the vendor village that will include artisans, clothing designers, food trucks, wineries and breweries. Throughout the day on Friday and Saturday participants can purchase tickets to attend various classes taught by over a dozen locally acclaimed teachers.

The founding organizers, Jeannene Levinson, Lora McKelvey and Dee Watts, are Stapleton residents and certified yoga instructors. They shared a vision to not only bring a community event for those who are already committed to yoga, but to also introduce different aspects and benefits of yoga beyond physical exercise. “Integrating a yoga practice allows athletes and weekend warriors to continue to run, bike, ski, and swim with fewer injuries,” McKelvey said. “Yoga strengthens, tones and stretches as well as prepares the mind for challenges off the mat.”

All yogis (and non-yogis) of every age are welcome.

Experienced yogis will enjoy the AcroYoga and Arm Balance classes. Yoga Flow might attract those new to yoga while the hard-core weights and cardio fans can experience Yoga Sculpt or Boot Camp.

The festival is easily accessible by bike. Parking is free and so are the yoga classes for kids.

StapletOM will also benefit Off The Mat Colorado, Stapleton MCA, and the documentary, Berni’s Journey. With the infusion of live music and vendors, the organizers expect the event to be as lively and fun as it is calm and restorative. Bring a mat, friends and family and be ready for fun. For more information go to www.stapletom.com.

STAPLEOM

YOGA FESTIVAL September 18-19, 2015 Founder’s Green

7601 E 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80238

The organizers feel it was important to ensure all aspects of yoga were represented at the festival so that the people would have an opportunity to learn about all facets of the practice. “There are many styles of yoga for those just beginning to those who are intermediate and want to evolve their practice,” said Watts. “This festival gives a snapshot of the various forms of yoga and introduces the amazing local talent who instruct here.”

Chris Lindley, founder of Endorphin, is one of the sponsors for the festival and is personally teaching a workshop on arm balances. “Our society moves so fast, it’s difficult to remain balanced,” Lindley said. “The StapletOM Yoga Festival is not just about going to a bunch of classes, doing some crazy poses and leaving,” he said. “It’s a way to bring an active community together that is purposeful and educational.”

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events / Listings

COLORADO EVENTS Yoga. Family. Local. Art. Music.

JULY TELLURIDE YOGA FESTIVAL A 4-day festival featuring yoga, hiking, social events, music, meditations, SUP yoga, a Farm-toTable dinner, all-day workshops, and more.

July 9th - 12th tellurideyogafestival.com YOGAPOD PODEVOLVE WORKSHOP SERIES, BOULDER Pod Evolve is a community-based workshop series that goes beyond asana. This series, led by Boulder’s premier teachers, is designed to deepen your personal practice and introduce subtleties beyond the physical asana practice.

July 12th - 19th boulder.yogapodcommunity.com CRESTED BUTTE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL For serious wine lovers and culinarians, Crested

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Butte’s fest offers the chance to meet winemakers and sommeliers all set amid the mountain town’s splendor.

July 23rd - 26th crestedbuttewine.com JACKALOPE ART FAIR, DENVER Two day shopping destination featuring over 200 local artisans, crafters, and DIY enthusiasts.

Bringing locally handcrafted goods to the community, with an emphasis on quality artistry.

July 25th & 26th jackalopeartfair.com ROCKYGRASS MUSIC FESTIVAL, LYONS Late every July the small mountain town of Lyons, Colorado becomes the center of the bluegrass universe as generations of legends and futurelegends and Festivarians converge under the red rock cliffs of the St. Vrain River.

July 24th - 26th bluegrass.com/rockygrass

AUGUST TELLURIDE JAZZ FESTIVAL Laid back showcase of the best in jazz, funk, soul, and eclectic world music, with the beautiful Telluride aesthetic as the background.

August 1st-3rd telluridejazz.org ARISE 2015, LOVELAND The Arise music festival features 3 days of music, yoga, workshops, and co-creative experiences of all kinds.

August 7th-9th arisefestival.com GOLDEN FINE ARTS FESTIVAL, GOLDEN The festival hosts more than 140 high-quality artists (many of which are Coloradoans) in a variety of media.

August 15th-16th goldenfineartsfestival.org

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BOULDER CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL The best craft breweries from Boulder County and beyond create a tasting festival, with samples of Boulder’s best beer. The festival includes live music and food.

August 22nd boulderdowntown.com/craft-beer-festival

SEPTEMBER A TASTE OF COLORADO, DENVER Celebrating the offerings of more 50 area restaurants, 250 marketplace artisans and vendors, seven stages, and educational programs promoting the diverse cultural and western heritage of the region.

September 4th-7th atasteofcolorado.com UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS FESTIVAL, ESTES PARK A Rocky Mountain healing and wellness event founded on the principal that no matter who we are we all want a healthy body and to live a long and fulfilling life.

September 11th - 14th universalconsciousnessfestival.org STAPLEOM YOGA FESTIVAL A wonderful mix of yoga led by local and national teachers along with a kids tent, vendors, food trucks, local beer and wine, and live music.

September 18-19, 2015 stapletOM.com SNOWMASS CULINARY & ARTS FESTIVAL Foodies will savor tasting menus and cooking demos from celebrity chefs, a juried art exhibit, a performance by blues legen Otis Taylor and speciality food and spirits pairings.

September 18th - 19th snowmassvillage.com THE ZEN PROJECT BY EAGLE YOGA FEST, EAGLE A weekend celebration of mindful yoga including: meditation, lectures, slow flow, Yin Yoga, and more!

September 18th-20th eagleyogafest.com

OCTOBER YOGA JOURNAL CONFERENCE, ESTES PARK Take your practice to a deeper level by immersing yourself in the teachings of top presenters. Learn from master instructors including Jason Crandell, Amy Ippoliti, Kathryn Budig, and more.

October 1st-4th yjevents.com APPLEFEST, CEDAREDGE At Applefest, more than 150 vendors share the

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area’s agricultural wealth with visitors, who can also check out a classic car and antique tractor show, bands and much more.

October 3rd & 4th cedaredgechamber.com/applefest/ ROOTED YOGA RETREAT, BRECKENRIDGE Join Juli Rathke and other amazing Colorado Yoga Magazine ambassadors and teachers in beautiful Breckenridge for a weekend of settling, exploring, gathering and rooting. Yoga. SUP. Hiking. Biking.

Food. Relaxation. Friends. Fun. October 8-12 julirathke.com/upcoming-events/ FORT COLLINS FALL FEST A seasonal celebration tha features visual art, high quality handmade items, and affordable art from a plethora of local and regional artists.

October 17th & 18th downtownfortcollins.com/events MUNCHKIN MASQUERADE, BOULDER Each Halloween, downtown Boulder is invaded by thousands of tiny ghosts & goblins, fairies and princes, and animals of every size trick or treating along Peal Street.

October 31st boulderdowntown.com/events/munchkin-masquerade

NOVEMBER SOULSPARK JOURNEY RETREAT, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Turn your gaze inward this fall with SoulSpark Journeys in beautiful Steamboat Springs.

Invigorating yoga classes, nourishing food and inspiring surroundings await you.

November 6th-8th soulsparkjourneys.com DECK THE MALL, DENVER A selection of one of-a-kind seasonal items, high quality hand crafted goods, and speciality foods from local artists and crafters.

November 7th colorado.com/events/deck-mall SOULSPARK JOURNEY RETREAT, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Turn your gaze inward this fall with SoulSpark Journeys in beautiful Steamboat Springs.

Invigorating yoga classes, nourishing food and inspiring surroundings await you.

November 6th-8th soulsparkjourneys.com ALL COLORADO BEER FESTIVAL, COLORADO SPRINGS The All Colorado Beer Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established to operate beer festivals for the express purpose of raising funds

for Colorado Springs area nonprofit organizations.

November 7th allcoloradobeerfestival.com HOLIDAY FOOD & GIFT FESTIVAL, DENVER With over 400 exhibitors the festival will provide shoppers with one-of-a-kind gifts that cannot be found anywhere else. Featuring art, crafts, jewelry, clothing, wood, music, photography, toys, Christmas décor, and much more makes this a gift buyer’s delight.

November 20th-22nd hfgf.com

DECEMBER JOURNEY INTO THE MEDICINE WHEEL,FORT COLLINS This 5 week workshop series is derived from the ancient shamanic traditions of the Inca from the highlands of the Andes Mountains.

November 30th - December 14th holisticyogaschool.com PSYCHIC FAIR, NIWOT Features bodywork, psychic readings, healings, and aura portraits.

December 18th boulderhealers.com/psychicfair/ WINTER SOLSTICE RETREAT AND RENEWAL Red Feather Lakes. Shambala Mountain Center Discover relaxation and wakefulness in our pristine mountain environment. Our Retreat and Renewal programs offer contemplative approaches for working with the fullness of daily modern life, bringing insight and inspiration to career, family, health, relationships, and personal endeavors of all kinds.

December 20th-22nd shambalamountain.org 12 DAYS OF ASPEN Downtown comes alive with a variety of free holiday activities, cookies, hot chocolate, and much more to celebrate the holidays and the winter season.

December 20th-31st aspenchamber.org/events/acra-annualevents/12-days-aspen

TO LIST YOUR EVENT HERE, PLEASE CONTACT US AT KEITH@COYOGAMAGAZINE.COM

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