The Business of Yoga (part 4) is all about the importance of networking. As I explained to the Flow Yoga Center yoga teacher trainees yesterday in Washington, DC, word-of-mouth continues to be an essential key to locking in private and corporate yoga clients since starting abellaYoga nearly eight years ago. Face-to-face connections in today’s social media/texting world seem to often get pushed to the side. It’s far easier to hide behind a computer screen and promote yourself vs. physically … [Read more...]
Sh*t Happens, So Be In It
For those of you that know me, this blog post title is probably a surprise. For those of you that don't know me well, let me state upfront I don't curse (well at least not 99.9% of the time). Thanks to my parents & grandparents, I'm just not a fan of it. Though I'm sure we can all admit every now and then it's appropriate because every now and then sh*t happens! Stuff happens all the time, right? You've made it through airport security and you find out your flight is delayed 3 hours, … [Read more...]
The Business of Yoga (part 3)
Part of the fun of being a small business owner is every single day is different. And as much as I am in control of my own schedule, sometimes I'm just not. Running a business forces you to learn how to literally "go with the flow." For instance, this morning I had a private yoga client cancel which opened up time for me to blog. After this, I'll head into Washington, DC (in the pouring rain) and teach a corporate yoga class. I love what I do. I also love that on Fridays my day is done by … [Read more...]
Santosha – Discovered in a Bad Yoga Class
"By contentment, supreme joy is gained." sutra 2.42 "Niyama consists of purity, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study, and self-surrender. sutra 2.32 Santosha is Sanskrit for contentment. The word contentment/santosha is first mentioned in The Yoga Sutras among the list of five niyamas (sutra 2.32). Side note: My take on the niyamas is they guide our internal compass. They're ethical principles (or observances) that strengthen our character and guide us to live life in the … [Read more...]
OM, OM, OM (sutra 1.27 & 1.28)
Yesterday morning after my 20 minute pranayama & meditation practice I picked up The Yoga Sutras and thought "I will open them and whatever sutra my finger lands on I will write about that sutra this week." My first attempt I landed on sutra 2.7 (attachment) which I recently wrote about. My second attempt I landed on sutra 1.27: The expression of Ishwara is the mystic sound of OM. (Note OM is God's name as well as form). Two thoughts crossed my mind 1) Oh no, I'm not going to get into … [Read more...]
Being Yoga (sutra 2.2 – 2.9)
With yoga studios popping up on every corner in Washington, DC and Arlington, VA these days, there's definitely a lot of talk about going to yoga. Jump online or open a magazine and you are sure to find talk about doing yoga. Stand in the midst of voices buzzing at your local coffee shop and you'll hear people chatting "Do you do yoga? I do yoga. I'm going to yoga. I went to yoga." Blah, blah, blah. On my morning dog walk yesterday it hit me that I don't do yoga and I surely don't go to … [Read more...]