Spotlight: Yoke Yoga – Bridging Tradition and Technology

by Melissa Honkanen | Jun 21, 2024 | ARTICLES, FRONT PAGE POSTS, Profiles

Spotlight: Yoke Yoga – Bridging Tradition and Technology

By: Melissa Honkanen

PROFILES

Susanna Barkataki is leading a quiet revolution to shake up the yoga world with her groundbreaking Yoke Yoga social platform. Yoke Yoga is more than just a yoga app; it’s a mission to transform how we engage with an ancient practice in today’s digital age.

Susanna’s journey began with the realization that the true essence of yoga was being overshadowed by its Western commercialization. “I had this understanding that if we are to truly honor yoga’s roots and extend its benefits, the change had to begin with the practitioners themselves,” she explains. From this insight, Yoke Yoga was born—an initiative aimed at making yoga accessible, inclusive, and deeply connected to its origins and moving away from fitness culture.

Yoke Yoga is designed to integrate seamlessly into daily routines, allowing users to practice yoga at their convenience. “It’s about turning the impulse to doom scroll into something positive. We’re using the platforms people are already on—their phones—to introduce them to yoga,” Susanna notes. This accessibility is central to her vision of breaking down barriers and making yoga universal.

Yoke Yoga’s philosophy is to make yoga an integral part of daily life, beyond the confines of traditional studios. “We’re moving away from scripted, polished scenarios and bringing yoga into the messy, beautiful reality of everyday life,” she says. This approach demystifies yoga, inviting people who might feel intimidated by the conventional yoga studio environment. Susanna envisions a platform where yoga meets people in their living rooms, workplaces, and even during their commute.

Central to Yoke Yoga’s mission is its commitment to social justice. The platform is built on the pillars of diversity and equity, ensuring that everyone, regardless of body type or background, feels welcomed and represented. “From the start, we’ve been committed to trauma-informed practices and celebrating diversity,” Susanna states. “It’s not just about adding diversity as an afterthought—it’s about making it the foundation of what we do.”

Yoke Yoga also incorporates a profit-sharing model with its teachers, acknowledging the economic challenges many face in the industry. “We wanted to create a space where yoga teachers can be their full selves, share their practices authentically, and be compensated fairly,” she emphasizes. This model not only supports yoga professionals but also ensures that the quality of instruction is high, benefiting all users.

Yoke Yoga is a beacon for those seeking a more authentic and accessible yoga experience. By blending traditions like mudra, meditation and mantra with the innovation of meeting modern yogis where they are—online and on their phones, her and her team are paving the way for a more inclusive and holistic approach to wellness.

Learn more: yokeyoga.com

Artist Spotlight: Emma Schmid

by iana velez | May 29, 2024 | Art & Music, ARTICLES, FRONT PAGE POSTS

Artist Spotlight: Emma Schmid

By: iana velez

ART & MUSIC

Barcelona native Emma Schmid’s beautiful artwork graces the cover of our JOY issue. We asked her to share a bit about her creative process, inspiration and a few thoughts on JOY. Check out her beautiful Instagram account @emma.schmid.illustration.

Share with us what you love about what you do?
I love to translate thoughts, ideas and messages into images. Adding meaning, highlighting and emphasizing. Communicating with drawings and color is so powerful, leading to feelings, moods, happiness, worries, and joy. I am especially interested in illustrating everyday people and routines that we all can identify with. Illustration also lets me navigate new adventures. Every new work feels like an opportunity to dive within different experiences, knowledge, and results. It is very enriching.

What advice would you give someone interested in becoming an artist?
Perseverance is key, confidence in yourself, no matter what seems to be the fashion…your own voice is always interesting when it is consistent it will have many opportunities. Of course, it is important to be active, showing up on social media, promoting constantly with new work or personal work that may pique art directors’ or clients’ attention.

Do you have formal art training?
I graduated from a school of arts in Barcelona studying, where I am originally from. I had an illustration career working freelance with my own work and studio from 2000 until now, working mostly with publishing, advertising, studios, products, toys, etc. For many years, I was focused on children’s illustration, but now my work has shifted to more illustration in editorial and advertising.

Share with us artists or creators who inspire your work
Some artists I love:

And many, many others!

Do you have a personal yoga, meditation or journaling practice? If so, does it influence your creative process?
I have practiced yoga for some years and it has always fascinated me in the wellness sense, and in the beauty of the practice too—the simplicity, austerity, the silence, the connection.

I’ve recently been quite obsessed with the interaction of two themes of yoga and floral images. I have worked on an extensive series of images approaching that—yoga practice balanced with huge flower designs in a beautiful harmony.

Where do you find the inspiration for your artwork? How do you stay inspired?
I find inspiration everywhere around me. Mostly in urban scenes, cities, on the streets, parks, fashion, culture, clothes, tradition and very especially in people. I enjoy highlighting people, characters, routines, gestures and styles. I love to catch diversity in all ways. I am constantly seeking inspiration beyond my own curiosity. Culture, media, other illustrators work and all art expression is also very inspiring to me.

Share with us your creative process.
When a work commission comes, the process starts with approaching the main idea to communicate, looking for information and inspiration and playing first with lines, sketching with pencil on A4 paper and Procreate software. Hand drawing, both pencils, analogue and digital are very enjoyable to me, from the freshness and free style of first rough drafts to cleaning and clearing them. Then color is usually done in Photoshop, final art as well.

Color is a different creation process, more complicated and deep, where I usually follow a natural intuition for each commission’s needs. It comes pretty easy when it’s about a single image, but very complex when talking about a book, or a set, where a balanced and rich palette is essential.

On your website you say, “Color plays an important part, it completely defines my work.” Can you share more about that?
I love color. Bold color. Color that shakes is an invitation to feelings, emotions, sensations…color touches with its power of communication. I feel comfortable with color, it definitely plays an important part of my voice and work.

The theme of this issue is JOY, can you share with us what/who you think of when you hear the word JOY?
I love to hear how my work talks about joy and spreads joy, and this is definitely the best compliment and reward I can have. It makes me so happy and fulfilled with the work I do.

SPOTLIGHT: Karma Kids Yoga

by iana velez | May 5, 2024 | ARTICLES, FRONT PAGE POSTS, Profiles

SPOTLIGHT: Karma Kids Yoga

PROFILES

Our Joy issue is launching soon, and here is a sneak peek at Tashya Knight’s article profiling some amazing kids yoga teachers in our community. Learn more about Shari Vilchez-Blatt one of the many teachers profiled below who is the founder of Karma Kids Yoga and also in our JOY issue available at partner studios in June. Interested in learning how more about teaching kids yoga? Join Shari’s upcoming kids YTT starting Friday, May 17th- Sunday, May 19th at Balance Arts Center, located at 151 West 30th Street in NYC! REGISTER NOW!

What is different about teaching yoga to kids vs teaching yoga to adults? Is it different?
There are so many differences in kids versus adult yoga! Could you imagine if all of a sudden, in your adult yoga class, someone left their mat and started running in a circle around the room?! Or if you’re in the middle of teaching a pose/flow and someone says, “Did you know that my brother has a bicycle and I saw a frog and I love unicorns and cold pillows?” It’s the energy mostly that differs, but also expectations of behavior. I would never want my child students to behave like adults….too weird. They need to talk, share, connect, ask questions, share some more…show you a trick or two (“look what I can do” can often be heard in a children’s yoga class, but what they show you may or may not be yoga—either way, it’s a gift to the room, so I make space for it. Kids classes are loud, playful, silly, quiet, might involve singing, dancing, jumping, include non-traditional yoga props (from balls to crafts to stuffed animals and pom moms).

What inspired you to teach kids yoga?
I don’t know how else to explain that my random path of events led me to teach yoga to children. I was an ad exec, very successful, but not passionate as I once had been. I was laid off one summer, decided to just chill out and not look for another job. I got back into my own yoga practice with all the free time, and was able to see my nieces and nephews more over the summer, too. When I did yoga around them, they would copy me. I didn’t know if that was OK, so I did some research and found that of course it was great for kids and that there was a training coming up in my area that summer. I had NOTHING going on. I love to learn, so I took it. It changed me. I took another one. And another…learning more and more. I loved it and just wanted to share with as many children as possible. Two months later I opened up my first studio in NYC dedicated just to kids and families!

What pose do kids enjoy the most?
I don’t think there is just one pose that kids love the most…it really depends on the child (it’s a great icebreaker to ask this at the start of the kids class. My name is Shari and my favorite yoga pose is….and we all do the pose!). And favorites change as our bodies change, we get stronger and more confident. It’s typically one that they feel strong or calm in. If it’s a challenging pose that they can do, kids will likely choose that so that they can show it off. Better than saying a popular pose that they like, I will say they LOVE to invent poses! Give a child 30-60 seconds to come up with a never-before-seen pose and name it! Or pair kids up to invent a partner pose. Or 3+ kids to invent group poses.

Share one of your favorite memories/moments you’ve experienced teaching kids yoga?
There are way too many magical moments from over 20 years…and thousands of kids….From celebrity parents jumping into your yoga adventure with as much enthusiasm as a child (thank you, Jane Krakowski for being the most fun momma)…to my husband farting loudly off camera during live Instagram classes (yes and everyone heard it, and I had to address it)….to Sesame Street Workshop taking over my studio to film “yoga school”…so instead of noting just one, I’ll note that any time a child surprises themselves with their own strength and ability, the looks on their faces are everything!

How do you bring joy to teaching kids yoga? How does teaching kids yoga bring you joy?
I bring joy to my classes by being accepting, kind, compassionate, friendly and honest. And of course, a bit of silly doesn’t hurt. Or a lot. I include laughter, wonder, and always invite them to be who they are, to listen to their bodies (versus me), and make sure everyone feels heard. I build community and make connections (friendships) within each class, allowing kids to experience other kids by mixing up partnerships, playing games, having challenges and tasks, all while having so much fun! It’s the energy I bring to the class.

Nearly every day that I teach, I have a funny or sweet story to take home. But even better than that, when a child finally gets a challenging pose that they’ve been working on (they usually surprise themselves), it’s the best feeling to witness their excitement, their confidence and their glow! It’s a celebration for all!

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

by iana velez | Apr 20, 2024 | CALIFORNIA PARTNERS, PARTNERS -

PARTNER

MOUNT MADONNA CENTER

MOUNTMADONNA.ORG

We are a learning community inspired by the example of our teacher, Baba Hari Dass. Located on 380 acres of redwoods and grasslands in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking the Monterey Bay, our retreat center offers a peaceful haven where you can step back, slow down, and reconnect to your self, to nature, and to a more authentic flow of life.

We offer a beautiful venue, centrally located in California near Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area, for yoga retreats, meditation retreats, corporate offsite events, personal practice, spiritual and personal development programs, and other types of seminars and workshops. Our modern meeting spaces evoke a rustic and tranquil atmosphere and provide a variety of settings to gather and practice.

Mount Madonna

Mount Madonna Center
445 Summit Road
Watsonville, CA 95076

[email protected]
(408) 847-0406

Yoga Plus magazine Teacher bio photo - Shari Vilchez-Blatt

OFFER WHAT YOU CAN YOGA

by iana velez | Feb 20, 2024 | YOGA♥ PARTNERS

OFFER WHAT YOU CAN YOGA

Power Vinyasa MAX-FLOW™ classes!
Wednesday 7:30 pm | 2744 B’way
Saturday 6:30 pm | 2726 B’way
Sunday 11:30 am | 2744 B’way

About:

AFFORDABLE YOGA IN NYC
MAX KENNEDY IS REVOLUTIONIZING ACCESSIBLE YOGA

In New York City where the price of yoga classes can soar up to $50, Max Kennedy is making sure that anyone and everyone has access to yoga by offering pay what you can yoga classes. You can find Max teaching at least three times a week in a studio space he rents on the Upper West Side.

Share your yoga journey with us.
As a lifelong New Yorker, it wasn’t until I was well into my 30s that I was first introduced to this practice. Someone I adored, adored me enough to go out on a limb and invited me to take a class alongside them. And voila, that was that! I was hooked!

When I decided to take the plunge and do a teacher training in the summer of 2018, I had no intention of actually teaching. Like many, my sole intention in enrolling in a training was to deepen my practice, nothing more. But at some point I discovered that in order to receive my certification, I was required to teach at least one 60 minute class.

The moment I learned that I could use my voice, that people could listen with their hearts and minds, I was imbued with an undeniable sense of clarity and commitment. Rather instantaneously it became clear to me, I’d commit myself to opening as many doors for people to make their way through, by way of their own self-directed evolution. I knew right then and there, this is what I will always do. That *this* is all I would ever want to do. To create some semblance of beauty, to endeavor to end some semblance of suffering and to help people help themselves. I haven’t looked back since.

What inspired you to offer “Pay What You Can” yoga?
Prior to the pandemic, I exclusively taught at a donation-based studio. In 2020 this studio had to shutter all its locations overnight which was a source of immediate devastation for countless people. There was a huge void that was created when this pay-what-you-can model of practice vanished.

Once again, clarity and commitment entered the equation. I knew I had to do everything I could to once again foster community — to provide access to a practice that didn’t hinge on one’s financial means. To do it the right way. That is how •Offer•What•You•Can•Yoga• came to be.

What is your hope for the future of yoga?
The impetus for launching •Offer•What•You•Can•Yoga• was to simply provide possibility. For people to know it’s possible to have a practice no matter their experience, their age, or their income. That having a fulfilling practice isn’t predicated on their body type, nor their physical abilities — but rather the contents of their heart.

It’s my hope that the future of yoga has inclusivity and accessibility at its nucleus. It’s my hope to be amongst those who help normalize these tenets. That in no uncertain terms, access to wellness modalities must be viewed as being a right — not as a luxury.

While I’ll always champion yoga’s prowess in being a healing, discovery, growth, and acceptance practice — I know full well, it might not be for everyone and that’s okay. But, everyone must have the right to explore what their own holistic wellness can feel like. It’s my unyielding intention to contribute to this reimagined approach. I have every reason to believe that we, together, can usher in this shift in perspective.

CONTACT US:

[email protected]