https://www.zellasage.com/3009-2/

Meet Amy Sanford, a stunning human being with an entrepreneurial spirit and the owner of Morning Glory Yoga in the small Texas town of Nacogdoches. To say she is an inspiration would be an understatement. Amy is in the renovation stages of opening her second yoga studio, which will feature yoga classes for adults and children. When she’s not juggling two influential businesses and enriching the lives of her community, she can be found exploring the world with a camera in hand, cooking delicious vegetarian meals and hand standing her way through the day. She recently returned from a two-month expedition in India, where she studied Ashtanga yoga with her teacher, Sharath Jois, at the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Yoga Research Institute. Here, she discusses her wellness routine and what she loves most about teaching yoga.

Tell us about your intention as a studio owner and teacher. My intention as a studio owner is to provide a space that will serve the Nacogodches community in a way that lends to cultural and social exposure, connectedness and growth. Morning Glory Yoga holds daily hatha yoga classes of various styles and levels and we invite guest teachers from around the world to share their knowledge of yoga and their personal experiences. In addition, we host a variety of events such as musical performances, art shows, literary readings and other receptions. This marks the 10-year anniversary of Morning Glory Yoga and I’m happy to say that we continue to grow. Next month, there will be a second MGY that will allow for more group classes and private lessons, community events, kid’s yoga, yoga for veterans, and who knows what else!

As a teacher, one of my greatest intentions is to always be a student and to continue to learn from my personal practice, my students and my peers. I aspire to teach from a place of truth and wisdom, and to honor the tradition of yoga. I adhere to a certain teaching style but the method in which I present information may vary from one student to another depending on their life’s circumstances and individual needs.

What do you love most about teaching yoga? Waking up every day knowing that I am doing exactly what I am meant to do, being fulfilled and contributing to a more compassionate, aware and healthy society.

What does an ideal work day look like to you? Wake up early and practice before the sunrise, breath work, followed by warm lemon water, neti and shower. Fresh juice. Teach a morning yoga class and then a private lesson. Conversation over coffee/tea with friends. Lunch, preferably prepared at home, then office work, time with animals, rest and restore. In the evening, I teach my class(es). Ideally, a light dinner I’ve already planned and prepared, reading/tv/cuddle time and then lights out.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? My grandfather, Pop, was my role model and I loved and respected him more than anyone. When I was 18, he was in the hospital for heart surgery, we were having a conversation (our last) about relationships, where he reminded me to never live my life in fear nor provoke fear in others for personal gain. He instilled courage in me. I discovered the mighty roots of that one little seed of courage and wisdom a little later in life. There have been many moments when I finally realize the meaning behind my Pop’s words.

What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned? Be kind to others.

How do you stay balanced and healthy? It’s a combination of things and it takes discipline. I’m discovering it’s difficult after two months away in India to transition back into a balanced healthy lifestyle, especially here in Nacogdoches. Add to it the work on the new space and it can be a bit of a struggle.

I practice yoga, gratitude and mindfulness, spend time outdoors, surround myself in the good company of close friends, seek advice from trusted friends, spend time alone, love on all my many four-legged companions, stay hydrated, eat a vegetarian diet and get plenty of sleep.

What is your wellness routine? Ashtanga yoga, breath work, neti pot and warm lemon water in the morning, eat a vegetarian diet loaded with a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, legumes and juice, hydrate, rest well and make time for important people in my life.

Where do you find inspiration? On my mat, in my relationships, in others’ life stories and being in nature.

What are your favorite local spots? Here in Nacogdoches…Morning Glory Yoga, of course. Java Jacks Coffee. There is a labyrinth in Nacogdoches, which one of my students created it in honor of her late husband. They loved to walk them and did so all over the world. It’s outside of town tucked away so only sounds and sights of nature surround. Sometimes I walk it alone but often I’ll go with a friend or two, I’ve also taken my classes there. It’s a time for reflection and one that I’ve found to be very nourishing.

What is your favorite place in the world? At this moment, right here in Nacogdoches. I’m enjoying organizing my home and the comfort of being back at Morning Glory Yoga Studio and witnessing the progress of the new space.

What are you listening to right now? Literally, right now…it’s morning here and the birds are chirping, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blows, muffled sounds from motorists passing through town, students on their way to class — Henry (my dog) just grunted as he rolled over at my feet. As I mentioned, I recently returned from a two month trip in India where I hardly listened to any music. I found myself instead, captivated by the horns, scooters, conversations, early morning chanting and sounds of nature. These sounds saturated my soul. I guess I’m still most interested in those sounds, the ones that arrive when you’re sitting in silence. Oh, and I’m in love with Taylor Swift.

What is your favorite quote? Just breathe.

What is your favorite meal? A homemade vegetarian meal made and enjoyed together with friends while sharing our stories and laughter…and a glass of wine is nice, too.

When do you feel most at peace? When I recognize my breath and deepen it, I feel grounded. It’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed, emotionally, so when I become aware of my breathing I am able to observe without being so reactionary. When I practice gratitude. When I remember that this life is temporary and the most important practice is love. When I’m near the ocean.

How do you nourish your heart and soul? My practice, studying with my teacher in India, hugs, being a good listener, travel and exploring, nature, my pets, good food, sitting on my front porch, a really good beverage depending on the occasion, sharing laughter and tears with close friends.

What makes you happy? Comfortable silence. Going upside down! Catching up with long-distance friends. Seeing joy in others. Companionship. Solitude. Sunshine. Remembering forgotten moments of laughter. Taking road trips with David, my partner, or with my close friends.

I have been obsessed with Los Angeles based artist, Susan Carter Hall, since I discovered her stunning work six years ago. The colors and textures of her paintings are sheer genius, vitalizing the imagination and inspiring creativity for anyone lucky enough to experience her art. Take a peek into her world and art studio as she dishes on the importance of sleep and how she nourishes her heart and soul. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook to catch glimpses of her life and stay updated on her latest shows.

Describe your painting style. The work I am doing now has been developing over the past couple years and is a result of stepping back, reassessing what it is I am trying to do, taking more time to listen, observe and try new experiments with paint. I work with oil paints, though I use some mixed media. The paintings are multi layered and worked on over long periods of time, generally put away for weeks or months, and then returned to. During the progression of a painting, the style meanders back and forth from narrative to abstract, and generally lands somewhere between the two.

What inspires you? Honestly, everything inspires me: people, conversations, the ocean, photos from space, fabric stores, other artists especially, great books/characters, film, nature/landscape, switching things up, memory, stream of consciousness, going on a trip, flying on a plane looking down at the Earth, I could go on and on.

What does a typical work day look like for you? I try to treat painting like a normal job so I tend to go to the studio Monday through Friday. I generally wake up with all these ideas of what I am going to do when I get to the studio, like clean this area when I walk in, or finish that painting, stretch that canvas, and run that errand to the art supply store. What usually happens though, is I walk into the studio, and immediately some small section of a painting (there are usually about seven projects happening at a time) catches my eye, I set my bag down, forget to give my dog water, and work on that the rest of the day.

What excites you most about painting? Painting is a constant mystery. Every time I show up at the canvas, I am presented a journey into the unknown. It’s not always fun or easy but exploring the unknown excites me the most.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? My late uncle George, a psychiatrist, taught me to breathe (in through my nose and out through my mouth) to calm anxiety.

What is the quality you most admire in a person? I admire people who are trying to do the best they can with whatever circumstances they are dealing with, whether circumstances are good, bad or ugly. Those qualities generally involve courage, honesty, kindness and consistency. I also admire good listeners. I especially admire good listeners who are dealing with worse than you, yet they continue to listen.

What do you like most about yourself? Ironically, maybe my anxiety, which acts as a fuel and motivator.

If you could have one magical power, what would it be? The ability to enter another person’s being (you know kinda like that movie where the teenage girl swaps bodies with her mom for a day or two). I don’t necessarily have to inhabit their body – then again, might be cool to understand that person’s aches and pains and how their body moves. But mostly, imagine the possibilities if you could enter a person’s entire consciousness and really understand how he/she experiences the world. Imagine the empathy.

What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned? After much experimentation, good sleep is of utmost importance.

When do you feel most at peace? When every mark in a painting begins to come together and it is as if you are not doing the work anymore – that is a really good feeling, I would call it a natural high mixed with peace and connectedness, it is quite euphoric.

How do you nourish your heart and soul? I try to run many days of the week which clears my brain. I bring my dog, Aida, along with me almost everywhere I go, which warms my heart, and I spend time with my smart, creative and hilarious friends, most of whom are great cooks so there’s the gathering together around food, which is always nourishing.

Five things you are grateful for: My health, clean water, the people who support me, my dog, my art practice.

I met Allison Plass years ago while she was living in San Diego. Her calm, genuine, caring disposition captured my heart immediately and I’ve considered her a dear friend ever since. She is a beautiful woman in every sense of the word: thoughtful human being, loving mom and partner, and brilliant fine art photographer. She pours her soul into every action while living an existence of adventure and growth. I admire her for so many reasons. Her work “Loving Boys,” recently shown at The Shala Yoga House in NYC, is a touching depiction of the vulnerability young boys experience during the early years, and their search for identity and connection. She explores the societal expectations of men and the importance of developing a rich emotional life while they are young, which plays an instrumental role in their lives as adults. It is a subject near and dear to my heart and I am grateful for her courage to shed light on the topic. You can also see one of her images featured in the movie poster for the short film, Guarded, now screening at various film festivals. Take a peek at her website to see her work.

Describe your photography style: I think my style emerges from the questions I’m asking in a particular project. In the case of Loving Boys, I was struck by an intimate moment I had captured between my son Theo, who was 11 years old at the time, with his dad. They were in a hot tub, wrapped around each other in a tender, almost romantic embrace. I became curious to see what that emotional landscape felt like “writ large.” I soon realized that what I was really drawn to was the question of the emotional life of a boy on the brink of adolescence: what happens to his vulnerability and sense of intimate connection while he has to contend with often conflicting societal messages of what it means to be a man? That influence of masculine culture can begin so early between father and son. I wanted to capture the depth of feeling between them as it exists right now, and see it’s scope and trajectory. I think I’m just getting started!

What excites you most about photography? I love how photography requires me to pay attention, to the sensory details of a scene and the feeling of what I’m seeing, and to make decisions based on that correspondence. At the same time, there is this wonderful dramatic tension between what we see as truthful in a photograph – the “accurate” information in front of us and the authentic feeling evoked – and a certain amount of artifice (framing, posing, lighting)  that goes into communicating that felt experience. I love that indeterminate quality between truth and fiction that a picture can hold. And especially with portraiture, there can be this imaginary space that allows for a lot of play in terms of how we see ourselves or how we imagine ourselves to be. Images have a lot of power that way.

What does a typical day look like for you? Well, I think that daily rituals are important to inspire creativity and a positive outlook in general. So after I’ve had a nice cup of coffee and gotten the kids off to school, I sit in meditation, followed by yoga, gym, or a brisk walk. When I take the time to check in with my mind, body and heart, I tend to feel a more intuitive sense of direction throughout my day, and that saves me time in the long run. From there, my days can look very different: I might take some pictures, attend a workshop, do research, make a shot list, or connect with other artists and their work for inspiration. I also appreciate the sense of community at my kids’ schools, and volunteer there when I can. Then there are the myriad concerns around hearth and home… I like to end the day watching the sunset with my husband and a nice glass of wine.

What inspires you?
Artistry.
Simplicity.
Humility.
My 9 year-old’s passionate piano playing.
Jazz music.
Some good lines of poetry, coming from my 12 year-old recently.
Morning meditation and a brisk walk in nature.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Let it go.

What is the quality you most admire in a person? Genuineness.

What do you like most about yourself? My self-reflection.

If you could have one magical power, what would it be? I love the idea of flying, the physical freedom and the vantage point – getting literally a bird’s eye view on my life. Parasailing is the closest I’ve come.

What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned? That a joyful sense of being arises naturally when I am gentle with myself and genuine about my experience. Easy enough, right?

When do you feel most at peace?
After a private yoga session with you, Zella.
When my kids are asleep.
In silent meditation with community all around, in the hills of Vermont or my local Shambhala Center.
Looking at the ocean, stars, redwoods – something vast.

How do you nourish your heart and soul?
Good humor, wherever I can find it.
Seeing a good film or listening to a favorite musician play or taking in an artist’s work – any art form that makes me reflect and breaks my heart a little.
Singing the blues.
Deep conversations.
Silent retreat.
Being at the ocean or surrounded by trees.
Reading good fiction that keeps me from doing anything else.
Dancing at weddings.
Hugs from my boys.

What makes you smile?
Watching my 12 year-old daydream.
The ritual kisses I give to my 9 year-old’s belly each night and he gives to mine.

Five things you are most grateful for:
Still getting the constant love from my husband after 20 years together.
The boisterous, unconditional love of my boys.
Not having to parent alone.
The Shambhala Buddhist path – meditation, teaching, and community.
Breathing deeply, a healthy spine, and a good night’s sleep.