Collective Healing

November has always been a season of shifts. With the time change, the upcoming election, and life's uncertainties unsettling our nervous systems, I'm deeply grateful for the steady grounding of my inner practice.

Holding space for the highest good. The intention of practice in the context of the community. At Yoga Among Friends, our mission is to create a space where the community can flourish in kindness and feel a deep sense of belonging.

As a Sangha, we offer whatever we can to bring attention to how we can help ease the fear and tensions of suffering for each other. To create a safe environment where the air we breathe, the water we drink, the trees, and all of nature in the animal kingdom are nourished with the element of peace. We have to live deeply with each moment that is given to us.

The world now needs us to go inward, be mindful, and choose to extend the energy of genuine compassion. We must recognize that love alone is not enough; we must go deeper into understanding and accepting that everyone perceives life through their own lens. Each of us has unique experiences, even within the same family. This practice involves examining our own judgments and cultivating self-acceptance for the shadows within us.

Yoga is neither a self-help industry nor a form of psychoanalysis; it offers a gateway to self-awareness. It helps us recognize our struggles to see clearly, the anger that stems from our survival fears, and the importance of pausing and listening to choose a mindful response. Deep listening can be exhausting when our minds are filled with the noise of outer chaos.

Yoga Among Friends’ Teachers Weekend Retreat

At Yoga Among Friends, we aim to create a safe space for true relaxation—a place to set aside the ego’s drive to fix and instead cultivate a deep sense of ease and nourish genuine presence. In this community, we offer an inner retreat from the chaotic outer distractions. To feel the support of a community has been our full mission since opening in 1998.

Today, we move forward with renewed energy from our inspiring teachers, who are committed to providing enriching workshops and classes that practice these tools for healing collective hearts. In this season of darkness, we remain a beacon of light, raising the vibration for all.

In love and light,

Laura Jane

Teacher Feature: Joyce Owens, RYT 200

Get to Know Our Very Own Joyce Eickmeyer Owens

Joyce has taught at Yoga Among Friends since we opened our doors in 1998. She received her teacher training from White Lotus Foundation.

Her own "slow flow" style of yoga is gentle yet powerful. As an instructor and musician, she brings a harmonious flow of body, mind, and spirit to her classes. Joyce says, "When we value our bodies as rare musical instruments, we create our own music." 

Here are some fun facts about Joyce Owens in her own words:

If you could pick one song to play every time you entered a room it would be..."Any selection from the CD 'The Best of Wah.' "

In a perfect world, we would communicate via..."Person to person so we could see each other with our eyes, listen to voice inflection with our ears and reach out and give a hug if needed."

My favorite animal is..."I love all animals but my personality is more aligned with a lazy, chubby, laid back, furry-purry cat."

Favorite Pigout food..."Ice cream."

Last show I binge-watched..."I've never binge-watched anything, but I love British comedy and drama series, and I could probably binge-watch all the Poldark series.

A good book I'm reading.." 'Hearing Beethoven' by Robin Wallace."

Favorite place..."On the mat or on a piano bench."

When I'm not on a yoga mat, I'm..."Reading non-fiction, researching history and genealogy, piano, knitting and trying to find time to get my oil paints out once again."

My life mission is to..."encourage, honor, and uplift other people's talents and gifts through yoga."

The most important thing yoga has taught me..."At this point in my life, yoga has taught me to honor the aging process instead of giving in to the concept of getting "old." Aging is a natural progression of life and I want to be as strong, flexible, and open as I can be when along the way."

A pose I struggle with..."I can't say I struggle with a certain pose because each pose is new to me each time I do it no matter how long I've been doing it. Maybe I was late to class and I'm unable to throw the stress of that off. Maybe my sciatica is flaring up, but then maybe that certain pose I had been struggling with was spot-on and I said, "Wow!" out loud in class. Energy is different all the time.

A pose I love and why..."Plain ol' down dog. Love that pose and I don't know why."

My most inspiring yoga-related experience(s) has been..."yoga retreats at Good Hope in Jamaica."

The biggest reason I teach yoga is..."It took me a long time to find my voice in life. When an incredible musician friend and mentor passed away, I came to realize how many gifts of learning and knowledge of music he gave to me. At the same time, along came Laura Jane with her brilliance and yoga and opened a door for me that changed my life. With her encouragement, I found myself in California at White Lotus becoming a yoga teacher. I could no longer hold on to or keep inside the gifts I had received. I had to pass them on as best I could so they would live and give outside of me. I found my voice - and became a teacher."

I want my yoga students to...."Enjoy yoga. Enjoy what you can do. Enjoy the poses that feel good. Enjoy the poses you don't like. In music, it's practice, practice, practice. Same with yoga. Enjoy the practice - it's the practice that sustains us.

Find Joyce Owens on the drop-in schedule on Mondays at 10 am for Vinyasa Flow, L1. And on Fridays at 11:30 am for Yoga for Healthy Living. All levels are welcome.

Teacher Feature: Ryan Faye, RYT 200

Get to Know Ryan Faye, Our Universal Yoga Teacher

Ryan discovered yoga in his early twenties as a tool for stress and anxiety relief. Since then he has delved deeper not only into the physical practice of yoga, but also the mental and spiritual aspects. He has practiced and studied locally with Marina Lisjonok and Hersh Khetarpal as well as with internationally renowned yoga master, and creator of Universal Yoga, Andrey Lappa. 

Here are some fun facts about Ryan Faye in his own words:

If you could pick one song to play every time you entered a room it would be...
“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

In a perfect world, we would communicate via…owls, like in Harry Potter 🦉

My favorite animal is.. a puppy 🐶

Guilty Pleasure…Chai Lattes

Pigout food…Falafel

Last show I binge watched….Watchmen on HBO

A good book I’m reading…”Tantra” by Geshe Tashi Tsering

Best Movie I’ve seen lately…A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Favorite place...Sedona, Arizona

When I'm not on a yoga mat, I'm…still practicing yoga

People would be surprised that… I have a huge vegetable garden

My life mission is to...attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings

The most important thing yoga has taught me is…flexibility of the mind, openness of the heart  

The cause/project I am most passionate about is…the spread of authentic yoga  

I am learning to…lucid dream 

My yoga role model(s) is/are?… Andrey Lappa, Marina Lisjonok, Lara Devine, and Hersh Khetarpal

A pose I struggle with…the Handstand

A pose I love and why…the Lotus. I experience the most peace in seated meditation.

My most inspiring yoga-related experience was….spending 300 hours with Andrey Lappa 

The biggest reason I teach yoga is...We learn best by teaching others

I want my yoga students to…experience deep relaxation and rapid growth

I am grateful for…this opportunity to introduce myself to all of you. Please come practice with me!

Find Ryan Faye on the drop-in schedule on Tuesdays at 7:30pm for Universal Yoga. All levels are welcome.