Yoga Journal

What do you remember most about summer? Perhaps it’s cookouts and campfires. Zooming around on bikes and scooters and skateboards. Splashing in the pool, playing in the sun, and gazing at the stars. Good times! So why should they just be memories? There will always be plenty of opportunities for adulting. (Too many of them, if you ask us.) In this issue, we give you permission to break out of your routine and do something out of the ordinary. In “Are We Having Fun Yet?” (page 78), Jennifer Davis-Flynn explains how she shook up her yoga routine by trying some playful styles that are a little outside of the box. She practiced yoga while flying, swinging, and dancing. Her verdict: Trying a new type of yoga can invigorate your practice. Speaking of…

I have had the rich, rich experience of some of the most amazing yoga teachers. Thank you, to all of you. I have learned from you. You know how I know? As a teacher, I am receiving feedback from students about new self-discoveries. So, so grateful.—Sandy Weatherall Nanaimo, British Columbia, CanadaI LOVE MY FELLOW YOGA TEACHER TRAINING PEEPS! WE STARTED THE TRAINING AS STRANGERS; FOUR MONTHS LATER, WE WERE FAMILY. WE PRACTICE TOGETHER AND TAKE EACH OTHERS’ CLASSES REGULARLY! THEY TRULY ARE SOME OF THE KINDEST, MOST TALENTED YOGIS I KNOW.—Kim MacPherson, Milton, GAI love my yoga community! My friends and I started a club on our college campus, and it has been so much fun meeting new people and making yoga more accessible to students. It’s beginner-friendly and open…

MOVEMENT Sore muscles respond to movement and physical manipulation. Gently kneading and moving your body to lengthen tight muscles can help reduce aches and pains. Stretch: Take time before and after any physical activity to stretch your muscles. If you’ve been sitting around all winter, try a Figure-4 Stretch, standing quad stretches, and Pigeon Pose (with props, if desired), to release stiff hips. Self-massage: Use a tennis ball to massage sore muscles. Sit, stand, or lie with your body against a firm surface. Press the ball between the surface and the muscle you’re targeting. Lean into it; roll the ball around to reach different parts of the muscle. You can also roll it like a rolling pin over sore spots. Manual lymph drainage: This practice can reduce swelling in overworked muscles—especially in your legs.…

Patanjali defined the purpose of yoga as managing the fluctuations of the mind. But when you’re teaching a class in New York City’s Central Park, rogue Frisbees, curious pigeons, and thumping subwoofers are hurdles to maintaining focus that Patanjali certainly never faced. In parks, as in life, we’re all sharing space. So if you’re teaching outdoors, these strategies for combating distractions can allow you and your students to enjoy your time in the sun. 1 FOCUS ON YOUR STUDENTS No matter how annoyed I might become at distractions, that feeling goes away the instant I remember that my number one job is to hold a safe space for my students. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna states that when the mind wanders, we must bring our attention back to being under control of the…

SUE ANNE PARSONS: I started the first yoga studio in Santa Barbara in 1986. Three years later, Jim came in for a yoga class. We fell in love, got married later that year, and have been teaching yoga together ever since. Jim had two children, Janelle and Jeremy, and yoga naturally became a part of our family’s life. When I got pregnant with Lauren, we offered prenatal yoga. As our children got older, we started teaching kids’ yoga classes. The demand for yoga increased, and we needed teachers, so we started teacher trainings. Everything just grew organically and magically. As our lives blossomed, so did our practice In 1992, our twins, Emily and Jessica, were born. When we were told that Jessica had Down syndrome, it set us on a journey that…

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