West meets East this month as the Love Yoga Fest brings talent galore to New England for their third annual celebration of yoga and community on Cape Cod. Among the yogis headed east to present this weekend is Santa Monica based Alexandria Crow. Her personal yoga experience has been “all about transformation”, and she shares that philosophy around the country providing continuing education to teachers and students alike through the Yoga Physics brand she founded. Many of her classes are now also available virtually through her website. And when she is not on the road? You just might find her “laying on the floor, knees bent and feet hips distance” – her favorite place in the world.
We caught up with Ms. Crow as she prepares to hit the road for an extended stretch of sharing her wisdom in widening circles. “My teacher taught me one thing that I will always be grateful for above all else: He demanded that I have a reason for everything I say and do when teaching yoga—and the reason couldn’t be ‘because you said so.’ Over the years this guideline forced me not only to dive deeply into the why behind every alignment cue, sequence, and decision but also to evolve, adapt, and grow as a teacher,” reads a recent post on Ms. Crow’s popular blog. In this instance her insights were in relation to her call for edits to “over the hill” alignment cues. It is this blend of curiosity and common sense that sparks ongoing growth in her students’ practice and also finds yoga centers at capacity when Ms. Crow is in town. Don’t miss her this weekend in Hyannis where she will be delivering her signature Yoga Physics workshops. And, if your schedule is such that this weekend is not in your cards… Alexandria will be stopping back through town on September 16 and 17th for a host of weekend workshops at YogaWorks Boston. Limited tickets remain for both appearances. Stay tuned to Alexandria Crow on social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter…
wind up… how do you wind up, prepare for the week ahead?
That is a hard question because my weeks don’t start and end on a specific day nor do I live in just one city. What’s cool is that I don’t really have a dreaded Monday, but what’s hard is that I don’t have a weekend consistently either. What I try to do is keep an ongoing list of all the emails, articles, posts, contracts, etc, etc that I need to deal with handy in my favorite notebook. Every day I just do a little bit and I don’t worry about what doesn’t get done, there will be time to plug away at it tomorrow.
and, when you need to exhale, what’s your other direction?
My partner is my exhale. Our ability to disconnect from it all and just sit and talk and laugh and philosophize for hours about all of our favorite topics.
favorite high-powered snack?
Hah….Yerba Mate. It should be food shouldn’t it? Well, anyhow, it’s not….it’s Yerba Mate UnSweeted Traditional Terere. Everything is fixed with a little tea caffeine kick!
what three things are you never without?
A tough one! It’s like my iPhone, Glossier lip gloss, and… my quick wit?
the sound of music… you have room for 5 tracks on your playlist, they are?
Good Times, by Sam Cooke
Let Down, by RadioHead
Wash., by Bon Iver
Say You Will, by Fleetwood Mac
Meet Me In The Woods, by Lord Huron
could you repeat that? one cue that you regularly share with your students, and the story behind it…
“Right now it’s like this…” My Buddhism teacher always says it and I’ve picked it up from him. It’s the best phrase for explaining the present moment and impermanence. Like it or not, right now it’s like this, but it won’t be like this forever so best just to be with it while it lasts so that you experience it fully. That way if it’s a great experience it will have been enjoyed to the fullest and if it’s a bad experience, it won’t be something that gets taken with you to burden yourself with later.
what one book have you most often give as a gift?
Funnily, The Psoas Book, by Liz Koch. It’s a great resource for understanding the way the body stores stress and the fight for flight trigger.
bliss pose?
Constructive rest… laying on the floor, knees bent and feet hips distance. My favorite place in the world.
finish the sentence? i’d like to teach the world to…
Find out what they’re really good at and just do that, even if it’s not glamorous or incredibly lucrative. Everyone has something to give but it may not be what is popular or cool. The thing is though, if you do what you’re meant to do and what your good at, you will sore and that is incredibly cool no matter what the skill is.
All images by Oliver Endahl
Author Susan Currie is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA magazine. Her words and images have been featured in the Boston Globe, Elephant Journal, Yogi Times, the Tishman Review, the Huffington Post, Spirit of St. Bart’s and on the cover of the book Moving into Meditation (Shambala) by Anne Cushman.
Susan is also the creator of the Daily Inhale and an RYT 200 registered yoga instructor. She unpacks her various professional experiences through the creative and yoga workshops she leads throughout the country. Her new book, GRACENOTES (Shanti Arts 2017), a blend of words and images, is now available in wide release.