Hey there, welcome! You're probably here because you know Jeff, you're interested in Yoga Loft, or you're Yoga curious.  My goal with all of these episodes is to showcase the person being interviewed, share their story, and help you to get to know them and how they can help you.  Every teacher's going to be a little different.  Jeff said something to me that I think says a lot about how he views Yoga and his approach to helping you. He said, "I feel like I should disclose that while yoga has brought great health, mobility and endless peace and joy to me, I am not an extreme yoga fitness kind of guy. I have a slightly different approach that your audience may very well be interested in hearing. I can speak to the health benefits all day long, but don’t want you to be surprised if I don’t talk about how to stick a handstand in three easy steps." Enjoy the brief recap from this episode, and leave Jeff (or myself) a comment below or a review on iTunes.  Show him some love for being caring and passionate enough to share his story and for helping so many people live a happier and healthier life.  Thanks for being here. I hope these interviews help you in some way!

Jeff Bailey, owner of Yoga Loft Boulder, discovered his first Iyengar yoga class in his hometown of Gunnison, CO in 1986. While he has studied many forms of yoga, Iyengar Yoga gave him an appreciation for the physical and mental benefits that come through detail and time.  Jeff has a 200-hour yoga certification through the Eldorado Ashram and a 200-hour yoga certification through Yoga Works. He has studied with a variety of teachers over the years which gives him a diverse understanding of yoga and a teaching style that gives students time to integrate and learn what each pose has to teach. Jeff is particularly happy to be involved in a years-long Kaiut Yoga training. This incredibly healing form of yoga is weaving its way into his teaching, and into his life and practice.

Motivation:

Jeff's a cowboy at heart. His dad was a veterinarian with a ranch. So Jeff helped him with animals constantly and developed a fascination with how the body works. Over the years, Jeff saw the effects that a stressful life had on his dad, and that inspired him to look for ways to avoid that stress.

Challenges:

"Just being in a body is my biggest challenge."  Jeff was never really an athletic person, but in his early twenties, he discovered Yoga and how it highlights the body's limitations.

Passion for helping you:

Encouraged by his wife to open Yoga Loft, Jeff wanted to create space that would provide yoga for all different body types and fitness levels, Yoga for everyone.  He knows just how much trauma and stress can leave an imprint on the body and Yoga has a way of getting into those dark corners of the body, especially the joints.

Nutrition:

This has been a passion of Jeff's for most of his life. He says it's more about what he doesn't put in his body. One of his earlier influences was the book Sugar Blues.

Final Round!

Do you have a morning routine?

My Kaiut Yoga practice

What’s a favorite quote or mantra of yours and how does it help you with your fitness?

"I'm never upset for the reason I think, and I can see peace instead of this."

Who inspires you?

My wife who helps me see things in a better way and Francisco Kaiut who is like the Leonardo Da Vinci of Yoga.

Do you ever take a day off?  If so, what does that look like?

Physically, I take a day or two off, but I never stop practicing meditation.

What book would you recommend?

Laurel's Kitchen~Laurel Robertson. A Course in Miracles.  The Yoga Mind- The Yoga Sutras According to A Course in Miracles~ Jeff Bailey and Gene Langlois