“Mermaid Yogis. What exactly is it?”
Every time I drop my #mermaidtribe in conversation, this is the question I hear. They inquire curiously, seemingly puzzled at the entire concept of people connecting from all corners of the globe over an app on the phone. Perhaps it’s hard to believe that there’s a whole community online uniting through the love of yoga and photography, and connecting to form lasting bonds that result in real life friendships and transformation.
What is #mermaidyogis?
“We’re a community, a tribe, a sisterhood/brotherhood. It started as an instagram challenge – a month long yoga practice highlighting and teaching a different pose each day, but then evolved into something more – into meet ups with free yoga, community building, retreats, and just the most amazing group of people ever. Yeah, we have rad sponsors and it’s awesome to see the photos, but what’s really incredible is that we’re connecting in real life, on different continents, and becoming friends. We’re supporting people we don’t even know in their fitness journey, their yogic journey, their transformation. We’re seeing lives change. We’re making friends. It’s a movement.”
#mermaidyogis Sayulita November 2014
#MermaidYogis. It’s a movement.
Three more sleeps til we dive into another month of #mermaidyogis! This month long challenge starts August 1st, 2015 and invites all water loving yogis to float and flow with us through 30 postures which combine to form a beautiful, fluid sequence. We will share tutorials here and on YouTube on how to access variations of all the postures, so that this challenge is accessible to all yogis. Follow along here on the blog, over at Zen Girl Chronicles, Sea Vibes Yoga, and keep up with Horizon Light Productions for amazing photos and videos related to the challenge!
How to Join
1. Repost the collage above on your Instagram and Twitter and tag #MermaidYogis!
2. Post once daily from August 1-30 – a video or creative photo of the pose of the day. If you miss a day, no worries. Just catch up before September 2!
3. Tag hosts in all posts – @stoked_yogi, @zengirlmandy, @janalyn.rose, @seavibesyoga
4. Tag sponsors – @gracedbygrit, @glidesup, @mandukayoga, @colorescience, @twistedguru, @rawelementsusa, @bodyglovegirl, @bloominglotusjewelry, @thebeautyofhandmade
5. Be creative, have fun, and remember that this movement is meant to help you LOVE your practice and LOVE yourself! Check in with hosts for any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback.
Who We Are
We are a sisterhood of women who love the ocean, love yoga, and love life. We believe in being who you are, in speaking your truth and pursuing your dreams. We believe that life is a canvas to our imaginations, and we believe that we are stronger as a team. Our mission? To inspire you to live fully, authentically, and with joy in your heart. We know that smooth seas never made a skillful sailor, and embrace all the challenges and growth that life has to offer. Our hope? To connect with as many people as possible, across this little planet of ours, to share the love of yoga.
janalyn, mandy, amelia & jaysea
Meet the Mermaids
Janalyn Yanover
@janalyn.rose
Rising to the top as one of best and well-known yoga photographers in California, Janalyn has manifested a life combining her passion with her profession. A yoga teacher since 2005 and a yoga student since 2001, Janalyn ventured down the road of being an entrepreneur and started Horizon Light Photography in 2009 (photography and videography). Do what you love, love what you do. Janalyn is living by this mantra everyday. Combining her love of yoga with her artistic eye, she is shining her light and inspiring others to do the same.
Mandy Burstein
@zengirlmandy
Mandy Burstein is a yoga instructor, event planner, and writer based in La Jolla, California. She began her journey into yoga on the beaches of Costa Rica and has been captivated ever since. Through yoga and writing, she passionately empowers people to become the best version of themselves, both on and off the mat. Upon completing her initial 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Bird Rock Yoga in 2010, Mandy has found her calling in teaching Vinyasa Flow, Restorative Yoga and Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga. In 2013, she completed an additional 300 hours of training and a mentorship with master teacher, Stacy McCarthy through the YogaWorks Professional Program at Prana Yoga Center earning her the designation of RYT-500 from Yoga Alliance. Mandy teaches multiple yoga classes each week that are open to the public, and also works privately with clients helping them transform their lives, in the comfort of their own homes.
Amelia Travis
@stoked_yogi
Amelia Travis is the founder of Stoked Yogi and creator of the #MermaidYogis movment. Her life is a living, breathing expression of a love for yoga and the sea. Amelia is a Yoga Alliance RYT-500, business coach, writer, and artist. She lives on a sailboat in San Diego with her sweet husband, and spends her days surfing, paddling, teaching and practicing yoga, writing, daydreaming, and bringing the dreams to life. After breaking her back in a surfing accident in 2012, Amelia realized that life is too short to do anything but what you love. She lives each day now by the Stoked Yogi mantra: Set your intention, then breathe it to life.
Jaysea Devoe
@seavibesyoga
Jaysea Devoe is one of the most inspiring people you’ll ever meet. At twelve years old, she became the youngest certified yoga teacher in the United States, and just before her thirteenth birthday, the youngest SUP yoga teacher in the world. In Jaysea’s words:
“I am the Youngest Certified Female Yoga Instructor in the United States. I did my yoga teacher training through Soul Of Yoga, which is a Yoga alliance RYT 200 yoga teacher training certification. I’m am also the Youngest Certified SUP yoga instructor in the world. I did my training through Stoked Yogi. I am on team Glide SUP. They make amazing yoga paddle boards! I love teaching yoga, SUP Yoga, and I love the ocean. I have grown up around the sea my whole life. As my years go by I just get more and more inspired by it. When I first started getting into yoga I remember meditation was the hardest thing. So I started to think what brought me to a state of pure bliss? The ocean was the first thing that came to my head. So I started to incorporate some ocean themes into my practice. Right away I could see the difference. So as I went through my yoga training I kept keeping the ocean in my mind. When I finished my training, I was ready to teach my first official class. So I decided to make it ocean themed. After I taught my first class, I loved teaching ocean themed yoga. So from there on I have called my little yoga business “Sea Vibes Yoga.”
Meet the Sponsors
We are super grateful to these amazing companies, whose values align with the spirit of Mermaid Yogis and whose generosity makes it possible to pass on some amazing prizes to the #mermaidtribe!
Graced By Grit
@gracedbygrit – Grand Prize Apparel
Glide SUP
@glidesup – Lotus Board & Paddle
Blooming Lotus Jewelry
@bloominglotusjewelry – Mala of choice
Body Glove Girl
@bodyglovegirl – Swimwear of choice
Manduka Yoga
@mandukayoga – Mat & YogiToes towel
Twisted Guru
@twistedguru – Beach Blanket
Soulie
@thebeautyofhandmade – Dream Mat Bag
Colorescience
@colorescience – Gift Basket of SPF skincare
Raw Elements
@rawelementsusa– “Love Your Skin” gift bag
We can’t WAIT to see your expressions in yoga and get to know all of you! Follow along on Instagram and Twitter – and start posting August 1! Check back here weekly for tutorials and sequencing breakdowns.
