LOVE PROFILE: Joclyn Kilpatrick

LOVE PROFILE: Joclyn Kilpatrick

LOVE PROFILE: Joclyn Kilpatrick

Founder Willow Soul Yoga

PROFILES

Willow Soul Yoga

As we prepare for our June 2023 release of our print issue themed LOVE, we reached out to our amazing community to share with us a few thoughts on love. Our second feature celebrates Joclyn, owner of Willow Soul Yoga in Otsego, MN. Joclyn began her yoga journey almost 10 years ago when she was guided to try yoga for the first time during her pregnancy with her first child. Joclyn lives close to the community with her husband Ryan, daughter Willow, son Dash and their dog Luna. She is beyond excited to connect and bring yoga to Otsego, MN and surrounding communities. Thank you Joclyn for supporting Yoga Love Magazine and sharing your thoughts on LOVE. 

Share with us what you love about what you do:
I love being a yoga teacher and a yoga studio owner because I get to share something so incredibly special to me, with the world, the power of yoga. When I started my yoga practice, the physical practice was immediately powerful for me. You know when something happens to you and you have chills all over your body, the GOOD chills? Yes, this is what yoga did for me. I like to think of it as the path of least resistance, when the inner knowing of a passion hits you with the most powerful force. As I continued my yoga path, I learned yoga is so much more than a physical practice. Yoga is a heart connection, it is a mind body connection, it is a path to a better place on the inside, it is inner peace, and it is life work.

I love sharing yoga in a way to embrace people to feel within their own body, and to nurture what is right for them. To help people achieve self-empowerment, growth, and their own inner guidance to the path back home to themselves. I love creating a safe space where people can begin and/or grow their own yoga practice. It means the world to me!

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
When I had my first child, Willow, I was reminded of what love really is. I have always had a big nurturing heart, and I have loved so many, but when she was born, I was reminded of how we all come into this world so innocent, without judgment, so pure. When I instantly had this heart connection with my daughter everything changed for me. Love is everything. If we could just do our best to focus on unconditional love and take more time to spread this love and kindness into the world and to ourselves everything would function with more grace and ease. I like to share the practice of taking a moment each day to connect with your heart space. Close your eyes and think of someone or a pet that you have unconditional love for. Feel that deep pit of love in your heart, feel the smile within, feel the peace they bring. Breathe it all in, and then reflect that love right back at yourself, because YOU deserve it. Meet yourself where you are today, see yourself as that innocent little baby, check yourself when you start to judge others, always come back to that strong feeling of unconditional love in your heart.


Learn more: willowsoulyoga.com

Joclyn Kilpatrick
Willow Soul Yoga
Willow Soul Yoga
Spotlight Festival: PlayThink

Spotlight Festival: PlayThink

Spotlight Festival: PlayThink

FESTIVALS

Spotlight Festival: PlayThink
Looking for something to do this June? We are thrilled yoga festivals are back and can’t wait to check out all the amazing events taking place around the world. This week we had a chance to connect with Paige Zen, Founder & CEO of PlayThink Festival who we are thrilled to partner with and share complimentary copies of Yoga Love Magazine. Thank you Paige for offering an exclusive promo code for our community: YOGALOVE will provide 10% off tickets for this event.

What inspired you to create a festival?
I was a professional hula hooper and wanted to learn how to up my skill. I had exhausted the local and regional options for instruction and decided to start an event where we brought in proficient instructors in not only hula hooping but a wide range of modalities. PlayThink, 12 years later, is still an amazing festival for skill-sharing!

What makes your festival unique? 
PlayThink has a massive amount of “playshops” where you can learn just about anything – all while being in an environment that is family friendly and sober. A festival you can bring your kids and your grandparents to? That’s almost unheard of! A festival where folks focus on getting to know themselves without the veil of alcohol? Even more unheard of! For these reasons alone, PlayThink is incredibly unique. Add in that folks feel seen and heard in a radically un-judgemental way, and it’s simply heaven.

What presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
Our application process doesn’t close until January 15, 2023 so I’m unsure of who will be presenting for our next installment but there are some AMAZING applications and the music line-up is set up to be one of the best! I suspect, as usual, we’ll have a wide variety of movement, music, and healing workshops by some of the most renowned instructors in the nation. From laughter yoga to slinky arts, unicycling to beatboxing – there’s a little bit for everyone!

facebook.com/playthinkfest
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playthinkfestival.com