Hi. I’m Kiki Lovelace, Pilates & Forrest Yoga Instructor & Guardian Mentor, and founder and Director of Education at Innerstellar Pilates & Yoga Studio here in Berkeley CA. I’m deeply proud of the small business and community we’ve co-created. But let me tell you, it's been a loooong journey to get here.
Read More
Like most every woman I know, I have my own #metoo stories. It's been both a heartbreak and a relief to see so many of these stories be aired out on my social media feed. At the same time, I'm looking at my own actions as a leader and a yoga teacher who uses touch as a basic form of communication -- informed by my own privilege as a white, cisgendered woman -- and asking myself "what can I do to clean up my actions, and uplevel my ability to support my students?"
Read More
Most of us know what’s good for us, but we struggle with all kinds of obstacles (both internal and external) to actually making healing choices and taking action on them. So how do you break through these blockages and make a practice that nourishes you on the deepest levels -- body, mind and Spirit? What are the keys to success? Well, it looks different for each person, but we’ve made a list of our top five signs you’re on the right track to creating something sustainable, practical and powerfully transformative!
Read More
After I gave birth to my first child, I did all the “right” things. I rested. I asked my friends and family for their help in making meals and sweeping the kitchen. I let go of my need to control my business— and rested into the support of my managers and employees and teachers. And I modified my yoga and Pilates practice to care for my weak and tired postpartum body.
Read More
I just finished my first “real” yoga practice in over two months since my daughter was born. And by real, I mean twenty-five minutes of gentle postnatal yoga — mostly breathing and stretching exercises on the floor — followed by ten minutes of Savasana. The word “humbled” kept coming to me. I felt how alien my breathing was, how numb my low belly is, how weak I feel in my arms and legs, and how stiff and tight I am all over. I’m starting over.
Read More