Festival Spotlight: Womanist Arts Festival

by iana velez | May 30, 2022 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Festivals 2023

Festival Spotlight: Womanist Arts Festival

FESTIVALS

Looking for something to do this Sept? We are thrilled 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 Tanya Birl, Artistic Director and Tanya Bishai, Executive Producer, Fundraising and Marketing from Womanist Arts Festival taking place Sept 10th in Washington Heights, NYC.

What inspired you to create a festival?

Our belief in artists as healers and inspired by the wisdom of Alice Walker’s womanist prose, this festival is in celebration of those who have come before us, taking on the mantle and moving forward into the future that we will co-create together. Women led and inclusive of all genders and non-conformists, race, religion and creed.

What makes your festival unique?

A call to the Washington Heights, NYC community to gather, connect and heal through music, movement, spoken word, art, self expression, interaction and celebration! We have some of the most talented people in the world living right here in our neighborhood. This festival will be an eclectic expression of the gifts that Washington Heights has to offer our souls and our bodies. It will aim to bring together neighbors living East and West of Broadway, creating a more unified spirit of belonging and trust

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?

Our final performance of the day at 4pm featuring The SoapBox Presents and spoken word artists Caridad De La Luz

Learn more

https://www.instagram.com/womanistfest
facebook.com/WomanistFestival
http://sohumanity.com/wahi-womanist-fest

LOVE PROFILE: Terri Speck

by iana velez | May 23, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

LOVE PROFILE: Terri Speck

Founder PLAY Yoga

PROFILES

As we prepare for our June release of our print issue themed LOVE, we reached out to our amazing community to share with us a few thoughts on love. Terri Speck and Ed Mullen MD,founded PLAY (Peace Love and Yoga) based on a combined 70+ years working in hospitals they looked to make the shift from “delivering “ healthcare, to partnering with friends and neighbors on a passage to wellness. We asked Terri to share a bit more about love in this week’s LOVE spotlight.

Please share with us what you love about what you do:
There’s so many things I love about what I do! I love creating someplace special for our wonderful yoga community to gather.I am excited about offering all different styles and flavors of yoga and interesting workshops and talks. I love to teach and feel the comfort of my home community. PLaY is often getting visitors as we’re in a resort area, but we also have a steady group that feels like home. It’s the most creative thing I do!

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
I’ve learned that there isn’t anything else besides love that really matters in this whole universe. I’ve learned that the opposite of love isn’t hate, but fear. I’ve learned that the capacity for love is infinite and that there’s always enough love to go around.

What inspired you to support Yoga Love Magazine?
I was inspired to support Yoga Love Magazine because from the onset I could tell that the voice of the magazine was a little bit different that any other yoga magazine I had read. Iana’s emphasis and values were aligned with ours! Diversity, inclusion and a genuine love of yoga. In our studio, our small retail space is dedicated to female owned business, so that was a huge draw for us as well!

LEARN MORE

Take A Break

by Miko Hafez | May 15, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

Take A Break

By Miko Hafez

PROFILES

Yoga Love Magazine - McKenzie Riepen - bio pic

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and our Seattle based team member Miko chatted with McKenzie Riepen who has been teaching yoga for 10 years, about what motivated her to take a month break from teaching. She shares her experience with us here:

You have been teaching for 10 years, why did you decide to take a month break?In my decade of sharing yoga, I had never taken a purposeful break from teaching (beyond the weekend getaway and holiday trip here and there) just to focus on studentship and reconnect to my Self. As a small business owner, I also wanted to take time to evaluate my offerings and ensure my work was reflective of my values. I completed a restorative yoga training in December, and rest in society came up as a big value for me. In addition to encouraging rest in my teachings, I knew I needed to give myself that time to do so.

What does taking a break mean to you?
Especially in a service-oriented business, taking a break means stepping back from others’ needs and attending to your own. It means valuing your rest over the world’s demands.

How was your overall experience taking a month break?
It was an amazing reset, and I highly recommend it. While I know not everyone may be able to take a month off, I highly recommend carving out time once a year to reconnect to your highest Self. I treated my time like a mini retreat: I nourished myself through practices in self care and continued education. I was able to reset some old habits into new behaviors that I am still including in my daily routine like mid-day yoga nidra: a physical reminder to rest and be still.

Learn more about McKenzie and her offerings at MIND.BODY.HUM

905 Western Ave Seattle, WA

@connectedmindbody

@mckenzieriepen

VERDAD NICARAGUA

by iana velez | May 10, 2022 | YOGA♥ PARTNERS

VERDAD NICARAGUA

Yoga Plus Magazine - Teachers - Janie Larmour Bio pic

WEBSITE:

verdadnicaragua.com

ABOUT:

Verdad is a boutique hotel nestled on a hillside overlooking Playa Escameca Grande on the southern pacific coast of Nicaragua. No matter where you are at Verdad, be it in your beautifully designed casita, or poolside, you will be surrounded by stunning nature in laidback luxury. Our gorgeous on-site yoga studio has views across the valley, and out to the ocean, and is a magical place to practice. There is also an on-site kitchen where we serve delicious home-made meals family style, a poolside honor bar with drinks and snacks, several places to lounge, and a massage studio. We offer a variety of adventures too: surfing, boating, sailing, zip-lining, hiking, scuba and more. Come experience the Verdad difference.

ASHRAMS FOR AUTISM

by iana velez | May 10, 2022 | YOGA♥ PARTNERS

ASHRAMS FOR AUTISM

WEBSITE:

ashrams4autism.org

ABOUT:

Dedicated to providing yoga in schools and facilities for the autism and special needs community

Ashrams for Autism seeks to empower and guide the autism community toward peacefully achieving their highest potential through yoga. We firmly believe that yoga can provide the proper tools for self-regulation and empowerment for this population.