Our Top Yoga Blogs directory is full of inspiring and original yogis, all sharing their love with us through their yoga journey. We thought they could use a bit of love from us, too, so we're featuring one of our top bloggers each month in a Q&A style. This month we interviewed Ashley Josephine of ashleyjosephine.com. Here's what she had to say.
Yogapedia: What brought you to yoga?
Ashley: I started yoga to maintain physical fitness and to cope with the stress of college. I was looking for something low impact because I hated running, but I still wanted to move.
Yogapedia: Why do you continue to do yoga?
Ashley: I continue to do yoga because it makes me feel good. My yoga practice is what grounds me in a crazy world and without it I know I would have some serious health issues from unresolved stress.
(More on the practice that grounds you in Grounding Through the Chaos: How to Recover From the Holidays With Yoga.)
Yogapedia: Why do you blog about yoga?
Ashley: I blog about yoga because I want to share the power of this practice with as many people as possible. Yoga has truly changed everything about my life in such a positive way and I want to help others make positive changes in their lives. I can only teach so many people in a group class in my hometown, so blogging gives me the opportunity to reach many more people all over the world. I enjoy using the blog to enhance the physical practice my students receive in the classroom. I write a lot about philosophy and living yoga in your daily life, as well as yoga and business.
Yogapedia: What’s unique about your blog?
Ashley: When you read about the best practices for blogging these days you hear all these suggestions about writing short articles and writing in a really simple, straightforward way with lots of bullet points. I throw all of that out the window. My blog posts are often well over 1,000 words and I tackle really hefty, complex topics. My hope is that when you read my blog posts I have made you think about what you were reading and reflect on it in your own life. I think the substance is what makes my yoga blog unique.
Yogapedia: What is your most popular post and why?
Ashley: My most popular post is on the seven directions of spinal movement. The real answer for why this post is so popular is because it’s linked to on a couple other sites and that consistently drives traffic to my site. But I think the other reason why it’s so popular is because it’s so simple, so practical, and the benefits of moving the spine in all seven directions on a regular basis is less generalized low back pain, which so many people suffer from.
(If you suffer from back pain, try these 4 Yoga Poses for a Strong Back.)
Yogapedia: Do you have a favorite go-to pose? Why does it resonate with you?
Ashley: I don’t really have a favorite go-to pose because I try to listen to what my body needs each day and those needs are always changing, but I do have a favorite category of poses and those are side bends. I think we really miss out on side bending in our daily movement needs, and opening up the side of the body always feels so good.
Yogapedia: What has yoga brought to your life?
Ashley: So many things. A career. Friends. Peace. Less stress. Health. Energy and vitality. A deeper respect and understanding of the world. More compassion. The list goes on and on.
Yogapedia: What yoga lessons do you still consider a work in progress?
Ashley: I think the biggest lesson in all of yoga is to surrender and that’s one I’m always working on. I hold on to things and I am constantly working on letting go.
Yogapedia: If you had to give one tip about living the yoga life, what would it be?
Ashley: Show up. There are plenty of opportunities for us to not choose the yogic way. But if we just show up with intention every day to live inspired by the teachings of yoga, we will slowly begin a process of transformation that we won’t even be able to explain. It is so powerful, so simple and so subtle. And all we have to do is show up with intention to do the best we can and be willing to receive the results.
(You can subscribe to Ashely's blog at ashleyjosephine.com/blog.)
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.