YogaVibes Instructors Spill the Tea about their Self-Care Routine!

September is Self-Care Awareness month at YogaVibes!  We asked several of our instructors what is their fave self-care routine.  Here are their asnwers:

Jennifer Tipton

“…self-care is about finding balance between movement, stillness, and simple everyday moments. I love taking walks in the woods, letting nature restore me, and spending time making music or art with my daughter. In the evening, you can find me enjoying a warm cup of tea, settling into restorative yoga, or curling up with a good book, usually fiction. I lift weights regularly and recently started competing in fitness competitions, which has deepened my appreciation for strength and resilience in the body. These practices, whether gentle or energetic, help me stay connected, centered, and energized so I can bring my best self to the classes I teach.”

Jen is passionate about teaching employees in a user-friendly way to help reduce stress, increase mobility, and feel better overall. She has been teaching yoga classes for over two decades, leading retreats with her business, Yoga Pilates Travel, for the past ten years, and is currently teaching kids yoga for the Redwood City school district.   Jen teaches in-person as well as virtual corporate classes for YogaVibes.

 

Krista Abela

“I have many favorite self-care routines! Sometimes it’s just an at-home unwind with a cup of tea, candles, and getting cozy with a movie. Or ending the day with a short restorative pose before bed, like supta baddha konasana on a bolster. But the real self-care is taking a break from teaching and taking myself to a yoga class where I get to be the student!! ”

Krista Abela is a certified yoga instructor and Bay Area native who has been practicing yoga for over a decade. She has her 200-hr RYT certification in Vinyasa– trained under Kristi Bettencourt, E-RYT 500– and is also certified in Yin and Restorative modalities. She currently teaches Power Vinyasa, Vinyasa+Yin Fusion, Restorative, Yin, and Slow Flow at the Yoga Health Center in San Carlos and the Coastside Yoga Collective in Half Moon Bay. With a love for being outdoors, she regularly teaches beach and park yoga around the Bay Area Peninsula (you can join her free outdoor yoga class at The Yard Coffee in Redwood City every other Sunday!). She also leads yoga for the popular Run Free Run Club. Krista is passionate about making yoga accessible and inclusive, empowering others to reconnect with themselves on and off the mat. Outside of yoga, she has a background in film and documentary and you can usually find her on the weekends hiking her favorite Bay Area trails!  Krista teaches in-person as well as virtual corporate classes for YogaVibes.

Taylor Riley and Carolyn Crow of Unity Movement & Mindfulness

“Our self-care routine is done individually but being in partnership means we have to respect each other’s timing and method of care.”  From an early morning routine of ‘mona’ and oil pulling then enjoying a first cup of coffee sitting outside with the dog; Carolyn’s self-care is crucial to her managing a busy schedule of teaching, meeting, and working with people.  “Taking care of me first means I’m better able to lovingly meet the needs of my household and those I work with.”

Taylor follows a very traditional yoga approach to his self-care, “I have to bring my body under control with yoga, breathwork, or a martial arts practice.  Sometimes my meditation doesn’t happen until I’m getting ready for bed at night but it will eventually happen.”

Taylor and Carolyn started teaching together in 2020 and now operate out of the Treasure Coast in Florida.  Together they provide mindfulness from youth to seniors through multiple arts: tai chi, yoga, even boxing.  You can find several videos from their studio via their channel on YogaVibes.   Carolyn runs the day-to-day operations for YogaVibes.