Dixie Schexnaildre

by iana velez | Aug 7, 2022 | PATRONS

Dixie Schexnaildre

BIO

I am Dixie Schexnaildre, Doctor of Health Science(c), MS (Complementary and Integrative Health), TEFL, EIPA > 4.K-12, RYT-500+, and Y12SR Leader. Owner of Integrative Evolution, a boutique wellness and education space.

Why I am supporting
Yoga Love Magazine?:

I am supporting Yoga Love Magazine because I believe yoga is for everyone. The more people your message reaches, the higher the collective vibration! This magazine is truly a gift to the world by way of increasing awareness, opening conversations regarding accessibility, and creating a community of connections. I was inspired to join as a Patron Supporter after reading the interview with one of my teachers, Rajarajeshwari, of Deafhood Yoga. Blissful.

Festival Spotlight: Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival

by iana velez | Jul 25, 2022 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Festivals 2023, Profiles

Festival Spotlight: Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival

By iana velez

PROFILES

Yoga Love Magazine - McKenzie Riepen - bio pic

Looking for something to do this Fall? 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 Sonia, one of the partners of Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival taking place in Lakota’s Farm in Cambridge, NY (just outside of Saratoga Springs) coming up on Oct 1, 2022.

Your name and role in the festival

My name is Sonia Shultis and I am joined by partners Kristen Zorda and Grace Bishop to bring the Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival back from a 2 years of cancellations due to state and national COVID-19 related mandates as well as an unfortunate situation with our 2021 venue that forced us to cancel. We three are owners and producers of the festival. Kristen produces and manages the festival programming, from presenter/music artist booking, workshop/concert scheduling, and venue, equipment and supplies logistics. Grace works on systems development, budgeting, marketing, and is our resident tech/software efficionato. I work on acquisitions for the venue, equipment, supplies, contractors, vendors, volunteers, point of sale and customer service. We all work together to fill in gaps where support is needed.

What inspired you to create a yoga festival?

The Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival was created 10 years ago by founders Bernie and Katherine Walters. The accessibility to world renowned teachers and music artists, as well as access to the regionally and locally loved teachers, was a true blessing. It had such a huge impact on my life and my practice that I knew I had to be more involved. Luckily, Bernie and Katherine lived in the next town over, so I was able to stay in touch with them and offer my services. In early 2019 Bernie offered me a partnership in the festival and without hesitation I said yes. We co-produced the 2019 festival and it was the most challenging, rewarding, exhausting, fulfilling experience! Kristen was already familiar with the festival. In fact she attended a few years and her yoga studio was a sponsor for a couple years. My studio, now owned by another lovely yoga teacher, was a sponsor for one year. When I became a partner, I brought on Grace as a presenter in Nonviolent Communication. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Bernie and Katherine took it as a sign to slow things down and retire from producing, and they were gracious enough to pass the torch to me. Once I became full owner I knew I had to bring Kristen and Grace on board with me as they both shared a core value of nonviolence to the self, others, and the planet as well as the activism to end practices that cause violence. They both agreed to a partnership and the rest, as they say, is history!

What makes your festival unique?

Our festival was the largest indoor festival in the Northeast. We average about 700 attendees with 50 presenters/music artists and over 100 workshops/concerts over a 3 day weekend. We have a vendor village of 40 carefully selected small businesses where Ahimsa is present through their business practice and/or services and goods. Our workshops are small and intimate, so rather than being one in a sea of 500+ people, you can be within an arm’s distance to a major headliner and even receive hands-on assists! And we believe it is because of the intimate atmosphere we create that our festival attendees show up. To be honest, though, what makes our festival unique ARE the attendees. It is their willingness to be open, raw, honest, to show up, to commune, to bare, to let go, to embrace, to challenge, to take in, to discover, to create, to love and to be loved that makes our festival so special. The common sentiment amongst our attendees is how rejuvenated and renewed they are after the festival. It’s because of reviews like that we are motivated to continue producing the Ahimsa festival.

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

We are thrilled with all of our presenters who are excited to present at this year’s festival! Our headliner this year is WAH! We couldn’t be more excited about the yoga workshop and headlining concert she will put on October 1. Her music is widely known in the kirtan and yoga world and if anyone’s ever been in a yoga studio, they’ve likely heard her music. It’s a blessing and pleasure to bring her to the Northeast so she can share her gifts and music with all of us! The festival also features Gopi Kinnicutt, Larissa Hall Carlson, Adam Bauer, Jennilee Toner, Keli Lalita, Ambika, Roberto Lim, Meg Jala, and more! It is a very big line up for a one day festival with yoga, meditation, philosophy, kirtan, workshops with live music, DJ silent disco party, vendor village, Lakota’s Farm tour, giveaways, closing bonfire. What we’re most excited for is gathering together again. We can’t wait to see all the beautiful souls that make up the Ahimsa community. And we are honored to be a part of the magic that happens when it all comes together.

Learn more:

Ahimsa Yoga & Music Festival
October 1, 2022

w: ahimsayogafestival.com
e: [email protected]
IG: @ahimsayogamusic

Headliner: WAH!

Also featuring: Gopi Kinnicutt, Larissa Hall Carlson, Adam Bauer, Jennilee Toner, Keli Lalita, Ambika, Roberto Lim, Meg Jala, Tomek Regulski, Beth Beaton Mausert, Kelsie Rockefeller, Jen Gerber, and we’re confirming more presenters!

beYogi

by iana velez | Jul 1, 2022 | YOGA♥ PARTNERS

beYogi

WEBSITE:

beyogi.com/yoga-insurance-plus

EMAIL:

[email protected]

ABOUT:

beYogi is a premier yoga insurance provider offering online yoga information and inspiration to support teachers at every step of their journey. Drawing on our experience and knowledge of the yoga world, we designed a yoga insurance program that covers whatever style you’re teaching, wherever you are, whenever you need it. beYogi is more than just your go-to source for all things yoga-related, it’s a community of conscious individuals who collectively contribute to the growth and protection of the yoga community. Learn more be checking us out at beYogi.com

Meet our amazing partner beYogi

Discussion with ilaStrate Yoga founder Lauren Vacey

by iana velez | Jun 7, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

Discussion with ilaStrate Yoga founder Lauren Vacey

PROFILES

“Our motto is ‘Love your mat, it will call you back to practice.’ To see this in action, is such an honor.”
-Lauren, ilaStrate founder

What inspired you to create ilaStrate?
My love of yoga and art inspired me to create the product, and the business followed. The underlying story is so much more involved. Just like many other small business owners, I was compelled by my desire to escape the traditional 9-5, be my own boss and express my creativity.

I worked in the commercial art industry for 15 years, resigning as Art Director. I was unhappy directing other peoples’ dreams. Fairly early on in my career, I was introduced to yoga. Those threads began to become tightly woven as life happened. I began to rely on yoga for solace and inspiration. My art began to have a purpose, and I found myself and my vision through yoga and it spills out in my art.

How do you stay inspired?
It is so hard NOT to be inspired. Life itself is inspiring. Everything and anything can become a spark of inspiration.

It’s being in the right frame of mind to appreciate the beautiful moments that I try to cultivate. Being present to find the beauty in each moment can spark imagination and appreciation for life. If I sit with it quietly, a simple experience, like a cardinal flying against a gray sky, for example, becomes an elaborate vision or an idea. I collect art visions LOL, I don’t always get the opportunity to create in reality the art I create in my head.

I have a hard time narrowing my inspirations to singularity to express them in a way that someone else can understand. Meditation and yoga are a big part of staying present and connected.

What is the best advice you can give someone who wants to launch their own business?
I would say, make research your priority. Get a realistic idea of your obligations for the first few years, especially financial. Running a business takes creativity and imagination. Andy Warhol said it best, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” Running a business requires a bit more than just good business sense. I think many people do not realize that creativity and imagination are probably the most important aspects of running a successful business. I’d say it’s probably 10% business and 90% marketing! Find your niche, make sure it’s something that you are willing to devote your life to, and do it! If you’re scared, you’re doing it right!

Do you have a personal yoga or meditation practice? How does it help your business/creativity?
Absolutely! I meditate in the morning and evening most days. I do yoga at least once a week, but I prefer to practice 2-3 times a week with short home practices in between. It helps me tremendously with creativity! When my imagination becomes too wild it can be overwhelming. My mind literally runs away with it. I absolutely need yoga and meditation practice to calm the mind and stay centered. This helps me to prioritize, focus on and complete one task at a time and not let my thoughts, inspiration and ambitions take control of my day.

I will have yoga and meditation practice for the rest of my life, it’s become a part of me.

The theme of this issue is LOVE. Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
Down into the soul of my being, in my heart, I believe that love is what we are. “All you need is love,” as The Beatles said. Call it what you will: God, Source, the Force, the Universe, the One…whatever that energy is that connects us all, it is Love. It is why we live and breathe, and it is what we are trying to get back to.

Now more than ever, it is so important for us to look at the world we’ve created and choose compassion and love as a way forward. If we truly saw with our hearts, we would walk away from the wars and the division and embody who we truly are, Love.

Share with us what you love about what you do:
I love the feeling of joy my customers experience when they see their yoga mat for the first time. Our customers are so moved and inspired, they fall in love with their mat, and it has a positive impact on their practice. It is the highest form of gratitude and compliment that I can ever receive. It is why I do what I do, and it is what keeps me going. Our motto is “Love your mat, it will call you back to practice.” To see this in action, is such an honor.

I love the community, meeting new people and connecting with like-minded beings. I enjoy the lifestyle and ability to embody who I am in what I do: an artist practicing yoga and life.

THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

by iana velez | Jun 1, 2022 | YOGA♥ PARTNERS

THE RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

WEBSITE:

rubinmuseum.org

ABOUT:

The Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea, New York City, explores and celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of Himalayan art, ideas, and culture across history and into the present. With its globally renowned collection, largely centered around the Tibetan Plateau, the Rubin fosters understanding and appreciation of this region by relating its art and ideas to our shared human experience today. Inspired by the philosophical traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism and aligned with ongoing research into learning, behavior, and the brain, the Rubin offers innovative exhibitions and programs that examine provocative ideas across the arts and explore the mind.