Author: Laura

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MY JOURNEY TO YOGA RETREAT SPECIALIST PART 3: YOGA

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Let the yoga begin!

Or not. My path to becoming a yoga teacher was not exactly paved with cushy yoga mats!

Fitness took me pretty far in life. If you read part 2 of my story, you know it got me through being a somewhat lost stay-at-home mom, through a rough divorce, and on to a real career in an industry I loved.

As my career progressed and led me to management roles in my company, it also brought me to becoming a yoga teacher. Sort of.

Yoga had begun to expand out of the studio environment and into mainstream big-box gyms, with increasing popularity. It was my job to decide what to put on all my gym schedules and I felt like it was important to really know what each class was about. The best way to explain something to someone else is to have done it yourself!

So I took classes.

Lots of them. I took classes with well-known very popular teachers. I took classes at my gym, at other gyms, at studios, and at industry conferences.

And I really hated it!

I felt like the classes went too fast. There was not much time to get into and out of each asana and then we were on to the next one.

I found it challenging because I didn’t know what the asanas were, especially since many of the teachers used the Sanskrit names for the poses and I had no idea what they were talking about.

There was also very little instruction on proper form and execution, allowing for some really atrocious postures. In my case, as a chronic migraine sufferer, this lack of information led to me coming away with a migraine almost every time I took a class!

I had given up on ever really enjoying yoga.

I’d basically written it off as one of those forms of movement that were just not for me.

Eventually, one of my colleagues and longtime friends in fitness invited me to come to her class. Doris Thews and I shared a lot of similarities in both our personal and professional lives. What I knew about Doris is that her background in teaching mirrored my own. If anyone could make yoga make sense to me, it would be her. What did I have to lose?

What I learned changed my mind about yoga forever.

The approach that Doris took in teaching the class was different than what I had experienced so far. She acknowledged that she wasn’t the most flexible person in the world, but that yoga didn’t care. She noted that some people may be more or less flexible than her and that was okay; each of us should work to our own ability.

As we dove into the class, Doris took time to explain how to move into, hold, and transition out of each asana. Suddenly I didn’t feel like my shoulders were up in my ears during every down dog! Her simple explanation of how to perform the movement (in English!) made all the difference in whether I got a migraine or not.

Having the right teacher makes all the difference.

After that experience, I began to get the yoga fever. Practicing yoga in a way that made sense to me made all the difference.

As a matter of fact, the whole reason I created the What Kind of Yogi Are YOU quiz was to help other people take a shortcut to finding that right fit. It’s not about what style of yoga might like. It’s all about finding a teacher with an approach to yoga that matches your vibe.

My next step was to learn more about it. I read up on it. I took more classes. Eventually, I decided to become a certified yoga teacher.

I even used it in coaching people to work through stress, anxiety, and trauma. One of the principles of yoga is service. If you want to know where you can best serve people, you look at your own wounds. Well, I had quite a background in divorce, parental alienation, and religious trauma. Yoga has helped me and helped me to support others in working through these issues.

Now we are up to speed!

Well, almost.

In the fourth and final part of this series, I will share how I went from a successful fitness executive to a yoga retreat specialist.

See you in part 4!

P.S. Let’s be besties!! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and join the LAYLO Shala to get the latest news and insider goodies 😍

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MY JOURNEY TO YOGA RETREAT SPECIALIST PART 2: FITNESS

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Fitness: the final frontier?

Starting a career in fitness was a scary step but one of the best moves I ever made. It doesn’t seem like it should be all that scary, but if you read the first part of my story, it makes sense. After all, fitness was probably a given in the post-Armageddon world I was raised to believe was right around the corner. Teaching people fitness would possibly be deemed as a waste of time.

In addition, I had two young kids at home and a (now ex) husband who was uncomfortable with me creating something that I loved, something that had the potential for me to no longer need him. However, I have yet to meet another person as determined (read: stubborn) as me. Getting into the fitness industry became my light at the end of the tunnel and I was going for it!

Narcissists don’t like it when you have anything outside of the world they want you to live in.

Nor do extremely controlling religions.

My ex would pick epic arguments with me about my neglect of the family each time I would leave for the twice-weekly 3-hour classes I was taking to learn to teach fitness.

My classes fell on the same night as 2 of the 3 weekly religious gatherings that we typically attended. There was a considerable amount of talk about how I was falling away and becoming unduly influenced by worldly ways and greed.

I ignored it.

Fitness allowed me to help people make the deeper change I was longing for as a hairdresser.

Once I got through the mayhem of 3 months of training to be an instructor, things started to get good. Great, actually. While it was nerve-wracking initially to step into the role of group fitness instructor, I quickly got over it and really loved to see the changes in my students!

I saw people lose weight, grow stronger, have fun doing even while doing something hard, and gain self-confidence. This was the satisfaction I was looking for! My students were actually living better, more fulfilling lives now that they could participate in activities that previously felt too hard. Even playing with their kids or grandkids was a struggle for some. They felt better in their own skin – ready to try new things and grow as people.

This is the secret that fitness instructors don’t talk about.

While they are empowering their students, they are being empowered as well.

The same thing happened to me! All the things I was seeing in my students, I began to experience myself.

I tend to be somewhat driven in the things I am passionate about and fitness was no exception. My devotion to fitness began to open doors for me. Management opportunities began to come my way. My kids were older now – why not explore these possible game-changing chances at a better life?

Then – the brick walls.

My ex. My religion.

This was too much independence for comfort apparently. My ex stepped up his paranoia, following me to and from the gym, checking up on me constantly, making wild accusations, and looping in the Elders – and our 13-year-old daughter – to all the things he thought or at least implied – that I was doing.

None of it was true. The more elaborate his schemes became and supportive of his lies the religion was, I knew it was time to leave both.

It was a much harder choice than the usual “it’s time to go” decision. It meant my family, who do not believe in divorce, would no longer speak to me. The community that I not only grew up in but also kept me separate from others, would no longer be there for me. And worst of all, my daughter had bought into it all.

Leaving meant leaving all of it behind.

Fitness helped me do it all.

I found a full-time job through people I knew from the gym, built up enough savings to file for divorce, and moved forward.

It was a dangerous time. My ex was threatening my life. My former friends now spied on me regularly and reported every move I made back to the Elders and my ex.

Eventually, divorce decree in hand, I moved. 800 miles away. No job, $900 bucks in the bank, 12-year-old son in tow.

The first thing I did? Get some classes to teach! I found a temporary job, and got settled into life in California.

I quickly moved into a management role with the company I was teaching group fitness classes for and just like that, at the age of 40, my full-time fitness career began!

Enter yoga.

It was the beginning of the 2000s and yoga was just starting to make its way into the gym on a regular basis. It was my first real exposure to the practice I now make my full time career.

And I hated it! Tune in to part 3 to find out why – and how it eventually changed my life.

P.S. Let’s be besties!! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and join the LAYLO Shala to get the latest news and insider goodies 😍

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MY JOURNEY TO YOGA RETREAT SPECIALIST

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AKA HOW DID I GET HERE?

I never imagined my life journey would bring me here!

Of all the things I dreamed of being as a kid, being a yoga retreat specialist never entered my mind.

In fact, having a real “career” never entered my mind beyond a daydream fantasy. You see, I grew up in a very religious family, one that truly believed that the world would end at any moment.

Anyyyyy minute now.

So the idea of going to college, of investing in your future in any real way, was really not allowed. I wanted to go college. I had the grades to go. But going would mean my family and my community would turn their backs on me and I would have to seriously rethink what I was continuously told was the “truth”.

So I had to come up with another way that I could earn a living, preferably something that would always be useful, even post-Armageddon. And just to make the journey more eventful, I was the type of person that wanted to actually enjoy my job and feel like I was doing something useful.

The thing that kept coming back to me as a teenager, was how great I felt when I was having a good hair day. I felt more confident, more like me, and I just felt good being in my own skin. That’s actually quite a feat for a teenager!

And so I became…a hairdresser

I mean, the training was relatively quick, and even post-apocalyptic people would want nice hair, right? It seemed perfect. It was the 80’s to boot, a glorious hair decade!

And for a while it was great. The thing is, no matter how amazing a cut I gave, how tight the perm, or even how accomplished my clients were at styling their hair at home, it didn’t last. Hair grows out. That “feeling great in your own skin” feeling was temporary at best.

The impermanence of what I was trying to accomplish in my chosen profession really got to me. Well, that and the laws that allowed smoking indoors. I somehow always had the chain smoker client that wanted a perm, cut, nails, facial – the works – so I was sitting in that toxic haze of smoke, chemicals, and humid air all day. Every day.

Additionally, the best time for clients was nights and weekends. As a newly married 19-year old, (yup, you read that right -19) I would have preferred to spend that time at home with my husband (at least at first. More on that in part 2).

I eventually grew to feel that this was no longer the right job for me. I loved it – but I wanted more. I wanted to help people on a deeper level.

It was time to take my journey in a new direction

But to what? My (now ex) husband wanted me to apply to work at a grocery store or be retail clerk. He didn’t like the idea of me actually enjoying what I did or understand my desire to do something that felt like I was impacting people on a personal level. He just wanted me to make money. I felt pretty stuck.

Stay tuned for part 2 to hear about the next part of my journey.

P.S. Let’s be besties!! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and join the LAYLO Shala to get the latest news and insider goodies 😍

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VINO & VINYASA WINERY TOUR: BRINGING TOGETHER SAVASANA AND SAUVIGNON BLANC

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winery

The lengths we will go to for our clients! 😍 Check out the whirlwind winery tour notes below!

My friend and longtime Temecula resident Christina Hawthorne and I took one for the team. We toured 8 different wineries to find “The One” for the upcoming Vino & Vinyasa Retreat.

Don’t worry friends – sampling was kept to a minimum!

Why Vino & Vinyasa?

I really wanted to offer Vino & Vinyasa as our inaugural event. I wanted to show the fun and social side of yoga. That is the heart of LAYLO yoga & wellness – making yoga something you want to do and enjoy making it a part of your life.

Yoga seems kind of intimidating and serious to a lot of people. I get it – that is an easy impression to get. We see lots of amazing postures being posted on social media and some rather militant ideas on how yoga should be practiced. Amazing to look at, and interesting perspectives to consider.

But not so obtainable by your average Jane.

I politely disagree with those attitudes being presented on social, in studios, and in our own minds. I want to make sure yoga is approachable, doable, and yes, FUN!

Fun was had by all!

We visited Fazeli Cellars Winery, Robert Renzoni Vineyards, Somerset Vinyard & Winery, Altisima Winery, Lorimar Vineyards & Winery, Akash Winery, Mt. Palomar Winery, and Bel Vino Winery.

winery fountain
winery
wine & chocolate

Whew! Talk about speed-dating! We saw so many amazing spaces – all of which embodied the concept of relaxing, self-care, and socializing.

And the winning winery is…

I don’t know yet. As of the writing of this post, I am having conversations with each space to ensure we have incredible value and a fantastic atmosphere.

Give your feedback!

If you have personally visited any of these spaces – or know of a wine venue that embodies “home is where the wine is” drop us a line and spill the tea (or in this case, wine)!

If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to get on the waitlist so you can stay in the know when the dates, venues – and the fun – drop.

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I’M GOING ON A YOGA RETREAT: NOW WHAT?

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Yoga retreats offer a unique opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse oneself in a tranquil and rejuvenating experience.

These retreats provide participants with a chance to deepen their yoga practice, connect with like-minded individuals, and find inner peace.

If you’re considering attending a yoga retreat for the first time, here’s what you can expect from this transformative journey.

Immersive Yoga Practice

At the heart of any yoga retreat lies the daily practice of yoga. Expect to indulge in multiple sessions of various yoga styles, ranging from Hatha and Vinyasa to Kundalini and Yin. Seasoned instructors will guide you through each session, focusing on proper alignment, breathing techniques, and mindfulness. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced yogi, you’ll find classes catered to your skill level.

Serene and Scenic Location

Yoga retreats are typically held in picturesque locations, often surrounded by nature’s beauty. You might find yourself nestled in the mountains, near the ocean, or in a tranquil forest setting. The serene ambiance enhances the experience, helping you disconnect from everyday stress and distractions, and fostering a sense of tranquility and harmony with the environment.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Beyond the physical aspects of yoga, retreats emphasize mindfulness and meditation. Practice mindfulness throughout the day, savor each moment, and be fully present. You will likely take part in guided meditation sessions. Meditation will help you quiet your mind, reduce anxiety, and foster a deeper connection with yourself.

Delicious and Nourishing Cuisine

Most yoga retreats prioritize healthy and nourishing cuisine to support the participants’ well-being. Expect to enjoy delicious vegetarian or vegan meals, often made from locally sourced and organic ingredients. Meals are usually served in a communal setting, providing an opportunity to bond with fellow attendees over shared food experiences.

Community and Connection

Yoga retreats foster a strong sense of community and camaraderie among participants. As you embark on this journey with like-minded individuals, you’ll likely form meaningful connections and build lasting friendships. The supportive and inclusive environment allows you to be yourself and embrace personal growth without judgment.

Free Time for Relaxation and Exploration

While the retreat schedule may be structured, there is also designated free time for relaxation and personal exploration. You can use this time to read a book, take a leisurely stroll, or simply sit in quiet contemplation. Additionally, some retreats may offer excursions to nearby attractions, giving you the chance to explore the local culture and natural beauty.

Emotional Release and Healing

Yoga retreats often provide a safe space for emotional release and healing. The combination of yoga, mindfulness, and a nurturing environment can help participants process emotions, release tension, and find inner peace. Many attendees report feeling more centered, emotionally balanced, and empowered after their retreat experience.

Attending a yoga retreat is a transformative journey that offers a unique opportunity to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. With immersive yoga practices, serene surroundings, mindful meditation, nourishing cuisine, and a supportive community, these retreats provide an enriching experience. Expect to return home with a renewed sense of self, a deeper understanding of yoga, and a profound connection to your inner being. If you’re ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth, a yoga retreat may be just what your soul needs.

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6 KEYS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED YOGA

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Trauma-informed yoga is a specialized approach to yoga that considers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals who have experienced trauma.

Each class or session is designed to create a safe and supportive environment for you and aims to avoid triggering any distressing experiences or emotions that may be associated with trauma.

What is Trauma?

Trauma refers to a distressing or disturbing event or series of events that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope, leaving them feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and emotionally or physically harmed. Traumatic experiences can be of various types and intensity, and they may be physical, emotional, or psychological in nature.

Common Examples of Traumatic Events Include but are not limited to:

  1. Physical abuse or assault
  2. Emotional or psychological abuse
  3. Sexual abuse or assault
  4. Natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods)
  5. Accidents (e.g., car crashes)
  6. Combat experiences (in military personnel)
  7. Witnessing violence or death
  8. Serious illnesses or medical procedures
  9. Loss of a loved one
  10. Bullying or harassment

These types of events can have profound and long-lasting effects on an individual’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It can disrupt normal coping mechanisms and lead to a range of emotional responses, such as fear, anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, or shame. Additionally, trauma can also impact memory, relationships, and overall functioning.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a recognized mental health condition that can develop following exposure to a traumatic event. However, not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD.

It’s important to understand that people respond differently to traumatic experiences, and what may be traumatic for one person may not be the same for another. Seeking professional help and support from mental health professionals is crucial for individuals dealing with the effects of trauma. Treatment options can include therapy, counseling, and, in some cases, medication to help manage symptoms and promote healing.

Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Yoga:

Safety and Choice: A Trauma-Informed Yoga teacher will create a safe and non-threatening environment. You are free to make choices throughout the practice, such as modifying poses or taking breaks as needed.

Empowerment: Participants will feel empowered! Teachers will give them a sense of control over their bodies and experiences. They use invitational language, allowing participants to explore sensations and movements at their own pace.

Awareness of Triggers: Your teacher will be aware of and avoid potential triggers and language or guiding practices that may be upsetting to you if you have a trauma background.

Body Awareness and Sensation: Connect with your body in a gentle and supportive manner. You will focus more on body awareness and sensation, rather than achieving specific poses.

Mindfulness and Breath: Mindfulness techniques and breathwork can help individuals regulate their nervous system and cope with stress and anxiety. This is a crucial part of trauma-informed practice.

Grounding and Centering: Teachers will guide you to feel more grounded and present in the moment. This might be especially helpful if you experience dissociation or feelings of being disconnected from your body.

Specialty Trained Teachers are a Must

Trauma-informed yoga teachers typically undergo specialized training to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of trauma on the body and mind. We approach students with sensitivity, compassion, and deep respect for each individual’s unique healing process.

It’s important to note that trauma-informed yoga is not meant to replace therapy or other trauma-focused treatments but can be used as a complementary practice to support healing and resilience. If someone has experienced trauma and is considering participating in a trauma-informed yoga class, it’s advisable to discuss it with a mental health professional to ensure it aligns with their specific needs and healing journey.

Want to Immerse Yourself?

A yoga retreat is just the thing to reboot yourself, mind, body, and soul. Not sure what to expect? Check out this article or visit our Retreat page!