Pilates with Carey Sadler ~ Coralville Modern Professional

If you practice yoga, then you’ll like pilates. If you don’t practice yoga, you’ll still like pilates. As instructor Carey Sadler first explained it to me when I met her last year, pilates is a form of exercise for people who don’t like to exercise. And it’s true. Except once you’re done, you’re sweating even though you didn’t feel like you moved around a whole lot.

Which is why pilates – an exercise that focuses on strengthening abdominal muscles – is so good for you.

Carey is the instructor at a small studio in Coralville called Rivercity Pilates. After teaching pilates in the Philadelphia area for many years, Carey and her family moved to the Iowa City area where started her own fully-equipped studio. She now teaches private and small-group classes using a variety of equipment  – the biggest of which is called the Cadillac (upper right).

When I first started taking pilates classes from Carey, one of the first things I noticed was how great she was about talking you through every exercise – reminding you to breathe and giving you great descriptors to visualize how your body should move.

“I love seeing people progress,” Carey told me before our shoot. Her clients include people recovering from major surgeries, women who are pregnant, people who have had physical therapy, as well as anyone who wants to do pilates just to feel better. “It’s great to see people excited about their pilates and sharing it with others.”

To sign up, check the class schedule and let Carey know in advance – and maybe you’ll see me there as well!

Published in Vanderbilt University’s Alumni Magazine

So, this is a bit outdated but it’s news to me since I got my copy of Vanderbilt Magazine in the mail this week.

Last summer, I photographed a local woman starting up a nonprofit aimed to help women in domestic violence shelters regain some sense of confidence and control through yoga practice. It’s an ambitious and interesting venture that got the attention of the founder’s alma mater, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Last fall the university – which has 115,000 graduates – published her story (accompanied by one of my photos) in the alumni magazine. Click on the images below to check out the online edition of the story (published in the magazine):

…(and online):

Happy Birthday, Kalista!

Hard to believe it’s been roughly two years since I first met Kalista. She was at Indigo, the yoga studio in Moline her parents Shannon and Abby own. I stopped in and was enchanted…yes, ENCHANTED by this baby’s beaming smile. That first year, this beautiful face greeted me with a big grin. During her first birthday party, she was decked in pink dress with beads she kept touching and turning. It was my mom’s first image of Kalista and she still talks about it. Weeks later, I did a photo shoot, and by then she was walking.

Recently, during her baby sister’s newborn session Kalista was running and eyeing me with a cautious curiosity. She would sneak a peek at me and then run into her room when I caught her looking. She hadn’t seen me in a while, but it was the cutest thing.

The family celebrated earlier this week. But since today is her OFFICIAL day, I thought some birthday love on the blog was well deserved, so Happy 2nd Birthday, Kalista! Have a wonderful day!

Kirtan Revisited

I got a very nice email this evening from Dharmashakti, a yoga instructor and studio owner in Albuquerque, New Mexico, thanking me for some photos I sent him. He and his partner Christian were traveling cross country a few weeks back and holding kirtans (call-and-response singing events) at various studios. One of their stops was at tapas yoga shala in Davenport, where I had a chance to photograph this kirtan.

It was a fascinating experience. And Dharmashakti has some of my photos on the Web site of his new studio, Nob Hill Yoga, slated for an August 1 grand opening.

If you’re not familiar with kirtans (also called Bhakti Yoga), it is about devotion to yourself, and he explains it very well here. To get a sense of what a kirtan is like, check out this music slideshow from the one hosted by tapas.

Kirtan

It was a night of chanting, music, and blissful hypnosis.

A local yoga studio, tapas yoga shala, invited me to its first kirtan. In Sanskrit, this means repeat, and repeat we did of various words and phrases led by Dharmashakti, a yoga instructor and musician in New Mexico, along with his assistant Christian Patrick. The two had been traveling across the country and stopping at various yoga studios to hold kirtans along the way.

A handful of people came last week to the one they held in the Quad Cities at the shala – about 2 hours of call-and-response chanting that was both hypnotic and therapeutic.

Click here to check out more photos from this slideshow, accompanied to one of the chants called Svaha, which means “Amen. Shalom. Inshallah. So be it. It is so.”

NEW LOGO!!!

I’ve been waiting quite some time for this, and it has finally come to fruition. I am pleased to announce a new redesign of my logo, which was done by Meredith of jackandmolly in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her Etsy store was recommended to me by another fellow photographer. Sure enough Meredith put her graphic design skills to work (thank goodness, because I can’t design to save my life!) and was incredibly patient with my 1.5 million requested changes. This was such an organic process for me and in the end completely worth it!!! MANY KUDOS to Meredith, as I transition to life with a new look.

A Yoga Exclusive

It’s nice to gain some national recognition every once in a while (not exactly a regular thing for me) – even in in the most unexpected way.

Last year I did a Men of Yoga calendar for Indigo yoga studio in Moline. One of the models – studio co-owner Shannon Moran – had the most range of motion during his session. And one photo in particular (incidentally not in the calendar) caught the attention of Yoga Life Style in New York state. The yoga apparel company is using my photo in its online catalog and in an ad in Yoga Journal magazine.

I haven’t quite digested the fact that Yoga Journal goes out nationally and internationally to more people than I can count. But much credit goes to Shannon for getting in that pose AND staying in it long enough for me to capture it for the world to see! Congrats, Shannon!

National ad in Yoga Journal magazine

Tapas Yoga Shala

I had a wonderful opportunity a few days ago to photograph some classes at Tapas Yoga Shala on Brady Street in Davenport. The yoga studio was started last year by Evan and Kelly Harris. (Some of you may remember Evan as Mr. September in the Men of Yoga calendar).

In any case, I got a first-hand look at Ashtanga Yoga, an intense range of motions that go from simple bends to difficult twisted stretches. Regardless of skill level, be prepared to sweat. (I was exhausted just watching everyone!)

But here is a little bit of Evan and Kelly in their own words, and some of my favorite shots from their classes:

Urban Grunge Baby

I’ve realized – or maybe I intuitively knew this – that the first year of life is when change is most noticeable. I only saw Kalista a few weeks ago during her first birthday bash, hosted at Indigo yoga studio owned by her parents Shannon and Abby. At the time, Kalista was to the point she could stand on her own with support, and walk if you held her two adorable hands into yours.

But yesterday, I saw a different Kalista. She had grown, and was showcasing her independence and sashaying around in a white ballet skirt at the River Music Experience in downtown Davenport. Me and Abby could hardly keep up with her. But it was a fantastic session – especially with an adorable face like Kalista’s, who is also one of my Teddy Bear Birthday Club girls. Here’s a small sneak peek:

Kalista, Age 1

Men of Yoga 2009 Calendar – Update

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know I had the tremendous privilege and difficult task last year of photographing some incredible men in yoga poses for a calendar. Let me tell ya, it isn’t easy photographing awesome guys in strange poses for so long AND directing them how to pose… But hey, someone had to do it:D

Well, the good news is there are still Men of Yoga 2009 Calendars available at Indigo yoga studio in downtown Moline, on clearance now for $12.50! (Yay!!!) You can also get the calendars from yours truly. (Double Yay!!!)

If you already have a calendar, then make sure you have one in every room in the house. I’m a big believer in not having to leave the room if someone calls and asks if you’re free on such and such a date…so more reason to have a calendar, especially one you can look at and imitate yoga moves. It can’t hurt as long as you DON’T attempt the cover pose for your first yoga move! Besides, if you’re a football or basketball player, or a biker or attorney or doctor or teacher or writer or photographer or auto mechanic or chiropractor or consider yourself just plain human, yoga will do wonders for your life. I know – I’ve been a yogi for 4 years and there is nothing more wonderful than doing a simple peaceful calming meditation pose in the midst of stressful people.

OK, enough of my babbling. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Men of Yoga 2009 calendar, here’s a preview of what’s inside:

Shannon, Men of Yoga Cover Model & Awesome Instructor

Lars, Mr. June

Joe, Mr. August

Evan, Mr. September

Jeff, Mr. October

Ron, Mr. November