Content marketing coordinator – Join the team at #PracticeWithClara

#PracticeWithClara is an online platform that offers yoga, mantra and meditation classes, launched by world renowned yoga teacher Clara Roberts-Oss.

Our team is looking for a Part time Content Marketing Coordinator – 20 hours per week with potential for a full time role.

This is mostly a remote position (Can work from home), however we are in the process of acquiring a studio for shooting content and we would love you to join us in that space when ready for some of those hours (very flexible)

 

3 things we need right now

– Social media distribution (LaterApp, Insta, FB,)

– Content distribution (Blog and video)

– Reporting (Web analytics, social media performance, Growth/sales)

 

The Gig

This is a dynamic position, we have many exciting marketing tasks that we would love to implement in the coming months (SEO, content distribution, etc). The ideal candidate probably knows what most of those tasks are or is seriously eager to learn them and willing to work hard to learn fast and implement.

 

This gig requires:

– Attention to detail (Grammar and file management)

– Crisp organization skills

– Flexibility (Things change fast and often)

– Knowing your way around todays tech (google docs, analytics, social platforms, WordPress, CRO and Distribution tools)

We love reporting and so should you – If you dig the idea of creating graphs and having data tell a story, we’re likely to get along 🙂

Experience with apps and app marketing is a plus but not a must.

Experience with copywriting is a plus plus but not a must must!

 

The top 3 qualities we are looking for are

Organized – If you use words like meticulous when talking about being organized, we’re excited.

Autonomous – You know yourself best and how to be most productive.

Likes to have fun – If you’re not having fun, then it’s not worth doing.

 

To apply pls answer the following questions

What is #PracticeWithClara doing well and what can it improve upon?

What are your 3 favourite instagram accounts to follow and why?

What are you most excited about right now? (This is broad, can be about anything including your new favourite juice)

 

Also pls send us a resume or a list of your past experience (work and marketing tools you know) & Qualifications

Send the above to [email protected] with the subject “I Love Content Marketing”

 

We will only reach out to qualified candidates – and we thank you for your interest 🙂

PS. If you do not meet what we’re looking for above but you feel you could help us in a different way, write to us and let us know how, we’re always excited to meet our community.

(ANNOUNCEMENT) Officially launching my new apps!!!!! ?

ios android practicewithclara

New Apps for #PracticeWithClara

I’m so excited to officially announce the launch of my new Platform and apps!

When we first launched this project (Aug 2019), I had a vision of creating an online platform to share my teachings to those who were not able to make it to my live yoga classes on a regular basis and to continue to build a larger online library for those who have been practicing with me on other platforms. 

Over the past 8-9 months we’ve learned a ton from our members. Thanks to their requests we have been inspired to create an even better experience for practicing yoga away from the studio!

Here are some of the upgrades we’ve created on our new platform:

  • WE HAVE APPs!! Search for Practice with Clara on your – iPhone, iPad, AppleTV – Android phone and tablet – Roku – Amazon Fire TV – Chromecast and Android TV
  • The flexibility to add classes to a “Favorites” playlist to have easy access to your favorites
  • A much better search and filtering section to find exactly the type of class that you are looking for (Including new Chakras and Elements collections)
  • Our new phone and tablet applications will work similarly to Netflix and Spotify where you can download the classes on to your devices for offline viewing so you may practice from a remote area or shaky wifi
  • We invested heavily in a much more robust cloud engine to ensure your videos stream without interruptions
  • Free 7 day trial. Now you can try out all my classes and see if you like them. If you do, we’re excited to have you as part of the community, however if it’s not for you, no problem, you can unsubscribe anytime and you will not be charged.

Price 

You will notice that our pricing has increased from $14/Month to $15.99/Month and from $120/Year to $130/Year this is to offset the cost of all the apps that we have built plus the team required to help us manage it.

However before we officially change the price we wanted to provide you the opportunity to sign up at our original pricing one last time.

$14 per month link 
$120 per year link

The price that you sign up for will never change!
These links will be accessible until March 31st 2020, after that our prices will increase to our new pricing.

The free classes
We had many members that accessed the free classes on my platform, so I have moved all of the free classes to my YouTube page which you can access here https://www.youtube.com/user/clarapixieyoga 

On my YouTube page you will also find shorter versions of my online classes on #PracticeWithClara, if you want to unwind at home you can always access all of these classes there for a short stretch.

Free membership
We believe in making yoga as accessible as possible, if funds are hindering you from practicing yoga, please email our team at [email protected] and they will provide you a membership at no cost. 

Before I let you go 
I really appreciate your continued support over the years, my offerings today are an evolution of your requests and I hope that it encourages you to continue to strengthen your practice.

If you have any requests on specific classes that you would like to see please use this form (Link below) and we will create them.
https://www.clararobertsoss.com/yoga-class-request/

And if you try out the apps I’d love for you to leave us a review on the App Store – it’ll help us be found.

Thank you again for your support 
Love Clara and our awesome team

Thank Your Teachers: A Lesson through Disillusion

Thank Your Teachers: A Lesson through Disillusion

Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else … Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.

– HERMANN HESSE –

In late fall 2017, and at the zenith of my period as a vegan, I visited New York for a 75-hour yoga immersion. I was brimming with excitement at the opportunity to trace the history of the lineage of a yoga I taught, meet the teachers who instructed some of my teachers, and spend ten days soaking up the wisdom of my elders. Full of the whimsy and wishes of the young, I was prepared to give my total attention in body and mind over to what was essentially two strangers. Upon my arrival I felt welcomed and easily made friends, bonding with like-minded yogis who sought existential sagacity and guidance. The training was broken up with periods of yoga asana practice, philosophy discussion of the Yoga Sutra’s, kirtan, and group discussion. Periodically, the issue of animal rights and environmental sustainability would come up with the fervent urgings of our hosts to practice veganism.  A sympathetic listener in my current state as vegan, and one who’s been vegetarian for decades, I felt like I was being force-fed a discourse that was starting to sound preachy and a bit judgemental. In the middle of asana practice veganism would come up again and again, completely incongruous within the context and as the days wore on, redundant in delivery. At the end of the immersion, full of a refreshed vigor with all I’d learned, I felt the briefest simmerings of disillusion in my experience.  

In my fanatical ability to honor my teachers and respect those who’ve walked before me, I gave up a small piece of my own inner wisdom. As the topic of veganism was pushed and overly presented, I became aware of how each person may have their own agenda and belief system; an agenda that I could question. My disillusion allowed me to see the pedestal I’d constructed for my teachers, a position that made me subordinate in my eyes in wisdom, rank, and expertise. 

We may use our disappointments to question our expectations and perhaps ask why we seek validation outside ourselves. Our disillusion may serve as a catalyst to discover our appetite for truth through self discovery; a practice in honouring the teacher within.  

Disillusion in Expectation: An Attitude for Austerity

Disillusion is born through expectations unfulfilled. Whenever we make assumptions or expect something of someone or a particular situation, we create disillusion within ourselves. Disillusion is the disappointment in the discovery of something not living up to what you believed it to be. Our minds are equipped with unparalleled powers in storytelling, which if left unchecked, may reveal great tales in assumption or expectation that cause strife through disillusion. 

The remedy for disillusion would be to release any and all expectations and assumptions of people, places, and events in one’s life. Letting go of expectations may lead to a happier state of mind as one releases attachments and acknowledges the finite amount of control we have in our existence. Living free of expectations and assumptions may become a question of ego, asking you to completely reframe the ways in which you think and how you pursue a life of value and aspirations. 

An attitude for austerity and the renunciation of expectations in action is revered in the Bhagavad Gita, one of the greatest philosophical texts of India. The Bhagavad Gita, in a conversation through Arjuna the Warrior and Krisha (as God), demonstrates how one shouldn’t be motivated by the fruits of action and instead act for action’s sake without attachment to a desired outcome. Hindu philosophy holds that suffering is caused by bondage to the kleshas, toxins of the mind, which include attachment and expectation through desire. The Gita is a story of how liberation and the removal of suffering is achieved only when we’ve overcome our attachments and expectations. All action should be done with a sense of detachment toward the final results. 

Better indeed is knowledge than the practice of concentration; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruit of action; on renunciation follows immediately peace.
– Bhagavad Gita 12:12

When we release our assumptions, attachments, and expectations, we act from a place of self-control and honour our space in the universe as connected to all other beings. We acknowledge our limited capacity to control our lives, especially when concerning others. We understand the gravity of our thoughts, words, and actions, in how they shape our emotional states and attitude toward ourselves and the world. Questioning the stories that arise, self created or not, is the first step in addressing any disillusion and discovering where the truth resides.

A Question for Everything, Especially Dogma

A potential danger in any popular belief or practice is when a principle laid down by an authority figure is presented as truth. We call this dogma and it’s very dangerous in its capacity for absolutism. Dogma is problematic at its best and destructive at its worst. Religion and spirituality have equally been perceived as dogmatic through statements that present one side in an equation and dismisses and demonizes the other. Dogma lives through our religious beliefs, politics, and education systems. We must continue to question authority states, figures, and systems to overcome dogmatic practices that are brutish and belittling. 

A spiritual practice is meant to transcend the small-mindedness of the ego and devastation that occurs when we act from a place of fear. During our spiritual evolution we commit to a practice of open-mindedness and compassion towards others. A lesson we may hope to learn is the practice of letting go of all that we thought we knew about ourselves, others, and the world. In this, we may realize that our path of action is not the only path, and that our way of navigating the world may or may not serve others. In this process, we may see how all beings are unique and not one set of rules or belief system will serve all beings. This is a practice of profound acceptance. It asks one to accept all as they are, unalike and varied in thought, word, and deed. 

Honouring the space you take up in the world, and the space of every person you come across, is a very profound practice of acceptance. It’s an acceptance of all the suffering we share. Any attempt to project or push an agenda may reveal a moral lesson or reveal dogma. All instruction that refuses to look at itself in acknowledging a lack, questioning other beliefs, or challenging their truth, is dogmatic. When a particular method divides and conquers, repressing other systems of thought and proclaiming their own as the only/best/correct way, is dogmatic. 

An open, curious mind is strongest in allowing varied experience to colour the perspective and capacity to exist in the world. No one knows what is best for you, aside from you. What may serve one community may not serve another and vice versa. We might all allow a bit more space for acceptance of others and challenge the status quo to develop our beliefs and an ethical guide to exist in harmony within the world. 

Honour Your Teachers Within and Without

You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.
― Galileo

Yoga was initially passed down from a teacher to the student through oral tradition and physical practice. For thousands of years, yoga has been passed down by teachers who’ve dedicated themselves to preserving the history and lineage of yoga through asana and scripture. Yoga started with the Vedic Period over 5,000 years ago. The Vedas contain the oldest yogic teachings to-date.

Many great yoga masters have assisted in spreading their wisdom and expertise to students around the world for centuries. Three teachers who’ve helped shape the art and science of yoga into what it is today, include Patanjali, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya, and B.K.S. Iyengar. 

Patanjali, who lived somewhere from 500 and 200 BC, was one of the greatest Indian sages and had a profound impact on the practice and the philosophy of yoga. A philosopher and physician, he created the Yoga Sutras to include the instruction and method on all aspects of yoga practice, inclusive of asana (movement), pranayama (breath), and meditation. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are a fundamental piece of yoga history and a part of the yoga teachers curriculum. Read more on the Yamas to understand how to live in harmony with others, as taken from Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga. 

Sri. T. Krishnamacharya, also known as the ‘father of modern yoga’, travelled all over India teaching and demonstrating yoga to assist in growing its popularity. Krishnamacharya was the eldest of six children. He was born on November 18th, 1888, and passed on February 28th, 1989. Krishnamacharya’s underlying principle in his instruction was to ‘teach what is appropriate for every individual’. His son, T.K.V. Desikachar, continued to teach and evolve his work after his death. 

B.K.S. Iyengar, founder of Iyengar Yoga and author of many notable books on yoga practice and philosophy, began his own practice as a teenager. Iyengar was drawn to yoga as a relief from his illness and to make his body and mind stronger. He developed his own method of Yoga based on many years of self discipline and study. Iyengar was the only one of the three mentioned teachers who left India to teach. He was born in India on December 14th 1918, and passed on August 20th, 2014. 

Thank Your Teachers: A Lesson through Disillusion

Honouring our teachers is part of the exercise in developing bhakti, devotion, to the practice. It may be the inspiration of our teachers that provide the strength to keep going and evolve. As we continue to practice, we may become more aware and honest with ourselves in what serves. We can still hold reverence for our teachers while developing our own foundation for practice and innovative ideas. 

If Iyengar never questioned what was being taught, if he’d never set off on his own to understand what worked for him to make him healthy, we would not have Iyengar Yoga today. 

Thank your teachers and honour all they have done for the practice, but don’t forget the teacher within. 

Develop as a student and/or teacher and advance your skills, 

Yoga Teacher Training with Clara:
• Weeklong Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training
• 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training 

A Quest for Truth and Self Discovery

The purpose of yoga is to revel in the divine process of self discovery. As we practice asana, pranayama, and meditation, we reveal more and more of our inner wisdom and the innate truths of the world. Truths that are revealed in the small pockets of silence and felt within. Our inner teacher is there to guide us, if we are willing to sit with ourselves, accept our situation, and listen with an open mind. Along our path we will be met with challenge as we discover an appetite for discipline, which is where our teachers will help guide and inspire. 

I have a deep respect for all of my teachers as they each hold a space in my process of self discovery. In my practice, I’ve had many moments of self-doubt. My teachers, those who I see daily and those who I’ve only met through their words passed down in books, have given me strength, inspiration, and wisdom where and when I lacked. As you grow and develop your strength and confidence, you may wish to question your teachers and see what and how you could shift the teachings to accommodate. Innovative ideas, art, and science, were born from those who had the courage to question and see how they may add their own twist to an old idea. There is much to be said in preserving a tradition and history, and yet no transformation is possible if we stick to what’s already been done. 

Thank your teachers. Develop a practice of devotion to honor your body, the teacher’s who’ve assisted you along the way, and your own inner wisdom that’s born through experience. 

With devotion,
Stephanie
stephaniedawntrembath

NEW THIS WEEK:
Flow with Side Crow featuring Alejandro Arce

clararobertsoss

Teacher of Yoga, Mantra & Meditation
Seeker of the Sacred.
Facilitator of conscious movement.
👇🏼#PracticeWithClara👇🏼

Clara Roberts-Oss

How to modify in yoga class when pregnant

A student of mine recently wrote to me:
I’m a longtime student of yours and I was wondering if I could ask you for some advice. I am pregnant with my first child (just 7 weeks). My yoga teachers have given me conflicting information – one says since I have a 10 year practice I can keep up my regular vinyasa practice in my 1st and 2nd trimesters (except for lying on my tummy in the 2nd) and the other says I should immediately refrain from forward folding and twisting.  Now I’m confused and I really trust your experience and knowledge and I’d appreciate your advice if you have some!
 
 
My reply:
There’s a ton of conflicting information around pregnancy, not only in yoga but with fitness in general.
 
The first thing I’ll say is that I am not a doctor so I’m just giving you another opinion to think about. Physio therapists are great people to ask if you’re not sure or want an educated answer. 
 
I’m prenatal and postnatal certified yoga teacher and I’m almost 5 months pregnant right now with my first babe.
It’s been quite a trip for me and I’m sure it has been for you as well.
 
I’ll just share with you what I’ve learned and intuited.
Prenatal yoga
In my prenatal training with my teacher, Shiva Rea, she really stressed being gentle in the first trimester as this is when miscarriage is more likely to happen. She encouraged newly pregnant Goddesses (loved her name for us) to really take it slow and listen to their own bodies about what felt right/good and what didn’t. Especially if you’ve been a long time practitioner, your body will let you know if the pose/transition is working or not working.
 
 
Midwives I’ve spoken to say that you can continue doing what you’ve been doing throughout your pregnancy, especially in the first two trimesters. The key is not introducing something very intense into your workout/practice that you were NOT doing before you were pregnant, as you don’t have the muscle memory or understanding of how the move works with a “regular” body. Make sense?
 
Your body will let you know when it longer works for you to lie on your belly. In my own body, during the first trimester, it felt terrible but early in the second trimester and tail end of my first trimester, it felt totally fine. Now it’s not working as my belly is bigger than my boobs.
 
 
Prenatal yoga image
The general rule of thumb when pregnant is not to twist or backbend too deeply. It’s not recommended to over stretch your abdomen since you’ve got a little bean in there. Now that being said, I’ve known quite a few yoginis who did full wheel throughout their pregnancy. So, what I always recommend around that is really listen to your own body. What can happen, especially those of us who have been practicing a long time, our ego can step in and say “we can do this!”.
 
Questions a few older yogini moms have posed to me are:
“Is it worth it?”
“To what end?”
Ask yourself, why am I doing this pose?
Does this pose serve the two of us?
 
I’ve been airing on the side of caution in my own practice and really taking my time. I haven’t been doing deep backbends, instead focusing opening my chest and getting my back body strong to prepare for the weight I’ll be carrying in the front body as my baby gets bigger.
 
My mantra has been “This pregnant body is temporary and I have my whole life to do all the things.” Why not chill a bit?
 
With twists, just do open twists so there’s space for your babe. Be mindful of where you feel the stretch. If you feel a “tug” deep in your belly, maybe take it down a notch.
 
Shiva recommended to take out inversions in the first trimester, again because it’s a precarious time. If you have an inversion practice, you can bring it back in in your second trimester. It’s recommended to do them against the wall so there’s no fear to flip over into full wheel. I’ve known some women who love inversions during pregnancy and others who did not. Feel it out for yourself.
 
Great rule of thumb: When you’re about to do a big movement, engage your pelvic floor and TA (transverse abdominals) first to stabilize your pelvis.
 
I’ve never heard anything about pregnancy being a contraindication of forward folds. The only thing I would say is about that is make space between your legs for your belly as you fold.
 
There are quite a few schools of thought that believe you should not twist, invert, do core work or backbend throughout your whole pregnancy. They are airing on the side of caution which I recommend to women who come to yoga for the first time when pregnant. Again, rule of thumb, pregnancy is NOT a time to introduce new intense forms of movement.
Clara roberts oss prenatal
The other thing to think about is that you have a ton of relaxin flowing through your body which makes the space around your joints a bit more loosey goosey so just be mindful of “over stretching”. I’ve been really working hugging in as I “stretch” so I can keep the insertion points of my muscles safe.
 
There’s a great online course called “Empowered Birth” on Commune that I would recommend. I took it and found it so insightful.
 
My last piece of advice is take a deep breath, trust that ahhhmazing body of yours and know that you know. 🙃
 
Feel free to email me about your journey or if you have more questions.
 
Enjoy the inquiry this time is offering you!
 
Check out my 20 minute video on how to modify in a vinyasa yoga class. 

 

 

PS.

Practice yoga online with me or catch me at my next yoga event

To see my latest playlists follow me on spotify

 

 

 

clararobertsoss

Teacher of Yoga, Mantra & Meditation
Seeker of the Sacred.
Facilitator of conscious movement.
👇🏼#PracticeWithClara👇🏼

Clara Roberts-Oss