We're seven! The number seven is associated with luck and magic in a lot of different traditions. I've never really marked our anniversary before but this year, I'm full of nostalgia and gratitude for the many, many people who have built our sweet community. At Yoga Garden our secret sauce is love. And maybe some luck and magic, too.

I had spent years of hard work to get to this point - schooling, certifications, a successful business, money, a comfortable life. My situation represented the American Dream - what I had been working for my whole life. In a few minutes, it was gone.

At Yoga Garden we don't view instructors as replaceable cogs in a machine. We see them as individuals, each bringing their unique styles and perspectives to the practice of yoga. While I totally grasp the allure of predictability, a hallmark of many corporate chains peddling everything from burgers to clothing to homes, our approach celebrates the diversity and authenticity of our teachers and the many wonderful ways that Yoga can look and feel.

What a thrill to be rolling out a fresh new logo and website! After nearly seven years, I felt it was time to update our look to better communicate who we are and what we stand for.

On the yoga mat we train a lens on our bodies and this can be uncomfortable. In my years as a yoga studio owner and teacher, and simply a person in the world, I have come to understand how fraught our relationships with our bodies can be.

Meditation occurs in an entirely different domain than the activities of our daily life. Meditation is being, not doing.

We practice being human, our outer and inner fitness improves, and hopefully we take that out into the world with us and live our yoga.

I began yoga teacher training last January with an open mind but clear, pragmatic goals. I wanted to learn to teach so I could confidently be a substitute teacher at our studio, and to provide more knowledgeable, compassionate support for our wonderful teachers.

I got much more than I bargained for. I got something of a brain rewiring. And I’m grateful for it.

Tom Thompson’s life is about waking up from the trance we live.