“Now we are in the test,” is something Carl’s Japanese host mom wrote to him in the beginning weeks of COVID. It’s something that’s stuck with me because this test seems to be getting longer, harder and trickier than we’d ever imagined. It’s a test of ethics, of looking outside and beyond ourselves. . My teaching messages tend to be simple: “Breathe. Be here. This is a gift.” It’s not quirky or cool, but it’s the truth. And it has become appallingly apparent that to breathe is a privilege in this country. COVID-19, a respiratory infection, takes breath away. Police brutality unjustly takes the breath away from countless Black people. Systemic racism is taking the collective breath away from entire BIPOC communities. . I have been grieving the death of my parents and sister for 25 years. This grief washes over me every time I read the news and learn of another innocent Black person’s death, the disturbing injustices, or learn of the rising COVID death numbers, which disproportionately affects BIPOC communities. . Yoga classes generally begin by focusing on the breath, and close by ending in corpse pose. We re-enact the circle of life and learn yogic lessons within one class. Yoga is called a “practice.” Turns out it’s been a practice all along for this test. And for perhaps for the first time in years, I am listening to my own words: “Breathe. Be here. This is a gift.”
Black Lives Matter.
COVID blues were very real yesterday. 😖 Sometimes the fear, pain & anger of it all just take over. I know grief, depression & uncertainty all too well and it breaks my heart that so many people near and far are feeling these things and living this reality. 💔 I’m feeling a bit better today. Nine hours of sleep and my new water pillow (they exist!) certainly helped. Teaching has also been my saving grace during this time. To be able to provide space to pause and feel has proved incredibly powerful for me and I hope maybe you too. 🧘🏼‍♀️ I’m getting ready to teach restorative yoga today at 5:00pm on my YouTube channel with all donations benefitting @bradleyanglepdx. Please join me if you can or enjoy it when your schedule allows. Share the class far and wide. We all need little moments of peace to get through this insanity. 💕
Grab your props! It’s time for some weekly restorative yoga. Join me today, Wednesday, at 5pm PST for some gentle and relaxing movement on my new YouTube channel (link in bio). Can’t join me live? I’ll upload it afterwards so you can take class on your own schedule. 🙏
I walked around the industrial district near where I live the other day to pick up some goodies from some of my favorite local businesses: @sasquatchbrewery, @greatnotionnw, & @freelandspirits...cheers! 🍻 • I had @csciacchitano recreate this photo (swipe ➡️) and let me tell you, it is not glamorous 😷. • I have been really gentle and compassionate with myself, as I hope you have been too, as I navigate the pandemic. Along with millions of Americans, I am out of work and worried about my friends, family, and community. I have talked about wanting to teach restorative yoga for 5 years and truly think rest is what we all desperately need right now. So I’m putting this out there on a public forum so I actually do it...won’t you join me Wednesday’s at 5:00pm for restorative yoga? More details to come.
🚨pop-up class 🚨 Saturday 4/4 at 9am over on @natoricompany IGTV! More information 👇 Repost @natoricompany ・・・ Wellness with #Natori—> Join us tomorrow 4/4 at 12 Noon ET for yoga with @galentorreyoga on Instagram Live. 60min class open to all levels. The class is free, but we encourage any donations to charities supporting Covid-19. Here are some we recommend: •WHO Covid Response Fund - https://bit.ly/2x2eD0d •Direct Relief - https://bit.ly/2R64iHG •American Red Cross - https://rdcrss.org/3dUPJQL •Meals on Wheels - https://bit.ly/2UZZrZx
TBT (because honestly who knows what day it is anyway) three years ago today I was being silly in Joshua Tree at a friend’s bachelorette. If you would’ve told me three years ago that we’d be social distancing as the country tries to contain a pandemic health crisis I wouldn’t have believed you. In the past 2 weeks I’ve bitten all my nails off and the bags under my eyes have seem to expanded... 🙅🏼‍♀️ So I’m reaching out to this community to ask: what is keeping you sane in the middle of all this? ••• and what is it that we, the yoga community, can do for you? • The @yoyoyogis team is working tirelessly behind the scenes to get classes online stat...in fact, I’m teaching a class tomorrow 😬 so stay tuned!
Rainy day fuel ☕️ subbing 4:15pm 🔥, won’t you join me?
I know Valentine’s Day is long gone but I finally got the chance to sit down and read the notes from my box last week. I always hope to resonate with people when I’m teaching, but honestly some days it’s hard to tell 🤷🏼‍♀️. Thank you for the sweet notes friends 💕 it means a lot.
This wonderful group of colleagues from @tonyschocolonely_us has joined me for class almost every Thursday at 12:15pm since January 2018. I always looked forward to seeing them and soaking in their collective positivity (and delicious 🍫). Tony’s is relocating to NYC and they are all off to different adventures so yesterday was our final class all together (missed you Peter!). ❤️ My heart always feels a little sad when students move away (I didn’t realize how often this would happen as a yoga teacher...😿!) and I will miss this group a lot. Keep on supporting their worthy cause in making chocolate 100% slave free...love you guys! 😘
Hey! I’ve been stepping in for the Wednesday 4:15pm hot class the past few months and today will be my last time teaching this class before @topknotpdx takes it over permanently next week. Would love to see you on the mat today @yoyoyogis!
Six years ago today I walked into @yoyoyogis for the first time. I had recently moved to Portland and decided to take the $9 Hour O Power class with Angy. I hadn’t exercised regularly in years and that class was ridiculously challenging for me. I remember thinking the teacher’s requests were insane (“is she outta her mind?!” I’d screamed in my head)...and yet I’ve never really left. In fact, Hour O Power is one of my favorite classes on the schedule taught by one of my favorite people, @ijallen! 🌟 I look back at this time (and photos of myself from this time) as a deeply transformational point in my life. A time of great growing pains, huge leaps of faith, and a lot of time spent at @yoyoyogis. ✨ Six years later it feels the same but different.
⚡️Accessibility & Yoga:⚡️ This is a hot topic *in some circles* in the yoga community right now and one that I've been learning and thinking about a lot the past year or so thanks to studying with @alexandriacrowyoga and @livingyogaor. Like most important topics, accessibility is deeply intertwined in issues of race, class, culture, religion...the list goes on and on. 💗 As I've learned more, I've done my best to incorporate different elements to make my classes more accessible like offering shapes that are inherently more available (and less fancy) to all humans in terms of functional range of motion, cueing with more props, using empowering language, providing lots of options and pose variations, and repeatedly reminding students that they have agency over their body and experience and can do whatever they need to do while they are in class. While all of these things are an improvement, I know I've just scratched the surface, AND all of these elements are only even applicable to English speakers, as I teach in English. 🌟 Today, I got teary as @ninoskameza1 taught a beautiful donation based yoga class in Spanish to a full room of both native Spanish speakers and those with some Spanish knowledge. Language is a huge barrier to access and Nino offered a gentle and accessible practice to a different community. Thank you to both Nino and @yoyoyogis for today's gift.
Four hours spent in a yoga classroom today. Body is tired but heart is full.
It’s so dreary out 🌧 and I’m so ready to curl up with these books this weekend! I heard of both of these books through one of my absolute favorite podcasts by @realfoodwholelife. ⭐️ I read half of @priyaparker’s book from the library (3 weeks is never long enough!) and knew I needed to purchase it. It is amazing food for thought for #retreatprep. 💗 I listened to @kellymariemcgonigal’s episode on Robyn’s podcast yesterday and knew I needed to purchase her book ASAP as a movement teacher. Such refreshing, sane and researched information...I’m excited to dive in 🤓
Woo...life is full these days! All the more reason to spend 15 minutes receiving body work from @cuppingstudio and spending extra cuddles #gazpachothecat
We are officially ✨SOLD OUT✨ for our upcoming retreat in May @heavenandearthretreats! We hope to continue to offer meaningful events and retreats so please DM us your email to get on our interest list 🥰 📸: @katalinaberbariphotography
Grateful for 15 minutes of relaxation today and all the cool people I’ve met through this work. Thank you @cuppingqueenpdx!