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Dear Yoga Community, With a heavy heart, we deliver some unbearably sad news. The daughter of Andrea Harris, a longtime and beloved yoga teacher, has passed away. Allie Balmes's life will be celebrated and she will be laid to rest in Gurnee this Friday. Most of you likely know that Andrea has two sets of twin girls. Allie, who Andrea describes as "a daily light that I never knew I needed until it was gone. The silliest, sweetest, kindest, the most open-hearted young lady whose love was bigger than the number of years she had to share it."  Andrea says [...]

By Julia Jonson, E-RYT 500 Typically wolves are portrayed as villains in popular culture. Yet there is wisdom to be drawn from these mysterious pack animals. Individual wolves are the epitome of strength, intelligence, and fearlessness. Experts who have studied them say that, collectively, they live in highly organized social structures (packs) that enable them to benefit from maximum cooperation. And while yes, wolves are predators, researchers say they are wired for teamwork and they thrive in the midst of change.  While listening to Abby Wambach’s book Wolfpack, I was inspired by the soccer star’s musings on wolves as a [...]

(Dear Reader, The inspiration for this blog came from co-teaching a New Year’s Day class with Anna Ottolino. Anna and I wished to convey that our yoga practice should aid us in growing and evolving. That we should greet, rather than gloss over negative emotions such as anger and frustration--that such sentiments are excellent teachers when we move through them rather than avoid them. While putting together our class plans, we reflected on the roles people play and how it’s familiar to “stuff” emotions. Suggestion #4 (below) came from the book Anna shared during our January 1st class. I hope [...]

Dear TBY Community, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a fierce inner battle."  While I would not wish the experiences of grief or loss on anyone, I'm confident that my traumas have increased my ability to put this familiar saying into practice. According to emotion researchers, empathy is the ability to imagine what another might be feeling or thinking. Author Brene´Brown sums up the difference between sympathy and empathy with excellent insight. She suggests that instead of offering silver linings to those who've befallen heartbreak, we might say, "I know what it's like to experience pain and I'm [...]

A Letter of Thanks from Andrew Gurvey 11/26/2020 Dear TBY Yoga Community, 2020 has certainly been a challenging year for all of us.  I’m always careful when I make a blanket statement like that, but with the onset of COVID-19, a heavily divided and vicious political climate, a record number of natural disasters (all of which are record-setting in and of themselves), and the resultant effect that we are essentially isolated from one another and have to adapt to new ways of creating connections. This is a powerful time, indeed, and a scary one.  For me, it’s easy to get [...]

Poem by Walterrean Salley Be good to yourself— You deserve it. Take care of yourself  While you're here. No one else can do it Better than you. Hold yourself up.  Don't be your worst enemy. Nor a 'self hater, ' Like some love to do. Live and enjoy life. Look in the mirror and smile. Believe that good things Will happen for you. Be grateful that you were  A candidate for life. And let such gratitude Show. Make the best choices for yourself. Exercise. Rest. And eat properly. For on such things the body thrives. Love yourself,  And then you [...]

Educational Resources for Beginning to Understand More of America's History to Stand Up Against Racism By Julia Jonson For racial healing to begin, understanding has to happen first. As yoga teachers, our job is to have compassion and teach awareness, which fosters empathy. Protests in favor of racial equality erupted after former police officer Derek Chauvin was caught on camera kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. Chauvin faces charges in the killing that lasted close to 9 minutes after Floyd called out for his mother and whispered that he couldn’t breathe.  Protests for racial equality are happening against the backdrop of [...]

In this first episode of TBY Talks, a foursome of friends waxed eloquent on the topic of Overcoming Obstacles. We felt it a timely topic as we collectively weather a global pandemic, social unrest, a historic election, and much more. TBY Co-Owners Julia Jonson and Andrew Gurvey had an enlightening conversation with TBY student Kadi Petridis and her fiancé Dr. Willie Underwood (bios below!). We hope this complimentary episode touches your life in some way.  https://youtu.be/82VY-Z4v62E Kadi Petridis Kadi Petridis was born in Bamako, Mali, to a black Malian mother and a white American father who served in the Peace Corps in [...]

By Kadi Petridis Sr. Director/Team Lead South Central Oncology Account Management Team Pfizer, Inc. (TBY Yoga Student/Guest Contributor) A women’s group at my company invited me to write a blog post on the topic of Joy earlier this year. At the time I had no idea we would be in the midst of a global pandemic as well as a major call to action led by citizens across the globe to address the issues of police brutality and systemic racism in the United States.  Both issues are a stark reminder that life as we know it can and will shift [...]

By Deb Shults (Julia's Aunt, Psychotherapist LIMHP, Yoga Teacher) Hi! My name is Deb Shults. Some of you may ‘know’ me from zoom TBY Yoga classes as Julia Jonson’s Aunt Deb. That is a role I cherish but just one of many. I am a wife of 45 years, mom of 3 and grandma to 7. I am a retired mental health therapist, yoga instructor, foster care board member and amateur tennis buff. I am telling you all this as a preface to my contributing to the TBY Yoga staff as a guest blogger. My yoga journey began in 2006 [...]