Erica Jago is a yoga teacher, graphic designer and creator of two books: Art of Attention with Elena Brower and Angelus with Roos van der Kamp. The latter is a beautifully designed modern workbook on the chakras, a topic that we’ll discuss into details on the YAY!YOGA podcast. Erica used to live in Amsterdam and moved back to the US where she was born and now lives with her daughter, close to her family. I was so inspired by this conversation as Erica speaks so beautifully about the ancient science of the chakras and her own healing journey. We also talk about Kundalini yoga, dealing with heavy emotions, overcoming addiction, and how to discover chakra imbalances if you don’t feel an obvious block.
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Shownotes: stuff & people we talked about
- Erica has self-published two books: Art of Attention – in collaboration with Elena Brower – and Angelus – created together with Roos van der Kamp.
- Amanda Dates – Erica’s first yoga teacher, who now lives in France, encouraged Erica to join a Yoga Teacher Training.
- Yoga Tree – this is where Erica did her first 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training with teachers such as Janet Stone and Darren Main.
- Golden Bridge – Erica did her 200 hours Kundalini training here in Rishikesh, India.
- Kundalini is a form of yoga where you work with repetitions of movements, chants and/or breaths for a minimum of 1-3 minutes. The aim of these repetitive practices is to generate and concentrate energy into a specific organ or location in your body to open up blockages that may be present.
- Kundalini energy is best explained as the life force that lies dormant at the base of the spine. With Kundalini practices you can build pressure to awaken/raise that energy up towards the crown of the head. That journey of awakening this kundalini energy is what brings awareness.
- Kriya is a Sanskrit word that refers to a set of cleansing exercises, such as breath work or movement practices.
- Chakra is sanskrit for ‘wheel’. Chakra’s are best explained as energetic centres that lie along the spine. There are seven chakras and they all bring their own quality. With kundalini or other yoga practices you can focus on a specific chakra to open up those areas where you feel blocked.
- Asanaglyphs – line drawings that Erica likes to use to create and show the flow of a yoga asana class.
- Sofia Coppola – actress and big inspiration of Erica right now.
- Book recommendations:
Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement by Gabrielle Roth
What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
The Gene Keys: Embracing Your Higher Purpose by Richard Rudd
Connect with Erica Jago
Instagram: @erica_jago
Website: www.jagoyoga.com
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