All in Consciousness

Max Strom: How To Find Your Purpose

By Courtney Aldor

Enter Max Strom. Max is the author of There is No App for Happiness, and A Life Worth Breathing.  He’s spoken at TEDx and for Fortune 500 on the ethics of business and leads mindfulness workshops world-wide. When I heard was he was doing a talk at Yogaworks on finding our life’s purpose, I was intrigued. Maybe he'd help me figure out what to busy myself with. And after all, dear readers, which one of you doesn't want to know your life purpose? According to Strom, the answer is deceivingly simple...

Lighten Up!! It’s OK To Laugh In Yoga

By Katie Lucas

As an instructor, my greatest accomplishment isn’t sending home a room of sweaty people. My greatest accomplishment is when I can get my students to laugh. As the Co-Founder of Ohm K, a women’s wellness apparel brand specializing in cheeky yoga tank tops and empowering messages, I’m all about bringing some levity to my workout...

No Means No, Even In Yoga

By Courtney Aldor

Not too long ago, in what was supposed to be a Meditation class, a friend and I were in an uncomfortable situation.  Flanked by women of various ages, we were instructed by the man leading class to roll around on the floor and moan.  When he commanded us to do it ‘louder’, ‘harder’, and ‘more’, and shamed us by suggesting we ‘notice our sexual repression’, the women followed suit by re-enacting orgasms for him...

The Prison Yoga Project In Uganda

By Leyla Ahmet

Unresolved trauma stays locked in the body. The body holds onto painful memories that are not dealt with and we can hold stress in our bodies as well. Many even hold armor around the heart to protect it from loss and hurt. This is where the power of yoga can help us heal, the magic gets to happen. As we stretch and strengthen the body, we begin to create space for movement, space for letting go and space for change...

Into The Heart With Saul David Raye

By Erika van Gemeren

After taking Saul David Raye's class at Shakti Fest this year, I wanted to know more and I wanted to dig deeper. I was curious to see what Saul had to share outside of the yoga room! He is a humble teacher who emanates love, it seems as if he lives and breathes his practices in all aspects of his life...

4 Rules Of The Mat For Self-Development

By M Ryan Saldiver

In our Yoga mat practice, it’s important to remember we’re not pushing for perfection, but excellence.  Aristotle said “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly...

Shiva Rea On Cultivating Lunar Sadhana (Or Listening To Our Bodies And Slowing Down!)

By Courtney Aldor

Ok, so I’m in NYC right now, missing the Bay Area every minute of every day.  Which is why, when I heard about Devaa Haley Mitchell’s free online Inspiring Women with Soul event on the Shift Network, I jumped at the opportunity to connect with that NorCal yogi spirit and inspiring women everywhere.  My alarm went off for Shiva Rea’s talk...

Monica Parks: 5 Steps To Create Abundance

By Colleen Crowley

Tucked away in one of those unassuming single-story white wooden Presidio buildings is SenSpa, one of SF’s hidden gems.  Recently, Monica Parks, a Lead Massage Therapist at SenSpa, gave a talk on how to incorporate spa-like treatments and therapies into our daily lives to maintain health and wellness between visits through a feeling of abundance...

6 Steps From Trauma To Dharma From Sat Nam Fest

By Colleen Crowley

Overall, Sat Nam Fest was a rich experience of divine music, delicious food, and all the Kundalini Yoga you could hope for.  It was one potent workshop after another packed into 5 days in the beautiful desert of Joshua Tree.  From Wha Kundalini Dance classes to holding space with Jai Dev Singh, there seemed to be a common theme for this year’s festival: how to heal trauma.