Craig Stoflet

His Yoga Journey

I was first introduced to yoga around ten years ago, most likely through a girlfriend at the time, however I did not continue my yoga practice on a regular basis. More recently, I started practicing yoga approx. once a week, however I never viewed yoga as my primary form of exercise and considered it more of a side dish.

From approx. March 2020 thru July 2020 I was unable to practice yoga due to coronavirus until I found Sol Yoga. After my first practice with Lucy I can not recall a time my body felt so good and so sore the following day. Initially, I started coming to Sol Yoga more frequently in order to try and offset my power lifting routine, although soon I truly felt the majority of my strength gains were coming from my yoga practice. Currently, I'm in the studio approx. 4 times a week for the past three months and still after every practice my body is so sore but in such a great way.

Like most yogis, I always enjoy practicing what I consider myself good at, but very much appreciate the class dynamic at Sol Yoga. I feel most confident doing/demonstrating back and shoulder flexibility, as well as some inversion techniques. I'm excited to continue my yoga practice and to continue my path toward total body strength and flexibility, hopefully one day mastering the grueling toe squat!

Paul De Leon

His Yoga Journey

I first tried yoga a couple a year's ago because I was having back problems, but I completely fell off after short time. Fast forward to 2020 and I continue to have back and joint pain so I build some courage and made it to one of the classes here at SOL yoga and fell in love with it all. I enjoy coming in to the studio and learning from the teachers and my community, on how to work on my self thru breathing stretching and meditation. Ying yang if definitely one of my favorite styles, it's the best of both worlds. Warrior II is my favorite pose it makes me feel strong and fearless while working on my foundation. I attend class 3 or 4 times a week more or less. At the end of the day I'm glad I found yoga, it really helps me stay calm and healthy in my fast pace life. I look forward to my endless journey in yoga! I'm happy I can teach my daughter all this!

Katie Summerfield

Her Yoga Journey

I first started my yoga journey because I wanted to try to calm my mind and my body and I thought that yoga would be a great place to start. Once I started I fell in love with yoga and kept practicing from there. I have noticed a huge difference in how calm I have become. One of my favorite things about yoga is how my practice on the mat translates into my every day Life off the mat. Yoga has taught me to process information about my body and to respond without judgement instead of reacting. Yoga has also taught me to always breath no matter what! I try to practice 5 times a week or as much as my schedule allows. My favorite yoga class is Vinyasa, but my appreciation for Yin yoga has really grown as I learn to breath more. I am very grateful for this studio and hope to see everyone in class!

Nancy Sells

Her Yoga Journey

I am a breast cancer survivor and like many, I found yoga after chemo and radiation to assist with healing. A whole new world opened up for me!

The practice of yoga has taught me 3 key things (and many more but let’s keep it to three for now):

-patience (really needed that as a single mom of 2 girls)

-how to breath (pranayama) which is my cure for all

-how to listen.

This picture, taken at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel CA, exemplifies all three of the above. Half Moon requires patience (go in to it slowly) and deep breathing (which promotes no judgment of how I am doing in the pose) and listening (behind me were dolphins in the Pacific Ocean below - and they were talking to me!)

Yoga offers peace and changes my energy with each practice. I like setting a sankalpa at the start of each class. My goal is to practice at least 3 times per week (always morning) no matter who the teacher is and no matter the style of class. I finish refreshed, restored and renewed.

michaela martinez

Her Yoga Journey

The first time I practiced yoga was a Jivamukti class in 2003 in the Denver area. I loved the combination of music (like, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin!) with the practice of asana and meditation with chanting. I practiced many types of yoga for about seven years and then life caught up and I eventually stopped going. After a major life event and more anxiety and stress than I could handle, I decided to start practicing regularly again in April of 2019. I gained a significant amount of weight with all of the stress, chronic health issues, age, and life at that time and needed to work hard to get myself back to a place I felt comfortable with. In the beginning, I practiced sometimes seven days a week while walking four miles a day for cardio exercise and grounding. Since my journey back started, I have lost 42 pounds and have a stronger practice than I ever had before. It is one that is more "inward" focused. Yoga has always settled my nervous system in a way that nothing else could. I needed it in my life more than I ever knew. Now I understand how important it is for me and my physical and mental health. Since I began practicing regularly again last year, I have managed to keep doing yoga 4-5 days a week (even in the pandemic) and have found strength I never thought I could feel again. Mentally and physically! My relationship with my mind and body have grown significantly.

Being able to practice in community (safely from six feet away from my peers and teachers!) brings a level of intimacy with my practice that I can't explain. There is nothing like community support from peers and teachers! I love to practice Vinyasa classes with a few not-so-common poses in there to challenge me each time. My favorite relaxing pose is Baddha Konasana (Cobbler's Pose) and my favorite hard poses usually come from any balance pose to remind me that I will always have a new challenge each time I practice. Nothing stays the same. I am grateful to practice in community again with like-minded individuals and plan to see you in class!