In case you haven't heard, I have restarted my Friday lunchtime yoga - but with a new twist. It is now "Mommy (or Daddy) and Me Yoga," so bring your little one(s) with you! I will have Edison with me and we can have a grand ol' time. Yoga is great for all ages, so start them young. The class is still located at the Dragonfly-Art for Life at 1210 J Street in downtown Modesto. Class is now 11:30am-12pm and kiddos of all ages are welcome. If you would like to sign up, check out Tayoga Class Signup to reserve your spot.  Hope to see you there! Namas(tay).

I walked into the yoga studio this morning and found this post-it note from a fellow teacher (on an orange post-it I might add)! It is safe to say it started my day off right. My family would always leave notes for each other when I was growing up. My Mom and Dad still do it (they really are the cutest). If you think about it, leave a little note for a loved one. It will definitely make them smile. Happy weekend, my friends!  Namas(tay).  

Happy Friday! It is a gorgeous day outside. Andrew went golfing and Edison and I will be heading to my sister's house shortly to color some Easter eggs. Our poor little guy got 3 shots yesterday, so he's not feeling all that good. He is currently napping which is the opportune time to write my weekly blog :) I am excited to say that I actually got to take a yoga class last night. It felt so good. A friend encouraged me to go, so I'm hoping to make it a regular thing. It sure helps having lots of family around to help with the kiddo. Yoga was quite a bit of fun this morning. I had 5 people attend, and before class they were talking about how all the Elevate teachers had kicked things up a notch since returning from the latest COVID closure. They mentioned that they liked challenging classes, so I took that as a challenge! For having no plan going in to the class I think it turned out quite well! There were lots of planks, core work, and leg strengthening. I even tried out a

Not going to lie... I just woke up from a glorious 3 hour nap! Edison just woke up as well so I have to make this quick.  Class this morning was quite lovely. This morning was really cold so I decided we were going to heat things up a bit. I had seven lovely ladies in class and I definitely had them MOVING! It was simple flows but they were quick. By the end, everyone was nice and toasty.  Apparently, the playlist was working well for everyone because I got a couple compliments on it. It was an old playlist I decided to revamp and I am glad I did. I asked the class what it should be called and they said "Move" because that is definitely what we did in class.  Well I better go feed the little guy. I'm on a two week blog post streak now! Wahoo!  Happy weekend, my friends. Namas(tay).

Well... as you've probably noticed, it has been 2 months since my last blog post... bad job by me! I used to post on Mondays, but I just have not had time to get around to it regularly on Mondays; so my new plan is to post on Fridays. I'm not sure why I haven't thought of this before, since most of my Tayoga things happen on Fridays. Last week, I scheduled a reminder on my phone to write a post today and it worked! Edison just went down for a nap, so it is perfect timing.  Let's see... I've been teaching in studio since November. Class sizes have been pretty small, but the last couple weeks I have had 8 people. I was talking with a fellow teacher after class today and was saying how 8 people used to be a small class - but now, 8 people is practically packed! Haha :) OK, not really, but when 2-3 was the normal, it sure seems like it.  I have continued with my usual fun playlists and funky flows. I feel like I've been more creative with my flows because I do a lot

I am pleased to report that I do remember how to teach yoga! My first class back was last Friday. There were only 2 people there, but they were 2 lovely individuals and it was the perfect way to get back into the swing of things. I am also pleased to report that Edison did great hanging out with Granny C while I was away. Whew!  On another note, Black Friday is this Friday! I love teaching on Black Friday because there is always a lot of energy in the room. People are usually off from work and want to come work off some of the turkey they ate the day before. We shall see if this year is the same. Whoever decides to attend will get an updated Black Friday playlist. Last year's playlist was pretty good, so it may be difficult to top, but I will give it my best effort! Hope to see you there. Happy Thanksgiving, my friends. Namas(tay).

Sharon Taporco is a HUGE part of the Modesto Yoga Community - she teaches so many different styles of yoga at many different locations. We’ve been able to hang out a few times and even did our Assisting Program through Elevate together. Through this conversation, I have had the pleasure of getting to know her a little better, and now you can get to know her a little bit better, too! Not only does Sharon teach a lot of yoga, but she is also going to school, so she is one busy lady. It took us a little while to complete this conversation because we have both been busy, but I promise it is worth the wait! Enjoy, my friends. Tayoga: How did you get started with yoga? Sharon: My mother introduced me to yoga when I was in high school. She took me to the class she went to at Gold's Gym (yeah, that long ago), and, as it turns out, Debra Rocha was our yoga teacher. I didn't make that connection until I started teaching in 2017 when my Mom pointed it out. To be honest, it took m

FUN NEWS EVERYONE! On August 1st, I will be hosting the first leg of a triathlon! It is not your typical triathlon - it sounds far more fun! There's a local group called the Fukari Tribe that enjoys doing different outdoor activities and they have decided to put together a triathlon that features yoga, a 5K, and a swimming portion. A friend of mine, Teresa Wright, is putting it together and she asked if I would host a 75 minute Vinyasa class at the park to be the first leg of the race! Naturally, I said yes. This special Tayoga class will take place at 7:30am at Ashby Park in Modesto on Saturday, August 1st. If you only want to do the yoga portion you are more than welcome to head home after it is over. If you want to continue on with the rest of the race then participants will head out to Lake Turlock for a 5K - you can run it if you want to but if you would rather walk, bike, skateboard, or roller blade then that works too! After the 5K, the final leg is a swim in the lake which

This past Friday was absolutely AMAZING! I got to teach a 75 minute Vinyasa class IN PERSON to 8 lovely ladies. A friend of mine suggested I should do yoga in the park, which sounded like a fantastic idea! There are so many parks to choose from in Modesto; I wanted to find one that would be somewhat quiet and would provide some shade if needed (I don't want my students cooking in the sun!). With the help of Andrew (who knows this town very well) we settled on Ashby Park. It is a small park nestled in a quiet neighborhood. The park is grass and trees - no playground, no benches - it was PERFECT! Speaking of perfect, please tell me you were able to get outside this past Friday because the weather was absolute perfection. I'm sure God planned it that way for my first live yoga class back. As you can see from the picture, it was comfortable to practice in the sun with a light breeze providing relief when things started warming up! I will definitely will continue to do Tayoga in A

I am pleased to report that this conversation is the 8 th conversation since starting the Tayoga Conversations about a year ago. I’m more pleased to report that it is with the lovely and talented, Mary Garvey! Mary and I first met when she completed her Teacher Training last year at Elevate Community Yoga. We hadn’t really hung out much until we spent most of the day chatting at a friend’s birthday brunch (prior to sheltering at home, of course). It was during this time that I realized I wanted to get to know her more and a Tayoga Conversation was the perfect way to do it… especially during this crazy time! This truly is a great conversation. I feel very blessed to be able to do these conversations with amazing people. Mary truly is amazing and lovely, and I know you will enjoy this read. Sit back, relax, maybe have a beer or a glass of wine, and enjoy the conversation! Tayoga:  How did you get started with yoga and at what point did you decide to complete teacher training? 

Tayoga Conversation alert! Angel Villagomez is our featured yogi this week. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Angel a little better since he has been coming to my Lunchtime yoga on Fridays (thanks for the support!); but there was so much more I wanted to know. Everyone’s story is unique and Angel’s is no exception. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Tayoga: How did you get started with yoga and at what point did you decide to complete teacher training?  Angel: I took my first yoga class at MJC. I needed to fulfill my physical education requirement, and I was into that show  Dharma & Greg  at the time, so I figured yoga was as good of a choice as any. I really enjoyed the class and continued taking more classes at In-Shape. It was many years before I migrated to studios, mostly because the cost - especially compared to free classes at a gym at which I was already a member. I had a few college friends who attended I Am Yo