MN YOGA + Life® | Fall + Winter 2023

HELEN

WANG Creating Jewelry to Nourish

Yoga • Movement • Health • Wellness • Lifestyle • Travel MNYOGALIFE.COM

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FALL + WINTER OCTOBER 2023

NOURISH

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FALL + WINTER | OCTOBER 2023 VOLUME II | ISSUE II MN YOGA + LIFE® PUBLISHER Faces of TBI, LLC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amy Zellmer EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kristen Brown CONTENT EDITOR Ian Hebiesen COPY EDITOR Lynn Garthwaite CREATIVE DIRECTOR Heide Woodworth DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Mary McCallum CONTRIBUTORS Megan Adams, Indu Arora, Tanya Boigenzahn, Kristen Brown, Christine Conti, Joleen Emery, Meghan Foley, Meghan Hatalla, Alina Hornfeldt, Kami Kessel, Reeve Klatt, Nicole Lovald, Allison Miller, Ted Roseen, Cheri Dostal Ryba, Stephanie Schwartz, Jillian Simpson, Kamie Slegers, Kelly Smith, Tracy Vacura, Danielle Venticinque, Nicole Warner, Laura Willenbring, Amy Zellmer

AMBASSADORS Heather Beier, Monica Delius, Paula Keck, Amy Kenow, Mary McCallum, Dr. Jillian Simpson, Kamie Slegers, Nicole Warner, Danielle Venticinque, Zara Zanussi

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1112 Highway 55, Suite 103, Hastings, MN 55033 2023 MN YOGA + Life Magazine. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of its publishers.

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MNYOGALIFE.COM

FROM THE EDITOR

"With the magazine running full steam ahead, we hope you feel connected to your community and take advantage of the many wonderful studios and businesses Minnesota offers."

"This past April we held our first ever MN YOGA Conference, and it was a smashing success!"

the fall and winter seasons. With the magazine running full steam ahead, we hope you feel connected to your community and take advantage of the many wonderful studios and businesses Minnesota offers. Keep your eye on our events calendar at mnyogalife.com – and support our annual partners who help us keep this magazine as a free resource.

This past April we held our first ever MN YOGA Conference, and it was a smashing success! With over 150 amazing humans coming together over a love of yoga and wellness, it was truly special. Please be sure to mark your calendars for April 20-21, 2024 for our next one, which will be even bigger and better!

As we kick off the fall season here at MN YOGA + Life, we hope you will join us for our Fall Self-Care Retreat on October 7th in Rosemount. A day full of intentional self-care, this retreat will provide movement, stillness, and nourishment for your soul. +

I

must admit, fall is my favorite season. The air turns crisp as the leaves change colors, and you can smell autumn in the air. Fall brings me my own personal nourishment, helping me recharge and prepare for the long, cold winter ahead.

I often find myself day-dreaming of fall in the heat of summer, already planning out my trips to explore the colorful country we live in. For me, fall is like a warm embrace you don’t want to let go.

I am grateful to live in a part of the country that experiences all of the seasons with such gusto — Mother Nature does not hold back in Minnesota!

In this issue you will find a variety of ways to stay nourished during

MNYOGALIFE.COM

AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

publisher + editor-in-chief hello@mnyogalife.com www.mnyogalife.com

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS SPOTLIGHT

12 MUDDY WATERS

HEALTH + WELLNESS 40 HEALTHY SLEEP HYGIENE

42 AYURVEDIC SOUL FOOD

Nourishment is More Than What We Eat

44 MEANINGFUL

Heather Beier

CONNECTION

14 HOLISTIC HEALING at NE Wellness

in the Midst of Loneliness

18 YOGA MELROSE

46 AYURVEDA OF

20 MASTEL'S

HEALTH FOODS

22 SEVA: KARUNA

Nonprofit Highlight

72 YOGA + MOVEMENT 26 BALANCE

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THE SEASONS

in a Woman's Body

54 NOURISHMENT

30 DYNAMIC

55 NOURISHING

MEDITATIONS

Creating Jewelry to Nourish

50 HONORING

28 CHAIR-BASED YOGA

32 GUIDED

24 HELEN WANG

RESILIENCE

52 PRESSURE POINTS

CONSENT CULTURE

ON THE COVER

48 BALANCED

VATA DOSHA

to Nourish Youself

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THE MIND

for the Mind

THE SPIRIT

Beating the Winter Blues

56 3 SELF-CARE RECIPES

34 NOURISH

for Everyday Nourishment

with Stillness

58 WHAT WANTS TO

YOUR SPIRIT

36 WHAT IS ASANA? 38 YOGA OF RUNNING 39 3 BREATH

TECHNIQUES

for Winter Solstice

BE NOURISHED?

60 NOURISHMENT Begins with NO

61 FUNCTIONAL

HEALTH UNLIMITED Advertorial

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CONTENTS

TRAVEL

84 EVERGLADES

NATIONAL PARK

Shark Valley Tram Tour

86 NATCHEZ TRACE

18 LIFESTYLE

62 EDITOR'S PICKS 64 BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT

with Green Aventurine

66 CHYAWANPRASH A rejuvenating Ayurvedic Elixir

68 ESSENTIAL OIL 101 for Pets

70 SURVIVAL OF

THE MERRIEST Battling the Holiday Blues

72 MEDITATION Through Art

74 ORGANIC INDIA

PARKWAY

87 TRAVEL GEAR 76 MUST-HAVES for Fall + Winter

77 HACK YOUR

NERVOUS SYSTEM Card Deck Review

78 HOME YOGA PRACTICE

Book Excerpt

80 CHAIR YOGA

POCKET GUIDE Book Review

81 ANTIRACIST

CONVERSATIONS Book Review

82 THE LUMINOUS SELF Book Review

83 WHAT WE'RE READING

40 EVENTS + PARTNERS 88 MARKETPLACE 90 EVENTS THIS SEASON October 2023 March 2024

92 DIRECTORY

MN YOGA + Life Annual Partners

94 LOVEYOURBRAIN Adam Pearce Named CNN Hero

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CONTRIBUTORS

MEGAN ADAMS (SHE/HER) The founder of Ignite Joy Life-Coaching, Megan Adams is a certified Health, Life, and Transformational Coach trained in High Performance Habits. Megan’s passion empowers women to choose a life they love.

No more “going through the motions” or being driven by “shoulds” when a world of possibilities waits to be explored! With curiosity, intention, and a splash of fun Megan helps you explore what your heart yearns for - and then helps you get to work honoring that vision by nurturing your body, mind, and spirit.

PODCAST!

INDU ARORA (SHE/HER) Indu Arora considers herself a student for a lifetime. As a yoga and ayurveda teacher, she shared her experiences for the last two decades across more than 50 cities worldwide. Her unique gift is making yoga and ayurveda a practice, equally useful for a beginner or a sincere seeker who made yoga a lifelong journey. She is the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret (2015), Yoga: Ancient Heritage, Tomorrow’s Vision (2005, 2019), and SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care (e-book, 2020, expanded hard copy, 2022).

She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse.

TANYA BOIGENZAHN (SHE/HER) Tanya Boigenzahn, PODCAST! C-IAYT, ERYT500, AYS, is a long-time yogini dedicated to sharing the teachings with clarity, humor, and integrity. She’s the founder/ director of Devanadi Yoga, as well as Thai Yoga Bodywork, LLC. As a Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, Reiki Master, and Thai Yoga Bodywork Therapist, she weaves these healing arts together in her work. With a love of travel, she guides a variety of yoga and wellness retreats around the world, as well as close to home.

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CONTRIBUTORS KRISTEN BROWN (SHE/HER) Kristen Brown, CSP, is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and energy hacker who charges up her clients by syncing up their body/mind/spirit for work and life growth.

CHRISTINE CONTI (SHE/HER) Christine Conti, M. ED., is an international awardwinning fitness educator, chronic disease wellness specialist and consultant.

A best-selling author, keynote speaker, and creator of ten medical and fitness courses, she founded Conti Fitness and Wellness and Reinventing the Woman LLC. Her personal battle with chronic illness led to her ongoing research to prevent and reduce symptoms of disease through exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle choices.

Christine has since run over 50 marathons and completed 3 IRONMAN and 100-mile races. She believes ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

JOLEEN EMERY (SHE/HER) Joleen Emery and her husband Darin Warling own Big Raven Yoga, manufacturers of artistic, luxurious, and customizable yoga mats. They also run Big Raven Farm, an art & yoga retreat center in Spring Grove, MN. You can find Joleen on all social channels @Joleenemery. Most of the book folding tutorials mentioned can be found on TikTok. PODCAST!

MEGHAN FOLEY (SHE/HER) Meghan Foley is an aurvedic yoga therapist, yoga teacher, yin teacher trainer, and ayurvedic health counselor, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With extensive training in functional movement, pelvic floor yoga therapy, and ancient ayurvedic healing practices, Meghan brings a holistic perspective to her work and believes that one-size-fits none, and that there are as many pathways to healing as there are humans.

PODCAST!

MEGHAN HATALLA (SHE/HER) Meghan Hatalla is a body-positive Minnesota yoga instructor and life design writer.

ALINA HORNFELDT (SHE/HER) Alina Hornfeldt is a co-owner of Mastel's Health Foods in Saint Paul. Since 1968, Mastel’s has been a locally-owned health food store offering a wide selection of supplements, organic snacks, books, home items, functional beverages, THC options, and personal care products.

Known for expert knowledge and superior customer service, the store is dedicated to helping customers make informed decisions about their health and wellness.

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CONTRIBUTORS

ALLISON MILLER (SHE/HER)

KAMI KESSEL (SHE/HER) Kami helps people heal from trauma as a certified well-being coach and Level I yoga therapist. Specializing in SomaYoga, motivational interviewing, and positive psychology, Kami offers private sessions, workshops, and group classes through Tula Yoga in St. Paul. She wrote several books about nature and well-being, including Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners and Sleep Better Tonight. Kami created the program Body Peace Yoga® through which she helps other yoga teachers to work effectively with people healing from eating disorders and body image challenges. Stanford Medical Center featured her work with wildfire survivors in research.

REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER) Reeve Klatt is a creative living in North Minneapolis. When she's not writing, you can find Reeve playing with her cats, teaching yoga, or digging in her garden.

NICOLE LOVALD (SHE/HER) Nicole Lovald, LAMFT, E-RYT, is one of the co-owners of Spirit of the Lake Yoga and Wellness Center and is a master’s level counselor, certified life coach, master reiki healer, and registered yoga teacher.

Allison Miller offers an online virtual yoga membership (www.

AllisonMiller.yoga). A yoga, mindfulness, and wellness educator, she offers accessible yoga to help you feel better in your body. Flexibility is not required – she teaches functional movements that will help you maintain range of motion, improve balance, relax, and decrease stress. Allison is hopeful she can help you realize the value of a slower, more mindful style of yoga while helping you quiet the mind and connect with your inner wisdom.

TED ROSEEN (HE/HIM) Ted (YogaTed) Roseen has taught yoga around the Twin Cities for over 20 years. He loves to teach and travel. Roseen and his partner in crime, Sharon Picasso, led retreats all over the world in the last 15 years (before it was cool). The retreats, just like his yoga, invite people to take their own journey and to give in to "play." If Roseen was a vegetable, he would be a snap pea.

CHERI DOSTAL RYBA (SHE/HER) Cheri Dostal Ryba, C-IAYT, devoted two decades to embodied transformation as a movement educator, dancer, C-IAYT yoga therapist, and now author and mother of 2. Cheri's approach weaves cyclical wisdom from nature with trauma & nervous system informed somatic practice, and integrative pelvic care. Cheri served as codirector and lead faculty of the accredited C-IAYT training AlcheMe Yoga Therapy for 7 years and mentors yoga professionals in personal embodiment and career growth. She serves women globally 1:1 and with online programs, and through her first book, Pelvic Yoga Therapy for the Whole Woman: A Professional Guide.

HAVE STORY IDEAS FOR FUTURE ISSUES? Our Call for Content goes out approx OCT 1 + APRIL 1 Be sure you’re on our email list + follow us on IG to be the first to know!

STEPHANIE SCHWARTZ (SHE/HER) Midwife-turned-author, Stephanie Schwartz seems to swim seamlessly through cultures, religions, superstitions, raw fear, and ecstasy to the first breath of a new baby. She knows how birth works and invites her readers to join her, taking us on a tour to the innermost workings of another world. After writing three books on birth and midwifery, she retired. Then, during the Pandemic, she produced a series of four Amish romance novels, many of the stories based on her own faith and experiences.

DR. JILLIAN SIMPSON (SHE/HER) Dr. Jillian Simpson, PsyD, E-RYT 500, is a feminist psychologist, coach, yoga teacher, and professional troublemaker. She earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and possesses over 20 years of clinical mental health experience helping a different range of humans rise above all manner of trauma, tragedy, and suffering.

Her superpower is seeing human potential and she is passionate about co-creating spaces of belonging where humans feel safe to show up real. She founded Velveteen Alchemy, a feminist psychology yoga coaching practice aimed at wholeness embodiment, internalized oppression eradication, and support reclaiming our wild.

Continued …

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CONTRIBUTORS

… continued from previous page

KAMIE SLEGERS (SHE/HER)

DANIELLE VENTICINQUE (SHE/HER)

LAURA WILLENBRING (SHE/HER)

Kamie Slegers is recognized throughout Minnesota as an accomplished advanced practitioner and wellness educator. She started teaching yoga in 1996 and practicing Ayurvedic medicine in 2010, continuing her education as an ayurvedic practitioner, yoga therapist, MARAM therapist, craniosacral therapist, and lifestyle coach.

Currently studying for her master's of herbalism, Kamie manages the clinic at NE Wellness in Minneapolis. She develops programs and workshops for hormonal balance, fertility, menopause, lifestyle changes and habits, sleep, nutrition, energy management, and others.

Danielle Venticinque is a health and wellness guru, an author and mompreneur |CEO. Amid the 2020 pandemic she founded Thrive Betterments (ThriveBetterments. com) personal growth jewelry and products.

Designed to empower women, her jewelry line establishes 6 daily habits of prosperity and wellness focusing on positive mindset and goal attainment. The betterment bracelets are a stylish, wearable progress report cultivating accountability and selfmanagement. Danielle thrives in Saint Paul, MN.

Laura Willenbring lives a life of curious fascination with the natural world, never without a book on hand or a question on her heart. A 500hr RYT and RPYT with thousands of hours of study and practice, she's currently completing her ayurvedic health counselor requirements. Along with yoga, Laura is a licensed and practicing integrated veterinarian focusing on traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, acupuncture, food therapy and herbal medicine, public health, and food safety. She recognizes the intersectionality of the human-animal bond, and the value of integrated practices for people as well as pets.

KELLY SMITH (SHE/HER) A globally celebrated yoga PODCAST! and meditation teacher based in the Twin Cities, Kelly Smith is an E-RYT 500, founder of Yoga For You, and host of the iTunes chart topping podcast, Mindful in Minutes. Besides her podcast, Kelly is best known for her master trainings in meditation, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra, as well as her yoga retreats, popup sound baths, and meditation events in the Twin Cities.

PODCAST!

NICOLE WARNER (SHE, HER) Nicole Warner, C-IAYT, 500 PODCAST! E-RYT is a certified SomaYoga therapist currently teaching in Alexandria, MN. She has been teaching yoga for 20+ years and is a dancer and choreographer as well. She is a proponent of plant based cooking and a certified “Forks Over Knives” cook. She loves to garden and stand-up paddle board with her husband and son.

TRACY VACURA (SHE/HER) Tracy Vacura spent decades teaching dance, which means she loves fully-embodied movement and also feels passionate about understanding anatomy and alignment. She enjoys working with people to center, find true importance, and then magnify their own unique gifts in the world. You can find her teaching at Yoga Sanctuary, holding energy therapy sessions as a certified healing touch practitioner, or co-leading the Holistic Yoga Teacher Training & Personal Transformation program. Tracy's teachers include Ben Vincent, Judith Lasater, and Tanya Boigenzahn at Devanadi. Tracy seeks healing and welcoming for all bodies.

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PODCAST!

AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER) Amy Zellmer is Editor-in chief of MN YOGA + LIfe Magazine and author of The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide. With a mission to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of TBI, Amy has a passion to spread the message that yoga is for every BODY, regardless of size or ability. Amy has her 200RYT, and is certified in trauma-informed yoga, LoveYourBrain yoga, and the body positive Yoga For All. Additionally, she hosts a podcast series, “Creating Wellness From Within.”

PODCAST!

Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts

www.creatingwellnessfromwithin.com

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Bringing together yogis of all levels from across Minnesota and the Midwest.

April 20 + 21, 2024 | Eagan, MN www.mnyogaconference.com MNYOGALIFE.COM

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SPOTLIGHT

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT:

MUDDY WATERS YOGA Heather Beier

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

O

riginally from Chicago, Heather Beier opened Muddy Waters Yoga in Winona, Minnesota in 2017. The mother of two girls, Beier also co-owns the spa Suola. I chatted with Beier about how she started the studio, her plethora of goats and chickens, and why yoga is truly for everyone.

REEVE: How did you discover yoga

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and come to own your own studio?

HEATHER: I started practicing very young; being super introverted I just gravitated towards yoga. In college at Winona State, I discovered a donation-based class and got to see the prophetic piece of yoga, too, which resonated with me. But it wasn’t until I went through a hard time in my life that I decided to go to a yoga conference in Indiana. That conference changed everything; it catalyzed real healing in my life.

I trained at Heartwork Yoga Studio in Northfield about ten years ago. I started teaching right away but never thought I’d open my own studio until 2016 when my husband [who’s from Winona] was running a restaurant and ended up tearing it down. He called me over one night, showed me the architectural plans, and asked “So, how about a yoga studio?!” I immediately thought I have no clue how to do that, plus I was a schoolteacher and a mom! But he planted the seed, and we opened in 2017. We’re in the sixth year of our 200hour teacher training and we host a lot of retreats, too. We’ve gone to Greece, led backpacking trips, and even gone white water rafting with students!

R: You mentioned you’re an introvert — do you find that challenging as a business owner?

H: Yeah [laughter]. I need to be intentional to make time just for me, and I try to stay away from the studio on Sundays. But it’s also interesting because I can teach a class full of people and that doesn’t drain me the way public speaking would! It just feels natural. But I do work on letting go of needing to manage other’s expectations of me and just let myself be. I started out teaching ten classes a week, and now I teach four. That's my magic number to the point where it feels like it's something I really get to do versus something I have to do.

R: Tell me about the name of your studio. Where did it come from?

H: It comes from the quote [attributed to Buddha], “May I live like the lotus at ease in muddy waters.” Yoga teaches us how to live with fewer burdens. It

MNYOGALIFE.COM

SPOTLIGHT causes us to ask how do we live at ease within our own muddy water? It really resonated with me, because most people look for a way to alleviate or turn down that valve of pressure, and all the things they’re feeling. We’re also right on the Mississippi — and there are some muddy waters there, too [laughing].

R: How does that mission shape your studio?

H: Everything comes down to connection, education, and experience.

Everything we do runs through those.

We believe all are welcome here and there's connection to others in the studio, in the community. But also, a connection with self. There aren’t a lot of moments where we can just come and connect with ourselves — we try to provide that in the studio. And education is huge for us. Our retreats are never just a yoga retreat where you go and only do asana [yoga poses].

It’s really about education no matter where we are. And then experience, from the moment you walk into the studio, to how you're greeted, to our retreats. I believe taking teacher training programs will teach you how to teach, but more so, they teach you how to dive into what's called svadhyaya or selfstudy. The philosophies of yoga infiltrate

everything we do. It’s so much more than movement. How can we use the practice of yoga to live an intentional life? It’s one of my callings to help people live alive, with their eyes open.

I’m very grateful to be part of this studio.

It’s a gift.

R: What would you say to someone who's hesitant to come and try yoga?

H: The hardest part is getting there. It's scary to try something new, especially a group class. A lot of students start as private clients just to get their feet wet.

We're all afraid of the unknown. There's the stereotypical idea of who can do yoga, and who can't, and our job is to continue to show it is for everyone.

There’s a style or class for you, whether it’s meditation, breathwork, or restorative. Ask yourself what holds you back, and how can you reduce that barrier? Give yourself permission to pause the need to perform and always be producing — it’s so crucial for our nervous system to be able to turn off.

people to feel successful. We use layered teaching, where we start with the most accessible version [of a pose] and then provide opportunities to build on it without making the accessible version a “less than” version. Instead of saying “You can take a modification if you want,” we emphasize “If you want more grounding, try this pose,” or “If you want to challenge your balance, try this.”

We’re not all here with the same bodies, it all looks different.

R: What's your personal yoga practice look like?

H: I meditate each morning and move my body in whatever way feels good.

My practice is also finding myself in the middle of the day when I feel my stress going up. If we believe in the yoga teachings, which I really do, then they create this map of how to live. So in those moments where I feel off kilter, it's about coming back to the practices.

Sometimes it's simply getting out of my own way.

R: How does Muddy Waters

R: What do you do when

help everyone feel welcome?

you’re not at the studio?

H: We teach each class for all levels.

H: I love being in nature. We live on

We aim to create an experience where people feel safe - in how and what we say. Our language matters. We want

the Mississippi and have a boat house.

I also have 5 goats and a bunch of chickens! They keep me happy and busy. The yoga studio has also been such a gift in providing travel, giving me opportunities to see the world.

R: Where do you see the studio in five years?

H: I'd love to have our 500 hour training up and running — and it’s in the works!

At one time I really wanted to add on, and now I dream of just staying in this small, intimate studio and trusting it is enough. I want to stay true to who we really are. To keep providing a space for people to move and breathe and come home to themselves again. + This interview has been edited for length & clarity.

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SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT:

HOLISTIC HEALING at NE Wellness

BY KRISTEN BROWN, CSP (SHE/HER)

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MNYOGALIFE.COM

SPOTLIGHT

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n the bustling city of Minneapolis, NE Wellness stands as a serene oasis, offering a variety of holistic treatments that cater to the wellbeing of body, mind, and soul.

Owner Noah Frohlich created NE Wellness “to make an integrative healing space that was affordable and accessible. Over time that vision evolved to include more services such as infrared sauna, cold plunge, float tank therapy, Ayurveda, Marma Therapy, Pemf Therapy, Red Light Therapy, and more.” There is now a second location in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Not only do they provide personalized and private sessions but NE Wellness also offers Community Acupuncture to make it accessible and affordable for all. On Friday afternoons they open up their community room to provide low-cost Acupuncture in a group setting rather than the higher cost of a private session. This allows more people to get treatment at once and at a lower cost. It’s a true community benefit.

Let’s dive into the benefits of three of their treatments that I experienced, and the expertise of the practitioners who bring these ancient healing modalities to life.

seeking general wellness, weight loss, hormonal balance, emotional support, or help with sleep issues, chronic health conditions, pain, or digestive issues.

During an Ayurveda Consultation, Kamie utilizes an in-depth assessment to understand the unique constitution of her clients, identifying their dosha Vata, Pitta, or Kapha.

The benefits of an Ayurveda Consultation extend far beyond the treatment room. By gaining insights into their dosha, clients learn how to make mindful lifestyle choices, including dietary adjustments, exercise routines, and daily practices that promote harmony and well-being. Kamie's expertise allows clients to tap into their body's innate intelligence, fostering self-awareness and long-term health improvements.

Kamie shared some specific situations when considering how an ayurvedic consultation can be beneficial.

When an ayurvedic consultation can be beneficial: •

AYURVEDA CONSULTATION with Kamie Slegers, CAP, C-IAYT, CST Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine based on the belief that balance is the key to optimal health. Kamie Slegers, an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner and manager at NE Wellness, says, “A good time for someone to consider an Ayurvedic consultation is when looking for a holistic approach to improve their overall health and well-being.”

She delves into the personalized care of each individual whether they are

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•

•

CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES: If someone is dealing with chronic health problems, such as digestive issues, stress-related disorders, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, or allergies, Ayurveda may offer complementary insights and personalized treatment options.

SEEKING PREVENTIVE CARE: Ayurveda emphasizes preventive measures to maintain good health and prevent illnesses. A consultation can help identify an individual's unique constitution (Prakriti) and potential imbalances (Vikriti) to develop a preventive health plan.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES: Individuals interested in making positive lifestyle changes, including dietary adjustments, exercise routines, creating a proper sleep routine, and stress management techniques, can benefit from Ayurvedic guidance tailored to their body type and specific needs.

•

•

•

•

•

•

EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING: Ayurveda recognizes the connection between the mind and body. Those struggling with stress, anxiety, or emotional imbalances may find Ayurvedic recommendations for relaxation, meditation, and herbal support valuable.

SLEEP ISSUES: If someone experiences sleep disturbances or insomnia, Ayurveda can provide insights into their root causes and offer natural remedies to promote better sleep.

LOW ENERGY LEVELS: Feelings of chronic fatigue or low energy can be counterbalanced through Ayurvedic practices that support rejuvenation and vitality.

DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS: Ayurveda places significant importance on digestion. If someone has digestion-related concerns like indigestion, bloating, or irregular bowel movements, Ayurveda can offer dietary and lifestyle recommendations to address these issues.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Ayurveda approaches weight management in a personalized manner, considering an individual's constitution, metabolism, and lifestyle.

A consultation can help create a suitable weight management plan.

HORMONAL IMBALANCES: Ayurveda acknowledges the role of hormones in overall health. Women experiencing menstrual irregularities or menopause-related symptoms may find Ayurvedic therapies helpful.

THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE with Sid Grassbaugh Upon arrival at my session, I knew I wanted to address soreness, pain, and stiffness from months of frequent travel.

Travel can be exhilarating, but it takes a Continued …

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SPOTLIGHT … continued from previous page

toll on the body, leaving us feeling sore and fatigued. Sid Grassbaugh, a skilled bodyworker and massage therapist at NE Wellness, specializes in using multiple modalities to get to the root of the issue. Her personalized approach tailors each session to address the specific needs and areas of tension experienced by her clients.

Using a combination of techniques, Sid's therapeutic massage alleviates muscle stiffness, improves circulation, and helps restore the body's natural balance. Beyond the physical benefits, clients also experience mental relaxation, as stress and anxiety melt away under Sid's expert touch. Whether one is a frequent traveler, dealing with chronic pain, or simply dealing with everyday stress, Sid's therapeutic massages offer rejuvenation and a renewed sense of well-being.

ACUPUNCTURE with McKale Lee, LAC Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing art, has gained recognition in the West for its remarkable ability to address a wide range of health issues.

At NE Wellness, McKale Lee, a licensed acupuncturist, has garnered praise for his expertise in resolving many body, mind, and spirit needs.

By stimulating specific acupoints along the body's meridians, McKale's acupuncture treatments restore the flow of vital energy, known as "Qi," which plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal health.

For clients suffering from digestive ailments, such as bloating, indigestion, or irritable bowel syndrome, McKale's treatments provide relief and foster digestive harmony.

McKale's acupuncture sessions prove invaluable for those seeking relief from pain, whether due to injury,

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arthritis, or other causes. Acupuncture triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, offering non-invasive and drug-free pain relief.

McKale's holistic approach to pain extends to identifying and addressing the root cause of the issue, ensuring long-lasting results and improved mobility.

OTHER SERVICES In addition to the above, NE Wellness offers many other treatments for holistic health and wellbeing. Within their extensive range of services, NE Wellness prioritizes healing and the prevention of illnesses, enabling you to embark on a journey towards optimal health.

Their primary offerings include Chinese Medicine, known for its reactive and preventative qualities. It can aid in treating chronic pain, stress, anxiety, insomnia, and respiratory and digestive issues. Acupuncture, an integral part of Chinese Medicine, offers relief for stress disorders, allergies, pain, and women's health issues.

NE Wellness also specializes in Craniosacral Therapy (CST), a noninvasive manual therapy enhancing the functioning of the central nervous system, treating a variety of conditions like arm pain, autism, back pain, brain injuries, and chronic fatigue, among others. Their Infrared Sauna promotes detoxification and pain management, while Yoga Therapy and Yoga + Acupuncture sessions help with stress, mood disorders, sleep, and digestive issues.

For those recovering from motor vehicle collisions or workplace incidents, NE Wellness offers comprehensive treatment plans for injuries and chronic pain. Wellness Consultations are also available.

Complementing their extensive service offerings, NE Wellness provides beneficial wellness workshops and events, allowing individuals to engage with health talks and broaden their understanding of overall wellness. They also offer Cupping Therapy for pain relief, muscle tension, circulation, and detoxification.

Other services include Facial Rejuvenation, which combines facial acupuncture and acupressure massage for skin conditions and anti-aging treatment. They also offer Couple's Massage sessions, perfect for sharing a relaxing experience with a loved one.

In addition, NE Wellness is expanding its services with the introduction of Reflexology and Float Therapy, the latter a sensory-reducing practice that offers benefits for stress, anxiety, pain management, and sleep disorders. ONYX Red Light Therapy, a non-invasive technique using red or near-infrared light, and PEMF Therapy, a non-invasive technique

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SPOTLIGHT using electromagnetic fields, are also available to improve various health aspects.

Whether you seek immediate relief from pain or a long-term solution for chronic ailments, NE Wellness offers a holistic approach to enhance your health and wellbeing.

At NE Wellness in Minneapolis, MN and Bismarck, ND, their practitioners serve as the guiding lights for patrons seeking holistic healing and rejuvenation. Their personalized care goes beyond alleviating symptoms to foster a profound sense of well-being.

By embracing these natural modalities, clients experience not only relief from ailments but also a deeper connection to their own bodies and minds. NE Wellness stands as a testament to the power of modern and ancient healing traditions in harmonizing our bodies, minds, and spirits.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR NE WELLNESS? They are exploring ways to add an outdoor traditional Finnish-style sauna which would be a first for Minneapolis.

And they have plans for events in their serene backyard and in the studio like yoga, programs for women's health and education, wellness events, wellness consultations to help clients match with the best services and practitioners, and more.

The diversity of services and attentiveness of the practitioners are just two things that make NE Wellness special. Manager, Kamie Slegers, says, “NE Wellness offers an extensive range of services covering different aspects of physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. This diversity allows clients to explore multiple approaches to find the best therapies and treatment plans to meet their needs. A one-stop shop!” +

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SPOTLIGHT

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT:

YOGA MELROSE

Anne Hoeschen + Amy Herkenhoff-Terres

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

Y

oga Melrose co-owners and Melrose area natives, Anne Hoeschen and Amy Herkenhoff-Terres are passionate about building community along with wellness. Stressing the importance of accessible spaces and yoga that gives back, Anne and Amy chatted with me about the heart of Yoga Melrose.

REEVE: Tell me about both your backgrounds in yoga and how the studio came to be!

ANNE HOESCHEN: I started practicing yoga on VHS tapes 25 years ago. Immediately, I felt like this planted a little seed. I loved going to community-ed yoga classes, but I was at the stage where I’d skip out on savasana [laughter]. Eventually, I decided to attend yoga teacher training with Mary Beth Nehl at the Yoga Loft in Wilmar in 2007 and received my 300 hours in 2013. I met Amy while I taught community-ed classes and eventually we created Yoga Melrose in 2016! Now, we employ four yoga teachers and two fitness instructors, offer a kids class

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once a month, and provide specialty classes and workshops like our Restore and Restock class, where all the proceeds go to a local food shelf.

AMY HERKENHOFF-TERRES: I’m a photographer, and my yoga journey started when my husband told me I should find another hobby besides photography! I opened a community handbook and saw Anne's classes listed, so I started going – and I signed up for as many classes as I could with her! She talked about me getting trained in 2014 with Mary Beth and I thought it would be a wonderful thing to broaden my life, but I didn’t think I’d ever actually teach yoga. And then a friend talked me into looking at a commercial space for my photography business, but when I looked at it, I could only see a yoga space. I told Anne about it, and she said, “If you do it with me, I’ll do it!” We rented studio space for a while and then found a building for sale and renovated it in 2019. We’d been open there for a year and then Covid hit! It was really hard, but it forced us to learn how to use technology and we still offer some hybrid classes.

RK: Tell me what the heart of your studio is, what you want all students to experience when they come?

ANNE: We want everyone to feel like they belong and that yoga is for everybody. Amy and I are ten years apart, among other teachers of various ages. We try to model modifications so students can meet their body’s needs moment to moment, breath by breath.

AMY: Anne does a beautiful job making that presence known, making it really feel like yoga is for everybody and you can move at your own pace.

We also try to be extremely careful with our wording, even using the phrase “yoga for trauma,” — we never want to make yoga sound scary or daunting, or trigger people. We work really hard to normalize yoga and however you experience it.

RK: What does making yoga accessible look like at Yoga Melrose?

ANNE: With street level entry, our space is accessible for people who use wheelchairs. Prior to Covid, my dad was at the local memory care unit.

We worked with the facility to create a special chair yoga class for any interested older adults. Five people participated, including my dad. It was so special to see my dad roll in and take a yoga class [gets choked up…]. They were very grateful and gracious. Missy Frieler, one of our teachers, skillfully

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SPOTLIGHT integrates her sensitive yoga training throughout her classes. We try our best to help our students feel safe and comfortable as they increase mobility and peace of mind.

RK: What would you say to someone who's hesitant to come and try yoga for the first time?

AMY: I’d ask them why, and really listen to them. I try to be quiet and give just a little feedback, really letting the person talk it out. Wherever people feel

AMY: Honestly, the fact that I’m scheduled to show up and teach helped my own yoga practice! Getting to share the experience of yoga just feels so wonderful. Covid was the hardest part so far. We were doing so well before and it’s been hard to bounce back.

ANNE: It brings me joy to see how yoga positively impacts people’s lives. It is a beautiful thing to witness, whether they’re our little kids or someone much older. We love to see our local (in town) population/membership grow more.

for what it is and that it’s valid and purposeful, that it’s all part of life … that’s beautiful.

ANNE: I like to follow Kino MacGregor, she’s one of my favorite Ashtanga teachers who makes everything accessible. Lately I’ve been studying Jill Miller and her new book, Body by Breath. I’m trying ardently to meditate every day with the Ten Percent Happier app by Dan Harris.

RK: What are your hobbies outside of the studio?

ANNE: I teach first grade and am a recently retired triathlete. I love spending time with family and friends, hiking, reading, and biking to the occasional brewery. I really love to be active, so yoga (especially yoga nidra) is the perfect antidote.

AMY: I’m an entrepreneur. I also coown a Montesorri school here in town.

And I went to college for photography in 2003 and am still doing it now! I photograph all the sports teams here (and even do some training and yoga with them). I have four kids and I’m a huge homebody! We live on 14 acres and I love to garden! My hands are always dirty and I’m not ashamed of it!

Being outside with my family grounds me.

RK: What are your goals and dreams for the studio in the next five years? like yoga might be beneficial in their life, whether it's physically or mentally—it doesn't matter to me, because I know it works on both those sides. I want to just pull people into it, at least just to get them to try, and if it's not for them that’s fine! But I just want people to say they've given it a chance.

RK: What has been the biggest challenge and joy of owning Yoga Melrose?

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RK: What do both of your personal yoga practices look like?

AMY: As discombobulated and disorganized as I am! [laughs] I get creative in the classes I teach, but when I’m sick of sitting at my desk I’ll just go do yoga in the grass for a minute, and I usually meditate every morning.

And because of yoga, I’m more aware of everything — what emotions am I feeling? Am I angry? What is my body feeling? Being able to recognize that

AMY: I just love that space so much, and I want people to use it to its fullest potential. And that’s it. Wherever the road goes, I’m very open minded. I want people to see it as a safe, wonderful place.

ANNE: Long term, it would be ideal to create more diversity in our membership as we serve our community and teach the benefits of practicing yoga.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. +

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SPOTLIGHT

STUDIO SPOTLIGHT:

MASTEL’S HEALTH FOODS Lauren Gaffney + Alina Hornfeldt

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

I

n 1968, Mastel’s Health Foods opened in St. Paul near the intersection of Fairview and Saint Clair Avenue (now at Snelling and Saint Clair since 1977). Originally owned and operated by John Mastel, the store became known as a source of knowledge in the health and wellness industry, providing customers with personalized recommendations and quality care. Alina Hornfeldt and Lauren Gaffney took over as co-owners in March of this year, as John retired long ago and the store needed fresh leadership.

Together, the two women hold big dreams for the future of Mastel’s and one main goal: keeping this small business thriving for its loyal customer base.

Gaffney began working at Mastel’s in 2002 while attending Macalester College. After graduation and some time spent abroad, she found herself back at Mastel’s and hasn’t budged since. “It developed into a passion of mine,” says Gaffney, “enjoying retail, enjoying people … It’s really rewarding.” Hornfeldt, a long-time friend of Gaffney and self-proclaimed lover of retail, joined the team in 2017 and jumped into marketing and customer service management.

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After winning Retailer of the Year from Vitamin Retailer Magazine in 2021 (amidst the pandemic chaos), Gaffney and Hornfeldt felt ready for the next big step. “We thought to ourselves, well, our owner is in his eighties,” laughs Hornfeldt. “We thought it was a good time to approach the family about us buying the store and building.” After a two-year long process, the women took

ownership this past spring and haven’t looked back once. “There really was no succession plan for the store,” explains Gaffney, “so just knowing that the decisions we make benefit this place and bring security to the staff, that we’re not going anywhere, it’s really nice to know.”

Originally from Oklahoma City, Gaffney, who recently won Top Woman Grocer from Progressive Grocer (an industry leading magazine), stresses the importance of their customers. “We have that reputation in the community of being a very knowledgeable group of people, with supplements specifically, but we end up helping our customers with all kinds of things, and being able to be that to somebody is really important.”

Keeping a small business alive is no small feat. Gaffney continues, “Keeping an actual independent small business going has only become more and more important. as there are less and less around. So part of me feels a very big sense of responsibility, not just for our financial success, but to keep the business viable, so that the community has a small business to shop at.”

Hornfeldt, born and raised in St. Paul, sees Mastel’s as bigger than just a retail store. “Our health care system is kind of messed up in America,” she says. “It’s a huge deal for a customer when they find success with products, whether they're looking for complementary medicine to their medical doctor or looking for alternatives, or they're looking for

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SPOTLIGHT something that fits in their budget. It’s something that they can control [for their health].” Hornfeldt goes on to emphasize the importance of training for the two of them and their entire staff.

“We train constantly, we are always, always learning and then sharing that information. It's really empowering when somebody can come in, and then they leave with a product that they choose, that’s going to work for them.”

When these two say they’re always learning, it’s not an exaggeration.

They’re constantly receiving (and reading) publications from the industry, traveling to trade shows, and many of their brands and vendors offer webinars and in-store trainings. Hornfeldt and Gaffney are all about transparency in the brands they sell, vetting each one to make sure their standards align with the integrity of Mastel’s.

Gaffney’s extensive experience helped with over twelve years as the purchasing manager under her belt.

“Because we’re small and independent with no board of directors,” she explains, “if something doesn’t line up with our values, we drop it.” The two women mention how they recently stopped selling a leading collagen brand because they were connected with deforestation practices in Brazil.

“There’s five shelves of it down at Whole Foods,” laughs Gaffney, “so the person that really wants to buy it still can, but we don’t have to have that compromise at our store.”

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With a staff of twelve, a footprint less than 1,000 square feet, and over 5,000 products, Mastel’s success is tied to talking one-on-one with customers to provide clarity and answers while also building relationships. “People really respond to that,” says Gaffney.

“People trust that we’ll tell them what we know or find the answers together. It’s a collaborative thing and we take everyone seriously, never making them feel small or stupid for asking.”

“People trust that we’ll tell them what we know or find the answers together.

It’s a collaborative thing and we take everyone seriously, never making them feel small or stupid for asking.”

While some stores jumped on the online store bandwagon, Gaffney and Hornfeldt adamantly kept their business face-to-face. While they offer shipping if you call into the store, a vital piece to the store’s success is creating relationships and helping customers find success. “That doesn’t happen online,” states Gaffney. “You’re getting the service with your supplement,” explains Hornfeldt, adding that the second and third generations still shopping at

Mastel’s come for more than just the products.

While Gaffney and Hornfeldt are set on keeping the integrity of the store alive, they’re not against change in other areas. Future dreams at expanding and building on a second floor get the two of them giddy.

“We’d love to have a window!” laughs Hornfeldt, looking around her at their basement offices. Their “big, big goal” would be creating a community and event space where they could provide education to customers and incorporate other health practitioners into the business.

While the challenges of new ownership keep coming (an increase in paperwork and complex online software), Gaffney and Hornfeldt agree they’ve never had a boring day — especially with their desks right next to one another. Their friendship is clear to see as they easily point out each other’s strengths (like Gaffney’s cooking skills and Hornfeldt’s decorated Christmas tree she entered into the State Fair this year), laugh about their kiddos, and get excited about what the next ten years will bring.

When I ask what’s brought them the most joy the past few months, Hornfeldt puts her hand up to keep Gaffney from looking at her and making her cry. “The biggest reward,” she says, “is we get to keep doing what we love to do and provide a space that our employees and customers love as much as we do.

That’s a pretty amazing feeling.” +

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SEVA

NONPROFIT HIGHLIGHT:

KARUNA

Lauren Kvasnicka

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER) Lauren Kvasnicka joined Karuna Community MN (Karuna) in 2020, right before Covid shut everything down.

Eager to grow the nonprofit’s reach, Kvasnicka comes from a public health and social justice background, and followed other organizations bringing yoga to incarcerated communities.

Karuna’s mission “to offer compassion based mindfulness tools, such as yoga and meditation, to people impacted by the criminal legal system,” currently involves seven locations throughout the Twin Cities: Anoka and Hennepin County Jails, the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center, two reentry centers in Roseville and Minneapolis, and the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center.

Criminal defense lawyer Mike Millios (now a Board Chair) founded Karuna, which became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019. Kvasnicka was hired as the first employee in March 2021 and moved to Executive Director later that year. Completely funded by individual donors, Karuna stayed afloat during the pandemic by providing Zoom classes as they waited for Hennepin County Jail (Karuna’s first and longest running partner) to continue their programming.

Kvasnicka runs operations and

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programming, and also coordinates programs in various facilities. Their word choices for their classes is very intentional. “In an attempt to eliminate otherness,” Kvasnicka explains, we say "facilitators" and "programming" as opposed to "teachers" and "classes." That way we create more of a community structure within our programming.

"Karuna’s mission: 'to offer compassion based mindfulness tools, such as yoga and meditation, to people impacted by the criminal legal system.'"

Currently, Karuna’s seven facilitators operate on a stipend, unless they choose to volunteer their time. “The ultimate goal,” says Kvasnicka, “is to have everyone paid, because that's the most sustainable model.” Onboarding new facilitators takes time and a conscious effort to make sure everyone has knowledge of the systems they’ll be working in. “All of our facilitators have a trauma-informed/conscious

background and a basic understanding of the criminal legal system here in Minnesota,” explains Kvasnicka. “I think that's what makes us unique from some national and international programs.

We educate our facilitators and keep conversations going about the systems, populations, and happenings in our community.”

While Karuna doesn’t require its facilitators to have a particular training (like a YTT) before joining, Kvasnicka is purposeful in how they approach yoga in the criminal justice system. “Yoga is trauma-informed in and of itself but there are techniques and styles of teaching that can aid in nervous system regulation as opposed to stimulation.

We talk about the dynamics of and the types of trauma prevalent in the populations that we're serving in order to create the most safe and supportive environment. We emphasize grounding and autonomy as tools for individuals to connect and regulate their nervous systems.”

Karuna doesn’t require certain credentials because it can act as a barrier, limiting those from applying who might have a different background but helpful knowledge that would make them beneficial to the organization. One of Karuna’s goals is to have facilitators involved with the system, re-entry, or recovery join the team.

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SEVA Program attendance at all locations is voluntary based, as no one is required to attend a class Karuna provides. “We think it's the best model for them to be there if they want to be there,” says Kvasnicka. “We know yoga is a practice for healing and not force. We see better engagement when it's voluntary, when choice is involved.” Programs vary from 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the facility’s needs and rules.

Some spaces allow for blankets, blocks, even chairs, while others don’t allow any supplies. The dynamics of the population they serve and the regulations of the facility help shape the individual programs, but Karuna only has two rules for participants: stay on your mat and don’t disturb those around you. Other than that, they’re invited to move and participate in whatever way they want. “We have had some people lay down the entire time,” says Kvasnicka. “We encourage them to do what serves them best, like any yoga class should.”

When asked if Karuna is able to track the impact of yoga on individuals at the facilities, Kvasnicka nods her head adamantly, saying, “We’d love to be able to track recidivism [the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend], but it’s not possible currently. We have some program evaluations that we do regarding number of attendance and programs taught. But we're so new.” She goes on to explain that in some facilities, they aren’t allowed to even bring in paper and pencils. It would take a lot of work, cooperation from the county, and many years to begin to come up with any concrete data, but national data does support that programming (whether it’s yoga, Bible study, or other classes) positively impacts those who attend.

Mentioning legislation currently in the works, Kvasnicka feels hopeful about the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA) that “allows people … to earn early release

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and earned supervision abatement by successfully completing goals identified in their Individualized Rehabilitation Plan” (MN.gov). While Kvasnicka acknowledges the importance of data, she sees the impact of storytelling as equally powerful. “We are very much an organization that values storytelling,” she explains. “Those stories are what keep us going. It's so great when I hear a participant say, ‘This helped me feel better today,’ or ‘I can’t wait to find a yoga community upon release.’”

“We are very much an organization that values storytelling […]. Those stories are what keep us going. It's so great when I hear a participant say, ‘This helped me feel better today,’ or ‘I can’t wait to find a yoga community upon release.’”

As part of the Transition Coalition, Karuna is passionate about providing tools for folks re-entering civilian life after incarceration. “There are very few tools and groups that do this,” Kvasnicka explains, adding, “we play an important role in being one of the places that someone might feel comfortable reaching out to while they’re either incarcerated or in reentry.”

While Karuna currently provides programming in jails and reentry centers, they’re hoping to expand to other facilities within the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) and Federal prisons. “The need is there,” says Kvasnicka. “We’re eager to get in and continue to serve underresourced populations.” Kvasnicka submitted an application to the DOC,

noting they get asked frequently by program participants if they’re at other locations in Minnesota. “It’s trickier with their policies regarding the pandemic; they’ve been slow to trickle back in programs that already existed.”

While the work is rewarding, the challenges keep coming. Programs often get canceled due to lack of staff or resources. It’s hard to make connections or get a foot in the door to create new programming at facilities.

Another challenging aspect? Building relationships with participants in locations with high turnover. To combat their inability to contact participants, Karuna offers a free weekly Zoom meditation those released can attend.

They also run a mat donation program called “Own your Own Practice,” where anyone who participates in their programming can request a mat to keep. “Hopefully,” says Kvasnicka, “that keeps folks coming back, knowing that we’re a trusted source.” And for those who work in the criminal justice system, Karuna provides compassion fatigue and secondhand trauma workshops.

Kvasnicka says the most rewarding aspect of her work is the community.

“Yoga is connection. We share breath, movement, laughter, tears, and stories.”

Kvasnicka encourages others to get involved with Karuna, even if it’s just to educate themselves on what the criminal legal system looks like in Minnesota and advocate for system involved folks. She’s constantly looking for volunteers and partners because those going through the system always need support. She’s hopeful for growth and the future of Karuna Community MN, stating, “We continue to hear praise and support for our program participants and that the need is high.

With changes currently being made in some corrections facilities, I hope that we can expand our programming across facilities in Minnesota. I see lots of opportunities for growth and sustainability as we move forward.” +

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ON THE COVER

HELEN WANG

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MNYOGALIFE.COM

HELEN WANG (She/her)

ON THE COVER

Creating Jewelry to Nourish

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED? Minneapolis MN

WHAT GETS YOU EXCITED ABOUT MN YOGA + LIFE MAGAZINE? Each issue affirms the vibe of a robust and most special yoga community here in MN, filled with intriguing people and their unique perspectives. I find the extensive articles informative and accessible, and I continue to familiarize myself with the growing variety of yoga studios within reach.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION AS A COVER MODEL FOR MN YOGA + LIFE? The photo tells a large part of my story. Shot in the naturally well-lit workspace where I spend so many hours, I hope it captures the readers’ attention because I so strongly feel a sense of fulfillment, pleasure, and purpose here.

HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE YOGA INTO YOUR LIFE/ WORK BALANCE? Daily yoga and meditation benefits me physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally. It imbues me with a sense of calm strength and I am able to focus and organize the day better. As an

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individual who worked from home for over twenty years, this is vital. I am part of a lively yoga community with whom I not only share common interests and perspectives, but from whom I learn every day. The social aspect brings joy and a feeling of renewal, so I can more readily look to the next project.

WHAT DOES “NOURISH” MEAN TO YOU?

Helen Wang grew up in NYC, arguably the best place in the world to experience the global nature of the celebration of jewelry. She lived in many different regions of the US and hopes to bring a bit of each place’s influence to each collection. Wang says, “I want each piece to bring the wearer joy and make them feel more beautiful than they already are!” +

The practice of building a spiritual and mental framework for my life through meditation and yoga has been the best work I’ve ever done!

YOU CAN FIND HELEN AT:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Green

WEBSITE: helenwangjewelry.com IG: @helenwangjewelry Etsy: HelenWangJewelry

COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE? I’ve been “playing with beads” my whole life. Color combinations, shapes, types of stones – these always intrigued me . When my four children were very young, I felt the need to return to this creative outlet, and I was so fortunate to be able to earn a living doing so; better than that, to be home with the kids, and finally, to be my own boss. This winter, helen wang jewelry turns 22!

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

YOGA PRACTICE TO

BALANCE VATA DOSHA for Fall

VATA BALANCING PRACTICE FOR FALL

1

SET INTENTION FOR BALANCE

BY TANYA BOIGENZAHN (SHE/HER)

F

or many, autumn brings refreshing relief to the heat of the summer season. Clear blue skies, crisp, cool nights, and the crunch of the myriad of colorful leaves under one’s feet during a brisk walk can feel amazing. Yet, due to the tremendous changes happening all around us, change also happens INSIDE us, and we go out of balance this time of year more than any other. The pop of color fades to neutral grays and browns. The cooler, drier air begins to dry out our skin, eyes, and noses. The dark of the fall equinox brings shadows into our mind and mood. Overall, if we don’t prepare for all these changes, we may find ourselves “Vata Deranged!” Yes, that IS a term! Say it with me: “Vata Deranged!” I hope it made you smile because I did, too.

So how do we prepare for the fall season, as well as stay balanced? Enter yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, to the rescue!

In Ayurveda, literally the “wisdom of life,” the elements wind and space combine in our bodies as a constitution we call “Vata Dosha.”

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In fall, wind and space rapidly build and change everything. The more change we accrue, the more those Vata elements spin in our bodies, minds, and hearts. The next thing we know, we’ve hit a breaking point.

We either spin out of control or come crashing down defeated. In Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy, we need to build the OPPOSITE elements to help lower the elements in excess.

We can use our bodies, breath, and mind to do that! Here’s a short, sweet, and effective practice for you to warm (fire), soothe (water), and ground (earth).

Practice Tips: • Unless noted, take 5 breaths in

2 CROCODILE + BELLY BREATHING

3 CHAKRAVAKASANA (SUNBIRD): dynamic Tabletop (inhale) to Child’s Pose (exhale) – 5x

each pose with a slightly longer exhale (i.e., inhale 4, exhale 6) to produce a feeling of lightness, as well as letting go of any excess Vata, tension, stress, etc.

•

Aim to practice at the same time every day.

•

Recruit a yoga buddy to practice with live or on Zoom for support.

•

Modify as needed and listen to your body.

4 UTTANASANA (STANDING FORWARD BEND)

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

14 APANASANA (WIND

RELIEVING POSE: R, L

5 DYNAMIC URDHVA HASTASANA (RAISED ARM SALUTES): inhale raise arms, exhale lower arms

9 ARDHA PINCHA MAYURASANA (DOLPHIN POSE)

15 SAVASANA (CORPSE): Watch the

rise and fall of your belly — 2-5 min

10 SALABHASANA (LOCUST)

6 UTKATASANA (CHAIR) WITH EAGLE ARMS: R, L

11 SALAMBA BHUJANGASANA (SPHINX)

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PARIVRTTA ANJANEYASANA W/WRAP (REVOLVED LUNGE/ DRAGONFLY TWIST): R, L

16 BRAHMARI PRANAYAMA (BUZZING BEE BREATH): Close your ears with your middle fingers, then on your exhale, hum and sense warmth in mind and body — 5x

12 JATHARA PARIVARTANASANA (SUPINE TWIST): R, L passing through Sphinx between sides

17 GOLDEN EGG MEDITATION W/JNANA 8 PRASARITA PADOTTANASANA C

(WIDE-LEGGED STANDING FORWARD BEND W/CHEST EXPANDER)

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13 BADDHA KONASANA (BOUND ANGLE)

MUDRA: Touch tips of index finger with thumb. Sense a warm, golden light building in the heart. See and/or feel it expand about 3’ all around you. You rest in a space of nourishment, healing, protection, and love. 2-5 min +

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

NOURISH YOURSELF with Chair-Based Yoga

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

“The chair is an underrated and underutilized prop in yoga — yet it can open up the door to help folks who might not be able to do traditional asana.”

M

y yoga journey began like many of yours – as a fitness class in college.

Through the years I tried different yoga classes at the gym: yoga pump, yoga burn, etc., but somewhere in my late 20’s I decided to properly learn yoga poses. I purchased the Yoga for Dummies DVD with Sara Ivanhoe and then found a yoga teacher who transformed my yoga into a way of life, as it’s meant to be. I was hooked.

It wasn’t until a fall on the ice left me with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), along with numerous physical injuries, that I truly came to understand the full potential of yoga and how it can positively serve us.

I sustained a dislocated sternum and severe whiplash among the serious physical injuries. Combined with the crazy TBI symptoms including dizziness, lack of balance, depth perception issues, and numerous cognitive issues, I needed some helpful guidance. I met with my yoga teacher privately to figure out what poses I could actually do, and those ended up being reduced to five: tree pose holding onto a chair, cat cow, seated twists, eagle arms, and cobra.

My sternum injury left me only able to take shallow breaths — unable to get my breath down past my diaphragm. I

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began daily breath work along with my five poses, and as the days went on, I noticed my range of motion increasing.

In addition, my balance became more stable, and my dizziness triggered less frequently.

Most importantly, yoga helped me turn inward, and it guided me to listen to my body in ways I had never done before.

My road to recovery was LONG. Nine years later, I’m still re-creating myself in some ways. I will never be the same person I was before my accident, and I have come to accept and embrace that fact. I looked for yoga teachers and classes to accommodate me with my modifications, and quickly found most studios have no idea how to modify classes other than to offer child’s pose (which is NOT actually a resting pose).

Frustrated, I began my own journey of experimenting with yoga at home and figuring out how to make it work for me.

I still didn’t discover chair-based yoga for another few years. I completed my own teacher training in 2020, and while I had been shown how to use the chair as support for standing in tree pose, no one ever showed me how you could do poses while SEATED! This changed the game for me, and led me down a new path in my own classes.

My own experiences transformed the way I teach. My yoga students consist of mostly brain injury survivors and those with other neurological and cognitive conditions.

I genuinely understand that if you never modified your yoga due to an injury or illness, it’s not top of mind for you. Far too many teacher trainings guide us towards putting a student in child’s pose or mountain pose if they need a rest. We tend to think the modifications taught to us apply across the board to every student with different abilities or body types (hint: they don’t).

I believe every single yoga teacher should know how to instruct a student in a chair and help them navigate class in an accessible and compassionate way. Yoga is an individual journey, even though we often practice as a group.

There is already too much of a stigma around yoga: you must be skinny and bendy, able to get into impossible poses to participate. That is most certainly not true. Remember, asana is only one limb of yoga, and often the first way folks experience it. If we can make it more accessible to everyone, we have an opportunity to help individuals thrive in their practice and lives.

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Here are a few poses to help you get started with chair-based yoga: 2

WARRIOR II (VIRABHADRASANA II): Come to the corner of your chair and bend your front knee while extending your back foot out. Lift your arms to the sides, or you may keep them on your hips.

3 1

WARRIOR I (VIRABHADRASANA I): Come to the corner of your chair and place a bolster or pillow on the floor to support your knee. Bend the front knee and push your foot into the floor. You can either raise your hands overhead, bring them to cactus, or simply keep them on your hips.

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BIRD DOG (DANDAYAMANA BHARMANASANA): Sitting to the front of your chair and keeping both sit bones equal on the seat, lift your right leg out in front while raising your left arm overhead (or to cactus). You may also simply lift your foot off the group and bring your knee up instead of extending your leg.

CAMEL (UTRASANA): Sitting to the front of your seat, bring your hands to the back of your chair while slowly coming into a backbend, only bending as far as it feels comfortable for you.

You may also place a block behind you to make it easier to reach than the back of the chair.

EXTENDED HAND-TO-BIG-TOE (UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTASANA: Sitting to the front of your chair, place a strap around one foot. Make sure your sit bones stay equal on the seat as you raise your foot up off the floor (try holding the strap with just one hand if you can, so you’re not twisting your body). Then slowly bring your leg out to the side while again checking in with your sit bones. +

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

WHY WE NEED A

DYNAMIC CONSENT CULTURE in Yoga

T

eacher-student relationships carry vast transformative potential. Moving and breathing together, sharing our stories, and being witnessed encourages vulnerability.

Attunement, keen observation, skillful communication — and often proximity and touch — expedite the kinesthetic learning yoga offers.

We’re living through remnants of a global pandemic and reckoning with questions from MeToo and social justice movements. With yoga and spiritual communities revealing widespread histories of abuse, we now hold the hope and responsibility of preventing future harm.

BY CHERI DOSTAL RYBA (SHE/HER)

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"Consent is a shared responsibility and an innate skill. We’re actively unlearning oppressive patterns and systems to restore the right relationship within ourselves, and better practice consent in the community."

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YOGA + MOVEMENT How do we keep the intimacy of yoga intact while facing the real damage that’s been done?

Consent is a shared responsibility and an innate skill. We’re actively unlearning oppressive patterns and systems to restore the right relationship within ourselves, and better practice consent in the community.

We’re still finding our way with dynamic consent in yoga and other wellness industries. Let’s touch on the limits of current consent strategies, define true dynamic consent, and start to map a path forward.

Born from a desire to do better, a wave of new products and policies swept through yoga studios. Flip chips and color-coded cards provide a jumping off point for building consent culture. Asking people at the beginning of class also became popular. Entire studios became “touch free.” While I’m grateful to see our awareness grow, these approaches have serious limitations.

A yoga teacher must take into consideration peer and power dynamics and the prevalence of trauma, dysregulation, and disempowerment in our society. Some folks might default to opting in as an act of belonging, when internally they feel unsure about engaging with a teacher. Others might opt out completely, but then feel disappointed after witnessing others receive praise or contact in a group class.

When new students drop-in, or a group’s needs vary, many unknowns make tracking consent challenging.

Building rapport over time allows us to better assess the capacity of each student to express their choice. For example, I reserve touch for small groups of long-time students, or private yoga therapy where the luxury of time and close relationships exist.

We might also reflect on whether consumers go to yoga expecting handson touch or to be left alone on their mat to follow verbal cues, or whether they

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feel equipped to partner with others or confidently decline.

Understanding consent reveals additional implications for social media content, the language in waivers, teacher training and studio policy manuals, what we wear and how we cue. Yoga teaches misperception and ignorance as one root of suffering — avidya. We can no longer bypass these conversations, uphold structures perpetuating abuse, or outsource consent to a static prop or policy.

For all these reasons, I suggest we adopt a methodology of dynamic informed consent.

THE 3 KEYS OF DYNAMIC CONSENT Consent includes three essential qualities:

• • •

Enthusiasm Informed Ongoing

Enthusiasm means the exchange is mutually agreeable, with the recipient genuinely on board with what is about to occur. A half-hearted “I guess,” or “Do whatever you want with me,” provides an opportunity for clarifying dialogue.

During trainings and workshops, yoga professionals share how they handle consent. For example, they may say, “Is it ok if I touch you in this

pose?” or ask students to raise their hand if they’re “open to receiving touch.” Generalizations leave a lot to the imagination, and informed consent depends on context. Tell the student what you observed and what your goal is in working together. If you intend to use touch, be specific about where and what they can expect. This dialogue takes time, often best suited to a 1:1 environment.

Disclosing consent policies in a waiver or intake form gives a good foundation, yet lacks the context needed for a win-win exchange. Asking as class begins disregards the evolving nature of how the practices affect change. Consent must be an ongoing process. With dynamic consent, we get to change our minds and respond from what’s real in each moment.

When we witness an incongruence in ourselves or our student — a shift in body language, energy or tension suggesting consent isn’t a full YES — we must take the responsibility to pause.

We discern how to proceed together, or agree to be complete for now.

We’re growing as a yoga profession, and this practice holds innumerable healing gifts for humanity. Let’s create spaces for the messy, necessary work of rebuilding our fundamental skills of relating and connecting, sensing and moving together with embodied dynamic consent. +

The 3 Keys of Dynamic Consent Enthusiastic Informed

Ongoing

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

BY KELLY SMITH (SHE/HER)

NOURISH YOUR STUDENTS WITH

A

GUIDED MEDITATIONS

simple but powerful guided meditation can be a transformative and nourishing tool to use in your yoga class, but teachers often don’t use guided meditations because they get stuck on how to write them.

Creating a guided meditation can feel like a daunting task, or a skill only a writer or creative could do, but that simply isn’t the case. As someone who wrote over 350 guided meditations for my podcast Mindful in Minutes without any formal writing training or guided meditation course to get me started, I am here to tell you it is so much simpler than you think. Anyone can write a guided meditation.

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"Guided meditations are just stories. The story doesn't have to be long, complex, or even a true story, it can be a simple story about pretty much anything: focusing on your breath, relaxing at a beach, or anything you find enhances your practice.

Take your students on a short guided journey with words through imagery."

Before we dive into the step by step formula of writing guided meditations, I want to note that changing the way you think about guided meditations can change the way you approach creating them. Guided meditations are just stories. The story doesn't have to be long, complex, or even a true story, it can be a simple story about pretty much anything: focusing on your breath, relaxing at a beach, or anything you find enhances your practice. Take your students on a short guided journey with words through imagery.

In order to take an idea or class and enhance it with a guided meditation, try following these five steps.

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5 STEPS TO WRITING A GUIDED MEDITATION

1

THINK ABOUT THE TOPIC OF YOUR MEDITATION. WHAT STORY DO YOU WANT TO TELL?

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Once you’ve picked your theme and setting and thought about what the senses are doing in this time and place, you’re ready to tell your story. It can be simple: a few minutes where you take your students to this place, talking about what you see, hear, feel, and so on; then tell a

Before you can begin writing your meditation, you need to think about what theme you want to give your meditation; or in essence, what story you want to tell. When thinking about this, consider the theme of your yoga class or a certain technique or practice you want to incorporate. Think about where you want to lead your students, how you want them to feel during this meditation, and what the purpose of your meditation is before you begin writing. This will give you the framework to start the story.

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simple story around your theme. For example, if you’re using the forest theme for a grounding meditation you may tell a short story about your students walking through a sunlit forest escape. Maybe they focus on the sensation of their feet on the ground as they walk and the smell of the forest around them, which grounds them further with each step they take.

PICK A SETTING OR RECALL A MEMORY. Once you decide on a theme for your meditation, think about where you want this story to take place. I recommend thinking about a place you visited before or know well so the details of the setting can come to you easily and clearly.

Maybe you want this meditation to take place on your favorite beach, or maybe you want them to walk down a staircase you know well, or perhaps explore a place you have been in your own personal meditation practice. Consider where this story will take place and what makes the most sense based on your theme.

For example, if you want a theme of grounding for your meditation, perhaps you want to set your story in a forest or another place that feels grounding to you.

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USE ALL OF YOUR SENSES. After you decide where your story will take place, the easiest way to tell the story or describe what happens is to tap into all your senses. Put yourself in the setting of your meditation and think about what you hear, see, smell, feel, and even taste in this place. Use your memories and imaginations to take your students through a sensory experience.

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TELL THE STORY!

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LEAVE YOUR STUDENTS IN SILENCE TO GO DEEPER. At the end of your meditation always leave room for silence. A few minutes is plenty – let them sit with the imagery and story you just told them so it can sink in, and hopefully guide them to a deeper part of themselves. +

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

SOUL-FOOD TO NOURISH YOUR INNER SELF:

NOURISH YOUR SPIRIT with Stillness

BY ALLISON MILLER (SHE/HER)

“The more digital I get, the more ritual I need.” - Chip Conley

I

n this increasingly fast-paced digital world, what do you do to stay connected to the seasons? To create rituals to help you balance the speed with which life moves?

How do you find stillness in a world moving so incredibly fast? Stillness and reflection nourish the soul just as food and water nourish the physical body.

But how do we become still if we never learned to slow down?

To say slowing down and being still is undervalued in our culture is a huge understatement. It is not only undervalued, it is in fact frowned upon — and you may be viewed negatively for accepting slowness or allowing space into your life. Katherine May speaks about this in her book,

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Wintering. She says: “Doing these deeply unfashionable things: slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting — is a radical act now, but it is essential.”

Deeply unfashionable and radical — that is what our rest has become.

So how do we slow down in a world that moves so fast? What rituals and daily practices can support us in finding balance? Yoga and meditation are on the list for me, and probably you, if you’re reading this! Yoga provides us with the opportunity to slow down on our mats; to connect with our breath and our body in a meaningful way. Yoga practices interoception, a fancy way of saying “noticing what happens in your body, right here, right now.”

Learn to slow-down and nourish yourself through stillness on your mat: Set up your space: light a candle or burn some sage, minimize any unnecessary noise, or play soft music to cover other distracting noises.

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YOGA + MOVEMENT Your yoga practice can feel nourishing. Allow poses to feel good! Choose poses encouraging nourishment over competition. No need to practice crow, wheel, or headstand — touching your toes is not required.

Savasana and restorative poses can provide a shelter away from our busy minds. According to Judith Lasater, “shelter is a soft place, away from the hurt, or pain, or fear we might experience through our thoughts.”

Practices like savasana help us connect to the present moment, and let us focus on just being here right now.

Practice at 60% of your capacity: allow space for breath awareness and space to notice how your body feels in the pose. How many of us go 110% into every asana, trying to make it “perfect?”

There is no perfect pose, only the version of the pose that is right for your body today.

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How is your relationship with stillness? These questions may help you reflect on your relationship with stillness:

•

Am I willing to reserve time in my calendar for reflection?

•

In learning to listen, have I thought about improving my ability to practice the art of silence?

•

How am I going to nourish the spiritual, the visionary, the musical, the childlike side of my nature? How am I going to minimize the stale, mechanical, quantifiable side of my life?

— Questions from Max Depree, Leadership Jazz

Focus on pausing in meditation or breath work. Pay attention to the pause after the inhale and after the exhale linger here, take notice.

All of this helps us connect with and embrace stillness. These moments where we pause on our yoga mats become moments we enjoy a pause outside of the yoga space. Everyday moments of stillness where we mindfully pause, feel our feet on the ground, smell the breeze, and notice the moon hanging in the sky so perfectly can help us restore balance and harmony to our overworked, under-nourished, hyper speed lives.

“The pause is as important as the pose.” — Kristine Kavoerii Weber.

Yoga is not the asana, but the effect of the asana on the body. Linger between poses and feel the effect.

Lao Tzu says: “To the mind that is still, the whole world surrenders.”

The stale, mechanical, and quantifiable side of life feels like all our culture cares about. But what about the spiritual, the musical, the visionary?

Balance in our fast paced world depends on reconnecting with ritual. As the seasons shift, mother nature teaches us. As she sheds her leaves, allows this season's growth to fall away, and begins to slumber, a quiet energy rebuilds, providing a tremendous opportunity for growth in times of rest. +

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

WHAT IS ASANA?

BY NICOLE WARNER (SHE/HER))

W

ith so many options to an asana practice, asana may look and feel different to every practitioner. The third limb in the eight limb path of Ashtanga yoga according to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, asana is the physical practice of yoga; the postures and the poses. Although a small part of yoga, the West typically makes asana the primary focus.

Asana can be a powerful practice, but it also cann be gentle and therapeutic. Asana allows the body to prepare for the following eight limbs of yoga. Asana is important, but not more important than the other limbs. Asana can assist in bringing our yoga off the

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mat and into our daily lives. Asana can be seen as a way into the subtle body.

This could be a bottom up approach (body to mind) versus a top down (from mind to the body).

What are the rest of the limbs?

Chapter 2, sutra 29 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras introduces the eight limbs of yoga.

"[A]sana is the physical practice of yoga; the postures and the poses.

Although a small part of yoga, the West typically makes asana the primary focus."

8 LIMBS OF YOGA • • • • • • • •

YAMAS: restraints NIYAMAS: observances ASANA: postures PRANAYAMA: breath PRATYAHARA: sense-withdrawal DHARANA: concentration DHYANA: meditation SAMADHI: enlightenment

When one practices the first 7 limbs, one might reach samadhi after many years of discipline and diligence in the study of yoga.

Within the nearly 200 yoga sutras only three of these sutras encompass the physical practice of yoga or asana.

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THEY SUGGEST A PATH TO PRACTICE: 1

STHIRA SUKHAMASANAM: “Asana is a steady, comfortable posture,” II.46 translation by Sri Swami Satchindananda

2 PRAYATNA SAITHILYANANTA

SAMAPATTIBHYAM: “As the body yields all efforts and holdings, the infinite within is revealed.”

II.47 translation by Nischala Joy Devi

3 TATO DVANDVANABHIGHATAH:

“From that [comes] lack of injury caused by the pairs of opposites.” II.48 translation

by Pandit Rajmani Tigunaiat, PhD

“This drives home the all-important point, usually overlooked by western yoga enthusiasts, that asana is not just a physical exercise, but has a strong psychic component as well. Relaxed posture is the foundation of the practice of sense-withdrawal,” Georg Feuerstein further explains about sutra II.48.

How often do you feel steady and comfortable in your asana practice?

Originally created for young boys in India, many teachers throughout the last 2000 years changed, rewrote, modified, and adapted asana. This made yoga and asana more approachable for all individuals. Despite many lineages, styles, and quite a few gimmicks,

yoga remains powerful for its ability to connect mind, body, and spirit.

It is a blessing that so many pathways exist for individuals to find yoga through asana. Asana works the body from the inside to the outside.

We find another definition from Indu Arora: “Asana means a meditation seat.

Often confused as a physical position, it is actually a seat for the mind in the body. It is not posing, performance or a challenge to accomplish a position. It is the sacred embodiment of stillness with ease and effortlessness.” This is an ultimate goal — to reach stillness, to be at ease, and to embody effortlessness in our lives not just on the mat. That is why most asana classes end in savasana (corpse pose), often considered the most complicated posture. Savasana finds stillness in the body and the

"[A]sana is not just a physical exercise, but has a strong psychic component as well. Relaxed posture is the foundation of the practice of sensewithdrawal."

— Georg Feuerstein

“Asana means a meditation seat. Often confused as a physical position, it is actually a seat for the mind in the body. It is not posing, performance or a challenge to accomplish a position. It is the sacred embodiment of stillness with ease and effortlessness.”

— Indu Arora

mind, allowing a complete release and letting go; a liberation from ignorance, attachment, fear, ego, and aversion.

According to Jivana Heyman, “All asana has to do is bring our attention to what’s happening here and now.

Physical strength and flexibility have nothing to do with it. In Yoga, more subtle is more advanced. Less is more.

Stillness is strength.”

This is all to say, there is not one right way to practice yoga or asana.

Asana comes in many forms, styles, and possibilities, non-judgmental at its core.

Asana should be accessible to all those who want to practice, and deepen the exploration and connection of mind, body, and spirit. +

Jack Utermoehl Whirlpools of the Mind www.mnyogaconference.com

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YOGA + MOVEMENT

THE YOGA OF RUNNING

BY TED ROSEEN (HE/HIM)

T

he smell of coffee awakens my senses. I slip out of bed and quietly shuffle to the bathroom. I get dressed, lace up my shoes, grab my coffee, and sit down to Wordle my brain awake. The morning sky begins to yawn. I look at the time, check the forecast, hit ‘Play’ on my audiobook, and slide my phone into my hip pack. Outside at the bottom of the stairs, I stretch one leg then the other, holding for three seconds more out of ritual than physical benefit. As the rose fingers of dawn begin to paint the skyline, I take a deep breath, and begin.

I reacquaint myself with my tired hamstrings with every footfall. Even though I hear the British twirl of words the narrator weaves for me, I feel the world around me. I feel the empty streets. I feel the humid coolness of a Minnesota spring morning, indecisive whether it’s going to be 30º or 80º. I feel my body moving through space without being told.

I breathe. This breath is my vehicle even more than my feet. It takes my nervous system by the hand, convincing me with its whisper we are not being chased, we are not late, and we are not in trouble.

My body warms. My arms move rhythmically like two children trying to match the cadence of their swings. As the sun slowly rises over the buildings, the relief of a gentle breeze greets the sweat rolling down my neck, a breeze I create, a breeze that starts and ends with me.

My watch buzzes to remind me as I am moving forward, so does time. It

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takes me out of the moment I’m in to tell me what passed. My eyes interpret the numbers, my body reflects them.

The asphalt path criss-crosses with the varicose veins of buried tree roots refusing to be stifled. It winds. It climbs. I shorten my strides and lean into it. I feel my heart rate rising with every push of my foot, with every pump of my arm. But my breath returns to remind me with its whispers: “you are ok.” I draw in fully, and spill out slowly. My chest expands to invite in the nourishment of breath.

She sits, she soothes, and she sweeps away. She grounds, she focuses, and she cleanses. As I crest the hill, my footfalls slow, my heart rate steadies, and I settle back into my flow.

The miles click by, the time ticks on, and I am here. I am here with my book.

I am here with my grocery list. I am here with that cute dachshund in the green sweater. I am here with my anger, my frustration, my uncertainties. I am here with my joy, my excitement, and my gratitude. I am here. And even as I tire and sit on the curb with my head in my hands, I still smile. My breath rubs my back and whispers: “you are ok.”

On the mat is where we learn our yoga, but it’s beyond the mat where our yoga takes flight. +

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Alternate nostril breathing

3 BREATH TECHNIQUES

An extremely powerful practice, use this breathwork when working on balancing out the sun and moon energies within all of us. Especially useful for mental clarity, alternate nostril breathing combats the mental sluggishness and fatigue that comes during winter.

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To Practice This Winter Season

BY KELLY SMITH (SHE/HER)

A

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Relaxation breath

A simple and powerful practice for the fall season, the three-part breath works on breath control and energizes the body. This practice segments the inhale into three equal parts to energize the body and then utilizes one long, full exhale to soothe the body and mind and release tension. During this pranayama practice, the challenge comes with taking three equal but partial inhales with control and focus.

During the holiday season we may feel anxious, stressed, and overstimulated, which can compound over time if we don’t do something to alleviate some pressure. This pranayama practice harnesses the cooling, calm energy of winter to soothe the senses and signal to the body that it is ok to rest and relax. Quite simple and effective, just make your exhales longer than your inhales. Typically this is done in a 4-8 count where you inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of eight, but you can adjust the count to something more natural for you if necessary.

GUIDED PRACTICE: Begin by exhaling all of the air out of your lungs, then inhale one third, inhale another third, and inhale a final third (you should feel completely full of breath at this point). Then take one long, full exhale out, relaxing the body and mind. Do 1–15 rounds of this breath, followed by a minute or two of regular, effortless breath while you feel the quiet, calm energy move through you.

GUIDED PRACTICE: Begin by connecting with your breath and slowing down your rate of breathing.

Then inhale for a count of four, making sure you fill up all the way. Pause for one count and then take a long exhale for a count of eight. Practice this pranayama for 5-10 minutes or until you begin to feel the calming effects, followed by a minute or two of effortless breathing. +

Three-part breath s we transition from the hot, long, high energy season of summer into the short, cooler, low energy days of winter, we transition from the time of doing to the time of being. Winter, the season of hibernation, prepares for the rebirth that comes with spring, and a great way to honor this season of rest is through your pranayama practice.

People used pranayama practices for centuries to connect with and change the life force energy within all of us. You can use certain pranayama (breathwork) practices to increase, decrease, or balance the flow of life force energy within you. While great year round, certain pranayama practices are preferred during certain times of the year. Here are three breath practices you can use this winter to honor your body.

GUIDED PRACTICE: Traditionally, yogis practice alternate nostril breathing with the right hand. Begin by exhaling all of the air out of your lungs. With your right ring finger close the left nostril and inhale through the right nostril, then close the right nostril with your thumb and exhale through the left.

Next, inhale through the left, then close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right. Do this 10-12 times, followed by a minute or two of effortless breath through both nostrils.

•

•

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

FIVE STEPS TO

HEALTHY SLEEP HYGIENE

A

yurveda says proper sleep hygiene is essential for good health. Per the ancient text, Skandhapurna, “Ardha-roga hari nidra,” meaning “healthy sleep has the power to prevent and heal half the diseases.” Here, I’m sharing my favorite recipes for sleep as handed down from my mother, grandmothers, and guru. Ayurvedic texts discussed “sleep hygiene” as ratricharaya (healthy nighttime routine) for thousands of years. Add these simple practices to your bedtime routine and discover the bountiful return for consistent practice.

May these practices ground you, nourish you, and lead you gently and comfortably into deep rest.

Step 1: Rinse the Worries Away!

• TIME: End of Workday/4 Hours Before Bedtime • TOOLS NEEDED: Water, Towel • INSPIRATION: Recipe 6, Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care

Life moves at hyperspace speed. At the end of the day, our body may be off the clock, but our mind still races with unfinished tasks and unfulfilled expectations (even self-imposed).

We hold tensions of the day in body, breath, and mind. The Ayurvedic practice of Pancha Snana, “the five rinses,” may be just the thing to release that tension!

Immediately upon finishing your day, rinse the five main parts of the body — both hands, feet, and face — with cool tap water in summer (warm water in winter). Optionally, use your favorite soap/cleanser. Let the water wash away stressors of the day and enjoy this delightful ritual as an entrée into your family/rejuvenation time.

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BY INDU ARORA (SHE/HER)

Step 2: Pause, Feel, Be. • TIME: Dusk/Before Meals • TOOLS NEEDED: You and Your Breath

•

INSPIRATION: Recipe 7, Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care

Whether time drags or flies, it’s always in motion. Is there a practice to get “in the flow” with time?

Ancient texts describe sandhi as “that which joins/ acts as a bridge.” Kala sandhi is the meeting of points of the day: dawn, mid-day, dusk, and midnight; and kriya sandhi is the meeting point between two activities (for example, sleeping to waking or talking to silence).

Practice observing sandhi.

Build a habit of self-reflection allowing time to sit with yourself before jumping into the next task. The difference between reaction and response is pause.

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

Step 4: Tend to Your Limbs.

• TIME: Right Before Bedtime • TOOLS NEEDED: Marma

Step 3: Digestion Is the Key! • TIME: Right After Meals • TOOLS NEEDED: Fresh Ginger Pickle

•

INSPIRATION: Recipe 44, Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care

Per Ayurveda, mealtime is sacred, with eating often compared to feeding the consciousness within. When your eating becomes less than mindful, boost digestion with this three-ingredient, super-quick fix. Take 1-2 pieces after meals for nausea, indigestion, heaviness, irregular bowel movements, or suppressed sense of taste.

Ingredients:

• • •

Fresh Ginger Fresh Lime Salt (Himalayan Pink)

Method: 1 Julienne the ginger; soak with lime juice.

2 Salt to taste.

3 Refrigerate and take as needed.

Step 5: Shavasana Your Way to Zzzz.

• TIME: When You Close the Eyes for Sleep • TOOLS NEEDED: Awareness of the Steps Below • INSPIRATION: Recipes 11, 31, Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care

How often do you slide into bed only to turn your brain to a new channel? Things to do, places to go, people to see. Perhaps you fall prey to the siren song of a screen, a new read, or an engaging phone call.

Though you may be desperate to slip into sleep, it’s nowhere to be found.

Prepare for tender, deep, effortless sleep by adding awareness, conscious relaxation, and shavasana to the moment of sleep.

5 Steps to Shavasana + Stellar Sleep 1 POSITION: Lie in the position that best supports sleep for you. Adjust until absolutely at peace. Make fists, thumb between the index and middle fingers, forming Surina mudra (this supports deep rest in mind and body).

Stick, Sesame/Almond Oil or Favorite Lotion

•

INSPIRATION: Recipe 10, from Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care

Throughout the workday, our hands and feet constantly work, hold, and move, whether consciously or subconsciously.

They hold not only stress but also suppressed emotions and unprocessed thoughts. Flip the pranic switches with this simple practice to bring cozy warmth to fingers and toes!

Simply massage the hands and foot soles with a marma stick nightly for 3-5 minutes.

Method: 1 Apply 2-3 drops of oil/lotion to hands and foot soles.

2 Rub the marma stick on the

foot sole/between palms like a rolling pin, up and down, heel to toe tips, for 2-3 minutes.

•

Increase pressure and pace in dull, heavy, and achy areas.

•

Ease off on pressure and pace in sensitive, painful, and intense areas.

3 Continue until you feel

comfortable warmth and enjoy the following happy sleep!

2 DUALITY: Scan the body — head to toe, back and forth — noticing areas holding tension or relaxation. Repeat twice more.

3 BREATH: Become aware of your breath — smooth the rough, lighten the heavy, silence the loud — simply through observing it.

4 MASSAGE: Let your smooth, gentle, quiet, even breaths massage areas of tension or uneasiness.

5 ZZZZZ: Slowly bring awareness into the quiet chambers of the heart.

Let your heart usher you into the warm embrace of sleep. +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

A

yurveda, the ancient holistic healing system from India, recognizes that nourishment goes beyond what we eat. According to Ayurveda, "food" nourishes our physical body, mind, emotions, and soul. In Ayurveda, the concept of Aahara means nourishment, and it encompasses not only the food we consume but also the environment we are in, the company we keep, and the activities we engage in. The following are some fundamental principles of nourishment through Ayurveda.

Principles of Nourishment Through Ayurveda Lifestyle Practices Ayurveda emphasizes adopting a balanced and nourishing lifestyle.

This includes following a daily routine (dinacharya) aligning with natural rhythms, ensuring adequate sleep, engaging in regular exercise appropriate for one's constitution, and managing stress through meditation, yoga, and pranayama.

Balanced Diet

AYURVEDIC SOUL FOOD

Ayurveda recognizes each person’s unique constitution or dosha (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha), with dietary recommendations tailored accordingly.

A personalized diet aims to balance the doshas and promote optimal health. It involves incorporating foods with the right tastes, qualities, and energies to nourish and support an individual's constitution.

Nourishment is More Than What We Eat

BY KAMIE SLEGERS (SHE/HER) 42

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Six Tastes

Emotional Well-being

Connection With Nature

A balanced ayurvedic diet includes all six tastes ­— sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent — in moderation, as each taste’s unique properties can balance or disrupt our body and mind. Ayurveda emphasizes incorporating all six tastes in each meal to ensure a well-rounded and nourishing diet. Balancing tastes helps satisfy cravings, improves digestion, and ensures the intake of essential nutrients.

Ayurveda acknowledges the connection between our emotions and physical health. It recognizes emotional well-being as an important nourishment aspect for our soul. Ayurveda suggests meditation, yoga, and pranayama (breathing exercises) to cultivate emotional balance and promote overall well-being.

Ayurveda strongly emphasizes our relationship with nature as an essential aspect of soul nourishment. Spending time in nature, surrounded by natural elements, and engaging in activities such as gardening, hiking, or walking in the park can help nourish our souls and restore our vitality.

Pranic Food

Ayurveda recognizes the importance of spiritual nourishment for overall wellbeing. It encourages practices fostering a deeper connection with oneself and the universe or God, and may involve meditation, prayer, chanting, or engaging in activities that bring joy and a sense of purpose.

Ayurveda recognizes that food is not just about its physical properties but also its prana, or life force energy.

According to Ayurveda, fresh, seasonal, and locally grown foods are considered high in prana and recommended for optimal health. On the other hand, processed, canned, or frozen foods are believed to have lower prana and may not be as nourishing for our body and soul.

Digestive Fire Ayurveda places great importance on maintaining a healthy digestive fire, known as agni. Strong agni ensures proper digestion, assimilation of nutrients, and elimination of waste.

Nourishment through Ayurveda involves eating foods supporting this fire, such as easily digestible meals and appropriate food combinations, and avoiding overeating or eating when emotionally imbalanced.

Mind-Body Connection Ayurveda acknowledges the intimate connection between the mind and body.

Nourishment through Ayurveda involves cultivating positive thoughts, managing emotions, and engaging in practices promoting mental and emotional wellbeing. This may include mindfulness practices, journaling, self-reflection, and creating a nurturing environment.

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Spiritual Nourishment

Herbal Support Ayurveda utilizes a wide range of herbs and spices to support health and nourishment. Herbs are chosen based on their taste, qualities, and impact on the doshas. For instance, ginger is used to stimulate digestion, turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties, and ashwagandha for its rejuvenating effects. Ayurvedic practitioners may prescribe specific herbal formulas or recommend herbal teas to address individual health concerns and nourish the body.

Detoxification + Cleansing Ayurveda recognizes the importance of periodic detoxification to remove accumulated toxins (ama) from the body and restore balance. Various Ayurvedic therapies, known as Panchakarma, eliminate toxins and rejuvenate the body. These therapies may include herbal oil massages, steam treatments, nasal cleansing, and other cleansing practices.

In conclusion, Ayurveda says nourishment goes beyond what we eat. It encompasses our entire being, including our body, mind, emotions, and soul. Adopting a holistic approach to nutrition by incorporating mindful eating, maintaining a balanced diet, pranic food, emotional well-being, connection with nature, healthy lifestyle practices, and spiritual nourishment can help us achieve optimal well-being at all levels and nourish our soul for a healthy and fulfilling life.

It's important to note that Ayurveda considers each individual's unique constitution and recommends personalized approaches to nourishment. Consulting with an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner can provide customized guidance and recommendations based on an individual's specific needs and imbalances. +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

FINDING

MEANINGFUL CONNECTION in the Midst of Loneliness

BY DR. JILLIAN SIMPSON (SHE/HER)

T

his is the only space where I feel like I can be my real, whole self," they said. "I can't talk like this with the other people in my life. It's so lonely."

I heard these words over and over again in my therapy room over the years, holding space as a feminist psychologist specializing in complex trauma recovery. Client after client would describe how freeing it felt to be so open and real in our sessions, yet how this contrasted with the

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complications of finding this level of meaningful connection outside of the therapy room. Much of our work would focus on translating this felt sense of "realness" and connection into everyday life outside therapy.

It turns out I could have taken a dose of my own medicine. Hi, my name is Jillian, and I experience loneliness.

Historically, the thought of verbalizing my feelings of loneliness, much less in a public forum, horrified me. Despite the fact that for years in my professional role as a psychologist I would encourage others to do so. We healers and professional space-holders can be stubborn.

Loneliness, much like hunger, is a biologically wired, pain-inducing experience that, at its core function, drives us to seek out connection with others to relieve it. Much like eating a meal nourishes and eases hunger pangs in the body, seeking out connection with others is meant to ease our feelings of loneliness. This system works great if the loneliness or hunger is only periodic or episodic. But when hunger and loneliness become chronic in our lives, our nervous systems read this as a life threat response and begin to shut down the urge to reach for the very nourishment we need.

Chronic loneliness disrupts our natural righting reflex to seek out connection when we feel lonely. To further complicate this, once loneliness becomes chronic it tends to feed itself. The more time we spend away from meaningful connection, the more skewed our perceptions become within social settings. Chronic loneliness hurts.

Yet we begin to perceive that despite the hurt of not belonging, it is not worth the risk of opening ourselves up to further rejection.

Research by social neuroscientist John Cacioppo at the University of Chicago found that the more socially isolated we are, the more fixated we become on monitoring social cues around us. Despite all the extra focus on others, we become much less accurate in our perceptions. We begin to view neutral faces and interactions as more threatening and rejecting of us. We become more preoccupied with how others interact around us all the while interpreting these situations as unfriendly or less socially welcoming.

Wired for survival at all costs, our brains will overestimate risk like none other to help keep us alive. When triggered, our nervous system will revert to its primitive survival hardwiring and only the very essential to our survival resources become available to us. Separation from our tight knit group

"[T]ext that old friend back, say hi to the stranger, say yes to the invitation, or even attend that event by yourself, because you belong there."

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HEALTH + WELLNESS of humans many, many moons ago used to mean almost certain death. So it makes sense that loneliness still induces a trauma response in our systems.

The trauma of chronic loneliness causes us to withdraw into ourselves in such a way that keeps us from reaching out to others when we need them most. Finding a way to reach for connection amidst this social shutdown response is key to our thriving.

"[W]hen hunger and loneliness become chronic in our lives, our nervous systems read this as a life threat response and begin to shut down the urge to reach for the very nourishment we need."

Awareness of our tendency to misperceive others around us when we feel lonelier is key to interrupting the social shut down response. Practicing challenging the urge to socially disengage when feeling lonely opens up opportunities for connection otherwise missed. So finally, text that old friend back, say hi to the stranger, say yes to the invititation, or even attend that event by yourself, because you belong there. You might be surprised what happens next. +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

AYURVEDA of the Mind

BY MEGHAN FOLEY (SHE/HER)

D

o you struggle to focus? Do you feel like your mind is always racing, wondering “Did I do enough?” or “Should I be doing something else right now?”

The fluctuations of the mind in the modern world may feel unique to our times, considering all the signs showing how we live in the fastest changing era to date. However, even before modern technology, ancient yogic and ayurvedic philosophers studied the effects of the unharnessed mind, and created a roadmap full of tangible and practical ways to cease the monkey mind.

There is a natural ebb and flow of universal energy called the mahagunas

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(“the great qualities”) encompassing sattva, rajas, and tamas, also known as potential energy, kinetic energy, and inertia. The mahagunas interplay with one another and act upon all aspects of life. For instance, a single piece of fruit will pass through rajas when it is unripe, then sattva when perfectly juicy, ripe, and most nutritious, and then tamas when rotten or stale.

Sattva means “a state of pure being,” and lucky for us, according to the ancient texts, the true state of the mind is sattvic ­— calm, clear, and stable. This might be hard to believe, considering so many of us struggle with slowing the mind down, but I’m sure you can think of a time in your life when you could

discern a situation honestly without bias, to see clearly what needed to be done, to feel a sense of clarity in a decision, or to feel your intuition guiding you versus the anxious mind. That is sattva.

A sattvic mind is unperturbed, free of cravings, and stable.

"[I]f we are not living in accordance with the seasons or daily rhythms, we can become imbalanced quickly, affecting our energy dramatically."

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"All of the ayurvedic and yogic tools help us remember we are complete, and our true essence is a clear, stable, and calm mind."

When the mind is in a balanced state, we can see more clearly and make decisions to further support that balanced state. One of the key laws in Ayurveda is that “like increases like.”

Therefore, when in a balanced state, we crave that which keeps us balanced.

However, more common in our fastpaced adrenaline seeking world, is that when we are in an amped up rajasic state, we will crave things to keep us in that frenzied state, like craving caffeine versus craving sleep when exhausted.

Rajas and tamas are the “doshas of the mind” throwing sattva out of whack. Sattva is the pure state and rajas and tamas disturb the peace. While not inherently bad, rajas and tamas do cause either a spike in energy or a lull. We need rajas and tamas to help us get up in the morning and to fall asleep at night. However, if we are not living in accordance with the seasons or daily rhythms, we can become imbalanced quickly, affecting our energy dramatically.

Signs of a sattvic mind: • ability to concentrate • stable energy • craves healthy foods and practices pleasing to the senses

• • •

sleeps well emotional stability ability to discern without bias

Signs of a rajasic mind: • workaholism • racing mind • difficulty sleeping • craving sour/spicy foods • craving caffeine or other stimulants • fidgeting • always seeking change • physical and mental overexertion • irritability Signs of tamasic mind: • brain fog • feelings of stagnation • oversleeping • loss of appetite • procrastination • resisting change • eating leftovers, stale or processed foods

•

inactive

What can be very reassuring about studying Vedic philosophy is realizing at our core, we are whole. All of the ayurvedic and yogic tools help us remember we are complete, and our true essence is a clear, stable, and calm mind. We do not need to create sattva, but rather return to it. Some of the best ways to do this include creating the environments in which sattva flourishes.

Sattvic foods are fresh, ripe, local, cooked with love, eaten with care, and digested easily.

Sattvic practices include anything you do with love that causes no harm, leaves no residue, and leaves long-term positive effects on your life.

We never arrive at complete sattva. Life is designed to knock us off balance, but with a more compassionate understanding of our minds, we can continue living life to the fullest. We can experience the inevitable ups and downs of life with a less perturbed mind, pausing before reacting. We can trust that there is a calm, serene presence at all times within us, observing nonjudgmentally and loving wholeheartedly. +

"[W]ith a more compassionate understanding of our minds, we can continue living life to the fullest."

Reneé Clair

From Chaos to Clair-ity in Your Calendar www.mnyogaconference.com

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

NOURISHING

BALANCED RESILIENCE

BY KAMI KESSEL (SHE/HER)

and maintain a sense of calm. Through personalized coaching and yoga sessions, I witnessed clients transition from being focused on pursuing narrow excellence to becoming "excellent at nourishing resilience." Following are two examples.

"[B]y intentionally nourishing resilience, people become equipped to handle challenges, bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and maintain a sense of calm.

W

hen people pursue excellence with a singular focus, they may overlook the importance of nourishing balanced resilience. The habits needed to achieve excellence in one area often conflict with those needed to build resilience.

Pursuing excellence alone can erode our resilience when we become so focused on achieving one goal that we don’t place value in practices leading towards other goals necessary to sustain the excellence we want. We push too hard for too long and become vulnerable to stress and burnout.

In contrast, by intentionally nourishing resilience, people become equipped to handle challenges, bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change,

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manageable. What’s more, now he laughs during our sessions and reports being more playful with his kids as well.

Another client pushed herself in pursuit of athletic excellence. She recognized the toll this took on her body and mental health, and she incorporated restorative yoga and mindfulness practices into her training routine. Over time, she trained more effectively, recovered from injuries, and maintained a healthier balance between athletic pursuits and overall well-being.

It challenged her at first because doing gentle yoga seemed pointless. Still, she improved her relationship with movement and designed routines to nourish her body, rather than constantly demanding performance from her body.

One client, an executive, always prioritized work over self-care to the point of almost never sleeping because he didn’t think he had time. Through our coaching sessions, he began to see the importance of building resilience. He considered how his values could help him develop a longevity-supporting way of life. He made the time to practice simple breath and yoga techniques and worked hard to improve his sleep hygiene. The difference came when he learned the value of nourishing resilience, and what that could mean for his ability to continue providing for his special needs child. He became more focused, productive, and energized.

Significantly, what started as an almost debilitating level of stress became

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HERE ARE SEVEN PRACTICES TO NOURISH RESILIENCE:

1

2

PRACTICE MINDFULNESS: Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with non-judgmental awareness. Positive psychology shows that practicing mindfulness leads to emotional regulation, decreased stress and anxiety, and improved wellbeing. In Ayurveda, one often associates mindfulness with pranayama (breathwork), which can help to balance the doshas and calm the mind.

3

PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE: The practice of intentionally taking care of our physical and emotional needs, selfcare includes getting enough sleep, eating a nourishing diet, engaging in regular exercise, and practicing yoga and meditation. In Ayurveda, selfcare is central to maintaining health.

4

CONNECT WITH OTHERS: Building strong relationships and social support networks is key to building resilience.

Social support can buffer the negative effects of stress and promote greater well-being. In Ayurveda, social connection links to satsang, which involves surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals. As the upcoming winter holidays approach, we can also cultivate curiosity about our approach to connection with loved ones who may not be “likeminded.” Resilience-nourishing practices often set people up for greater ease in many types of encounters.

CULTIVATE GRATITUDE: Cultivating gratitude – the practice of appreciating the good things in our lives – can lead to greater resilience, positive emotions, and improved physical health. In Ayurveda, gratitude connects to santosha (contentment), which can help foster ease.

5

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DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET: A growth mindset, the belief that our abilities can be developed through effort and hard work, helps us to view challenges as opportunities for learning rather than as threats. In Ayurveda, the concept of growth mindset connects to svadhyaya (selfstudy), which involves examining our thoughts and beliefs to identify areas where we may be limiting ourselves.

6

EMBRACE CHANGE: Resilient individuals adapt to change and see it as an opportunity for growth. This can involve embracing uncertainty, letting go of attachment to outcomes, and cultivating a sense of curiosity. In Ayurveda, the ability to adapt to change relates to the dosha vata, associated with movement, change, and creativity.

7

PRACTICE COMPASSION: Compassion is the practice of extending kindness and understanding to ourselves and others. Cultivating selfcompassion can lead to greater resilience, improved mental health, and increased wellbeing. In Ayurveda, compassion ties to ahimsa (non-harming), which involves extending kindness and compassion to all beings (including ourselves).

By incorporating these practices into our daily lives, we can nourish resilience and thrive. Whether we pursue excellence in our careers, relationships, or personal growth, building resilience can be key to achieving long-term success and well-being. +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

HONORING THE SEASONS IN

A WOMAN’S BODY

WINTER: Winter is the season for

rest, reflection, and quiet. There's little planted, growing, or harvested. We can mark the winter of the woman's body as menstruation, the active bleed lasting an average of 2-7 days. Reproductive hormones drop to their lowest levels, while dream and meditative states can be at their highest. The body may feel heavy and tired while the mind feels spacious, disconnected, and foggy.

Honoring the WINTER of the woman's body includes:

BY LAURA WILLENBRING (SHE/HER)

U

nder the guiding principle that nature placed the elements of divine intelligence into every bit of creation, I marvel how the seasons of the year show up in my body as a woman, and in the bodies of women around me. It's with this awareness I've noticed the growing areas of research, reclamation practices, festival "red tents" and body sovereignty all inviting women back to themselves during elements of their menstrual cycle, back into what Uma Dinsmore-Tuli PhD, C-IAYT calls Yoni Shakti source

50

power. I am grateful for the work of Uma, Miranda Gray, Alissa Viti MPH, Judith Hanson Lasater PT, Dr. Claudia Welch AP, DAOM, Dr. Margo Bachman DACM, L.Ac., FABORM, and Dr. Manisha Kshirsagar BAMS (Ayurveda), who taught and encouraged me to dance in this life of divine feminine and invite others to do the same.

While none of these practices are meant to be taken as medical advice or treatment, do seek out the support of a health-care professional for a more personalized plan. Let your own experience be the guide over any recommendation or suggestion here as we come to know our inner source power, our inner Yoni Shakti through the year.

•

Eating nourishing and warm cooked foods over raw and fast-food

•

Healthy fats to support the hormonal development in the next phases

•

Exploring herbal teas over caffeine or alcohol

•

Physical practices: rest-focused yoga nidra, yin or restorative (legs-up-thewall, anyone?), and simple walking

•

Workplace activities including finishing performance reviews and assessments or evaluating results of projects

SPRING: The season for growing,

spring holds new beginnings and an awakening after the winter. We mark the spring of the woman's body as the follicular phase, the time when follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estrogen begin to rise, and maturation of ovarian follicles begin. This period lasts an average of 6-14 days. The body may begin to feel more connected, with the mind more creative and visionary.

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HEALTH + WELLNESS Honoring the SPRING of the woman's body includes:

•

• •

Enjoying more fermented foods, bitter greens like arugula, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower that support liver health and hormone metabolism Physical practices: more engaging hatha and vinyasa yoga style practices, mobility training

to come, with progesterone gradually decreasing further. The body may feel more consistent and stable energetically, yet digestion may slow down, with the mind more focused on "doing the work" and finishing things.

Honoring the AUTUMN of the woman's body includes:

•

Modifying diet to support digestion and elimination through fiber consumption, such as cooked sweet potatoes, stir-fry veggies, kitchari, and digestive spices like ginger, black pepper, turmeric.

•

First week: no change may be helpful to physical activity as the energy may still feel high

•

Second week: energy levels may noticeably begin to decrease, and practices such as hatha and vinyasa become gentler, or the daily walk becomes the most nourishing of exercise practices.

•

Work: taking the steps outlined and identified during the spring/follicular phase

Work: project concept exploration, idea formation, “to-do” lists, and strategic planning

SUMMER: The season when

creativity reaches its zenith, summer features high energy, and the community within nature connects most dynamically.

We mark the summer as the ovulation phase, lasting 5-7 days, where FSH, LH, and estrogen peak, leading to the release of a mature egg: ovulation. The body feels energized, magnetic, vibrant; digestion might feel stronger and ‘fiery’, and the language centers in the brain get amplified for communication and relationship building.

Honoring the SUMMER of the woman's body includes:

•

Enjoying fresh raw foods and salads, green smoothies, more complex meals, and sporadic use of caffeine

•

Physical practices: high energy like hot vinyasa practices, HIIT, weight sessions, and endurance building

•

Work: collaborative meetings, interviewing and onboarding, and diplomatic discussions

•

Complete projects over starting new ones

The

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Helping you learn the basics of chair yoga so you have the confidence to assist students who may need a different way of doing yoga.

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As the seasons of the year flow into one another, so do the benefits of one phase flow into the other. By honoring its intelligent design and reflection of nature, incorporating body-based practices support vitality and wellbeing through the cycles and through the years. +

AUTUMN: Autumn is the season for

harvest, abundance, and the transition into the winter. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle incorporates this season and lasts 14 days. During the first week, elements of the luteal phase feel more like the ovulation where the drop of estrogen and the rise of progesterone occurs, whereas the second half takes on characteristics of the winter season

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

PRESSURE POINTS

Unlock Physical, Emotional + Cognitive Potential CHRISTINE CONTI, M.ED. (SHE/HER)

N

avigating a post-pandemic world can be difficult. After years of living in isolation from family and friends and without the social stimulation from inperson interactions, a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm. Addictive and destructive social media platforms and the powerful influence of the mass

52

media now fulfill the need for belonging and happiness.

Chronic diseases such as depression, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addiction resulted in an unprecedented number of suicide rates around the world. With stress levels on the rise, the need for tools and

techniques to improve both physical and emotional health is paramount.

In fact, in a recent double-blind study of over one hundred young adults ages 13-19, 48.5% reported they experience elevated levels of stress multiple times each week, while 39.6% reported they experience elevated stress levels daily.

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

How often do you experience high levels of stress?

101 responses

48.5% 11.9%

39.6% everyday a few times a week rarely

So, what is the solution?

It is time to learn the most innovative and evidence-based methods to improve both physical and mental health: pressure point techniques.

Pressure points, also known as trigger points, are areas around the body where you will apply pressure to restrict the flow of blood to shut down pain to a certain area. When the pressure releases, it causes an increase or gush of blood to flow to that area, hence improving the circulation throughout the entire body.

But that’s not all!

According to New York University neuroscientist, Wendy Suzuki, “exercise stimulates growth factors and stores up cells in both parts of the brain … protecting your brain from aging and neurodegenerative diseases.”

Therefore, your brain will function at a higher level for more years as you age.

Research shows exercise enhances short-term brain function by stimulating “ ... the release of a wide range of neurochemicals and neurotransmitters and growth factors. They include serotonin, dopamine, [and] endorphins” (Suzuki & Horton, 2020). In addition, long-term effects of exercise impact the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for problem solving and decision making, and the hippocampus, the part of the brain critical for memory and highly susceptible to aging.

Now, you may be wondering how using pressure point techniques relates

It is time to learn the most innovative and evidence-based methods to improve both physical and mental health: pressure point techniques.

to the effects of exercise on the brain.

The answer is quite simple. Once you learn the locations and purpose of major pressure points throughout the body, you will be able to emulate its effects.

Fascinatingly enough, it IS possible to replicate the physiological effects of exercise on various regions of the brain.

For example, if you apply medium pressure for about 1-2 minutes to various pressure points throughout the body, you will experience a variety of physical and emotional benefits! It’s time to explore the endless possibilities of infusing pressure point release techniques into your daily health and wellness routines.

Try these: • IMPROVE CONCENTRATION/FOCUS: Press on the top/crown of the head.

•

REDUCE TENSION HEADACHES: Apply pressure between your thumb and index finger.

•

REDUCE STRESS: Squeeze between your eyes with your thumb and index finger.

•

IMPROVE ENERGY/MOOD: Press on the outer edge below the kneecap.

•

LOWER ANXIETY: Press in the center of the chest next to the heart.

•

INDUCE RELAXATION/IMPROVE SLEEP: Press on the sole of the foot in the groove that appears when you curl the toes.

•

REDUCE BACK PAIN: Apply pressure to the back of the knee. +

By utilizing daily pressure point techniques, it is possible to: • Manage the most important stress hormones such as cortisol, glucagon, and prolactin.

• • •

Improve concentration and memory.

•

Foster inclusivity for ALL ages, fitness levels, and abilities.

• •

Decrease stress and anxiety.

The Rocket Practice

Improve social and emotional wellness.

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Increase blood flow and circulation.

Emulate the brain stimulating and calming effects of exercise.

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

NOURISHMENT

FOR THE MIND

BY NICOLE LOVALD (SHE/HER)

O

ur minds are incredibly powerful. Our thinking impacts our bodies physiology, such as our heart rate, our stress response, and our relaxation and tension. The way we think and what we choose to believe can shape our life in healthy or hurtful ways. Just as we might be mindful of what we choose to eat and put into our bodies, we can be intentional about the nourishment we also provide in our minds.

For thousands of years, yogis taught that our true self observes our thoughts, serving as more of a witness to the mind than the actual mind itself. One of my first yoga teachers taught me a helpful mantra to solidify this concept for me.

She shared that we could repeatedly tell ourselves, “I am not my thoughts, my thoughts are not me”.

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With this understanding came a sense of freedom. Instead of getting pulled into the drama of the fluctuations of our minds, I could still the thoughts and learn to let them go. Instead of focusing on things that happened in the past or ruminating and worrying about what might happen in the future, I could learn to be in the present moment.

Once we gain the knowledge that we don’t need to believe everything we think, we can begin to recognize the ability to shape the thoughts arising for us. We can choose what we believe and let go of the unhelpful things that come up to us.

Through a committed yoga practice, we become more aware of how our consciousness constantly fluxes. The Yoga Sutras share Patanjali’s teachings (1.2) of “yogas chitta vritti nirodha,” often translated as: Yoga is the stilling or controlling of the fluctuations of the mind Our curiosity can help us to become more aware of how our own unique

minds work and the storylines we constantly create for ourselves. With this information, we gain the ability to shift any long-held patterns or belief systems. We might then have both the knowledge and the know-how in order to begin to nourish the mind with helpful thoughts instead of hurtful ones.

We can use Patanjali’s first Yama (or ethical guideline) of Ahimsa to assist us with this practice. Ahimsa often translates to “nonharm” or “nonviolence”. After you begin to notice the chitta vritta, or fluctuations in your mind, you might then begin to note the harmful nature of your thoughts towards yourself. When you start to listen and pay attention to what you allow in your mind, you might find that you say things to yourself you would never say to a friend, or even your worst enemy.

As I process these ideas, a myriad of questions come into my mind: • Why do we allow ourselves to be so unkind and hurtful in our thoughts?

• What happens when we continuously speak to our inner selves in this way?

• How can we shift and change this unhealthy pattern for the better?

• What if we only allowed nourishing, helpful, supportive thoughts to live in our mind?

The answer to these questions might be as individual and unique as you. Yet, we can all benefit from taking the time to be curious and learn new ways of relating to our mind and thoughts arising within. We know nourishment can help our bodies grow and become healthier.

If we nourish our minds in the same way, we cultivate a healthier relationship to our whole self. In this way, we might begin to still the fluctuations of the mind and gain clarity about who we really are, and what matters most to us.

Because I am not my thoughts, and my thoughts are not me anyway. +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

NOURISHING THE SPIRIT Beating the Winter Blues

BY DANIELLE VENTICINQUE (SHE/HER)

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ith the days of meeting friends on a patio, practicing yoga in the parks, or dipping in the lakes long gone, it’s easy to understand why so many people experience “winter blues.” The relentless, bone-chilling cold holds us captive indoors. We wake up before the sun, and it’s dark again before supper. But the darkness doesn’t have to creep into our lives and affect how we feel.

Even in the colder months, we can keep our inner lights shining bright and choose happiness. Like most anything, our happiness takes commitment, time, effort, and practice. It may not be easy, but we are our best investment, and nourishing our spirits has a boundless ROI (return on investment). When nurturing the spirit and fending off the winter blues, making daily choices to support our happiness and cultivate a positive mindset is essential.

Use Positive Self-talk and “I am” Statements and Affirmations Our inner narrative affects who we are and how we feel. Using empowering self-talk and thinking positively about ourselves naturally fosters a sunnier disposition and a positive outlook on life. It also boosts confidence and an overall sense of well-being. In addition, “I am” statements can dictate how we feel, so consider, “I am happy” or “I am worthy of happiness.”

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Lastly, affirmations can promote positive thinking and act as any selffulfilling prophecy, meaning when we believe something about ourselves, we likely act in ways corresponding to this belief. So consider, “I honor my spirit,” “I will dare to be present,” or “I am stronger than my excuses.”

Random Acts of Kindness Improving someone else’s day can be one of the best ways to improve our mood and live better. Try texting a note of gratitude to a friend, complimenting a coworker, smiling at a stranger, or making a donation.

Stay Active Exercise releases dopamine and endorphins, our body's natural feelgood chemicals, boosting your mood, motivation, focus, and energy levels.

Consider bundling up and exercising outdoors to bask in the benefits of the crisp fresh air and sunshine.

Maintain Healthy Eating We are so lucky to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables even when our local farms freeze over. Continuing to eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients will improve mood and increase energy.

Conversely, calorically rich comfort foods or processed foods may leave you feeling sluggish, unmotivated, and even more vulnerable to seasonal illnesses.

Make Time We all have the same finite 24 hours in a day. We spend many of those hours doing things we have to do… or “get” to do. Either way, those things must get done to meet our basic needs. However, be sure to dedicate some time daily to whatever ignites your soul and makes you joyful.

Limit Screen Time More time indoors often leads to increased screen time and scrolling.

Be mindful of the media you consume and how it affects your mood. Unfriend or unfollow any social media accounts bringing you down or causing you to experience negative emotions.

Express Gratitude When we express gratitude for what we have, it profoundly affects our happiness. Expressing gratitude rewires the brain to manufacture positive emotions, optimism, joy, and empathy.

In addition, if we perceive our current life to be extraordinary, we will believe our future life’s greater potential to be extraordinary. Gratitude doesn’t just make us happier; it is happiness in and of itself. And lastly,

Keep the Promises You Make to Yourself! +

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

3 SELF-CARE RECIPES for Everyday Nourishment

L

et’s admit it, we expect a lot from ourselves. We expect our body to be at the ready whenever we call on it for action (regardless of what we eat, how much sleep we get, or whether we’ve been supplying it with demands). We expect the mind to produce — and to be organized, fast, and efficient in its response! We expect to bounce back quickly and be at the starting gate freshfaced and ready to go after physical, mental, or emotional insult. We’re pretty lucky, because most of the time, the body, mind, and emotions come through for us. It’s easy to take for granted.

So, whether your body feels in tiptop shape or it’s asking for a little love, it’s never the wrong time to show a little

appreciation for the one who shows up for you time and time again: you!

PRANA For Your Body — Simply Let It Flow!

Have you ever obsessed over acne or a wrinkle, a few extra pounds, or some other physical change? By fixating on the body, we create so many physical and psychological ailments.

We know the body will age. Ayurveda defines the physical body as “that which is bound to disintegrate, deteriorate, age with time.” Isn’t it wise to maintain a constant awareness of the true nature of the body?

The more we fixate, the more we stagnate the prana. It’s best to get out of our own way and simply let it flow.

Next time you look at your body and worry, become sad, angry, compare, or feel proud, mentally repeat or contemplate this quote from Swami Ramana Maharishi: “Deham Naham.

Koham? Soham.” This means, “I am not the body, then who am I? I am consciousness.” Make it your mantra.

Repeat it as needed.

Let the awareness flowing through this practice bring peace to your life and heart.

Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 30

BY INDU ARORA (SHE/HER)

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

TEJAS

OJAS

For Your Mind — Free the Mind, Free the Bind.

For Your Soul – A Little Bit of Ojas Goes a Long Way

Emotion brings texture to life, but unchecked, it can bring out the worst.

It’s so important to release pent-up emotions such as anger, frustration, sadness, and fear on a regular basis.

When tension rises, vent off the steam with a conscious emotional hiss!

Performed in bhujanga asana/cobra pose, the following practice becomes a kriya that cleanses, refreshes, and resets.

Mornings have a bad reputation.

Sometimes they’re even met with dread, disdain, or loathing at the idea of getting out of bed. But what if you could shift that sluggish, groggy, heavy feeling into a beautiful moment of self-awareness?

How? Cultivate the ritual of waking up consciously.

Often, what is transformative was in front of our eyes all along. We just have to do it. Such is the way with Atma Tattva Avalokanam. Literally translated as “self,” “the substance,” and “the act of witnessing,” the practice of Atma Tattva Avalokanam means waking up with awareness of the real self.

Practice: Practice:

1 Lie down on the belly/Stand

facing the wall /Sit on a chair with a bolster on the thighs, establishing diaphragmatic breath.

2 Consciously gather, as if sweeping, all the pent-up emotions of sadness, fear, anger, aversion, guilt, and frustration from the entire body as sensations, images, and sounds in your belly. Take several breaths to sweep.

1 As you begin to wake up, before you even open your eyes, observe if it’s touch, sound, thought, emotion, fragrance, or light catching your attention.

2 Consciously bring your awareness

to the seat of the soul — your heart — and just stay there, thinking

nothing, feeling nothing, wanting nothing; simply witnessing the quiet, still, content presence.

3 Let this feeling of connection

become the baseline you return to as you experience ups and downs throughout the day. As challenges arise, bring conscious awareness to the seat of the soul to return you to blissful balance.

Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 1 The above recipes are from the book, SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care by Indu Arora. The book is available as an e-book or expanded hard copy from the author’s website. +

3 With pure intention to let go, rise

up in bhujanga asana (use the support of the hands on the floor/ wall/over the bolster) with a fiery hiss and a fierce expression, letting go of all stress, venom, anger, inflammation, stagnation, and all pent-up emotions.

4 Repeat until you feel the grip of emotions release or dilute.

5 Lie down and rest in

shavasana and just be.

Reference: Soma: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care, Recipe No. 23

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Mandi King

Progression to Harmony: Samyama www.mnyogaconference.com

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

WHAT WANTS To Be Nourished?

BY MEGAN ADAMS (SHE/HER)

C

hocolate. Wine. Cookies.

Chips. Ice cream. Many reach for these foods out of boredom, sadness, anger, and frustration. These foods help to numb, soothe, and provide escape when disappointment with life sets in. Hunger doesn’t drive these cravings, but a desire for nourishment.

Almost every person selfmedicates with food at one time or another. In their search for something fulfilling, they try to fill that void

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with sugar, carbs, or alcohol. And yet, almost every time, they leave feeling unsatisfied and still needing something else.

So often when these big questions linger in the back of our minds, it seems easier to reach for the quick fixes and the feel-good tricks we’ve always relied on. But what if we asked ourselves what our mind, body, and spirit really wanted — what amazing things could open up in our lives?

•

Is there something to be expressed?

A conversation to be had? Something wanting to be created?

•

Are you wanting to connect with more — or fewer — people?

Deepening relationships, networking more strategically, or simply seeking fun with new friends?

•

Do you have a sense that it’s time to make a change? A shift in health, career, or purpose?

There is a surprising gift to noticing our habits — especially the ones including cravings and compulsions. Reaching for the food and habits delivering short-term comfort often signals discomfort and longing — AND offers a powerful healing opportunity! It is our body’s way of communicating to us exactly what we need.

This is our inner wisdom speaking to us. In today’s fast-paced and quickfix world, many of us forgot how to listen to our bodies and spirits. We forgot how to listen to what we really want at that moment. So, when we find ourselves self-medicating with tools as simple as food, it might be time to take a step back and listen.

Sound familiar?

The problem is, when we reach for food to fill that space, we still don’t answer the Big Question: what wants to be nourished? What am I not feeling, experiencing, or embodying in my life right now?

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

Underneath hunger is usually some area of our life where we need to spend a little more time and energy to live with the purpose and joy we really crave.

The next time you find yourself reaching for the cookies or the wine, I invite you to step back and ask yourself these three questions:

1 What am I actually feeling right now? Most likely, it’s not physical hunger — look a little deeper.

2 What do I want to feel instead?

3 What in my life needs to be nourished and

supported to feel more connected in this area?

A couple months ago, a conversation with a friend revealed she ate ice cream every night to the point of stomach aches. She realized she felt lonely in her new job, working alone at home without a way to connect with her new co-workers. In the evenings, her kids and husband went off to their activities and events … leaving her alone once again. She comforted herself with ice cream.

She admitted she wanted more connection and laughter in her days. To nourish the relationships in her life, she needed to initiate and invite others into her world with more intention. She planned a social outing for her co-workers — and finally got to meet everyone face to face. She instituted family dinners and weekend downtime for her family to rest, play, and connect on the weekends. She even created a once-a-month neighborhood potluck to get to know the neighbors!

My friend felt lonely and soothed it with ice cream.

She craved connection and wanted to nourish the relationships in her life. She made a plan and shifted her habits to make it happen.

I asked her last week how much ice cream she kept in the freezer. None! She made a deal with herself that she would only eat ice cream if she went to an ice cream shop with someone else — no more lonely ice cream nights!

Before your next craving strikes, ask yourself: what wants to be nourished in my life? What craves your time and energy? What would bring more joy and a sense of possibility?

And maybe next time, instead of being a tool to fill the void, that ice cream will be shared in celebration of a well-nourished life! +

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Dawn Syren Jenkins Love + Fire

www.mnyogaconference.com

Nicole Lovald Journey to Joy

www.mnyogaconference.com

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HEALTH + WELLNESS

NOURISHMENT Begins with NO

TRY THIS OUT: •

Write down the 3 most important ingredients to nourish your whole self: body, mind, and spirit. Can you name a great recipe for what helps you feel healthy and fulfilled?

•

Now write down the last time you enjoyed at least 1 of the 3 items on your list. Was it yesterday? A month ago? A year ago?

•

If it’s been a while, write down why you might not be nourishing yourself. What obstacles or excuses come up?

BY TRACY VACURA (SHE/HER)

F

or many of us, we know the recipe for wholeness but we choose foods, actions, and situations leaving us depleted and exhausted. I’m quick to throw my self-care out the window and instead open the door wide to more — more ideas, more food, more time spent on something out there. When I pause to reflect on how I’m feeling, 90% of the time the answer is “Stressed!” How can I remember to say NO to that which will not truly feed me? At this overextended stage in my life, I need to start my NOurishment off with a big NO — just like the wise word already told me to do!

Sometimes the NO is simply a pause, a space for discernment. My biggest obstacle to feeling nourished is time.

When I am not rushing, even the most mundane task can bring satisfaction.

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But when I feel pressured, even the most nourishing self-care routine becomes another thing on my to-do list.

I find pausing especially difficult when I’m facing disappointment and grief. I feel empty and start to believe I can consume something that will fill me up — snacks? Travel? Accomplishments?

Stories? I’m tricked into eating these experiences, mistaking them for nutritious building blocks, but I’m starving no matter how much I take in.

It is likely that I want too much and this burning desire for more — well, burns me out. Yoga describes three essential aspects, or gunas, which make up everything in the universe. Rajas refers to the energy of speeding up (growth and stimulation). The energy of slowing down (decay and stagnation) is called Tamas. Sattva is the quality of peace — an ephemeral balancing point we pass through as we inevitably speed up and slow down. Goldilocks described Sattva when she found the porridge that

was not too hot or too cold, but “just right.” I long for Sattvic peace, but my responsibility to my family, my work, even my yoga, fill me with desire for action.

I can see my own tendency towards Rajas. Passionate and driven, I enjoy the momentum. My fear of Tamas pushes me into a Rajasic fever, where it actually feels alarming to settle down and move back a bit to find center. To stop leaning forward feels like a sort of death to me, the loss of some opportunity — but ironically, I miss the opportunity of countless moments because I am not clear enough to receive what is actually already there. I believe the lie that I can seek nourishment from out there somewhere.

So I feel like I am full to the brim, but not nourished. I am consuming empty calorie moments out of convenience, out of habitual momentum, or to distract from discomfort. If I am not cultivating Sattva, I miss out on the life-sustaining nutrition of whatever I am consuming. Check out if this is true for you by looking back to the list of nourishing ingredients you made earlier - each of them has the potential to drain your energy, as well as fill you up. One day yoga nidra works wonders, another time only a meaningful connection with a loved one will supply the juice needed to plump up a withered heart.

The recipe fluctuates, just as we do, changing with the cycling gunas from growth to rest and back again.

With everything in our world encouraging us to rush through life, how can we slow down and say NO to more out there in order to make space for receiving? Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way puts it this way: “Success or failure, the truth of a life really has little to do with its quality. The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.” The NOurishment is always here for us. May we slow down, pause, and increase our capacity for receiving. +

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ADVERTORIAL

FUNCTIONAL HEALTH UNLIMITED Dr. Lori Levy, DC, CACCP, CFMP her patients' care. The most common conditions assessed with diagnostic labs and corrected with nutritional approaches are:

• • • • • •

D

r. Lori Jokinen is a Doctor of Chiropractic in Woodbury, MN, specializing in functional medicine, nutrition, sports rehabilitation, injuries from auto accidents, and acupuncture.

She incorporates nutrition into all of

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thyroid and autoimmune disorders digestive problems inability to lose weight hormone dysfunction stress nutritional deficiencies

If you face any of the challenges above, we would be happy to discuss your condition with you and let you know how we can help! We seek to provide the most comprehensive treatments in chiropractic and nutrition in Woodbury and the surrounding areas.

The foundation of Functional Health Unlimited is to find the underlying causes of symptoms patients are experiencing by conducting a thorough history and examination, running targeted diagnostic lab testing, and giving natural support to the body. We may recommend one or more of the following:

• •

Chiropractic treatment

• • • •

Acupuncture

Specific dietary and supplement recommendations

As each patient is different in their presentation, everyone should have an individualized approach to their care. With over 17 years of experience in nutrition and detoxification, we incorporate these principles into each patient's treatment plan to help them attain true health.

Functional health, also referred to as functional medicine, views the body as a whole, with organized systems interacting and having an effect on each other. Standard approaches separate organs into different categories, such as cardiology for the heart, endocrinology for the hormones, or gastroenterology for the gastrointestinal system. By viewing the body as a whole and seeking to uncover the root cause of disease, functional health treats the whole body, not just symptoms.

Provider and patient work together to construct a detailed timeline history, which is key to proper diagnosis.

We accept HSA/FSA payments for all of your health care needs. We also process auto insurance and workman's compensation insurance.

CONTACT: (612) 708-1676 www.functionalhealthunlimited.com/ 724 Bielenberg Dr #154, Woodbury, MN 55125

Pressure point therapy Graston technique Strengthening programs

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LIFESTYLE

EDITOR’S PICKS

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

MINDFUL & CO KIDS FIVE SENSES BUDDY

$59 — www.mindfulandcokids.com

Mindful & Co Kids is an Aussie brand new to the U.S. with gifts that soothe our children's emotions while encouraging them to take a mindful moment daily, something all of us adults can get behind! A trusted brand created by a child psychotherapist that parents and caregivers feel good about giving to kids - it’s emotional security designed for littles with weighted stuffed animals, yoga cards, games, and more. As the name implies, Mindful & Co Kids is about putting our kids' mental health at the forefront, giving them their tools to self-soothe, developing a daily practice, and acknowledging it's okay sometimes not to feel okay. When a cuddly buddy is by your side, it helps them feel much better without saying a word. These unique, thoughtful gifts for children are great for birthdays, baby showers, and just-because gifts, conveniently found on Amazon and Anthropologie. +

ROLLGA

CONTOURED FOAM ROLLER $39.99 — www.rollga.com

Rollga is a contoured foam roller designed to reach and target muscles with greater precision and pressure than any other roller.

The unique, patented design of the Rollga is equipped with bumps that target and dig deeper into muscles, significantly enhancing muscle release. The Rollga Design also enables the spine, bones, and tendons to drop into grooves, preventing compression, damage, or bruising. The Rollga foam roller is ideal for improving flexibility, reducing muscle soreness, and back and neck massage. +

JunoActive

PERFORMANCE APPAREL $69.95: SoftWik Basic V-Neck Tee $84.95: JunoStretch Side Pocket Capris — www.junoactive.com

Woman owned, since 1995, JunoActive takes pride in engineering superior quality activewear for plus size women. We source only hightech fabrics that last much longer than typical fast fashion activewear.

We recognize that the plus size woman has different needs in her activewear clothing, so we thoughtfully design our products to help reduce chafe, temperature control and provide moisture-wicking benefits. We exclusively tailor our clothes for women size XL-6X. +

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LIFESTYLE

KROMA WELLNESS

ULTIMATE IMMUNITY BOOSTER $275 — www.kromawellness.com

Immunity’s New Best Friend. Packed with superfoods rich in antioxidants, medicinal mushrooms, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, this powerful immunity-boosting bundle has everything you need to elevate your body’s natural defenses and support recovery. +

BIG RAVEN YOGA MAT

HEARTSONG — by Guest Artist Denise Griffin SYMBOLS OF REMEMBRANCE — By Big Raven Yoga Designers $137-147 — www.bigravenyoga.com

Discover the beauty and quality of Big Raven Yoga mats. Elevate your practice with mats that are 6.5 mm thick, weigh almost 7 pounds, and boast original artwork by our talented guest artists. Our mats are printed at Big Raven Farm, a Yoga Retreat & Event Center in Spring Grove, Minnesota, using eco-friendly water-soluble inks that ensure a sustainable and visually captivating product. With odorfree and color-fast properties, our mats are designed to enhance your practice for years to come.

Explore the possibilities of personalization and embrace a mat that truly reflects your unique journey.

Big Raven Yoga—where your mat becomes a canvas for self-expression––calm not quiet yoga mats for the bold. +

LIKHA

WESTIE PLANTER $65 — www.shoplikha.com

Our line features a collection of sustainablysourced, ethically-made pieces ranging from home décor to fashion accessories. Our products are crafted from natural, eco-friendly materials including natural straw and plant fiber, coco coir, sustainably-sourced shells, and recycled wood. Designed in collaboration with our artisans, each item is painstakingly made by hand and features a blend of intricate traditional techniques and modern design. +

GLOWOASIS

PROBIOTICS + MORINGA OIL MAKEUPMELT CLEANSING BALM $38 — www.glowoasis.com

This vegan cleansing balm gently removes your strongest foundation and boldest eye makeup, even waterproof mascara. Moringa seed oil and false daisy effortlessly dissolve all traces of SPF, dirt and oils found on the surface of your skin, without stripping away moisture or leaving behind an oily residue. Starting as a sorbet-like texture, our makeup melting balm quickly transforms into a silky, milky lather when applied. 100% vegan, cruelty-free, clean, and effective skincare with vegan probiotics infused with thoughtful microbiome-friendly formulations that help balance & strengthen the skin barrier for healthy skin. +

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LIFESTYLE

NOURISH YOUR

BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT with Green Aventurine

BY KRISTEN BROWN, CSP (SHE/HER)

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LIFESTYLE

E

mails. Texts. Meetings.

Errands. Finances.

Household chores. YIKES… the list of things we deal with every day goes on and on! All of these things and more pull your energies in different directions which can leave you drained and depleted if you don’t find ways to recharge and nourish your energy centers.

Green aventurine to the rescue!

This nourishing stone is a favorite when you want to build resilience and strength from the inside out.

"[G]reen aventurine creates a powerful bridge between your mental and emotional energy centers and your grounding and motivation energy centers."

An amazing crystal, green aventurine creates a powerful bridge between your mental and emotional energy centers and your grounding and motivation energy centers. This connection is important when juggling so many things in today’s ever-changing world or when energies fluctuate due to injury, illness, or stress. When this happens it’s critical to nourish your body, mind, and spirit so you can be resilient through all of life’s challenges.

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Here are three ways Green Aventurine can nourish your energy …

1

2

SELF-LOVE: Green aventurine creates a gentle flow of energy perfect for nourishing your aura. This stone can bring your focus back to yourself. I love to use a green aventurine point (a crystal in the shape of a geometric wand with a point on one end) laid on my desk or bedside pointing at me to bring the energetic focus there. It can also be used in yoga or meditation to bring nourishment to your heart chakra.

CONNECTION TO OTHERS: Great relationships can nourish you, and this crystal creates that connection to others. It helps generate empathy and understanding so you can communicate more effectively.

It’s also powerful when you want to be an effective communicator at work, impacting how happy and nourished you are, too. Carry a piece of this powerful stone with you when meeting new people, or around those you may not always vibe with to create a fresh connection. Tuck one in your pocket before meetings at work to bring nourishing energy to your interactions with colleagues and customers.

3

FLOW: The most powerful thing green aventurine does is connect the upper and lower energy centers so you can feel more aligned and focused. This energetic connection allows any self-care activities to truly nourish you. Set a large stone in the rooms and spaces you spend the most time to keep your energy moving where it needs to go. It also makes a great gift to others so different types of people don’t drain the nourishing energy you create in your spaces.

A powerful yet gentle stone, green aventurine provides the perfect solution for overall nourishing energy flow and connection to self and others. It is a worthwhile investment to get multiple green aventurine crystals in different sizes and shapes because you can use them in so many ways and places. It’s also one of my favorite stones to give as gifts and symbols of appreciation to others at work and personally. Give it a try and report back how it makes you feel physically and mentally. Enjoy its beauty and energy to nourish your body, mind, and spirit both for your own individual needs and at work with others too. +

"[G]reen aventurine provides the perfect solution for overall nourishing energy flow and connection to self and others."

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LIFESTYLE

THE LEGEND AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF

CHYAWANPRASH:

A Rejuvenating Ayurvedic Elixir

BY ALINA HORNFELDT (SHE/HER)

C

hyawanprash, a renowned Ayurvedic herbal formulation, features a fascinating origin story intertwined with the legend of Rishi Chywana. Believed to possess rejuvenating properties, this traditional elixir gained popularity for its potential health benefits. In this article, we explore the legend behind Chyawanprash and delve into its ingredients and numerous advantages.

The Legend of Chyawanprash: Chyawanprash is associated with the tale of Rishi Chywana, a devoted sage who aspired to attain enlightenment. His dedication caught the attention of the Devas (Gods), who grew concerned that his spiritual achievements would grant him entry into the Heavenly realms. In an attempt to disrupt his pursuits, the Devas summoned the beautiful nymph Menakā. Menakā approached Chywana and began offering him distractions such as enticing flowers and delicious foods, hoping to divert his focus from his quest for enlightenment.

Months passed, and Chywana gradually succumbed to Menakā's allure and kindness, shifting his attention away

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from his original purpose. However, their union faced complications due to the significant age difference and Menakā's immortality. Realizing the need to resolve these challenges, Chywana retreated to the forest to seek a solution.

After preparing a potent elixir to reverse aging, Chywana returned completely rejuvenated with a newfound youthfulness. This mysterious elixir, known as Chyawanprash, allowed Chywana and Menakā to remain together and live happily ever after.

Thus, the legend of Chyawanprash emerged, connecting it with the concept of youthfulness.

Ingredients of Chyawanprash: Chywana's elixir formula, as described in the ancient Ayurvedic medical classic Caraka Samhitā, serves as the basis for creating Chyawanprash. The unique formulation incorporates over 25 Ayurvedic herbs and spices. These ingredients combine with the primary component of fresh, organic amla fruit, renowned in India for its antioxidant properties and nutritional benefits. Although recipes vary and are often passed

down through generations, you will commonly find ingredients such as ghee, ashwagandha, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, honey, licorice, and sandalwood. Chyawanprash contains minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and zinc from these natural ingredients, offering a comprehensive nutritional profile.

This amalgamation of herbs, spices, and minerals contributes to the various benefits associated with Chyawanprash.

The Health Benefits of Chyawanprash: Numerous studies explored the potential uses and advantages of Chyawanprash, showing its multifaceted benefits. These studies suggest Chyawanprash can help reduce blood sugar levels, improve blood circulation, eliminate free radicals, and block carcinogens. These properties not only support overall health but also combat premature aging. Scientific research established a link between free radicals and aging, suggesting that reducing free radical damage can slow down the aging process. Additionally, Chyawanprash has been associated with several other health benefits, including:

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LIFESTYLE

Health Benefits

1

BOOSTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: Chyawanprash stimulates the production of hemoglobin and white blood cells, aiding the body's natural defense mechanisms.

2 SUPPORTING FERTILITY AND

LIBIDO: Chyawanprash promotes healthy fertility and a robust libido by enhancing the reproductive tissues.

3 REJUVENATING THE BODY:

Chyawanprash helps revitalize the body, promoting vitality, energy, and strength.

4 IMPROVING DIGESTION: Chyawanprash aids in improving digestion, leading to a healthier metabolism.

5 SUPPORTING CARDIOVASCULAR

AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH: Regular consumption of Chyawanprash can contribute to the proper functioning of the heart, respiratory system, and urinary health.

Chyawanprash tastes sweet and rich with a black, sticky texture, flavorful straight out of the jar or in hot water for tea. If you’d like to try a unique supplement dating back to the early first millennium BCE, you can find it in health food stores and Indian markets. Be sure to read the label to check for any fillers and ensure your purchase is of the highest quality. Chyawanprash provides holistic benefits to your whole body and may give you a sense of well-being and good health. +

Teresa Hershey History of the Poses

www.mnyogaconference.com

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LIFESTYLE

ESSENTIAL OIL 101 for Pets

BY LAURA WILLENBRING (SHE/HER)

W

hen faced with questions regarding essential oils and their use on and around household pets, the simplest answer is “It depends." To hopefully bring a bit of clarity and consideration into the use of essential oils (EOs) with your pet, I offer these concepts to educate and guide decisions. This article is not meant to take the place of veterinary advice, and for any veterinary medical condition or personal concern, always reach out to your pet’s medical team.

You can find thousands (if not millions) of options available on the

"[K]nowing the purity of your essential oil product can be the difference between toxicity and safe use, inappropriate exposure, or helpful synergistic tools."

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consumer market for EOs, from single origins to boutique blends, with many more making their way into our household products. However, it should be encouraged by everyone to research, correlate, and review any EO before use on their pet.

Essential Oils 101: Essential oils are the volatile hydrophobic portion of a plant, with the water-based hydrosol being the other part. Processes to distill EOs include water/steam (appropriate for pets), CO2, alcohol, and other chemical solvents. Parts of the plant used vary between flowers, leaves, stems, bark and wood, resins, seeds, and roots. EOs contain the secondary metabolites of a plant’s physiology, such as terpenoids, shikimates, polyketides, and alkaloids, holding the easily evaporated aromatics making up the plant’s scent. The chemical compounds play various roles in the human and animal body. These may be aromatically integrated into the brain’s limbic system and affect emotions and mental states, or be

absorbed through the skin, where they incorporate into body processes related to wound healing, inflammation, body metabolism and repair, individual organ activity, and many others currently being discovered.

Considerations in Safe EO Use for Dogs and Cats: Purity Essential oils are not currently considered a therapeutic product, therefore not subject to the rigorous testing and labeling requirements under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) like pharmaceuticals and prescription veterinary medications.

The FDA does include a list of the essential oils “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) for their intended use under the 21CFR182.20, which can be used as one beginning reference when investigating and using EOs. Certification and purity testing is left on the producing company, and often

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LIFESTYLE used to demonstrate trust in the label, as well as scientific support for usage of the essential oil product without medical claims. While purity testing is not a requirement, knowing the purity of your essential oil product can be the difference between toxicity and safe use, inappropriate exposure, or helpful synergistic tools.

For example, the growing interest around Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil, including nearly 60K scientific journals on PubMed alone, led to this being one of the most adulterated essential oil products on the market. Sandalwood, rose, citrus oils, and peppermint EOs also land among the top five.

EO versus handling a mint leaf to tell you about the potency of 1 drop.

Animals possess a different and complex experience with potency of smells, taste, and body metabolism compared to humans, leading to different topical, oral, and aromatic uses between the species. I am personally grateful for the work of Nancy Brandt DVM, Melissa Shelton DVM, Barb Fox DVM, Susan Albright DVM, Robert Tisserand, Jean Valnet MD, and Rodney Young PhD, who continue to advance the use of EOs through evidence-based medicine and scientific research, providing great resources for individualized questions and references.

Purpose "Animals possess a different and complex experience with potency of smells, taste, and body metabolism compared to humans, leading to different topical, oral, and aromatic uses between the species."

Once we’ve identified a purity tested EO and researched its potency, then we can begin using the EOs with purpose. EOs can be used in a variety of ways, including as is (“neat”), in drinking water, water-based air diffusers, sprays, in food, and topically

with or without a carrier oil. Obviously, not every EO is appropriate for each of those applications, so investigating the individual EO or blends is required by the prudent pet parent. Different EOs also have affinities for various body systems and contain properties that may contribute to the supportive care of a pet with a medical condition.

"Different EOs also have affinities for various body systems and contain properties that may contribute to the supportive care of a pet with a medical condition."

Through due diligence, we can care for our pet in an integrative way, utilizing the gift of essential oils in pet wellness. +

Potency The concept of “less is more” and “a little goes a long way” echoes through books, conversations, and recipes when using essential oils. The amount of raw materials needed to create essential oils not only significantly outweighs the oil produced, the concentration of the various chemical compounds also increases. To illustrate these points, harvesting 5ml of Rose (Rosa damasca) EO needs over 250,000 rose petals, and 25 lemons contain the equivalent of 5ml of Lemon EO. If the concentration potential of EOs wasn’t apparent, use the personal experience of accidentally rubbing eyes or any sensitive area after applying Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

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LIFESTYLE

BY MEGHAN HATALLA (SHE/HER)

REASONS FOR THE CHRISTMAS BLUES Comparison Shopping:

SURVIVAL OF THE MERRIEST Battling the Holiday Blues

E

lvis sang about having a Blue Christmas, but his twangy tune is a far cry from the Christmas blues. There isn’t a single cause for the Christmas blues, or the feeling of sadness that can accompany the end-of-the-year holidays. We’re constantly slammed with reminders to be merry, grateful, joyful, and other positive sentiments. One in six people do not, in fact, feel merry, grateful, or joyous for various reasons laid out in the mental health blog, Harley Therapy:

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This isn’t always literal shopping.

It’s using the “comparison as the thief of joy” trope. We’re comparing our current situation with those we see online that our friends and coworkers uphold, or the nostalgia for the Christmases of the past spent with people who aren’t in our lives anymore for one reason or another.

Increased Stress: There’s just more to do around the holidays, period. Shopping lists, longer lines wherever we go, and more money spent than we might expect. Add to that the fact we tend to consume less nutritious food and more sugary treats and alcohol.

Both majorly affect stress hormone levels.

End-of-the-year Anxiety: The impact retrospection can have lies on a spectrum. We tend to focus on what’s missing: what we didn’t accomplish, what we didn’t get around to, or what we lost.

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LIFESTYLE

WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF Suddenly, the Christmas Blues make a lot more sense, don’t they?

In addition, there may be a sense of sadness underlying the most wonderful time of year as well. It’s a season steeped in traditions. But as we grow and things change, these traditions — often rooted in nostalgia — can become painful. Reminiscing about the past is fine, romanticizing the past is problematic.

As the saying goes, we never step into the same river twice. And yet, we unconsciously expect to retain the same feelings of excitement, anticipation, and joy around the season we’ve felt previously. Maybe there’s pressure to up the ante from last year’s festivities, or maybe it’s the first holiday without a loved one.

There are infinite reasons why we feel the way we feel. But there’s good news: it won’t last forever.

Caring for Others Means Caring for Yourself You’ve no doubt heard this advice in different forms, but most frequently on airplanes: put on your own oxygen mask first. Take care of yourself first, in both little and big ways. Here’s what I mean:

Make time for yourself (and just yourself).

Even if it means you don’t get around to that last one thing on your to-do list for the day. Even if it’s just breathwork while waiting in the self-checkout line at Target. These tiny moments alone might not seem like much, but they can add up to something more tangible by lowering cortisol levels and giving you a bit of space.

Say no.

A therapist once helped me figure out the difference between a soft and a firm “yes.” In the Midwest, we want to be nice and agreeable, which creates the soft “yes” phenomenon. A soft “yes” is really a no. It’s agreeing to something you really don’t want to do, making you drag your feet and feel stuck. Feel ok about saying an actual “no” to social events taking you out of your comfort zone, and no to family if they cause stress. Give a firm “no” to anything that doesn’t feel like that firm “yes” in the pit of your stomach.

Enjoy free events.

If you need to get out in the winter months, there are plenty of options. We’ve all attended the holiday experiences with entry fees and added costs for petting llamas and reindeer. But there are plenty of free and low-cost events for the family to enjoy. Around the Twin Cities area, the Como Park Flower Show is donationbased. Touring the Governor’s Mansion, holiday concerts, tree-lighting festivities, and more are all free as well.

Create new traditions.

If nostalgia plays a big part in getting you down toward the end of the year, begin to create your own traditions to keep up. Learn to ice skate. Maybe it’s something small, like paying a compliment to three strangers every day. Or gifting a little bouquet of flowers to someone at Trader Joe’s. Double up on the dopamine by choosing to do some volunteer work, or maybe make a few lasagnas for folks in need with Lasagna Love. Community can be powerful medicine.

Ultimately, you’re the only one who can decide what’s best for you. Know you aren’t alone, and resources are available if you need them. Let your heart be light. +

Nancy Gerstein Pranayama: Healing the Life Force www.mnyogaconference.com

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LIFESTYLE

FINDING MEDITATION Through Art

BY JOLEEN EMERY (SHE/HER)

I

am a yogi. I’ve been practicing for 21 years and teaching for 10.

I’m also an artist, working with discarded books, repurposed paper, and magazines set for recycling as my primary mediums. I love making art from materials that would otherwise be thrown away. It’s a passion, and if you’re curious about what kind of things can be made from old books, I have lots

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of examples and tutorials on my social media channels.

Each year in the US we throw away a staggering 320 million books. The biggest issues in our landfills are food waste, plastic, and paper. As an artist it makes me feel really good to help in my small way, and if my influence causes others to repurpose a book here and there too, even better.

Recently I was working on a large art installation for Big Raven Farm, the yoga retreat center I own with my husband Darin. We have two very large built-in bookcases in our dining hall. At first I put books on every shelf, and to dial down the chaos, I color coded each row. “Why arrange books by genre when you can organize them by color?” asks the artist. The result was fine — kind of lovely, but for me, just fine.

I didn’t really love it and I wanted to — so I made a change. I decided to create a collection of folded books to replace the hundreds sitting there in their curated colorcoded rows. I folded several salvaged books in lots of interesting shapes with lots

of angles and focal points. It took me a long time, but I really thought I was on the right path.

I put all of the newly intricately folded books on the shelves, but when I stepped back, I didn’t like that either.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on what bothered my artistic eye.

"As an artist it makes me feel really good to help in my small way, and if my influence causes others to repurpose a book here and there too, even better."

And then it dawned on me — it felt disjointed, noisy, chaotic. Because every folded book was different it lacked cohesion, unity, and focus, the very opposite of what I was trying to do. I wanted something peaceful yet grand, breathtaking yet simple. The third time must be the charm, right?

I refolded the books from interesting shapes into simple cylinders, a book fold that I call a Silo. I took each page and folded it in half to make a crease.

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LIFESTYLE That’s it. Nothing fancy. Just each piece of paper folded in half. As I folded thousands of pages, I began to notice the meditation practice I’ve been chasing for most of my yoga journey was happening, and I wasn’t even trying.

"Art and yoga, seemingly distinct disciplines, share a profound connection transcending the boundaries of expression and mindfulness. Both practices tap into the subconscious and offer a pathway to selfdiscovery, creativity, and for some, inner peace."

Art and yoga, seemingly distinct disciplines, share a profound connection transcending the boundaries of expression and mindfulness. Both practices tap into the subconscious and offer a pathway to self-discovery, creativity, and for some, inner peace.

And while some may argue book folding isn’t exactly a fine art — I don’t think it matters.

The repetition of folding pages brought me to a meditative state, where muscle memory took over and my mind quieted. I honestly didn’t have a thought in my head, until all of a sudden I did — the repetitive nature of the task produces a soothing rhythm. This rhythmic flow allowed my mind to settle and become more receptive to the present moment. And, to my surprise, lots of things came up for me, stepping into my awareness, paving the way for

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insights, inspiration, and a deeper connection with myself and the world around me.

In this way, the art of book folding served as a bridge between my challenges of starting a meditation practice and the eventual attainment of a focused, tranquil state of mind. This manner of book folding allows individuals to gradually cultivate and develop mindfulness while experiencing the benefits of meditation in a visually stimulating and tangible way.

What am I suggesting for you, dear yogi? If you’ve ever experienced a challenge stepping into your meditation practice, perhaps you’ll give this book folding technique a try.

Should you come across a discarded book — paperback, hardcover, dictionary, encyclopedia, it matters not — remove the cover and start folding. Perhaps put on some instrumental music in the background — you do you. As you fold each piece of paper in half try not to ask yourself, “when will we get there?” Just fold, find your rhythm, and let your muscle memory take over.

"This manner of book folding allows individuals to gradually cultivate and develop mindfulness while experiencing the benefits of meditation in a visually stimulating and tangible way."

Perhaps you’ll experience what I did — that meditative state I’ve chased for so long. +

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LIFESTYLE

ORGANIC INDIA

BY ALINA HORNFELDT (SHE/HER)

Indian farmers. At the same time, they learned about a traditional herb known as Tulsi, or Holy Basil. Tulsi is an adaptogenic herb from the mint family.

It is native to the Indian subcontinent with numerous health benefits, including immune-modulating phytochemicals.

Its adaptogenic properties may assist the body’s response to physical, environmental, and mental stress.

Ayurveda involves the use of many herbs, with Tulsi considered to be the herb of the highest status. Known as

"[Tulsi's] adaptogenic properties may assist the body’s response to physical, environmental, and mental stress."

I

n the 1960s and 70s, a new way of farming named the “Green Revolution” was introduced to India to help feed its growing population. This new form of agriculture abandoned traditional farming methods used in India for thousands of years and introduced a Western, specifically American, way to farm. These new methods introduced chemicals and pesticides, intensive irrigation, and genetically-modified high-yield seeds.

At first, India and its farmers benefited

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from these changes. But as the decades wore on, the actual consequences of this way of farming became a horrible burden, locking Indian farmers into debts they will never be able to repay, and, in unfortunate circumstances, leading to a dramatic increase in Indian farmer suicide.

Flash-forward to the 1990s in Lucknow, India, when the founders of Organic India Bharat Mitra and Bhavani Lev bore witness to the devastation caused by the attempt to industrialize

“The Incomparable One” or “The Queen of Herbs,” Tulsi is used in spiritual rituals and everyday practice.

Western medicine researching Tulsi’s properties found it to be pharmacologically significant as an antimicrobial, which includes antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antimalarial. Laboratory studies show Tulsi increases the body’s antioxidant properties, such as glutathione and enzymatic actions. Using Tulsi lessens the adverse effects of daily exposure

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LIFESTYLE

to environmental toxins and heavy metals. As with many traditional herbs, Tulsi remains a mainstay of Ayurvedic practice due to its long history of beneficial outcomes.

Organic India’s founders felt compelled to take action. They began their mission to bring Tulsi and other adaptogenic and traditional herbs to the world by partnering with farmers in India to leave behind the detrimental “Green Revolution” farming practices and begin farming in a renewed way. This way would include the goals of Organic India: recover traditional agricultural wisdom, start the environmental regeneration of thousands of acres of farmland and forest, and establish a new business model based on responsible economic, social, and environmental principles and fair-trade-based farmer partnerships.

Partnering with rural Indian farms, Organic India brings organic, bioregenerative farming practices and ancient crops, such as Tulsi, to the world. Bio-regenerative farming goes beyond organic to heal, restore, and protect the environment. Agriculture does not need to be only one way where humans get as much product as possible from the earth. If done in a bio-regenerative framework, it can work harmoniously to enrich depleted soils, replenish water sources, and bring back our insect pollinator friends.

Organic India established a research farm known as Bhrindavan to recover the lost Vriskha system of farming, the foundation of agriculture in India before the “Green Revolution.” Using a cyclical model, every plant, animal, and insect plays a vital role. The cows consume unused plant material, and in turn, provide manure to fertilize the

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crops. While insects pollinate the crops, plant species and wild birds can repel and manage pests without harmful chemicals.

You’ll find Organic India’s extensive tea, supplement, and fiber lines at quality health food stores. Tulsi remains their foundational herb, and their teas all contain it at their heart. Varieties of tea include honey chamomile, regenerative rose, and a sleep blend, among others.

Western diets often sorely lack fiber, and Organic India features a line of fiber products with unbeatable quality.

Available as a powder in a canister, the psyllium whole husk fiber helps maintain healthy elimination and regularity, promotes appetite control, and supports the entire gastrointestinal system. Organic India's supplements include Ayurvedic herbs, such as neem, ashwagandha, gotu kola, and moringa.

When you purchase Organic India’s supplements, teas, or fibers, you can be assured you are buying a top-quality product while supporting the family farmers in India and positively impacting our earth. Organic India is doing their part to help undo some of the devastating effects of the “Green Revolution.” You can be a part of its mission while bringing good health to yourself and your family.. +

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LIFESTYLE

MUST-HAVES for Fall + Winter

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

AKTIV

POLYVER CLASSIC WINTER LOW BOOT $169 — www.aktivstyle.com

Polyver boots are suitable for a wide range of outdoor activities. Light and completely waterproof, these boots are essential for facing winter actively without fear. Perfect for the backpacker, nature walks, fishing, hiking trails or when you just need a really good pair of snow boots. The Classic Low Boots are 9 inches high. If you are between sizes, we recommend you select the lower of the two. +

VITALDIOL

RELIEF CAPSULE $32-40 — www.vitaldiol.com

Relief by Vitaldiol supports the battle against aches, pains, and the general wear and tear from life. By combining the powers of CBD and Turmeric, Relief capsules offer substantial results with simple, natural ingredients. CBD Isolate promotes overall wellness by replenishing our often depleted endocannabinoid systems without inducing intoxication. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects. The secret weapon within Turmeric is Curcumin, which can reduce cholesterol, blood sugar, fungal and bacteria growth. +

SPRINJENE

NATURAL TOOTHPASTE $6.99- 8.99 — www.sprinjene.com

When you feel good about making healthy choices, you can’t help but smile, especially when it comes to natural toothpaste! SprinJene Natural Toothpastes were meticulously developed to include ingredients that support your overall health and leave out the ingredients that don’t. The result? A healthy natural toothpaste that’s certified vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, kosher, halal & USDA BioPreferred. Our natural whitening toothpaste with zinc can help to reduce the risk of gum disease. +

BARE AUGUST

OH SO BARE FOOT FILE $14.00 — Available on Amazon

The Oh So Bare Foot File effortlessly buffs away dry, rough skin on heels and callouses, so you have the confidence to show your feet off in any season. It’s lightweight, comfortable and built with a large, non-abrasive scrubbing surface for gently navigating those hard-to-reach areas. Compact and portable, you can take it with you wherever you go. Part of the Smooth Steps system including our foot scrub, foot butter, moisturizing heel socks and foot file. The best at-home-pedi you can give yourself. +

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LIFESTYLE

CARD DECK REVIEW:

HACK YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

by Brianna Rose

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

B

rianna Green is a licensed Mental Health Counselor, a 200 RYT, and the creator of the Hack Your Nervous System Card Deck (sold on Etsy and other online stores). Raised in a household of chiropractors and holistic

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healers, Green grew up where a focus of the mind-body-spirit connection was honored. With a passion for holistic mental health care and a masters in mental health counseling, Green created Hack Your Nervous System, rooted in the leading view in psychology for how to regulate your nervous system (called Polyvagal Theory).

The deck consists of 60 cards split into three sections: Mild Stress/ Maintenance, Moderate Stress/Anxiety, and Acute Stress/Anxiety. Depending on your mood and energy levels, you can pick one card to walk you through various asanas (yoga poses), breathing techniques, and stress management tools. “My strongest belief,” states Green, “is that embodiment, eye movement, breath, awareness, and self compassion are the key architects of resilience and deep healing.”

Hack Your Nervous System is a great tool to have on hand for stressful moments, deep periods of anxiety, or even for use in yoga classes or your own personal practice. Most cards can be used at home, around others, or even in your car ( just don’t close your

eyes!). Green teaches “Shake it Out,” an activity guiding the user through stress release by gently shaking the body. On another card, she encourages you to find a memory of a scent to focus on, creating grounding and positive feelings in the body. And because movement is a great healing tool for anxiety, Green encourages the user to “Walk and Talk,” by taking a walk in nature (or on a treadmill) by yourself or with a friend.

Many cards provide a short sentence explaining why each particular practice or movement helps, bringing a bitesized amount of science to provide reassurance to the user.

With calming colors, simple line drawings by Edoardo Lo Vecchio, and helpful tips, Hack Your Nervous System is a practical, science-based tool easy to fit in purses, backpacks, or on your bedside table. After using the deck for a while, Green encourages creating a “Resilience Routine” in which you pick the 3 most helpful cards from the deck and place them in visible areas around your living space. Whenever you see a card, you follow the practice on it, helping you to build up coping skills even at low-stress moments.

Pulling from cutting-edge somatic research, many of Green’s cards focus on nervous system resets, like purposefully holding your gaze to the left side of the room until your body yawns or sighs. “My aim,” Green states on her website, “is always to hold the safest space possible, one in which you can remember your essence as worthy, powerful, loving, and loved.” +

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LIFESTYLE

ESTABLISHING A

POD

CAS T

HOME YOGA PRACTICE:

!

An Excerpt from The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga

BY AMY IPPOLITI (SHE/HER) + TARO SMITH, PHD (HE/HIM)

H

ave you ever taken a yoga class when you could just tell that the teacher was not into it? Or have you been that teacher? A passionless teacher can’t inspire students. Fortunately, there is a remedy, and that is to get on your own yoga mat and meditation cushion.

As the yogini Dana Trixie Flynn puts it, “Just as a concert musician must practice their instrument, a yoga teacher must practice on their mat.”

This doesn’t mean going to a workshop or retreat only once in a while — though that can be nice — and coming back inspired and enthusiastic.

This is about continual refueling.

It means getting on your yoga mat consistently, at home, in a class, or at a practice for teachers and advanced students.

This may seem obvious, but the majority of teachers we’ve polled complain that their single biggest challenge as a teacher is keeping up their own practice. If this is a problem for you, here are some ideas to get you rolling. If you’re practicing consistently already, you can skim this section, but

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you might consider helping to uplift the whole teaching community by organizing group practices that help others stay motivated too.

Establish — and Maintain — Your Home Practice Having a practice of your own can be not only empowering but often incredibly creative and innovative. If you don’t continue to practice regularly in addition to teaching, your only source of inspiration for your teaching is the stale memory of a regular practice. Do whatever it takes to get yourself on your mat five to seven days a week, even if only for a short time. Put on your favorite music first thing in the morning, and get on your mat and just experiment with movement.

Vow to practice at least ten minutes a day, five to seven days a week. By committing to only ten minutes, you avoid putting pressure on yourself, and you’re more likely to stick

to the resolution. If you start small, you will find yourself craving more time on the mat.

Create a dedicated space in your home for your practice (perhaps, like many yogis, you did this during the pandemic). This will encourage you to practice at home more often. It doesn’t have to be anything special — and you certainly don’t want to put so much thought into it that the planning process prevents you from rolling out your mat!

But when you put just enough energy into a space, it can become magnetic, drawing you onto the mat.

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Opening Keynote:

Kristen Brown, CSP Hearts in Harmony

www.mnyogaconference.com

Other tips for practicing consistently and keeping your practice interesting include the following:

•

Go straight from your bed to the mat in the morning

•

Queue up new music to listen to while practicing

•

Attempt a new pose and do a warm-up that gets you there

•

Practice someplace new — in a different room, outside, or even in a hot tub

•

Lay out your mat in an unavoidable space

•

Set a goal for the week, such as a certain number of days on the mat, a certain pose, or more time in a pose

•

Keep an asana and meditation journal to stay accountable to yourself

•

Write down any inspiring sequences you’ve done in other teachers’ classes or practices, and work on them again

Excerpted from the book The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga.

Copyright © 2016 by Amy Ippoliti and Taro Smith, PhD. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com +

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Mary McCallum

Yoga for Grief + Heartbreak www.mnyogaconference.com

Dr. Jillian Simpson

Embodying our Liberation www.mnyogaconference.com

Allison Miller

Gentle Yoga for Self Care www.mnyogaconference.com

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LIFESTYLE

BOOK REVIEW:

THE CHAIR YOGA POCKET GUIDE

by Amy Zellmer

BY STEPHANIE SCHWARTZ (SHE/HER)

A

s my eighth decade on earth dawns, I did not expect too many surprises awaiting me.

My initial wishes were for a modicum of good physical health, and perhaps an equal serving of acceptable mental equilibrium. The gift of creativity has not waned as I continue to be able to write and publish for which I am eternally grateful. Neither has the gift of wonder at all our world contains and what each creature brings to the table diminished.

"[C]hair yoga offers its devotees gifts in multiple ways: ethical standards, self-discipline and spiritual observance, physical postures, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and a state of blissful awareness."

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But I did not expect a little book from my dear friend Amy to appear in my mailbox, that upon closer inspection and reflection upset the whole cart. Me, exercise? In a chair? I can’t say ‘I can’t’ because of course, well, it is a chair.

Over the years I made sure I walked at least a bit each day, though I had no use for watches that monitored that for me. I use the stairs over an elevator when given the option. I make sure I bend my knees when lifting and stooping down. I am finally happy with my weight, and after trying every diet known to man (and woman) I am super careful to eat only what is good for me.

But yoga? Really? REALLY? Well, yes. It has been added to the mix. As in daily. Only Amy Zellmer could convince me. Her little pocket guide with its wealth of age-old wisdom mixed with Amy’s own hard-won experience won me over, albeit grudgingly at first.

I can find nothing to contradict its message: turn inward and thrive! To quote her book, “Yoga is now about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.” Even chair yoga offers its devotees gifts in multiple ways: ethical standards, self-discipline and spiritual observance, physical postures, breath control, withdrawal of

the senses, concentration, meditation, and a state of blissful awareness. All this was written over 1,500 years ago, and continues to be relevant today.

One of my favorite quotes from the book comes from Jigar Gor: “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.”

So, equipped with Amy’s book, I can now add a whole new vocabulary to my current one: asana, pranayama, ustranana, balasana, shavasana, ahimsa, cat-cow, hip steppers, cobra (which I take doesn’t have anything to do with the snake), and sukasana. I feel drawn to continue my daily practice, to make time for it and honor its wisdom, as it increasingly becomes a valuable part of each day I actually look forward to now.

I wondered for over nine years now, since Amy’s accident, how she continued to go forward after such trauma. I reflected that I did not know her secret. I doubted I would have survived as well as she did. I look across at her at our Women of Words writers’ meetings and think, “she only gets better. She glows and she is happy. How does she do that, especially after what life had so unfairly thrown at her?” Well now I know. It is this deep inner well of gift she found and shares lavishly with all those she meets. Thank you, Amy! You are such a blessing for us all. +

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LIFESTYLE

BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO HAVE

ANTIRACIST CONVERSATIONS

R

by Roxy Manning

oxy Manning begins the book with an acknowledgment: “You’ve picked up a book that has already sparked debate,” she writes. As a Black Caribbean immigrant, Manning is no stranger to the divide race often creates — and the difficult and painful conversations between people with different values.

Born in Trinidad, Manning moved to Harlem as a child and experienced many cultures beyond her own as she grew up. She saw the anger, confusion, and “othering” stemming from a white supremacist influenced culture, and the turmoil it left in its wake. Despite achieving success as an adult, Manning struggled, feeling like something was still out of place. It wasn’t until she was introduced to Nonviolent Communication training that things began to click. “I realized how much I had indeed learned to prioritize other people’s well-being and other people’s comfort, no matter the cost to myself,” she writes.

The training opened Manning’s eyes to blind spots in her own life, and for those around her. “I didn’t have to choose between myself and other people any longer,” she explains.

“Instead, I saw the power and freedom I gained when I identified both my needs and the needs of others.” Her book culminates years of training, discussions, and growth, paving the way for people to have healthy, honest conversations about racism, all in the name of the Beloved Community (a phrase coined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.).

Manning specializes in communication, and she utilizes her skills in organizational consultation, workshops

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and retreats, public speaking, and interpersonal coaching. She’s worked with Google, Stanford University, Teach for America, and many others. How to Have Antiracist Conversations uses the concepts of Nonviolent Communication and the Authentic Dialogue framework to help people understand one another. “Nonviolent Communication provides a path to Beloved Community,” writes Manning. “It enables us to unapologetically name racist harm when it occurs, to persist in advocating for change in a way that holds care for all.”

Throughout the book, Manning gently but strongly works to push white readers out of their comfort zone, while

also fully explaining her process and approach. While she doesn’t shy away from words such as privilege, racism, or white fragility, Manning also brings in new terms such as Actors (people who do racist acts), Receivers (people who experience racist acts), and Bystanders (people who witness racist acts) — terminology grounded in the work of

BY REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

Dominic Barter. These terms steer away from assigning the kind of judgment the words “victim” or “perpetrator” sometimes evoke.

Manning’s writing is an easy, conversational style. She tackles many concepts, including confirmation bias (we’re more likely to believe information that confirms what we already believe); group attribution error (behavior from someone in a group we don’t belong to defines the entire group); and the illusory truth effect (when we hear information repeated multiple times, we tend to believe it). Manning guides the reader to understand the motive behind their values and beliefs, and to listen to those we disagree with without first jumping to conclusions or judging the other.

With intelligence and compassion, Manning provides a new way to approach antiracist conversations, empowering each individual — whether they’re the Actor, Receiver, or Bystander — to engage with those around them.

Love and kindness radiate in every chapter of How to Have Antiracist Conversations. “Be kind to yourself,” she writes. “You may find yourself returning repeatedly to your old patterns… as these are the strategies that your brain created to give your body relief.” She recommends thanking these strategies for what they have done to protect you and then wishing them well as you release them. “Each time we fail,” writes Manning, “we must try to hold ourselves with compassion. Because it is through compassion, understanding, and relational support that we can grow the resilience and the new neural pathways to make it possible to try again.” +

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LIFESTYLE

BOOK REVIEW:

THE LUMINOUS SELF

by Tracee Stanley BY: REEVE KLATT (SHE/HER)

T

racee Stanley begins the book with an invitation to join her in asking “Who Am I?” She writes, “When we lack the knowledge of our true Self, we lean into trying on the character traits of who others think we should be and what social norms say is ‘right.’ We stop dancing to the song of our own soul.”

In The Luminous Self, Stanley offers teaching and practices to guide you back to your true essence, living a life of purpose and grace.

Stanley is also the author of Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra For Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity, hosts the Radiant Rest podcast, and is the founder of the virtual community Empowered Life Circle. With an extensive background in yoga, Stanley provides no-nonsense meditation, breath work, yoga nidra and more throughout her books and teachings. Through it all, Stanley seeks to help others listen to their inner wisdom while living with clarity and joy. “What if we knew who we were at our core essence?” she writes. “What could we reclaim about ourselves that we thought was lost long ago? What

would we remember about our place in the world and the underlying unity of all life?”

The Luminous Self is divided into two sections. Part one centers on reclaiming your power, and part two focuses on tangible practices to explore your inner self. “For our most authentic Self to be revealed,” she explains, “it is helpful to acknowledge the old stories, pain, and beliefs that the little self likes to hold on to.” Part one dives into yogic philosophy, visualization, and community care practices to help the reader “root out the seeds of suffering.” Stanley incorporates journaling, breath practices, and guided imagery to help the reader walk through their inner world in a calming and supportive way, recommending readers reach out to those around them if difficult or unexpected heavy emotions arise.

Each chapter includes practices involving rituals, movement, meditation, rest, purification, and contemplation, with modifications and adaptations built in. Stanley ends each chapter with selfinquiry questions, guiding the reader deeper into processing what they’ve

“May we know the universe within our hearts May we be nourished by a deep well of love May we all be free.”

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learned and experienced. Many chapters also include a community care section with suggestions for how to expand inner transformational growth to those around you.

Stanley incorporates yoga sutras into her teaching, bringing it all back to yoga. “Yoga practices,” she explains, “can clear enough space so we can touch a tiny thread of our inner knowing and being to intentionally and lovingly weave it through the whole of our life.”

The Luminous Self includes several links to download guided meditation practices so you can listen to them with your eyes closed. Chapters explore how tapping into our ancestors can provide clarity and wisdom, how herbs support recalling your dreams (a long-standing Indigenous practice), and personal stories from Stanley as she candidly shares her experience with divorce and other challenges.

Full of hope, empathy, and wisdom, The Luminous Self is a breathtaking guide, full of suggestions, gentleness, and timely reminders. Stanley writes every word with thought and meaning, and her teachings apply to those who regularly practice (or teach) yoga as well as for those simply searching for more meaning in life.

As Stanley so beautiful recites at the beginning and close of the book: “May we know the universe within our hearts / May we be nourished by a deep well of love / May we all be free.” +

MNYOGALIFE.COM

LIFESTYLE

WHAT WE’RE READING ST!

CA POD

PLUS SIZE IN PARIS

by Erin Zhurkin

WHERE YELLOW FLOWERS BLOOM

BOOK SHELF

by Kim Cantin

SOUL SEARCHING

by Bill Phillips

SWIMMING IN A SEA OF STARS

by Julie Wright

RECOVERY YOU

by Steven Washington

MY FRIENDS THE PENGUINS GET A PET PIG

by Katlyn Aubitz

MNYOGALIFE.COM

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TRAVEL

EXPLORING THE

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK Embark on the Shark Valley Tram Tour

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

N

estled in the southernmost tip of Florida, the Everglades National Park stands as a testament to the raw beauty and ecological significance of one of the world's most unique and diverse ecosystems. Spanning over 1.5 million acres, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a haven for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike. Among the various ways to experience this vast wilderness, the Shark Valley Tram Tour offers a remarkable journey into the heart of the Everglades.

A remarkable mosaic of wetlands, mangrove forests, and sawgrass prairies, people often refer to the Everglades National Park as the "River of Grass" due to its expansive wetland areas and slow-moving water flow.

The park houses an astonishing array

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of plant and animal species, including the iconic American alligator, the elusive Florida panther, and over 350 species of birds.

The Shark Valley Tram Tour provides visitors with a unique and immersive way to explore the Everglades. The tour begins at the Shark Valley Visitor Center, located on the northern side of the park. Here, knowledgeable guides introduce visitors to the fascinating history and natural wonders of the Everglades before embarking on a 15-mile loop through the park's iconic sawgrass prairies.

As you board the open-air tram, the journey unfolds through an almost otherworldly landscape. The vast expanse of sawgrass stretches as far as the eye can see, punctuated by clusters of palms and cypress

trees. The tram moves at a leisurely pace, allowing ample time to soak in the breathtaking views and observe the wildlife thriving in this unique environment.

One of the highlights of the Shark Valley Tram Tour is the opportunity to encounter the Everglades' most famous resident, the American alligator. These ancient reptiles can often be spotted basking in the sun or lazily gliding through the water alongside the tram. The knowledgeable guides provide insight into the behavior and ecology of these fascinating creatures, ensuring a memorable and educational experience.

Apart from alligators, the Everglades teem with a rich diversity of birdlife. From majestic wading birds like herons and egrets to colorful

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TRAVEL

species such as the beautiful roseate spoonbill, birdwatchers will find themselves in paradise. The tram tour offers an excellent vantage point to observe and photograph these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

Throughout the journey, the guides share captivating stories about the history, ecology, and conservation efforts within the Everglades National Park. They provide valuable insights into the delicate balance of this ecosystem and the challenges it faces in the modern world. The tour not only entertains but also fosters a deep appreciation for the importance of preserving and protecting this invaluable natural treasure.

The Shark Valley Tram Tour is an ideal adventure for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a wildlife photographer, or simply someone seeking a unique and educational experience, this tour promises to leave a lasting impression. It provides a glimpse into the remarkable wonders of the Everglades National Park and leaves visitors with a renewed sense of awe for the beauty and fragility of our planet's natural ecosystems.

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As you leave the Shark Valley visitors Center, be sure to turn left and continue onto the scenic drive.

The scenic drive outside the Shark Valley Visitor Center allows visitors to further explore the stunning beauty of the Everglades National Park. Known as the Shark Valley Loop Road, this

"Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a wildlife photographer, or simply someone seeking a unique and educational experience, this tour promises to leave a lasting impression."

24-mile round trip takes you through a diverse range of landscapes and offers a chance to encounter the park's unique flora and fauna.

The drive begins just outside the visitor center, where you'll be greeted by a winding road meandering through the heart of the Everglades.

As you embark on this journey, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife sightings.

The open grasslands and freshwater marshes along the road feature a multitude of bird species, including herons, egrets, ibises, and roseate spoonbills. Don't forget to bring your binoculars and camera to capture these mesmerizing avian creatures.

Driving deeper into the Everglades, you'll be immersed in a landscape dominated by sawgrass prairies and scattered clusters of cypress trees. These iconic features of the Everglades create a scenic backdrop evoking a sense of tranquility and natural splendor. Keep an eye out for alligators basking in the sun along the roadside or lurking in the adjacent canals. These prehistoric creatures serve as a testament to the wild and untouched nature of this remarkable ecosystem.

As with any visit to a national park, it's important to respect the park's rules and regulations, such as staying on designated roads, refraining from feeding or disturbing wildlife, and leaving no trace behind. By doing so, you can help ensure the preservation of this precious ecosystem and allow future generations to enjoy its magnificence. +

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TRAVEL

L

ocated in the heart of the southeastern United States lies a hidden gem for nature enthusiasts and history buffs alike — the Natchez Trace Parkway.

This breathtaking 444-mile scenic route, connecting the cities of Natchez, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee, offers a captivating journey through time, showcasing the region's rich cultural heritage and pristine natural landscapes.

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

EXPLORING THE MAGNIFICENT

NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY

Steeped in history, the Natchez Trace Parkway follows the footsteps of Native American tribes, European explorers, and early American settlers.

Originally a centuries-old trade and travel route, traders, soldiers, and pioneers frequented the Natchez Trace seeking passage between the Mississippi River and the Cumberland River. Today, the parkway serves as a window into the past, allowing visitors to retrace the paths of those who came before them.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Natchez Trace Parkway is its untouched natural beauty. As you embark on your journey, you'll be greeted by a tapestry of lush forests, rolling hills, and meandering rivers.

A haven for outdoor enthusiasts, the

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parkway offers a myriad of recreational activities such as hiking, biking, birdwatching, and camping. The picturesque trails and picnic areas dotted along the route invite visitors to immerse themselves in the tranquility of nature and experience the true essence of the American South.

Along the parkway, several significant historical sites and landmarks await exploration. The Emerald Mound, a prehistoric Native American ceremonial site, stands as a testament to the early civilizations that once thrived in the region. At the Mount Locust Inn and Plantation, visitors can step back in time and witness a restored 18th-century inn, offering a glimpse into the lives of early travelers along the Natchez Trace. The intriguing gravesites at the Old Trace Exhibit remind us of the many stories and sacrifices made by those who traversed this historic route.

For those seeking cultural enrichment, the Natchez Trace Parkway does not disappoint. The nearby city of Natchez, Mississippi, known for its antebellum architecture and vibrant history, offers an array of attractions.

Visitors can explore grand mansions,

visit historical museums, or simply stroll along the scenic riverfront, soaking in the charm of this Southern gem.

As you continue your journey northward, the parkway leads you through the enchanting landscapes of Tennessee. The pristine forests of the Meriwether Lewis Park and Monument pay tribute to the famed explorer and his mysterious death along the Natchez Trace. The captivating scenery and intriguing historical markers along the parkway make every mile an enthralling experience.

Whether you are a nature lover, a history enthusiast, or simply in search of a serene and awe-inspiring road trip, the Natchez Trace Parkway promises an unforgettable adventure.

Its combination of natural wonders, historical significance, and Southern charm creates an unparalleled experience capturing the hearts of all who embark on this remarkable journey.

So, pack your bags, hit the road, and allow the Natchez Trace Parkway to transport you to a bygone era, where the echoes of the past blend harmoniously with the beauty of the present. +

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TRAVEL

TRAVEL GEAR

BY AMY ZELLMER (SHE/HER)

COSTA SUNGLASSES $182-$262 — www.costadelmar.com

Building off of the success of Costa’s hybrid category — frames that blend performance features with everyday style - the Aleta is built with the same highquality materials and features you want from the beach to the big blue. Integrated micro side shields and hooding help keep additional light out for an improved view, the vented Hydrolite™ nose pad​keeps your frames locked in place and helps prevent fogging, sweat management channels and eyewire drains keep sweat out of your eyes, and keeper-ready temples keep your frames from going overboard. +

COTOPAXI ALLPA 60L GEAR HAULER TOTE $100 — www.cotopaxi.com

A carry-all tote made with repurposed materials to transport any and all gear. A bevy of interior and exterior pockets keeps the little things organized, while top compression straps keep your gear secure. This colorful Del Día version uses repurposed fabrics, making each pack one-of-a-kind. +

KATE'S REAL FOOD $29.88 box of 12 — katesrealfood.com

Kate's Real Food offers organic, gluten free and Non-GMO granola snacks made with high quality, USDA-certified ingredients such as oats, nut butters, honey, and fruits. +

HOKA

NONASTE

Conceived at the intersection of style and performance, the Transport gives commuters an effortless transition from urban to natural environments. It's also got a wealth of sustainability features, with a 30% sugarcane EVA midsole, Vibram outsole that uses 90% petrol-free components, and a 100% rPET Cordura vamp and tongue mesh. The Transport is your go-to shoe to travel in comfort and style, whether you're exploring a city by road, bike or trail. +

Nonaste’s Premium Car Seat Protectors protect against sweat, sand from remote yoga sessions, coffee spills and more. Nonaste car seat protectors are a “must-have” for yogis or anyone with pets or kids. No more wiping your seats or wrestling with towels. Universal fit. Rolls up like a yoga mat. Nonslip sharkskin backing prevents it from moving. Water and odor-resistant. +

$140 — www.hoka.com

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$59.99 — nonaste.com

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MARKETPLACE

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#ShopSmall

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Support Small Businesses

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MARKETPLACE

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EVENTS / Directory

EVENTS RECURRING EVENTS WOMEN IN BUSINESS Cottage Grove, MN

Third Friday of the month: 8:00 am - 9:30 am

Women in Business provides a forum to meet, network and exchange ideas while growing professionally and personally with dynamic speakers on topics of interest to business women. “Women in Business always leaves me feeling encouraged and empowered to grow in my business!! It is a great place to meet other women in business in the community and get the word out about what you do as well! The monthly speakers always have something valuable to share, and the group is amazing at building each other up!!”

Cost: FREE for 1st time Guests cottagegrovechamber.org/womeninbusiness/

1ST FRIDAY HEALING

Yoga Sanctuary, Minneapolis, MN

First Friday of each month: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Each month we will offer a unique healing experience for you, your family, and your friends. Each of us, no matter who we are, carry burdens. We invite you to rest with us in sacred space for these special evening gatherings. These workshops will use props to fully support the body in resting poses and create a nurturing environment for the nervous system to reset. Take time for wonderful nourishment and relaxation.

Cost: $20 yogasanctuarympls.com/workshops-class-series

YOGA NIDRA + REIKI River Yoga, Anoka, MN

10/8, 11/5, 12/3, @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Join me for a beautiful Yoga Nidra practice followed by powerful group Reiki energy work. Yoga Nidra (the yoga of wakeful sleep) is an amazing way to prepare the body for energy work through guided meditation.

Singing bowls, tingsha, drum, Palo Santo and more are utilized in group Reiki to release and revitalize energy.

Cost: $33 weloveriveryoga.com/schedule

NEW MOON NIDRA Livestream

10/15, 11/13, 12/12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Welcome the restful stillness of the New Moon in this monthly class. Beginning with simple, mindful movements, we will release into Yoga Nidra, the “sleep of the yogi,” with a guided practice around the monthly new moon. With this 60-minute experience,

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we invite ourselves to return to and connect with the wisdom within. All are welcome to this practice.

Cost: $15 per session backtocenterspace.com

SOUND BATH EXPERIENCE

Hastings Community Center, Hastings, MN

10/18, 11/29, 12/6 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Sound bath is a therapeutic practice that uses sound to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

The crystal bowls and other instruments provide a soothing and meditative sound. The sound bath sessions create a calming and relaxing environment that helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and tension.

During a sound bath session, you will receive a pink quartz heart, and we will start with initial relaxation breathing. The crystal bowls and instruments are played in a slow and rhythmic manner, with the intention of creating a soothing and peaceful atmosphere. The sound vibrations produced by the crystal bowls are believed to penetrate deep into the body, helping to release tension and promote relaxation.

Cost: $25 hastings.ce.eleyo.com/

OCTOBER

FALL WELLNESS RETREAT Rosemount, MN

October 7 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Join us for a half-day retreat focused on self care.

Enjoy a day with meditation, flow, dharma talks, yoga nidra, sound bath, and more!

Cost: $125 mnyogalife.com/retreat

VINCENT YOGA: FALL YOGA RETREAT Camp du Nord, Ely, MN

October 12 - October 15

Join us for our 17th annual Fall Yoga Retreat! We’ll retreat to beloved Camp du Nord. Nestled on pristine Burntside Lake amidst the boreal forest, a stones throw from Ely and the Boundary Waters, this land is a sacred, northwoods sanctuary. The retreat includes two holistic yoga sessions, morning chanting and meditation, and delicious vegetarian meals daily.

Enjoy plenty of free time for hiking, canoeing, sauna, massage, relaxing lakeside and fireside, quiet solitude and the community of kindred spirits. Retreat is not just time away … it’s a sacred space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what’s most important in life.

Cost: $600 - $900 vincentyoga.com

WEEKEND RETREAT WITH INDU ARORA

Driftless Yoga Center, Decorah, IA

October 13 - October 14

Driftless Yoga Center is humbled to announce A Weekend Retreat with @induaroraofficial October 13 + 14! Indu Arora is an Ayurvedic and yoga therapist who considers herself a student for life.She has

been teaching yoga philosophy, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda since 1999. She is inspired by and taught under Kriya Yoga, Himalayan Yoga, Kashmir Shivaism and Sivananda Yoga lineages, and has studied both yoga and Ayurveda in a traditional guru paramapara setting. She is leading three in-person workshops: Mudra Therapy, Chakra Meditations and Self-care for Autumn. $65 single workshop $150 for whole weekend driftlessyoga.org/events

RESTORATIVE YOGA WITH REIKI AND SOUND HEALING Spirit of the Lake, Excelsior, MN

October 14 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Join Yoga teacher & Reiki master Karen Murray for an evening of unwinding the stresses of your week.

Restorative yoga is a series of poses designed to gently coax your body and mind into deep relaxation.

During the class, Karen will assist in finding your most comfortable postures and also give a little reiki to all who would like to receive it. Matthew Tift will be offering the healing sounds of crystal singing bowls, harmonium, chanting, and other sounds.Spirit of the Lake, Excelsior, MN Cost: $30 spiritofthelakeyoga.com/events

NEW MOON REIKI SOUND BATH AT THE YURT Will Heal Farm, Oak Grove, MN

October 16 @ 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

New Moon Reiki Sound Bath with Reiki Master Practitioner, Certified Sound Therapist, RYT500, Certified Meditation Teacher, Dawn, in a magical space inside a yurt on a working farm. Group reiki works to release energy that doesn’t belong with us and call back our own energy. With the power of the new moon working with us, we will use reiki, meditation, and sound to transform our energy in this beautiful practice. Bring anything that will make you comfortable in the coziness of the yurt!

Cost: $33 Email: new.dawn.wellness.yoga@gmail.com

VINCENT YOGA: YOGA STUDIES NINE MONTH PROGRAM Location???

October 18 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Yoga Studies is a one of a kind nine-month immersive program to deepen your yoga and empower your life! It’s intended for all seekers, sincere students and teachers of yoga, looking to expand their experience and understanding of yoga and life. You will be guided on a transformative journey of healing, self-discovery and empowerment – through master classes, personal + group study/practice, private sessions, retreat, community building and personal support. We’ll delve into the teachings and practices of Yoga, Tantra & Ayurveda — to realize freedom and fulfillment in life!

Cost: $2750 – $3250 vincentyoga.com

MNYOGALIFE.COM

EVENTS / Directory YOGA TEACHERS AT PLAY The School of Yoga and Nature Arts, Beaver Bay, MN

October 21 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

This session is for all yoga teachers that want to workshop a new asana sequence, practice leading a group, network, and learn from other yoga instructors.

After gathering and introductions, we will have an asana class where each instructor has the opportunity to lead a different part of the class from warm-up to cool down. We’ll divide up who leads what during our gathering. No preparation is necessary. This class is meant to be fun and spontaneous!

Cost: FREE yurtsoflakesuperior.com/school-1/ola/ services/free-yoga-teachers-at-playsaturday-june-3rd-2023-10-30am-12pm

SUNLIGHT’S PANAMA RETREAT Island outside Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

October 23 - October 29

Join Sunlight Yoga + Apothecary for the best, most restful week of your decade.

We are hosting a 6-night, 7-day stay on a Caribbean island just outside Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

Join us for yoga, beaches, over-the-wateraccommodations, and adventures.

Cost: $2600 thesunlightexperience.com/retreat

CRYSTAL HEALING: HARVEST YOUR MAGIC FULL MOON 3-DAY RETREAT Wild Rice Retreat, Bayfield, WI

October 27 - October 29

Work with the Hunter’s Full Moon, consciously and subconsciously, to transform ourselves and lift our vibration together. We will begin with a beautiful opening meditation, intention setting, sound bath, and ceremony to create the space and intention for our time together, and we will end similarily to close our experience and take with us the power of restoration and relaxation. We will have morning hikes, workshops, and free gifts for all participants, each of whom will receive a custom yoga mat, workbook, and a small gift bag to enhance your experience. Enjoy the beautiful lodge, locally sourced and prepared meals, 24/7 sauna, daily yoga, hiking, and additional Wild Rice activities.

Cost: $1556 crystalhealingcollective.com/collections/ harvest-your-magic-full-moon

GATHER IN: A YOGA CELEBRATION OF ABUNDANCE

Upward Facing Dawn Yoga Studio 199 Coon Rapids Blvd NW, Suite 208

Saturday, November 11, 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Come together with our yoga community to celebrate the abundance present in ourselves and our lives.

This workshop will include yoga asana practice, breath work, meditation, and community. Attend in studio or online via Zoom.

Cost: $60 upwardfacingdawnscheduling.as.me/gatherin

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NOVEMBER

LEARN HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN RETREAT Online

November 14 @ 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

This event is a webinar to build your own retreat and give you a few tips with a spreadsheet.

Cost: FREE cocoandpineapple.com/webinar-registration

BREATH FOR HEALTH: SOOTHE HOLIDAY STRESS Location ???

November 18 @ 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

The holidays are here! And while we like to focus on this time of year as a season of joy, with so much to do and so many people to see, it can also be stressful.

Give yourself a chance to catch your breath and calm your body. No prior yoga experience is required.

Please dress in movement-friendly clothing, and bring a yoga mat and water. Cost includes required coregeous ball for use in class and at home.

Cost: $50 greenlotusyogactr.com/yogaworkshops-retreats-minnesota

JANUARY

THE YOGA EXPO LA | GROW 2024 – 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA

January 19, 2024 - January 20, 2024

Celebrating our 10th Anniversary in 2024, what better word to describe our current drive other than GROW. “Grow 2024” is all about progress, collaboration, and new beginnings! Gain the friends, tools, and insights to become the best possible version of yourself.

Over the course of two-days, 3,500+ attendees will connect with educators, yoga and meditation experts, internationally and nationally recognized schools, healing-arts academies, CEUs, workshops, and handson training. More than 150 conscious-exhibitors, local, with fun and exciting activities for ALL AGES – ALL SKILL LEVELS, live music, dance, culture, art, wholesome foods, holistic pet care, and much more!

Cost: $40 - $799 https://events.humanitix.com/ the-yoga-expo-la-2024

TURKEY DAY DETOX

CRYSTAL HEALING: MANIFEST YOUR MAGIC FULL MOON 4-DAY RETREAT

November 24 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

January 25, 2024 - January 28, 2024

Peace Community Bldg, North Oaks, MN

Wild Rice Retreat, Bayfield, WI

A 2.5-hour, heapin’ helpin’ of YogaHotDish from yin to yang! It’s a greatest-hits of globally-informed yoga over 20+ years – all curated to help you rest and digest, hone and tone. Why not swap out Black Friday Shopping for self-care? Light apres yoga refreshments (kombucha, dark chocolate) served so you can linger and get to know your mat mates. All props, including bolsters and blankets, provided, so just your mat is enough. Adv Beginners+ Cost: $45 https://yogahotdish.com/book-online-now/

Manifest Your Magic is designed to help you unplug, recharge, experience a connection to nature, and reignite your connection to self. This retreat helps you tap into your authentic self and takes you on the journey of re-discovery of self, your dreams, your purpose. We will start our time together with introductions and dinner, followed by a full-moon intention-setting ceremony, visualization, meditation, and sound bath. This first activity will be the building block for our weekend, and we will work with the magic of the Wolf Full Moon, first full moon of 2024.

Each person will receive a custom yoga mat and gift bag. All supplies for the weekend, as well as meals and lodging, are included. Retreat investment includes customized retreat experiences designed to reconnect with yourself and your authentic purpose.

Locally sourced and prepared meals are provided as well as additional amenities including 24/7 sauna, daily yoga, hiking, and additional Wild Rice activities.

Cost: $2100 https://crystal healing collective.com/collections/ manifest-your-magic-full-moon-4-day-retreat

DECEMBER

YOGA FOR GRIEF + HEARTBREAK Location ???

December 2 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Grief and loss are a natural part of life but can be overwhelming and leave us feeling stuck and disconnected from ourselves. In this workshop, we will explore gentle yoga practices and mindfulness techniques specifically designed to support the grieving heart. Our practice will include breathing exercises, gentle movement, restorative poses, and yoga nidra meditation that can help release tension, calm your mind, and promote relaxation. Whether you are experiencing the loss of a loved one, a breakup, or any type of loss, this workshop will provide a nurturing space for you to connect with your body and support processing and healing. All levels are welcome.

Cost: $45 https://theyogacenterretreat.com/workshops/

FEBRUARY

ONELOVE.YOGA 3RD ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA

MN Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN

February 23, 2024 @ 5:30 pm

Join us for a night of heartfelt celebration at the onelove.yoga 3rd Annual Gala Peaceful Pathways!

Continued …

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EVENTS / Directory

… continued from previous page As a nonprofit organization dedicated to instilling mindfulness and yoga in schools and communities, this event promises an unforgettable evening of joy and impact. Enjoy a delightful mock/cocktail hour, followed by a scrumptious dinner and dessert. Bid on exclusive items in the silent and live auctions, move to the beats of our DJ on the dance floor, and make memories for a great cause. Your presence supports our mission to spread love, growth, and well-being.

Come, let’s unite in harmony on this enchanting night!

MN Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN Cost: $125 onelove.yoga

MARCH

YOGA EXPO MIAMI Miami Dade Convention Center, Miami, FL

March 9

Attendees will connect with impactful educators, yoga and meditation experts, internationally and nationally recognized schools, healing arts academies, CEUs, workshops and hands-on training, all combining efforts to share real-growth strategies. More than 150 conscious-exhibitors, local, will offer fun and exciting activities for ALL AGES – ALL SKILL LEVELS, live music, dance, culture, art, wholesome foods, holistic pet care, and so much more!

Cost: Ticket prices vary theyogaexpo.com

MUDDY WATERS YOGA + SURF RETREAT Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

March 16, 2024 - March 22, 2024

Join Muddy Waters as we travel to beautiful Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Whether it’s your first time ever catching a wave (like me!) or you’ve surfed before, this retreat is for anyone looking for a week living alive.

This is meant to be a radical and soulful experience to connect, recharge, and empower yourself where the jungle meets the sea. Expand your body, mind, and soul while embodying the relaxed lifestyle of this unique laid-back destination.

Cost: $4175 muddywatersyoga.com/costa-rica-retreat#

MN YOGA CONFERENCE Eagan, MN

April 20, 2024 - April 21, 2024

This conference brings together yogis of all levels from across Minnesota and surrounding states. With something for everyone, we hope to inspire various levels of students, from beginner to the advanced, to the yoga teacher. Bring your own mat and props, and come prepared to nourish your soul, and evolve your yoga practice.

Cost: Early bird $225 Full price $290 after January 1, 2024 https://mnyogaconference.com/

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PARTNERS / Directory

ANNUAL PARTNERS

Just be aligned

justbealigned.com/

Kirk House Publishers

1250 E 115th Street, Burnsville, MN kirkhousepublishers.com

MAGNILAY

shopmagnilay.com

TWIN CITIES METRO AREA An Medi-Zen

9354 Ensign Ave S, Bloomington, MN anmedi-zen.com

Art Intimates

artintimates.com

Blooma

Mary McCallum Yoga + Fitness marymccallum.co

Mastel’s Health Food

1526 St Clair Ave, St. Paul, MN mastels.com

MNyoga

Marie Nutter Trauma-informed Yoga + Meditation mnyoga.org

5315 Lyndale Ave S, Mpls, MN blooma.com

Moxie Malas

Burn Bootcamp CG

Mpls Yoga

moxiemalas.com

8700 E. Pt. Douglas Rd S, Cottage Grove, MN burnbootcamp.com/locations/ cottage-grove-mn/

2836 Lyndale Ave S, Ste 100, Mpls, MN mpls.yoga

The Cave MN

1903 Greeley St S, Suite 100, Stillwater, MN muditawellnessmn.com

2354 Wilshire Blvd, Mound, MN thecavemn.com

Crystal Healing Collective crystalhealingcollective.com

Cyclebar Ridgedale

cyclebar.com/location/ridgedale

Mudita Wellness MN

Mystic Vibes Yoga + Sound Healing mysticvibesyoga.com

namaSync®

2960 Winnetka Ave N, Suite 211, Crystal, MN namasync.com

Devanadi Yoga

NE Wellness

Functional Health Unlimited

New Dawn Yoga and Wellness

2711 44th St W, Mpls, MN devanadiyoga.com Dr. Lori Lee 724 Bielenberg Dr, Suite 154, Woodbury, MN functionalhealthunlimited.com

Good Dog Graphics Co gooddoggraphicsco.com

The Grounded Peony linktr.ee/Jordanperzii

Helen Wang Jewelry helenwangjewelry.com

Heroic Fitness Adventures

6365 Carlson Dr., Eden Prairie, MN heroicfitnessadventures.com

Home Coach Hoff, LLC

3948 Market St, Unit 24377, Minneapolis, MN homecoachhoff.com

Hot Mess Yoga Club

4212 Park Glen Rd, St. Louis Park, MN hotmessyogaclub.com

1717 2nd Ave NE, Mpls, MN newellnessmpls.com newdawnyoga.org

Nourish and Grow Yoga

3033 Dupont Avenue South, Mpls, MN nourishandgrowyoga.com

Oasis Chiropractic + Wellness Center 7424 E. Point Douglas Rd, Cottage Grove, MN cottagegrovechiro.com

OneLove.Yoga

PO Box 103, Chanhassen, MN onelove.yoga

River Valley Yoga Festival Stillwater, MN rivervalleyyogafestival.com

Salons by JC — Cottage Grove 7240 E. Pt. Douglas Rd, Ste 160, Cottage Grove, MN salonsbyjc.com/location/ minnesota:cottage-grove

Sankalpa Therapy + Wellness Center

ignitejoycoaching.com

5221 Viking Dr, Ste 300, Bloomington, MN sankalpa.com

Inspired Thinking, LLC

Shanti Krishna Studio

JADA Studios

Spirit of the Lake Yoga

Ignite Joy Coaching inspiredthinking.org

275 Market St, Suite 409, Mpls, MN JADAstudios.com

shantikrishna.com

6140 Lake Linden Dr, Ste 135, Shorewood, MN spiritofthelakeyoga.com

MNYOGALIFE.COM

PARTNERS / Directory Tula Yoga

99 Snelling Ave N, St. Paul, MN tulayogawellness.com

Up Yoga

4325 Nicollet Ave, Mpls, MN upyogamn.com

Upward Facing Dawn

199 Coon Rapids Blvd #208, Coon Rapids, MN UpwardFacingDawn.com

Vincent Yoga

vincentyoga.com

Wise Womxn Wellness wisewomxnwellness.com

Women In Business

cottagegrovechamber.com

Yess Yoga

105 E 26th St, Mpls, MN yessyogastudio.com

Yoga by Theresa yogabytheresa.com

The Yoga Center Retreat

4212 Park Glen Rd, St. Louis Park, MN theyogacenterretreat.com

The Yoga Room North Minneapolis 4153 Thomas Ave N, Minneapolis, MN ncewellness-yogaroom.com/book-online

Soul Sisters Sound Baths

pkyogamn.com/sound-bath-sound-therapy

Yoga Melrose

308 East Main St, Melrose, MN yogamelrose.org

ALEXANDRIA AREA Branch Wellbeing branchwellbeing.com

Yoga Borealis

IOWA

Driftless Yoga Festival Decorah, Iowa driftlessyogafestival.com

NORTH DAKOTA NE Wellness, Bismarck

200 East Main Ave, Ste 101, Bismarck, ND newellnessmpls.com

609 1/2 Broadway St, Alexandria, MN yogaborealisMN.com

WISCONSIN

DULUTH AREA

Prescott, WI bodhistudios.co

Muggymoose Massage + Thai Bodywork 394 South Lake Ave, Ste 303, Duluth, MN muggymoose.com

The School of Yoga and Nature Arts 990 Main St, Beaver Bay, MN yurtsoflakesuperior.com

Svalja Yoga

Bodhi Studios, LLC

Rooted In Wellness

1423 N 8th St, Superior, WI rootedinwellnessduluth.com

Simplify Health Coaching Sheri Bieter simplifyhealthcoaching.com

16 1/2 First Ave W, Duluth, MN svalja.yoga

COLORADO

Yoga North ­— International SomaYoga Institute

asivanayoga.com/

Asivana Yoga

Yoga for Health + Healing

310 E Superior St, Ste 120, Duluth, MN yoganorthduluth.com

Mountain Reboot Wellness Retreat

Yoga Sanctuary + Holistic Yoga Teacher Training

GREATER MINNESOTA

OTHER

with Allison Miller allisonmiller.yoga

100 W 46th St, Mpls, MN yogasanctuarympls.com

Yoga with Stacy YogaHotDish Bold Venture Yoga Travel 5050 Hodgson Rd, North Oaks, MN 1245 W highway 98, Arden Hills, MN 2077 Larpenter Ave W, Falcon Heights, MN yogahotdish.com

YogaSix Minnetonka

4755 County Rd 101, Minnetonka, MN yogasix.com/minnetonka

YogaTed/YOU ARE HERE Retreats yogatedyoga.com

ST. CLOUD AREA

19315 Stratford Dr, Spring Grove, MN bigravenfarm.com

Consciously Carly, LLC

Chair Yoga With Amy

Hillman House Retreat Space

Coco and Pineapple

KALME Yoga Studio

Michelle Ruskinko The Yoga Expo

consciouslycarly.com

1164 County Rd 8, Hillman, MN hillmanhousemn.com 38 Main Ave N, Harmony, MN joyfullyempowered.com

Muddy Waters Yoga

270 W 3rd St, Suite 3, Winona, MN muddywatersyoga.com

Bella Vita Salt Caves

WillowBridge Yoga Studio

Rollga

The Yoga Branch

1249 2 1/2 St N, Sartel, MN rollga.com

Shanti Yoga Center

2820 2nd St South, Ste 150, St. Cloud, MN shantiyoga.center

MNYOGALIFE.COM

patreon.com/amyzellmer cocoandpineapple.com

Los Angeles and Miami theyogaexpo.com

Yoga Moxi Mobile App yogamoxi.com

Om Shanti Wellness, LLC

www.omshantiwellnessmn.com

707 W Saint Germain St, St Cloud, MN bellavitasaltcaves.com

Carrie Jeroslow —

Intuitive, Conscious Relationship Coach, Author carriejeroslow.com Text to book an appt. 702.808.8179

Big Raven Farm

Back to Center Yoga — Back to Center Integrated Veterinary Services Cold Springs, MN backtocenterspace.com

opendooryoga.com

Sleepy Dog Yoga

Bemidji, MN sleepydogyoga@gmail.com 4 Enterprise Ave NE, Isanti, MN willowbridgecenter.com

38891 6th Ave N, North Branch, MN theyogabranch.com

Scan the code to learn more about becoming an

ANNUAL PARTNER Receive advertising discounts + other great benefits.

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CHARITABLE PARTNER

LoveYourBrain CO-FOUNDER + EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ADAM PEARCE named CNN Hero

Pearce co-founded the organization with his brother to improve the quality of life of people affected by traumatic brain injury.

T

he LoveYourBrain Foundation’s co-Founder and Executive Director, Adam Pearce, has been named a 2023 CNN Hero, a year-round initiative honoring everyday people for their selfless, creative efforts to make the world a better place.

"To be named a CNN Hero is deeply humbling and an honor - and in that, it's a reflection of my community,” said Pearce. “I look around at the thousands of people affected by TBI - including caregivers - who are supported by LoveYourBrain each year, and I see a community that represents the qualities of heroes. After significant change, it takes immense resilience and compassion to lean into what's difficult and unlock what's possible for deeper meaning and growth. This is what the TBI community shows up with each and every day. They are the heroic humans that inspire me, the reason I am called to grow and nurture what my brother and I began 8 years ago, and they are with me in this honor."

In 2010, Adam Pearce stepped away from his career to provide full-time care to his brother, professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who suffered a near fatal traumatic brain injury (TBI) while training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Adam,

94

like so many millions of caregivers across the country, played an integral and ongoing role in supporting his brother’s healing journey, documented in the 2010 film “The Crash Reel” by Lucy Walker. This film brought to light the prevalence and complexity of TBI around the world. In meeting millions of people on the film’s global tour, the brothers began to realize that while each person’s injury and story are unique, the pathway to healing depends on community and resilience.

In 2014, they founded the LoveYourBrain Foundation, with Adam assuming dayto-day leadership of the nonprofit.

Under Pearce’s direction, the Foundation expanded to serve and train more than 35,000 individuals affected

by TBI, including concussion, through free in-person and online programs and resources offered throughout the year. Along with Pearce’s wife, Dr. Kyla Pearce, who serves as the senior director of programs for the Foundation, Adam grew the Foundation from a partnership with one yoga studio in Vermont to a global organization serving people across the US, Canada, and - as of 2023 - 31 countries throughout the world. LoveYourBrain also completed the largest study to date on the effectiveness of yoga and mindfulness

for the TBI community, and published an impressive body of research.

“Adam's been there every step of the way,” reflected Kevin Pearce, who still works with the Foundation as its cofounder. “It takes compassion, patience, and persistence to walk the journey with someone healing after a brain injury.

These are also the qualities of great leaders - so it's no surprise to see what LoveYourBrain has evolved into under his guidance."

About LoveYourBrain The LoveYourBrain Foundation is a national non-profit improving the quality of life of people impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and raising awareness about the importance of brain health. Guided by their family’s experience, brothers Kevin and Adam Pearce established LoveYourBrain in 2014 following Kevin’s severe TBI from a snowboarding accident before the 2010 Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience was transformed into the award-winning HBO Documentary, “The Crash Reel,” which brought to light the challenges and prevalence of TBI. In response, LoveYourBrain developed programs and resources designed to create community and foster resilience for the TBI community. Now, LoveYourBrain offers research-based programs at no cost across the globe to empower the TBI community with new tools, resources, and connections. Visit www.loveyourbrain.com to learn more. +

MNYOGALIFE.COM

Bringing yogis of all levels together from across Minnesota and the Midwest.

Presented by

This conference will have something for everyone, from the beginner, to the advanced, to the yoga teacher, and will include four tracks:

• Yoga + Movement Sponsored by

(asana, meditation, sound bath)

• Health + Wellness (lecture) • Business Education (lecture) • Workshop (combo of All are welcome.

No experience needed.

Come as you are.

learning + movement)

We hope to inspire you with this variety of classes to serve the midwest yoga community.

April 20 + 21, 2024 | Eagan, MN www.mnyogaconference.com

MNYOGALIFE.COM

REGIS T NOW! ER !

Ear

ly bir now t d pricing hr Dec. 3 ough 1st

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MNYOGALIFE.COM