TotalBodyYoga, Author at TBY Yoga

Being Body Positive

Renoir - 1917 by Stephanie Rehor One of the most ironic things about yoga is that it was not created to serve the body. In Sanskrit, the word asana means seat, meaning the poses are a preparation for meditation. This connotation often gets lost, in part, in American culture because the mainstream media classifies yoga as another form of exercise that aids weight loss and a so-called better body. According to ancient teachings, yoga was never about losing weight. This discipline is about honoring and accepting ourselves, imperfections and all. In fact, yoga is inherently body positive. Some critics say [...]

Being Body PositiveTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:42-05:00

Teacher Feature: Mary Schooley

TBY Teacher FeatureMary Schooley By Julia Jonson The room is always brighter once Mary Schooley enters. This yoga teacher’s lovely disposition matches her skilled class sequencing. Mary went through the House of Shanti teacher training program led by Lourdes Paredes and Pam Udell and continues to study and grow as a teacher. Mary incorporates her knowledge of yoga and essential oils in all of her classes, along with words of wisdom borne of her own life experience.J: We all know you as the friendly, and direct yoga teacher who offers a smart, challenging sequence with a loving approach. Some students may not [...]

Teacher Feature: Mary SchooleyTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:38-05:00

Cultivating Inclusiveness in Yoga

By Stephanie Rehor Anyone who is a yogi probably knows the difference between being in a yoga community and being a part of the “yoga scene.” For me, I was forced to learn the hard way. After 6 years of practicing yoga, I found myself attending more mainstream yoga events, purchasing overpriced yoga equipment, exclusively participating in vigorous classes and doing all I could to shove myself into the role of a western yogi. The ego took over as I became obsessed with the physicality of the poses. I pushed my body to the extreme and no matter what [...]

Cultivating Inclusiveness in YogaTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:38-05:00

Inner Growth

By Thomas Tiernan “We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.” -Ernest Hemingway Personal growth is often a destructive process. The dread of facing our own fears can lead to a vicious cycle of avoidance. Paradoxically, when you learn how to stop running from life’s inevitable problems, and mindfully face them head-on, you will find you are in greater control. Your body, your mind and your surroundings are ever changing. It’s easy to apply labels of like or dislike to what’s happening both inside and around you. It is human nature to avoid what we [...]

Inner GrowthTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:37-05:00

TBY Teacher Feature: Audrey Craddock

TBY Featured Teacher:Audrey CraddockA Passion for Practice Interviewed by Julia Jonson Describe your journey into yoga and how it’s impacted your daily life. In my early 20's I bought a yoga DVD and started practicing in the privacy of my living room. I wanted to become more flexible and stronger and had heard great things about yoga, so I gave it a shot. I wasn't consistent though, and eventually stopped. Many years later I began to suffer from sciatica and was encouraged by a chiropractor to take up yoga again. I actually took my very first class at Total Body Yoga [...]

TBY Teacher Feature: Audrey CraddockTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:34-05:00

Sacred Space for Your Home Practice

by Stephanie Rehor In the yoga community I often hear quoted “we create our own reality.” Meaning whatever we plant inside will surface and bloom on the outside. While this notion is lovely, I can’t deny I often find myself challenging it. Universal law states that everything is constantly connected and the outer and inner worlds are permanently linked. So, in that, can we cultivate what’s on the outside to create a better experience on the inside? Asking this made me to realize that I don’t only have to travel to a yoga studio to be immersed in the divine energy [...]

Sacred Space for Your Home PracticeTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:34-05:00

June 21st, International Day of Yoga

What a gift it is to practice yoga! This ancient discipline that's been around for thousands of years is a seemingly perfect way to connect to the heart of who you really are. Yoga makes you healthy, vibrant, more aware, more alive and ultimately more peaceful. Yoga, which has the full attention now of many Western healing models, also has the attention of the United Nations. They've named June 21st International Day of Yoga since U.N. officials see the healing value of yoga when it comes to making people and entire communities more peaceful and connected. Won't you join us for [...]

June 21st, International Day of YogaTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:44-05:00

Teacher Feature: Bette Plass

TBY Teacher Feature Bette PlassGrateful for the Journey (Bette Plass, on one of her many journeys, pictured in Parighasana) Interviewed by Julia JonsonYour very presence is peaceful and when you’re in teacher mode you have an eloquent way of sharing that energy. How do you maintain your center so that you can be a source of healing for others?So funny you should say that – I often don’t feel that way on my way to class. I have a tendency to always be in a hurry resulting in not being centered. When I reflect on having polio, I realize that a [...]

Teacher Feature: Bette PlassTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:43-05:00

Teacher Feature: Andrea Harris

TBY Teacher FeatureAndrea HarrisA Deeply Examined Existence (Andrea Harris photographed by Reid Sanders) Interviewed by Julia JonsonIt seems almost everyone has that memorable first moment when they discovered that yoga has this distinct way of making you feel at home in your body. Describe your first foray into yoga.I wish I could accurately describe that first experience … I know so many people who have the story of cautiously trying yoga for the first time, instantly falling in love and never forgetting that moment. That was not me. I was a dabbler in and out of yoga for many years. I [...]

Teacher Feature: Andrea HarrisTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:12:00-05:00

Atlas of Yoga

By Laura Mills Foiled again! Yesterday morning, like clockwork, as soon as I finished my fifth sun salutation my daughter woke up crying. No matter how early I get up and attempt to practice, she knows…. And if it’s not my daughter crying, it’s my cat—sitting on my mat, weaving through my arms and legs, meowing until my daughter wakes up. Or else it’s the laundry…or the messy kitchen…or the bills…. My quest for a workable home practice continues; regardless of my intention, I confess I usually put my home practice last. 8 years a yogi, 5 years a [...]

Atlas of YogaTotalBodyYoga2018-10-10T15:11:57-05:00

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