WRITING AND YOGA share many similarities. Both have taught me to test my boundaries, remain present in the moment, and recognize subtle sensations. And sometimes I find the hardest part of both is just showing up. My parents, Bob and Kitty DiNardo, taught me the importance of showing up and doing the work. For that, and so much more, I am incredibly thankful.
The Past Tense community has been instrumental to my love for yoga. They have bolstered my strength, flexibility, and balance on and off the mat, and helped create a joyful yogic home. They remind me how much fun it can be to be a little twisted and encourage an upside-down approach to life. Thank you, Kula Yoga & Wellness and TANTRA Wellness & Yoga for providing me a home-away-from-yoga-home.
To my friend, yoga teacher, and co-author Amy Pearce-Hayden, thank you for laughter and conversation, for teaching me to appreciate the journey to Handstand (and the occasional assist), and for encouraging and helping me take my practice beyond the mat.
A huge thank you to my friends and family, particularly those who helped me park my butt in the chair and encouraged me to write: Susan Brown, Ann and Keith Fielder, Michele Aranda, and Michele Fritz. A special thank you to Dan Carter, Mallory Newall, and Jenna Grubman for keeping things humming along at Past Tense, especially throughout this project.
I am incredibly grateful to Kate Melloy Goettel, Sonja Kubota Johansson, Caroline Gomez, Zach and Crystal Ketterhagen, James Sabatini, and Christine Robinson for reading early versions of our manuscript and sending such thoughtful, constructive feedback. Thank you, Beth Frankl and Audra Figgins at Shambhala, for believing in this project and editing it so beautifully.
Jessica Papin, even before you were my agent you graciously gave me wonderful guidance. I’m grateful for it and all the support you’ve offered since.
And finally, to my handsome, witty husband JP Fielder, who encourages my craziest dreams—like opening a yoga studio in the middle of a recession or juggling multiple book projects at once—with unbridled enthusiasm and strategic plans to make dreams a reality. Damase ’09.
—With love and gratitude, Kelly
HOW WE ARRIVE at a certain point in our life is never coincidental, but rather a culmination of unique moments, choices, experiences, and influences. Growing up with a strong Catholic background I found myself interested in certain aspects of ritual. I liked the routine of Mass and was curious about the sacraments. I have my mother, Judy, to thank for this introduction to faith. My father, Jim, always thought outside of any religious box, which may have subtly encouraged me to find my own spiritual path. I am grateful to them both.
Yoga philosophy, from a classical standpoint, doesn’t require a specific faith but rather asks us to apply ourselves using a systematic approach toward gaining an understanding of not only who we are, but also what our potential is. It prompts us to step back and learn to be the observer of our life, questioning and investigating our actions and our motivation. It teaches us that our experiences are perfectly and uniquely timed so that we can arrive at the best person we can be.
I have been lucky to study with many wonderful teachers along the way, including Rolf Sovik, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Sandra Anderson, and Shari Friedrichsen in the Himalayan Tradition, as well as Lisa Matkin, Charles Matkin, and Gabriel Halpern, my early guides. As a practitioner of yoga for twenty-five years and a teacher for nearly two decades, it is in the day-to-day application of the system of yoga that has fostered the development of my own skills. I am forever grateful to my students, in particular to those who supported my first big endeavor, TheYogaScape & Spa in New York.
I would like to especially thank Caroline Gomez and Lisa Marie Casagrande for their unconditional love, support, and feedback, not only during the writing of this book but also since our journey together began. James Sabatini, Leslie Bernstein, Maura Cody, and Monica Lambert: you have always been my cheerleaders. Special thanks to Zach and Crystal Ketterhagen, Christine Robinson, Kate Melloy Goettel, and Sonja Kubota Johnasson for early feedback and edits on the manuscript.
The Yoga Sutras have always been central to my teaching and practice. They have helped me make meaning of my life and provided the foundation for how I approach living a full and good life. I am deeply grateful to Beth Frankl and Audra Figgins at Shambhala Publications and Jessica Papin at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret for all their help and support in bringing such a personally meaningful work to a broader audience.
I am so thankful to my writing partner, Kelly. Your expert literary sense made this manuscript possible. To have stumbled upon each other seems inevitable. I unknowingly sat next to Kelly’s mom on a flight from New York to Madison and she tried to connect us because we were both yoga studio owners recently transplanted to Madison. We both took each other’s business cards, stuffed them in a drawer, and forgot about them. Magically, Kelly became my student at Kula Yoga & Wellness a few months later, and during our collaboration, we pieced it together. I am grateful to the insistence of the universe in bringing us together and to Becky Petersen for creating the community at Kula that made our meeting possible.
To my supportive and loving partner, Jorge Melara: thank you. Thank you for your willingness to ride the waves, be the current, and float along with me. You are truly a yogi.
Lastly, students of yoga: To you I am grateful. May we continue to inspire each other and support the practice of this beautiful ancient system.
—In gratitude, Amy