Spending time with friends in Cyprus has given me new life lessons. Bali gave me studies in all things yoga with practical tools to help me teach all I know, Australia gave me lessons about the heart- it was an emotional experience, Cyprus has given me lessons about my soul, my past lives and my own spiritual practice.
My spiritual practice is difficult to define because it’s a mixture of things. I joke that I am a yoga witch and it’s kind of true if you break down both these words. I love the practice of yoga and the yogic philosophy, I practice mantra and Kirtan and make offerings to Hindu goddesses and because of my trainings in Bali, I can now guide others on this path or lifestyle. BUT I also consider myself “Pagan” too and I work with the old gods of the West as well. My soul feels so connected to the Greek-Egyptian “Pagan” beliefs and I’m trying to learn more to uncover aspects of my soul and possible past lives. I’m definitely a woman of the goddess and goddess movement and a few people in Cyprus have told me I have an ancient Egyptian vibe about me. I adore learning about ancient priestesses and oracles that reside in temples all over the world, I am passionate about ancient symbols and stories that teach about life. I am in love with goddess archetypes and so on. Continue reading →
Jai Mata, Jai Kali, Durga Devi Namo Namaha. Jai Mata, Jai Kali, Durga Devi Namo Namaha. Shakti Kundalini, Jagadumbe Mata! Shakti Kundalini, Jagadumbe Mata!
Upon finding her seal skin, the Selkie is now in search of her sisters to take her back to the sea, back to her true self. She searches high and low and sings a sweet song to the animals for help. She asks dragonfly and blackbird who tell her to board a plane. She asks horse and dog who tell her to leave behind unwanted belongings, she speaks to frog and newt who tell her to meet their cousin Gecko in Bali. “There you will meet your sisters, and there you will know your heart.” they say. The Selkie brings her best friend Phoenix along to experience the journey too!
Having just left a long term partnership and life back in Devon, UK in the summer of 2018 and with no responsibilities and a small lump sum of savings. I took a calculated risk to do something big, beautiful and life changing for myself and that was to go to Bali and attend a Women’s circle facilitator training with The Be Woman Project in February 2019. I spent the summer months living with friends and working super hard to save up and left Plymouth in the beginning of December. I lived with family over the winter months and left for Bali on the 23rd February with my best friend. It was our first holiday together made extra special because she was granted a scholorship on the Be Durga training. I couldn’t afford to pay for everything but I wanted her to experiance this training, she’s done so much for me over the years and with Sharada’s help, I was able to bring her. We didn’t actually get to spend a lot of time together but that was OK, both of us are very individualistic and at times desire our own space to reflect on things, we shared the same room but I wanted her to have the freedom to make friends and have her own unique experience without me attached to her hip. We did manage to get a few pictures together though.
It’s November 2018 and the summer months before was a time when everything in my old life, fell apart. I had been waiting, saving and planning for a few years to make certain dreams manifest and now was the time. I’ve just turned 33 and I’m living back at my Dad’s house with my belongings in boxes, I’m feeling depleted with low self worth, yet I spend every day attending the local leisure centre’s gym to keep busy, prepare my body and visit the library to research which yoga teacher training I felt called to do? It seemed like the necessary next step to encourage me to change my life.
I initially had other ideas which I believed I was dead set on on at the time, over the past few years I was planning on doing my training on a Thai island; until I discovered Jai Wellness. This company piqued my interest because they advertised as a Holistic yoga teacher training with the inclusion of Ayurveda. With my love of holistic education, creative therapies and alternative medicine plus my basic knowledge of Ayurveda and my growing passion for nutrition and Herbalism, this training seemed to tick all the boxes and bring all the things I love together as one. How unique and magical?! I believe soon after being in contact with the lead teacher, reading a little bit more about the training, checking dates and discussing everything with a close friend; within a week of finding Jai Wellness I quickly secured my place with a deposit. It all happened so fast and it felt serendipitous.
“Its dark out there, she thought. As the rain water called to her, its a perfect night for adventure. Her time here is up. The young woman took one last look at the cabinets, the bed frame, the kettle, the fridge and all other things that made a house, that became her house for over 7 years. A small tear journeyed down her face as she stepped outside barefoot. Out into the garden, she breathed in the jasmine fragrant air and plunged into the soil like a wild cat. It’s somewhere here she thought, clawing at the sodden earth. The Lavender and Rosemary growing nearby were curious as to what is going on and maneuvered towards the woman to get a better look.
Finally the young woman let out a joyous cry as she tugged at something grey and mottled deep within the flower bed pulsating like a heart, it was her sealskin. The roots of the palm tree had coiled over her pelt like a gnarled crooked hand. This house, this life did not want to let her go but with a great primal howl the young woman clawed away at the roots to free what had once belonged to her.
My latest article with Bad Yogi is now published, this is the grand finale of a three part series based around yoga for Teens, you can read the other two below. It’s an in-depth look at the health benefits of yoga for Teens. This particular article took a short while to put together and edit as its such a vast subject that is still under research. My teacher, Charlotta Martinus is pioneering for Teen Yoga to be brought into schools across the UK, she is even doing talks at the house of Lords and her first Teen Yoga book will be published this August 2018.
This is my 10th article with Bad Yogi (hurray!) and it may be my final too. I have so much going right now and I think it is time to move on to other ventures. I do have ideas for two more articles, but we’ll see.
I do feel that this is one of the most important pieces of writing I’ve had published and I also feel strongly that young adults need our help more than ever before.
“Yoga for Kids and Teens is growing in popularity all over the world; adults are realizing how beneficial a yoga practice is to the children in their lives. School teachers and parents alike are learning how to teach simple yoga and mindfulness sessions before class or before bedtime and qualified kids and teens yoga teachers are highly sort after and some yoga seniors are pioneering to put yoga onto the school curriculum because there is strong evidence from psychological and neurobiological reports that suggest yoga and meditation are deeply beneficial practices both in short term and long term in your children’s lives as they grow into adults.” Continue reading →
As the second part of the Teen Yoga series for Bad Yogi Magazine I wrote a book haul review of some great books for Teen Yogis. Some books are yoga related, others are young adult novels or memoirs that delve into topics adolsecents struggle with, such as gender, sexuality, culture, society, family and mental health. I wanted this book haul to have variety and to appeal to young adult voices. As well as fiction, there is also a poetry collection, a personal diary and a handbook on mindfulness specifically for Teens. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did writing it!
“I am a newly trained Teen Yoga & Mindfulness teacher and I also love books (I quite fancy leading a weekly yoga & book club one day — a girl can dream!)
I thoroughly enjoy expanding my knowledge in subjects I’m passionate about so after my Teen yoga teacher training I really wanted to delve deeper into the mindset of being a Teen, tapping into my own memories of being a young adult and so I read numerous YA novels, published journals and yoga books specific to Teens that could be brought into a Teen class as part of a theme or as recommendations to pupils who also loved to read and may benefit from a particular book or if there are Teen Yogis who read Bad Yogi Magazine!”
Melanie Salvatore-August is a tour-DE-force in the yoga world as a yoga teacher, brand ambassador for Lululemon active wear, author of two books Kitchen Yoga and Fierce Kindness, founder of the Fierce Kindness organization and busy mom and wife to a beautiful family in San Fransisco. She is currently on a book tour around the USA to promote her recent book Fierce Kindness however she very lovingly took some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions. Learn more about Melanie and her beautiful perspective on life and work in the interview below
Melanie, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? I am driven by connection. I always have been. That moment of feeling in true understanding with another is enthralling for me. With that the power of feeling seen, heard and uniquely valuable I energize and am inspired. When I was a little girl (to my siblings dismay) I jump up during the commercial breaks to dance and gyrate in front of the TV. I definitely wanted attention, liked making my parents laugh and yet the deeper essence of it was that I ached for the regular life distractions to stop and make heart connection. My poor siblings, I can still hear the echoes of “Mom! make her stop. Get away from the TV!”.
The folklore of my family is that from the earliest days I loved everybody and anybody and that was especially inconvenient in the grocery store as I would reach my arms up to be lifted out of the cart to any kindly passer by. Again, connection and I learned that I could make people laugh too with my impersonations of others, plus dancing and an eager spirit to please the only natural path it seemed was to be an actress. It was an equation that seemed fitting and yet it did not truly align with my heart and dharma. I graduated with a BFA from a conservatory drama school University of North Carolina School of the Arts and went on to work in the entertainment industry in NYC and LA for over 10 years before I shifted into full time yoga teaching. I have been a SAG member since 1991 and done my share of live theatre, commercials and film. I spent many of those years writing and performing comedy with a group of super funny women many of whom are now veterans in the entertainment world. The cycle of rejection and constant self-focus kept me anxious and dark. My yoga practice created peaceful power and a larger view of myself and the world around me. The more fulfilled and empowered I became through yoga the less tolerance I had for the entertainment career aspect of my professional life. It organically and gradually shifted away.
During that shifting I met my husband who is a writer, filmmaker and yogi. We fell in love, married and soon after started a family. We are blessed with three boys under the age of 10 and currently live on a budding urban homestead in San Francisco Bay Area. I am an aquarius, a part-time introvert and fan of big wheels, basketball and looking at the sky.
When did you walk into your first yoga class, and what drew you in? And who or what made you decide to become a yoga teacher? My first yoga class was at the Manhattan Actors Equity Building and Gym in Hell’s Kitchen NYC @1994. It was in a darkened (with red tracked lighting) meditation room where I could barely see my hand in front of my face. I never saw the teachers eyes and yet I remember his beard. All I really knew was that I for one moment at the end of savasana felt relief from the feeling of despair that was always with me. It saved my sanity and my life I think.
I came to yoga with anxiety and depression. It made me feel better and I wanted to help other people feel better too.
Often, I would wistfully say out loud,”I just want to teach yoga.” and Rafael, my husband turn to me one day and said,”Then do it.” With his love and support, I did.
What are the three biggest ways your yoga practice has impacted your life? Just three? Oh my good question, I will really have to distill it. It freed me of feeling stuck in my immediate circumstances and gave me daily, visceral embodiment of freedom and timeless peaceful power. It helped give understanding that I AM. I has given me tools to regulate my thoughts, ride my emotions and direct my focus to fully living. It reminds me that time here is short and helps me let go of limiting mental construct and say yes to oneness and love. Is that three? It also gives me tools for joy and for my life to be a prayer, it has made me feel so much better.
In addition to being a yoga teacher, you are also a gifted writer. Can you please share a bit about your journey as a writer in finding your unique voice, sharing it with the world, and ultimately becoming a published author? Thank you! All the twists turns and culminations of my life; from my childhood, to years in the arts, to many hours in the asana/meditation room led me to writing. As a preteen I had a fascination with all things metaphysical. One of my first influential books was Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization, it had a huge impact on my thinking. I have been a voracious reader of all new and old spiritual texts over my whole life. Affirmations and visualizations to journey into deeper parts of my consciousness have been a staple of my life practice. The week before Lisa McGuinness now friend and my book’s publisher contacted me to write Kitchen Yoga I had written down the intention on a piece of scrap paper of writing my first book as a vision and seed to manifest. I was amazed and yet not surprised that out of the blue a publisher contacted me. I believe in the connection of life and purpose. I believe my purpose is to share hope, joy and love through all the different avenues of arts and communication.
How did your current book Fierce Kindness come into being and tell us a little bit about your first book Kitchen Yoga? Lisa (the publisher at Yellow Pear Press) attended one of my yoga classes and from my understanding she had an experience that confirmed and supported a powerful decision she was working through in her life. She remembered me from that experience and when the time was right for her publishing company Yellow Pear Press she contacted me with the idea of Kitchen Yoga. She offered the concept and I attempted to create an accessible, daily practice book that supports from the inside out, meaning from the thoughts out to the actions to create a balanced and intentional life. The book is multi-layered with each chapter having various affirmations, inspirations, asana, pranayama and meditations that coincide with the chakra system. I was in labor with my 3rd son when Lisa contacted me. I wasn’t sure if I could manage writing, teaching and three kids with one a newborn and yet it happened rather seamlessly. My son was on my lap sleeping and nursing through the entire book writing process so he has to be credited as a silent author. Lisa and I work well together, she cares about being intentional and making a difference in the world with her offerings. Fierce Kindness: Be a Positive Force for Change was again a natural progression of our growing relationship and I think for both of us a passion project.
In relation to the book, can you tell us about your project The Fierce Kindness Movement and how can someone be involved? Over the last 5 years, through the development support of lululemon (who I have had the pleasure of being a long time ambassador for) I began to actualize a greater impact for good in my community and beyond. Through one of lululemon’s ambassador development retreats it came to me that my understanding of how to make change was to be harnessed and structured so I could reach more people. In the last 4 years, FK events have given athletic shoes for foster kids, toys for Children’s Hospital Cancer patients, food for families in crisis, toiletries for women’s shelter, warm socks for homeless and more. Fierce Kindness is about connecting to purpose and love, using that as power to change the inner conversation from fear to love and while you help yourself your also being of service to the world.
Do Good, Feel Good. Fierce Kindness is a way of processing and approaching life with the tools of how to connect with love and use fear for deeper self knowledge and ultimately how to return over and over to love. It is a call to action to live your belief in love and act upon the power that this belief gives you. The book supports with immediate and actionable tools and mindset shift as well as daily directives to be of service to others. Both the tools and the connection in the world to be of service will make you feel better, happier and more powerfully contented. Through live and online trainings and events, the movement is growing and by 2018 will have a full online education platform that will have tools for self-development as well as leadership support and community building. This year has not only brought forward the book it has also given me an amazing partner in the organization Kaitlin Pratt MFT who is a former deputy sheriff and now a trauma therapist. She embodies fierce kindness and we are excited about the future of Operation Fierce Kindness.
When we step onto the mat, we set an intention for our practice. What is an intention/mantra/quote that you live by, that helps guide you throughout your days, your teaching, and your life in general? Guru Chant is how I step into my practice and in to life. I am surrendering and stepping in to my highest and eternal self, which is beyond my immediate circumstances. It reminds that I come from love and will return to love so move forward with faith.
In your book you talk about taking charge, being positive and living your life with fierce kindness and that’s such a profound concept that a lot of people can really benefit from, can you tell us how to apply that to daily life? I am so glad that you think it is of benefit. The application is in small daily choices and actions that are repeated. The power is in the consistent pause; as it is the pause to feel, discern, redirect the mind to be in alignment with the heart/soul will create fulfillment, power and expansion into the best truth of yourself. Fierce kindness is for the person who believes in love and yet doubt has moved them just out of alignment with that belief. It gives them simple yet life changing tools to update their operating system and live in their beliefs. That creates powerful synchronicities as like attracts like and that amazing ripple effect of do good, feel good, feel good, do good that is transformational.
What’s your advice to other yogi-preneurs for staying balanced, maintaining the vision, and making their dreams a reality? You don’t have to be finished or perfect to do good and create the life that you dream. Ask yourself the raw and hard questions about what you truly want and why you want to do it. Make consistent daily positive actions while trusting the timing and support of the universe and love. Notice when you are struggling and get to the root of what is causing this fear response, then use your practices to clear it and create again. Live, love and be grateful now, the rest will come. Trust the process and truth of your purpose which comes from love.
what does living a conscious lifestyle mean to you? Waking yourself up over and over to the wonder of the moment and life itself as it is a blessing and is precious. Doing the best you can in any given circumstance to return to love as efficiently as you can.
What does the future hold for you? Another book perhaps? Give us a glimpse into your future goals and aspirations. I’m excited about the launch of our online educational platform Operation Fierce Kindness as well as the Audible audio version of Fierce Kindness which will release in the fall. I’m in development for a TEDtalk-type version of Fierce Kindness as well. I am called to write more books and have a couple of projects in early stages that I am giving space, trusting the timing and process of it all. I am very thankful to have channels of service and expression. Thank you so much for your interest and kind support of Fierce Kindness.
Photo by Marilyn Isaac Photography
Melanie has been a delight to get to know, I truly resonate with her words, her incredible zest for life and her personality is beautifully radiant. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed reading & reviewing her latest book ‘Fierce Kindness‘ on Yogi Approved and Bad Yogi. Very soon I will be reviewing her first book ‘Kitchen Yoga‘ on the blog next, stay tuned for that!
I have known Sarah now for over a year. We became friends instantly and she allowed me to stay with her whilst I did my Kids yoga teacher training in Brighton, back then we were discussing our dreams and our eventual path towards becoming certified yoga teachers and possibly running retreats together. We also got tattoos together to celebrate our budding friendship. Fast forward to this present moment and I’m about to train as a Teen yoga teacher and Sarah has just completed her 200hr yoga teacher training! Sarah is a beautiful fusion between gentleness and sass. Her soothing, husky voice has the capability of calming even the most anxious person and she has the sweetest disposition. She is spirited, gracious, and generous with a big heart and I really wanted to give readers a glimpse into her thoughts and of her current adventures in life.
Describe who you are and what you do in three sentences or less. I’m Sarah, psychology graduate and newly qualified yoga teacher! I am an Aries (with the fiery hair to match!) and I currently live in Worthing, which is just down the coast from Brighton.
Tell is your life journey and how it lead you to Yoga? Yoga has always fascinated me. I remember taking books on Yoga out of the library as a teenager and trying to hold the pages open with one foot whilst attempting to contort myself into the poses. Needless to say, it wasn’t too successful! During my late teens and early 20s I struggled with a huge lack of confidence, depression, and turbulent relationships. I felt incredibly lost in life and was experiencing a feeling of disconnection from everything. I can’t remember the specific moment I decided to explore Yoga again, but I do remember sweating like crazy in Downward Facing Dog and feeling this huge wave of peace wash over me in Savasana. I had never experienced anything like it before, and every fibre of my being was calling me to repeat the practice. So I did. Again and again. Yoga has been instrumental in shaping my growth and development as a person, and I honestly don’t know where I would be without it.
What are your other passions and interests? I am an avid reader, although I buy far more books than I will ever read! Living by the sea I also love going for walks along the beach. I have recently begun writing for the Bad Yogi blog, and am currently learning to play the ukulele… although with limited success so far!
From your perspective how does psychology and yoga overlap? Yoga, like psychology, is a science. It is the science of careful self enquiry in order to gain knowledge and wisdom about ourselves. As BKS Iyengar so succinctly puts it “Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self realization”. One of the roles of psychology is to understand more about (and how to treat) mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. The role that yoga can play as an adjunct treatment for these issues is of huge significance.
Who or what inspires you? I am inspired by people who speak and live their truth, it just shines out from them. As I have studied more Yoga Philosophy, I have also become inspired by the Bhagavad Gita and the Hindu gods/goddesses.
In your career and life, what’s been your greatest asset? And, if you care to share, your greatest hindrance? How did you overcome it? Hmmm…I don’t know if I could define it as an asset, it’s probably more of a work in progress at the moment! But I would have to say trust. The trust I have to listen to my gut feelings about situations and decisions in my life, about when is the time to stay, to go, to make a change. And as I develop my connection to that inner intuition it feels like more things in my life are slotting into place. My greatest hindrance would have to be my tendency to compare myself with others and feel ‘less than’. I think this is hard given the ‘highlights reel’ of other people’s lives that we are exposed to on social media. But at the end of the day, we choose what information we feed ourselves, and I find that consciously selecting what I read and watch, and focusing on cultivating my own happiness has helped me to overcome these feelings.
What is your personal measure of success and what makes you happy? I try not to strive for ‘success’ as such, of course I have goals and ambitions, but they are not end points. I can’t imagine getting to a point in my life where I think ‘great – I’ve made it now’, because we are always growing and evolving. What makes me happy? Sorry to be such a huge cliché, but it really is all of the mundane little pleasures that make up life; lazy morning cuddles in bed, a chilled glass of rose, walking barefoot through grass, laughing, sharing.
What is your best advice you’ve ever gotten? ‘Do the right thing, and the right thing will happen’ – Trust that you are doing all that you can and the opportunities and synchronicity will arise.
What’s next for you and what are your life goals? Give us a glimpse into your bucket list? As a newly qualified yoga teacher I am really excited to get teaching and start to embody all of the knowledge that I have gained over the course of my training. I am very much open to seeing where it takes me without really having much of a plan (why change the habit of a lifetime eh?). In terms of my other life goals, I am very keen to travel and see more of the world. I would also like to dedicate more time to being creative. I used to love to read, write, paint and draw, but I never make the time to do this anymore, so I would love to rediscover my artistic side! I never want to stop learning and there are so many areas that I would love to pursue in the future; massage, aromatherapy, ayurveda…The list goes on!
Do you have any tips and advice for those wishing to pursue their dreams? Do you have an inspirational quote or mantra you live by that you’d like to share? Dream – dream big, dream small, but mean it. Trust in the process, and trust in your inner voice or gut feeling that is guiding you. Try not to be disheartened or distracted by the opinions of others, it is your life and your happiness, so why should anyone else govern it? I believe that the practice of setting a Sankalpa can be very helpful. A Sankalpa is a short positive affirmation that you repeat three times at the start of a yoga or meditation practice, such as ‘I am enough’ or ‘I trust in my wisdom’, which blooms and blossoms in your unconscious mind. To get to know Sarah a little more, follow her on instagram or read her articles on the Bad Yogi Blog.
“The Rig Veda states; ‘In the beginning there was desire and this was the first seed of the mind.’ Hindu cosmology believes that the process of creation emerged from primordial chaos and a frenzied sensuality. The idea of creation was manifested as an amorous act between the gods and goddesses; making the formation of the universe both sacred and erotic.
Everything in nature makes love in order to create new life and to rejoice in the beauty of spring. The ancient Indians viewed love and sex as highly important because it connects us to nature and to the cosmos. The pursuits of pleasure of the human body was seen as one way of being closer to the divine and thus attain spiritual union (or achieve Moksha) that one aspired for.
Much like the practice of Yoga, the Kama Sutra is hugely misunderstood around the world. The Kama Sutra is an ancient book of Love; it is not just a book of sex positions. There are 64 different positions that can be assumed during loving making and are actually one small part of the entire book. Kama Sutra literally translates to “love lessons” or “Desire Song” and was used as a guide for couples of all ages, courtesans to the king and was a great resource for the ancient holy women or priestesses residing in temples and were said to be a direct connection to deity and thus making love to them was extremely sacred.”
I enjoyed writing an Herbal Tea article for Yogi Approved so much that I wrote one for Bad Yogi as well. This one includes four different herbal teas alongside Green Tea and Chamomile. I just love learning about herbs and I think one day I’ll own my own herb garden and little house somewhere with wooden beams so I can hang my herbs to dry. My best friend loves learning about essential oils and in her spare time she creates essential oil soaps and shampoos and I love researching old wives tales about herbal tinctures and concoctions brewed to help heal wounds, cure headaches and aid pain relief during child birth; and I like the idea that someday I’ll be creating home brewed herbal teas of my own for similar reasons (and for enjoyment too). It’s all very earthy and wild and I see myself being the eccentric wise woman on the end of her street whom people come to for advice or perhaps for some yoga and my house will be decorated with plants, dream catchers, vintage records, books galore! And objects collected from around the world, ah a girl can dream!
But without further adieu here is my Herbal tea article with Bad Yogi plus illustrations by a good friend of mine Esther Lankaar.
“An ancient Chinese proverb says: Better to be deprived of food for three days than of tea for one.
Tea has been a favorite beverage worldwide for hundreds of years. A pot of tea shared among friends can bring an air of enchantment to an afternoon, and a cup of tea with a book on a rainy evening can bring warmth and peace of mind to any restless soul. The tea plant been called the Plant of Heaven for 4,000 years and has been highly valued as a drink of pleasure and as medicine.
Peppermint tea is famous for easing aches and pains associated with colds and flu, as well as headaches and bad breath. Rosemary tea on your scalp can encourage hair growth. Chamomile tea in your bath does wonders for your skin and aids relaxation. And Thyme tea is a powerful antiseptic and helps heal infections.”
