SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: Yoga on the Mountain

by iana velez | Feb 5, 2023 | ARTICLES, Festivals, Festivals 2023

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: Yoga on the Mountain

Sept. 28-Oct 1, at The Lodge at Magazine in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas

FESTIVALS

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 Krista DeBuhr, Founder of Yoga on the Mountain Festival (YOTM) in Arkansas who we are thrilled to partner with! As a special exclusive gift to our community, save 10% on your ticket purchase via code YOGALOVE10% off tickets: one day, two day, three day and all 4 days.

What inspired you to create a festival?
Unite the Arkansas yoga community. As yoga was growing, I felt the energy of an event would keep the momentum and inspire people to live healthier, more fulfilled lives. People come from all over the Southwest. YOTM was in Aspen/Snowmass for 3 years (2017-2019) before the pandemic.

What makes your festival unique?
It’s small, intimate, and the event lodge, cabins and trails are nestled at the top of the mountain without other businesses or housing. The moment you turn up the windy Ozark hills, it feels like home. The gathering feels like family.

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event?
We are excited it’s YEAR 10 and I love the variety and social events we are able to offer with so many local teachers: Sunset Social, Farm to Table Picnic, Opening and Closing Jams, Meditation, Sunrise Flow, Highest Point Hikes, Music themed Power Flow, Handstands, YIN, Mala Making, Writing, Sound Bath, Restorative, Yoga Nidra + live guitar, massage, Yoga Therapy, and more!

Learn More:

https://www.facebook.com/yotmfestival
https://www.instragram.com/yotmfestival
https://www.yotmfestival.com/

LOVE PROFILE: MIMI’S YOGA KIDS

by iana velez | Nov 27, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

LOVE PROFILE: MIMI’S YOGA KIDS

Edited by: Tashya Knight

PROFILES

We are so excited to chat with Camelia (Mimi) Felton, the owner of Mimi’s Yoga Kids located in Atlanta, GA. You can see the full interview via our YouTube link, and here is an excerpt of our fun IG live chat we had with her!

Iana
We’re going to chat with Mimi, the founder of Mimi’s Kids Yoga in Atlanta. So you’re a kid’s yoga teacher, I wish there had been yoga when I was a kid!

Mimi
I started teaching yoga with the foundation and core of teaching kids. But I have grown now into teaching everybody. So I say “kids” from newborn to 105. It’s amazing how it has turned into that, and so I’m really thankful. I teach babies all the way to seniors, so it’s a great place to be.

Iana
And how did you get started?

Mimi

I had a yoga practice off and on. I was a stay at home mom, and I would do it in spurts. But then in 2014 something pretty traumatic happened in my life, and yoga was what I turned to. It wasn’t the very first thing that I turned to, but I eventually started doing yoga and I got on the mat and it was just one of those things that really, truly got me through a tough time in my life. And so now it is my goal and mission to introduce that to other people. It’s not a cure all, but it is something with consistency and just making it your practice. Don’t worry about what anybody else is doing, make it your personal practice. I can almost guarantee you that it will change your life. It will impact your life in a way where we’ll make things better. And I’m a living testament to that.

But then in 2014 something pretty traumatic happened in my life, and yoga was what I turned to. It wasn’t the very first thing that I turned to, but I eventually started doing yoga and I got on the mat and it was just one of those things that really, truly got me through a tough time in my life.

Iana
I love that you share that it wasn’t the first thing you turned to, I think that there’s a lot of people who will try a couple of things and eventually, if you land on yoga, you kind of never leave. It’s transformative. And you made it your life’s work! What did you do in your “previous life”?

Mimi
I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I’ve done so many different things. I would sell Avon, I sold this, I sold that. I had an organizing business or cleaning business. So I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit. I was a stay at home mom, then a single mom, and then I had to go back into the workforce. I worked in the medical field and my last job was in pediatrics so I was around kids all the time. I love kids. And I was in a space where I had a lot of connection with parents. And so that was another thing too, that I knew because I saw kids coming in with anxiety and all these things, and sometimes they just want to give kids a bunch of medication and do different things. And I thought there has to be a different way. I’m not downplaying that in any way because we all need what we need, but in some instances, I think there’s a better way.

And so I just knew that I wanted to do this because I have a grandson. Well, I have four grandchildren now, but at the time I had one grandson and he would do yoga with me, and I saw the benefits that it gave him. So I thought, we need this. They’re our future. And so it just started with one small little party at my house, and then it has turned into this. And we’re thriving and I’m so proud of it. I’m really proud of it because it’s something that’s my purpose and my mission. And when you find that you wake up every day and it doesn’t feel like work, I’m just doing what brings me joy. So it’s a wonderful place to be.

Iana
Did you notice since you were doing this before the pandemic, that during the pandemic, things changed? Did you notice a change in kids and people?

Mimi
The space that I have, I’ve just gotten it, before I was mobile. I was just going everywhere. School, daycare centers, senior citizen facilities, parks, anywhere you can spread a mat out. I would go because I firmly believe yoga is for everybody, and you can do yoga anywhere. So I was mobile, and I still am, because I firmly believe in taking yoga to people. I don’t expect people to come to me. It’s my job and my responsibility to take yoga out into the world.

So when everything shut down, I was like, how am I going to get to my community, to my people, my babies, my kids? And so we pivoted, and we started doing things virtually. I was able to create a little space that I have now, which is in the basement at first, and I did little camps, little mindfulness breaks, all the things. The only ones I had a hard time getting to were my seniors, because they’re like, “We’re not doing virtual, not doing that.” So we would meet in the park with our jackets on, we would take tables out. And we did that for about a year out in the cold, but we would warm our hands up, we would listen to music, and we would move our bodies. And that was their saving grace, because they were able to be in community. They weren’t alone. They were getting fresh air. They were getting vitamin D. And so that was major because seniors, a lot of times, they’re alone. We couldn’t get to people like we normally could. So we said, hey, let’s just meet in the park.

“… I firmly believe in taking yoga to people. I don’t expect people to come to me. It’s my job and my responsibility to take yoga out into the world.”

Iana
You are actually one of the teachers we are featuring in our Atlanta spotlight in our upcoming LOVE issue launching this June. So thank you for that and thank you for joining that shoot. We spotlight at least three cities in each issue and in this issue, we spotlight Atlanta, Tokyo, and Boston. The shoot looked like so much fun. What was that area that you were you did the shoot?

Mimi
Ponce City Market. It’s a really cool space in downtown Atlanta. And so we decided to do it there because it’s just one of those places that it’s nice and open and you get that city feel or vibe, I should say. It was a lot of fun. I was so happy to be in the space again with those other two teachers because we did another event together. And so it was really nice to have that opportunity. Did you know we had Peace Week here in Atlanta? We did yoga with the mayor. I had picked up the magazine in New York and I was like, oh, my God, this is so nice. I would love to be in this magazine. And here I am, so super excited. I have to shout out Melissa Honkanen for making that possible.

Iana
Melissa is from our team, and she lived in New York for many years and recently moved to the Atlanta area. And that’s how we choose which areas to spotlight, it has to have meaning, and significance to us. Where did you get the issue of Yoga Love Magazine?

Mimi
My friend Michelle, founder of Yoga Mazia in the Philadelphia area. She invited me to go to SOULFest last October and that was amazing, and I picked up the magazine.. I was also able to meet Dianne Bondy and it was an amazing opportunity. And Shari from Karma Kids yoga, I love her music. I’ve been playing her music since day one. It’s just amazing how life works, right? Everything is just kind of full circle. So I know that this is what I’m supposed to do.

Iana
And that’s such a great feeling when it does! This is why I love talking to yoga teachers and studio owners, and anyone that works in the wellness space. And I say this all the time, people don’t work in wellness because they have to. They do it because they want to and they can’t imagine doing anything else. And there’s so much excitement and so much passion for it and it’s still work.

You make it work, you figure it out and you’re constantly on your toes and there’s so much community and passion amongst the people that you just do it. You do it in the cold in the park and you do it in the rain…

Mimi
And the power of community. The power of community, it was beautiful. It was beautiful to connect and to be in that space.

Iana
So what’s in the future for you?

Mimi
There’s so much that I want to do. I have a vision board that I just put things down and I firmly believe if it’s meant to be, it will be. So I would love to travel the country and travel the world, teaching mindfulness and meditation and yoga to kids. But my biggest thing is we have to do it here first. We have to take care of our home. I’m big on once I feel like home is good and then I want to go out into the world and just keep providing light and hope and love because this world is a crazy place. It’s a crazy place, but there’s so much love and there’s so much community and there’s so much light that we can still gravitate towards. And so I strive every day to be that light.

Having the community yoga space, just offering yoga free or very low cost for people that otherwise may not be able to afford it or the opportunity. So that’s very important to me. And then my last thing, I need to get into the correctional facilities, that’s part of what I want to do. I wasn’t incarcerated, but my oldest daughter was for a crime she didn’t commit. And so yoga was what kind of kept me going. It kept me in a mental state to be able to not only take care of myself, but to take care of my children, my grandson, and even her at that time. I will always give kudos to yoga. I firmly believe healed people, heal people. And through my own healing, and I’m healing every day, I’m able to create a space for others to heal too. That’s it.

“I will always give kudos to yoga. I firmly believe healed people, heal people. And through my own healing, and I’m healing every day, I’m able to create a space for others to heal too. That’s it.”

Iana
I love that! I want to connect you with Bre Scullark. I don’t know if you’ve ever met her. She goes into the correctional facilities, and she teaches yoga as well. And so there’s a big network of people that are doing that here in New York. She is an amazing person. The work it’s so beautiful and it’s so needed. Everyone needs yoga. We all need it. We’re all going through something. But when I see it there in those spaces, it’s just my heart is so full, and it breaks a little.

Mimi
Trust me, I know how it can be both because it’s a population that people just don’t really think about, but at the end of the day, they’re human too, and they deserve peace, and they deserve light in the midst of all that darkness. Because at the end of the day, for whatever reason, that’s not for me to judge. That’s not for me. For me, I just want to provide some love and some light and some joy, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, that can change somebody’s life, somebody’s day. So that’s very near to my heart, and the universe is just working. So I’m just like, do what you do, universe.

Iana
It was so great chatting with you. And I have to say, this morning I was feeling a little tired and just speaking with you and just feeling your enthusiasm and your love and your light. I feel replenished just speaking to you. Thank you for that and we’re so excited to feature you and your amazing work in our next issue, which will launch in June.

LOVE PROFILE: Zen Yoga Garage

by iana velez | Oct 16, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

LOVE PROFILE: Zen Yoga Garage

PROFILES

We are so excited to chat with Melissa Talleda, the owners of Zen Yoga Garage, our first studio partner in Chicago! You can see the full interview via our YouTube link, and here is an excerpt of our fun IG live chat we had about what it was like taking over a studio ownership right before the pandemic hit, inspiration, and exciting things coming up for the studio!

Iana: Melissa can you share with us, how long has your studio been open?

Melissa: We have been open as a studio since 2013. I’ve been involved in the studio since 2015 and I became the owner on March 1 of 2020. The previous owner had the opportunity to move to Prague, when I went to sign the paperwork that day, we were like, okay, so we should maybe order some extra Clorox wipes!

Once we opened, we never officially closed our doors for even one day. We learned how to use Zoom really quickly and we started Zooming from the studio and from people’s houses. Then the other iterations we went through, because we have garage doors in our space, we were able to open the garage doors and qualify as an outdoor space. So we did that in January of one year, and had folks practicing in full parkas.

Now, there are no restrictions, which is awesome. We do still offer Zoom classes, which has been nice because a lot of our students have moved during the pandemic and we are able to keep our members connected.

Iana: There are definitely a lot of things we learned to do quickly, like zoom classes, that made some things better. Thank goodness.

Melissa: I mean, truly, the impact was huge. We have some folks who have been consistently taking our classes from other countries and it’s been really lovely to connect in that capacity. It’s really cool to see this practice that brings everyone together, but still has these really nuanced differences.

Iana: Tell me about your name, Zen Yoga Garage, it’s not just a clever name right?

Melissa: The studio started as one location with two studios and it was previously a Jiffy Lube and we put up some walls and put down some flooring. Then we acquired this space, which is directly across the street from the main studio. Our intention with this space that we call the Annex, was supposed to be a temporary location. Then we really liked it, so we kept it. While we were planning an expansion upwards, next door to the main studio was a car wash. For years and years and years, people would come in, they’d go and get their cars washed while they took class and it was such a beautiful relationship. That car wash just ended up shutting its doors after 20 years, so we were able to get that space which is directly connected to our main studio space. So that is a full size drive through car wash that we cleaned up, reconstructed, and now it’s a studio that can hold 100 mats comfortably.

It’s wild! We try to stagger classes the best we can, so at least there aren’t classes loading in, and coming out at the same time. But there are times where the studio across the street will have between 150 to 200 hundred people all practicing at the same time. Now we’re also running teacher training, so that just brings in new energy and life. We have an amazing staff of volunteers to make sure that the studio stays looking good while everyone’s coming in and out. Because while we’re really fortunate to have a really large lovely communal lobby space, we’re still in the middle of Chicago.

Iana: Tell me, are you from Chicago?

Melissa: I’m actually from the east coast. I grew up in Philly and then I spent most of my young adulthood in Baltimore and traveling up and down the coast. I was a professional dancer for a while, so Baltimore, DC, New York, Philly were my trek often. I moved to Chicago about ten years ago and it’s a really cool city.

Iana: The theme of our next issue is LOVE, and to own your own business you really have to love what you’re doing, because let’s be honest it’s not always easy…

Melissa: I kind of had to giggle at that because when I meet somebody new and they ask, “Oh, what do you do for work?” and I tell them I own a yoga studio, they say “That must be so relaxing.”

Iana: What is one word you would use to describe what it’s like being a yoga studio owner?

Melissa: Hats. Lots of hats. I think the biggest challenge in owning a studio, is you have to go from fully holding space, leading classes, spreading that passion and inspiration that you have…to then stepping off of your mat and responding to emails about mixed up retail orders and the internet that’s been out, and learning how to manipulate and set up sound boards and your visual equipment. So there’s this constant, push and pull of energy. The challenge that I find, and that I find with a few studio owners who I connect with often is, how to go from giving, giving and then can you receive? Can you find that inspiration piece?

Iana: Replenishing your well, that’s the only way you’re able to do it! It’s funny because I did a teacher training 15 years ago thinking I want to own a studio and be a teacher, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that shift that you just talked about from receiving and giving without being exhausted. So I chose a different path…

Melissa: I think that’s something that yoga teachers in general face. I think many yoga teachers aren’t solely yoga teachers. The nature of the industry is you tend to teach a few classes at a few studios, and you’re either a constant gig worker trying to pick up shifts, or you’re a nine to fiver who needs the fulfillment of teaching yoga and you have something to give there. But I think that regardless of where you are in the industry, it is a push and pull and like that old saying goes…”do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” or “do what you love and you’ll work every single moment of every day.”

Iana: Can you share with us before you go what you’re most excited about coming up? Is it a YTT? Is it a retreat? Is it some kind of class that is new to your schedule?

Melissa: We just started two teacher trainings, we have a 200 hour teacher training that just began and we are halfway through our 85 hours prenatal yoga teacher training. Big things that are coming up, is the annex is about to be transformed into a training space. So we are close to debuting our 300 hours teacher training. Through the pandemic most of our yoga teachers, if they didn’t already have their 300 hours, used the time for professional development. So we now have some of the most highly skilled, highly compassionate, most inclusive, diverse staff of any studio that I’ve seen. We made it a goal as a studio to put that out there because we want to keep bringing the industry up.

Iana: Thank you for your support.

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

LOVE PROFILE: Joclyn Kilpatrick

by iana velez | Apr 30, 2022 | ARTICLES, Profiles

LOVE PROFILE: Joclyn Kilpatrick

Founder Willow Soul Yoga

PROFILES

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