Yoga Journal USA - July-August 2017

10

august

2017

yogajournal.com

editor’s letter

Listen within

Trust your gut. Follow your instincts. Do what your heart tells you. There are so many ways we talk about heeding our

intuition, and yet for many of us it remains a challenge. Below, Los Angeles–based yoga teacher and this issue’s cover

model, Caley Alyssa, shares ways to boost self-confidence and tune in to the voice within—both on and off the mat.

CARIN GORRELL In this issue, you’re teaching us five inversions (page 82).

Why are inversions so key to yoga practice?

CALEY ALYSSA We get kind of stuck in the same routine in yoga, so practicing

inversions forces you to break out of your comfort zone, learn new things, and

move your body in different ways. There are also the general health benefits:

Inversions boost energy, increase immunity, and improve circulation. Plus,

when you finally stick an inversion, it gives you a little confidence boost.

CG LA is a yoga hotspot. What sets you apart from the many teachers around you?

CAWhen I first started, I taught vinyasa like everyone else. The older I get, the

smarter I get, and the more my practice and teaching slows down. I also think a lot

of yoga is extremely linear in practice, so I try to add a rotational range of move-

ments. And I end classes with 10 to 15 minutes of meditation—everyone needs it.

CGWhat is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from practicing yoga?

CALess is more. When you’re doing something repetitively, you really can injure

yourself. It’s better for me to stay home and do 30 minutes of what my body

needs than to go to a big public class and do what someone else is telling me

to do when it doesn’t feel good in my body that day.

CGWhat exciting projects do you have in the works?

CA So many! I’m working on a teacher training for mindbodygreen; the launch

date is September 5. I’m also partnering with Andrew Weil, MD, to create a well-

ness space in Miami called Life. I’m getting the yoga studio up and running, and

Andrew Weil is creating the café; it’s opening in late August. And I’m starting to

film a new reality TV show called “The Yoga Girls” with Sadie Nardini and a few

other yogis. It’s about the juxtaposition of traditional, older yoga teachers versus

new-age ones, and how it’s affecting yoga as a career, the relationships between

teachers, and the yoga scene here in LA. The show will air on the Z Living net-

work in late summer.

CGWhat’s your favorite pose and why?

CAI tend to have sensitivity in my lower back, so right now I love a good supine

twist that’s really restorative and regenerative.

CGDo you have a mantra or words of wisdom that you live by?

CAIf ever I’m feeling any sort of emotion around a situation, I ask myself two

questions: Does this limit or liberate you? Does this raise or reduce your energy?

If it’s limiting or reducing, then I don’t do it. There can be times when the answer

is a little hard to decipher, but in general, our intuition is pretty spot on. PHOTO: AMANDA FRIEDMAN; STYLIST: NICOLE GRIFFIN/HAZEL & PINE; HAIR/MAKEUP: BETH FOLLERT/JK ARTISTS, USING MAC; WARDROBE, CALEY:

ALO (ALL);

NECKLACE: SHAKTI JEWELRY; MALA: MALA & ME; WARDROBE, CARIN: TOP AND BOTTOMS: LULULEMON; MALA: MALA & ME

Carin Gorrell

Editor in Chief

“I learn something new in every class I teach,” says cover teacher

Caley Alyssa. “But I think the most important lesson is that every body

is different: What works for one student is not necessarily going to

work for the next.” Her feature “Turn Your Practice Upside Down,” on

page 82, teaches five inversions for all levels of practice.