hot yoga atascadero

I recently had the opportunity to photograph all 29 poses we practice in the Dayton Method, at the hot yoga studio in Atascadero.  For those yogis out there, the Dayton method is very similar to Bikram with a few additional postures.  Hot Yoga has been the best form of exercise for the body and mind I've found, and I'm pretty sure I'm hooked for life! 

Studio owners, Janet and Roel, had asked students who could do the poses in "full expression" to be our subjects.  We photographed over four sessions.  I've shared some of my favorite postures below.

My favorite aspect of practicing hot yoga is not just the way it makes me feel, but the personal challenge each practice presents.  It's not a "team" sport and there's no competition, it's simply a personal journey.  You can focus on the stretches and form, or just on breathing and relaxing your mind from the daily grind, you pick your journey.  This life is so full of hustle and bustle, most of us don't take enough time for ourselves to stop, listen and not think, truly allowing our minds to relax.  At the end of a class I feel relaxed, calm and happy inside.  To top it off, the community at this hot yoga studio is really wonderful.  Lots of great people from all different walks of life, coming together to benefit their body and minds! 

To learn more please visit:  Hot Yoga Atascadero

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my first mother's day

Dan and I have always vowed to not place too much emphasis on days we consider "Hallmark" holidays ... for instance Valentine's day.  If you love someone, shouldn't you love them everyday of the year, not just on the 14th of February?  

Mother's day would fall into this category to a degree.  There are so many "kinds" of moms!  Regular moms, mother-in-laws, grandmas, step-moms, fairy God-mothers, adoptive moms and the most overlooked {and most loving and selfless of all} BIRTH moms.  

As a new mom, I'm content, I don't need to be celebrated for being a mommy, good manners and thank you's along the way will be sufficient for me!  To be completely open, I never knew if I would ever be a mom.  After many years of no answer why we supposedly were not able to have children, the greatest gift of our lives, fell into our laps.  "The Lord works in mysterious ways," and I can't tell you how much this passage has spoken to me over the past year.

So this Mother's Day I'd like to celebrate a different kind of mom, birth moms.  The depth of love a birth mom has for her child is something that I don't think a lot of people ever consider.  She has SO much love for her child that she CHOOSES to place him or her with a family instead of taking on a little person she isn't capable of at that particular time in her life.  This is a fact I will be grateful for the rest of my life.  Truly a choice of the deepest of love I could ever fathom, aside from the love of Jesus Christ.  So loving, completely selfless, the best gift ever.

Our birth mom is exceptional and we feel deeply blessed by how our whole situation has worked out.  Baby Piper will be lucky to have a lot of questions answered when she grows up, a lot of gaps filled in about her adoption story, and I'm sooo happy and thankful for this.

Thank you to our special birth mom for making me a mommy, and us a family, we L O V E you!

photos via my friend and over the top talented Jose Villa Photography

#kiksandburgs

A beautiful way to start the 2013 wedding season, with Kiki and Burger!  We met in a "serendipitous" way, as Kiki calls it.  My sister happened to start chatting with them while they were all wine tasting and she heard Kiki mention a wedding.  Well thanks to my sweet sis, we were introduced!  

Their wedding was held at three most gorgeous locations ... getting ready at Alisal, ceremony at Santa Ines Mission and their reception at Sunstone Winery.  All highly on my list of awesome places to photograph!  

The day was filled with a joyful, light and easy going spirit.  Burger was certainly one of our more entertaining / quirky grooms ever, which just makes our jobs that much more fun! 

Here's what Kiki had to say when it was all done and over;

"Thank you so much for recording our special day.  Your images capture so much more than simply the action and surroundings - they convey the spirit of the day and how happy we were...."    

Congratulations to you both,
Allyson + Jill

Their dream team:

Santa Ines Mission

Mindy Rice Florals and Design

Tara Bassi Events

Sunstone Winery

Alisal Ranch