Welcome to Haylo Yoga!
A blog about living a balanced lifestyle while weaving yoga and meditation into the journey of motherhood.
A few things about me...
I am a yoga and meditation teacher (more on that below), with a focus on anything mom related: prenatal, postpartum, mom + baby, and yoga for moms. I also teach yoga nidra, pranayama (breathwork) , and meditation, specifically through the lens of neuroscience. I love learning and sharing the marriage of science and spirituality and I am passionate about sharing the practices of yoga with the next generation, our littles! I believe planting this seed starts with us and the greatest impact can happen within the walls of our own home.
I have been married to my husband, Jaron, for almost five years. We met on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, FL during college Spring Break... wild, I know.
I am a mama to a scrumptious 9 month old baby girl named Haven.
I was born and raised in a small town called Warsaw, IN, lived in Indianapolis for four years during college, and spent five years in Los Angeles before moving to the Phoenix area almost two years ago.
My husband is in medical school, so I am currently living the med school wife life. It is quite the journey, but we both feel called in this direction.
I am the oldest of seven siblings.
I am left handed and have one normal (whatever that is) sized thumb and one clubbed thumb.
My house smells like palo santo 90% of the time.
I grew up raising and showing farm animals, which is one of many things that contributed to my predominantly vegetarian diet.
Aquarius Sun, Taurus Moon, Leo Rising. Empath. Ennegram 9w1. INFJ. Lotta labels, but they resonate.
What is my yoga background?
Growing up in rural Indiana, I wasn't familiar with yoga. I was first introduced to asana (the physical practice) at the age of 18 and was immediately captivated. I later learned about the other facets of yoga besides the physical and realized I had been practicing long before my first class. I was continually drawn to this path, and became a witness to how it was transforming me. Noticing the expansion it produced, I felt the duty to share it with others. At the time, I was completing a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences from Indiana University, where I took as many yoga electives as I could. After graduating, I followed the still Voice that called me to Los Angeles, CA. I began the first step of my teaching journey by completing a 200 hr RYT training at Love Yoga in Venice, CA, followed by a mentorship with Sian Gordon Fujikawa. I then continued my studies with Alex Nashton, completing a yoga nidra teacher training, as well as a breathwork, meditation, and neuroscience training, then subsequently receiving RPYT certification through Ma Yoga to teach prenatal yoga. My intention as a teacher is to help others: spark curiosity within the internal world, external world, and beyond, calm the waves of thought for clarity, connect with Spirit, draw nearer to alignment through embodiment, practice non-attachment by becoming an observer to the polarities of life, and create space for essence, receptivity, connection, love, and Oneness.
Where does the name Haylo come from?
The name Haylo is derived from my first and middle name, Hayley Lauren, abbreviated and combined.
It is also inspired by the definition of the word halo , which is described as, "a circle of light appearing to surround the sun or moon, resulting from refraction or reflection of light by ice particles in the atmosphere." For me, the circle represents endless unity, love, God, while the sun symbolizes light and the moon signifies darkness. The infinite beyond the polarities of life.
What does yoga mean to me?
The literal translation of the word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit root "yuj" that means to yoke, join, unite. It is a philosophy of practices intended to unite our internal world (mind, body, and spirit) and our external world (connection with others, nature, something bigger than ourselves). Essentially, the union of self and universal consciousness.
What is the purpose of this blog?
My yoga practice has changed immensely after becoming a mother. It does not look like meditating for an hour in the morning before starting the day, but rather integrating my practice into everyday tasks when I can. Some examples of this could be doing a mantra meditation to a song while dancing with my baby, or getting in a 20 minute asana practice during Haven's nap, or simply just focusing on a yama and niyama for the week. When we become a mother we change, so why wouldn't our practice change too? The intention of this blog is to share ways that you can weave your yoga practice into the journey of motherhood.
This blog is also meant to be a sounding board where we can bounce ideas and learn from each other too. What works for one mama, may not work for another, so please keep an open mind and know that I am learning and taking it day by day as well. ALWAYS listen to your intuition first.
And of course, living a balanced lifestyle requires one to live life! Where we are right here, right now, in physical form. So I will also be sharing other things besides yoga too. This could be purposeful products I love, books, what is making my life more functional or providing ease, intentional routines, or things that just simply bring me joy. The word my husband uses to best describe me is versatile, so this blog will be a reflection of that.
If you want to join this mama circle, you can sign up in the top right corner of this page.
Where else can you find me?
I am currently teaching a virtual Mom + Baby Postpartum class through Ma Yoga every Wednesday at 11:30am PT | 2:30pm ET.
I share guided meditations and yoga nidra practices on a free meditation app called Insight Timer.
Thanks for tuning in. Sending love and gratitude to all.
-Hayley