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By Julia Jonson It’s hard to miss Paul Stonchus when he walks into a room. At Total Body Yoga, he’s the very tall blonde guy who rarely misses his regular classes. He gets out all of his props and finds a spot on the front row, then gives it his all. Paul says he was born this way and that his mom always encouraged him to just get out there and do it in spite of the fact that he has Cerebral Palsy. Paul was born in 1960. He suffered a collapsed lung during birth, which created a lack of [...]

By Holly Aronoff Today marks the nine-year anniversary of the documentary titled One Day on Earth that was filmed 10-10-10 with footage of virtually every country on the planet chronicling the events of one single day. The filmmaker, Kyle Ruddick, who organized the documentary, edited footage from approximately 192 countries—-involving more than 7,000 people. The film's creators categorized everything into different segments according to activities, which featured babies being born, people falling in love, getting married, going to prison, dying from illness, soldiers marching, people making music, the art of dancing, preparing and eating food, consumption and shopping, disposing of [...]

By Jon Saesan The moon turns its clockwork dream. The biggest stars look at me with your eyes. And as I love you, the pines in the wind want to sing your name with their leaves of wire. -Pablo Neruda When I planted my garden in the spring I was filled with anticipation and expectations of what my cultivation would bare. I spent the rest of spring and most of the summer raising two young children, in yoga teacher training, working nights as a Hospice nurse, reading, reflecting on my inner self, learning how to love, vacationing with my family, [...]

Dear TBY Community,Since I have become an Executive Leadership Coach, I have learned how to speak to student’s hearts and minds in a way that stimulates their curiosity and has every possibility of leading them towards steady behavioral growth. This, combined with all the functional movement and strength training that Desiree is learning, makes a powerful vibration raising combination.We offer these mini teacher training programs in studios, such as Total Body Yoga, that are dedicated to increasing the level of studentship and education as well as leading their students.We sincerely hope that you will join us and experience the difference an [...]

Dear Total Body Yoga Community, Andrew (Rivin) and I are looking forward to spending some time with you all this November. Our hope is that these three days of training will change your practice forever. We have each had over 30 years of experience studying and practicing Iyengar and Anusara Yoga, two very established alignment-based yoga methods. Over the course of our time on the mat, through all the ups and downs that 30 years brings to the human body, we have each explored, encountered and excavated our practice to keep our bodies and minds as sharp and strong as [...]

By Anna OttolinoA while back I came across the quote below:“Pain travels through family lines until someone is ready to heal it in themselves. By going through the agony of healing, you no longer pass the poison chalice onto the generations that follow. It’s incredibly important and sacred work.”Very powerful words! Ever since I read this quote, I see examples of passed down pain in friends, clients, family and of course in myself and have been pondering the healing process...So where do we go from here? How do we actually heal? Here’s what I came up with from help from teachers, [...]

By Julia Jonson Yoga teaches that wholeness and happiness are our birthrights. Yet, in our hyperconnected, hyper-busy, mobile-device culture, it feels like inner peace is a pipe dream. Sure, online activities carry countless benefits such as instant access to a dizzying array of information, a swift sense of direction (would we be lost without Google Maps?), warp-speed Amazon delivery, food orders at our fingertips, and flashy verbs like Ubering. Yet, offline endeavors, the ones that don’t feed our desire for instant gratification, still nourish us the most—watching the sunset, reading a book, enjoying nature, or lunching with a loved one. [...]

I have a longstanding friendship with Mary Schooley, one of the teachers at our studio and a pillar in the TBY community. Since this is her last official week at the studio, I wanted to commemorate it by writing a little bit about my dear friend. It goes without saying that Mary has been an incredible asset to TBY and its students.  As a teacher, she exemplifies what it means to be a team player to her fellow teachers and a model of what it means to be a good person.  Her soul has always shined through an emanation of [...]

Take the Summer Challenge with our  Summer Package Special!! If you are looking for motivation to commit more deeply to practicing this summer, then take advantage of our Summer Special.  Beginning June 1st, for those that wish to make the commitment, all class packages are 20% off.  Here are the details: 1) All Summer Package Specials expire on August 31, 2019:  These classes are good for summer only.  No extensions and no negotiations. 2) Starting June 1st, This gives you three months to come to the studio more regularly by taking advantage of 20% off of any class packages. With the [...]

By Julia Jonson “If peace comes from seeing the whole, then misery stems from a loss of perspective.” This reflection by Mark Nepo, author of the New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening, is a pointed reminder that even when most things in life are going reasonably well, misery is a moment of suffering that is allowed to become everything. This rousing observation reminds me of Richard Carlson’s 90-10 trap. Carlson, who wrote, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens, encourages young readers to become aware of how easy it is to focus on the negative parts of life. [...]