Gabrielle Kali Om - From Vision to Reality: The 10-Year Journey to a Yoga Retreat Center

Gabrielle Kali Om is a dedicated yoga teacher and the proprietor of Ojas Retreat Center, a tranquil sanctuary located in Southern California. With over two decades of experience in the field of yoga, Gabrielle has traveled extensively, conducting retreats around the globe in Greece, Spain, Bali, Costa Rica, among others. She is a long-time student of Sri Dharma Mittra, honing her skills and knowledge under his tutelage for over 15 years. Gabrielle's vision for Ojas Retreat Center is deeply rooted in creating transformative experiences for all who visit, emphasizing a seamless and nurturing environment where guests can fully immerse in their journey toward peace and self-discovery.

Visit here websites at: https://www.ojasretreatcenter.com/
Personal site: https://www.yoginikali.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Gabrielle Kali Om built Ojas Retreat Center based on a long-held vision inspired by meditation and visualization practices.
• The retreat center places a strong emphasis on providing a seamless guest experience, reducing distractions to facilitate deep inner work.
• The episode underscores the significance of yoga in daily life and the ongoing evolution of personal practice.

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Chapters

• 0:04 Creating a Dream Retreat Center in Southern California
• 3:49 Visualization and Intuition in Psychic Development Classes
• 8:14 The Journey From Retreat Participant to Retreat Center Owner
• 13:43 Creating a Seamless Experience for Attendees
• 17:25 Facilitating Retreats with Five-Star Service and Compassion
• 20:47 Discovering Peace and Community at a California Retreat Center
• 29:09 Exploring Temecula's Unique Climate and Rich Ecosystem
• 31:38 Navigating Zoning and Community Relations for Retreat Centers
• 35:46 Balancing Personal Yoga Practice with Community Service
• 46:08 Managing Stress Through Yoga and Physical Awareness
• 47:57 Coping with Loss and the Impact of Unexpected Death
• 54:12 The Timeless Tradition and Responsibility of Teaching Yoga
• 56:35 Pursuing Dreams and Building a Yoga Retreat Community

Transcript

0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast, so happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage, body work and beyond. Follow us at @nativeyoga and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let's begin. Hello, welcome to Native Yoga. Toddcast. Oh, man, I'm so excited, because now I'm bringing to you Gabrielle Kali Om. Gabrielle is located and close to Temecula in Southern California. She has a retreat center called Ojas Retreat Center. Follow her or go look at her website.

https: 1:23

//www.ojasretreatcenter.com/ and on Instagram at@ojasretreatcenter, link in description, click it, check it. And also, she has her own personal website, which is Yoginikali.com and her Instagram handle is//www.instagram.com/yogini_kali/ again in the description, click it and give her a follow, give her a subscribe and send her a little comment, and maybe just hit that little heart button just to send her some love. And what I wanted to do here is give you a little bit of insight into what it's like owning a yoga retreat center. I want to bring to you all facets of the yoga world, and one big part of it is retreat. And then there's the element of those that are actually holding or conducting or managing or owning retreat centers. And so you can have a hear and a listen as to what that side of the whole world is about. And so Gabrielle is the perfect representative. What a delightful human being. And I absolutely enjoyed this conversation, and I can't wait for you to have a listen. Check out my new free course, which is called 8IN8 Learn Eight limb yoga in Eight days. It's totally free. That link is in the description as well. And I hope you're doing well. I hope your your yoga practice is serving you that you had a wonderful holiday season. The New Year's upon us coming up and you know, just let's really take care of each other. That's my mission and my statement. Let's take care of one another. Do a random act of kindness today. Take care of your friends. Take care of your family. Let's share a little bit of love, and let's let's try to build a beautiful community. And thank you so much. Let's begin. I'm really delighted to have this opportunity to meet and speak with Gabrielle Kali Om, Gabrielle, thank you so much for joining me today. How are you doing? I'm doing so good. Thank you so much for having me. It's such a really great honor to be here with you today. I appreciate you asking. Oh, thank you. I well. I know some some of you are listening and you cannot visually see, but I think that those of you listening at some point go to our YouTube channel, native yoga center, so you can see Gabrielle's the room that she's in. It's absolutely beautiful. It's like a really nice floor. I see, like beautiful wood paneling, wood beams, big bright glass window with a deck out the front. Fans Look sunny. There's like tons of natural light. Can you tell me where you are? Yes, I am in the studio at Ojas retreat center, her retreat center, in Southern California, and it is a gigantic space. So you're right, and there's a ton of Windows, and all the windows actually open up to the outside, like accordion, so it can be an indoor outdoor space, and it's made of redwood, and, yeah, it's where all the events happen here at the retreat center. Wow. Can you tell me a little bit? First, I'll ask a little about the retreat center, and then start asking more about like your background. But where exactly is Ojas? Yeah, it is officially in Santa Rosa plateau Ecological Reserve. So this is in Southern California. The address is in Murrieta, California, which. Is in the same area as Temecula, which many people have heard because of the many, many wine vineyards that are here. It's the vineyard region of Southern California. Yeah, it is beautiful. There. I have been a Temecula. So that's so cool. That's such a sweet area is. And and how did you, did you build this retreat center? Or is this one that was already existing, that you acquired or took over? Yeah, I did not build the major structures here. The structures were in existence. And when we got the property. There was a tremendous amount of refurbishing to do, but most of the structures were here. We have since built a couple outbuildings and a pool and a lot of outdoor meditation spaces and hiking trails, but the structure was here. Wow, that sounds amazing. How did this vision come to reality? Did you I would imagine a lot of yoga teachers, myself included, would think, What a dream come true, to be able to have a retreat center and work on that capacity. Can you give me a little bit understanding of how this came to be? Yeah, it definitely is a dream come true. It came about from visualization and meditation with my teacher, Sri Dharma, nutra, who I've been training with for many years, back since about 15 years or so, and with Sri dharma. And it wasn't something that I sort of invented with my own mind or my desires, if that makes sense, it was out of if you've ever, I don't know if you've ever done the class with Sri dharma. Matri teaches psychic development. Have you ever done that? I've taken class with him, but I have not taken a psychic development class. I saw that it's on the schedule at the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City, and so I'm super curious about what that actually entails. Yeah, I mean, I'm not, I shouldn't be the one to say, but I can tell you that back when I started training with Dharma, psychic development was part of the weekly schedule. You could just go into the class and take the class, and I remember the very first time I took this class. And there's many practices to psychic development techniques, and I'll even say it's not so you can become psychic and so you can read someone's mind, but it's actually so you can have access to your own intuition, and you can also build up some type of strength in your aura, so you're not absorbing the energy of other People, right? So anyway, there's, there's a series of concentration and breathing techniques that lead up to the end where there's a visualization meditation. And the way it was introduced, as I recall, srinara said, you know now you're going to sit here and visualize something that you want to create. And I had no idea, you know, I couldn't think of anything. So I somehow imagined myself feeling I imagined myself as a very peaceful person. I imagined that I was, you know, whatever I thought that to be at that time, I just imagined that I had no concerns, no stress. I was just this peaceful person. And I went like that for a while, and then one day in psychic development, here we go again, with the visualization, and all of a sudden, like an awareness, it came to me that I would have a retreat center. And I thought, Oh, I was kind of excited, you know, I didn't think it with my mind. You know, usually we we, you know, think that we want something and we try to get it right. We didn't take the steps to get it. But it wasn't like that. It was like this. I don't know if you've ever had this kind of, like obvious awareness situation happen, or like a realization that comes to you. It's just sort of undeniable. It was, you know, that I would have this retreat center. So every meditation since then was dharma. Says in the meditation, he gives an example, same example, for as long as I've known, long as I've known him. And if you can imagine that. Back when. And I'm sure the example became before my time, but at the time, his example was about creating this, you know, let's say you want a yoga studio, and you imagine everything is taking place exactly perfectly. There's a line of people out the door, there's the news channel, everyone ready to pour it. You have a vegan cafe at at the bottom, and everyone's ordering from a screen. You don't have to talk to anyone, and he's saying this, you know, this is 15 years ago. Everyone's ordering from and the floor is clear, and you can see the people doing yoga, right? And he's got this whole picture going, sharing it with everyone. And anyway, it was his example to it's not just visualizing one piece, but every piece. And his point would, you know, more subtle. Get more subtle, more subtle, you know. And he would often say, don't do anything unless you can visualize it. Make a move until you can see it happening. And I found great, I still, I found, I find great value in, wow, that's cool. Gabrielle, wow. And so you're in New York City, and you're having this sort of very gradual connection to your idea, your feeling. So then what, you fly to California and just start driving around or somebody, or somebody says, Oh my gosh. How long is this podcast? Well, we can make as long as we want. We can make as long as I'll do my best. Solid decade, all right, I hear you. It was, it was a so it was a decade from the time that you had this sort of inkling to where you then were like, oh my goodness, I own this retreat center. Yeah, it was, but it never left me. Never, for one moment, did I doubt that that's what was going to happen and so in very small ways, first thing I realized is two things. One, I had never even been on a retreat myself, yeah. Second thing is, never led a retreat, right? So I thought, the thing I immediately realized was I better start leading retreats, right then I there's no other way for me to find out what I'm supposed to do. Yeah. And good point, I felt very connected, and still do and this is why I have a retreat center. I feel very connected to the benefit of retreats in people. I've seen amazing transformations in people through retreats, and it's always so emotional, and it's such a gift and an honor to be a part of. So I started leading retreats internationally, at least, you know, twice a year, let's say all over the place. And I was I loved it. I loved doing it. I loved the people that came. It was like a family, and everybody was, you know, we went to Greece and Spain and Bali and Costa Rica and the Grand Canyon and the Caribbean islands, and we're all all over the place. And I learned so much, so much from those experiences in what it from the perspective of me, the facilitator, and from the perspective of this, you know, retreat facility, what is needed to have the best outcome, right when What's needed on the ground to create the best circumstance so you can have the most optimal experience. Did you start to in that process? Think to yourself, like, wow, I need to have my I mean, obviously you had this thought, but I know what you mean, because I have offered retreat, and we've traveled to other places and and there's some things that are like, wow, you're like, that was so great, the way they did this, the way this came, the way this was organized, the way this food was prepared, the way this bungalow looked the proximity of it to this and that. But then maybe I'm thinking, you started. To think I want to have, like a place that I can kind of control a little bit more of that and develop it in a way based off of everything that you were able to learn in the process. What? What are you? What are you noticing now that you have a retreat center? What are some of the things that you've tweaked based off of your knowledge of learning to to accommodate that. Well, it wasn't tweaking. It was really setting it up from the beginning, because I had such a clear vision, yeah, what it was going to take and the the piece that I didn't have experience with necessarily, was, you know, I'm on the other end of it now, just a facilitator, you know, bringing in this group of students or clients. It's, I'm the one working with the facilitators, because they they're doing what I was doing, so I very clearly understand their intention and their offering, and that is a tremendous help, yeah, and oftentimes it's nice that facilitators recognize that oftentimes sounds like, wow, This is amazing, that you obviously know what it takes and what to do. It's nice to work with somebody who has experience and, you know, leading retreats. But I would say flow. Flow is flow is something that is really important in a retreat, is how to create such a space that the people in attendance do not have to think about anything. And this is an intention. It takes some awareness to cultivate this from where do you put your dirty dish when you finish using it? Where do you put your trash? Where do you get a towel to go to the pool? This seems very simple. Where do you get a drink of water or tea, or, you know, at any point in the day, how can we make this experience so there's no question, what a person if they want something, if they need something, where they go to get it. And in this day, I believe that if we succeed, even hopefully close, close to getting there, then it means that that person's nervous system is able to completely relax, you know, and they don't have to wonder where to get this thing. Where they're going to sleep is, where do they get toilet paper? If they need toilet paper, what do they do? You know, all of these things. Where do they if they're too cold, where can they get a blanket? If you understand, so, yeah, it's a lot of at first, when we opened it was. I remember feeling frustrated because I was watching everyone sort of stumble around this. And even though I thought that I had thought of many things, there were many more things to think about. I was watching all this happen, how people what they were doing, they try to fill up their water bottle. Where do they put their trash and their dish? And how can they get a snack? Right? Like, where, where is, where are the snacks? Yeah, yeah. Just from noticing what everyone was doing and actually becoming frustrated seeing the lack of symmetry or flow. I then was very quick, very quick, along with my chef, to make changes. Let's do this. Let's set this up. Let's have you know, this tea station, this string station, this dish station, and it seems like nothing. You know it's it doesn't seem important until you're in the space. And what I've come to believe is is true. I think, for myself too, is clear, being clear, whether that's clear in your language or clear in your intention, is one way of showing kindness and compassion for people. Yeah, if you leave it up to them, or they have to guess or they don't know. So then they can't really do what they came here to do. And whatever that is, you know, it sounds like you're taking it to the level of like, whenever I've had the wonderful opportunity of going to a very high end hotel or resort where you're just like, you get that feeling. We're like, oh my gosh, this is so amazing. You're kind of bringing that, like, fine five star approach to to the experience, which is really cool. You're right. I've never thought of that. I've only just thought of it from the side of like, how do I organize a retreat? How do I actually make sure I get enough people to sign up. And how do I hopefully everybody travels okay? And if there's like, an airplane connection that doesn't connect, like, how much do I get involved to try to help them to figure it out, versus letting them kind of figure it all out? And it sounds like you've gone like, full head on, on the level of, like, let me actually help them do everything. But even to the next level beyond that, like, let me think ahead of time before that, which is so cool. It's so interesting to hear about all that I can't imagine. Yeah, you know you're exactly right. Everything that you pointed out. I know. I know so well, from from being on that end, and that's the facilitators job. That's the job. It's not your job. Once you get here, then it becomes the facilitators job to lead the retreat, and that's my ideal hope for them as well. It's not really we're in in service also to this person that is going to be expending the most energy, right, the person offering the program, facilitating the retreat, and if they have to think about all these things when they're here, they're not also going to be in the best space to offer what they came to offer. Because, as you pointed out, we know that the initial part of leading retreats, it feels a little bit more like you're a travel agent, and you're the one planning these taxis and answering questions about currency, and suddenly you have to know everything about every country that you go to. And it's a it's a lot, right? It's a lot of organization. But the idea is, once you get here, you know, it's a it's a deep exhale, hopefully, on everyone's part, and you can just absorb and and integrate into the space. What have you found? Gabrielle in relation? I just remember we were leading a treat retreat to Costa Rica, so excited. We had a big group. It was amazing. We were all amped. And I remember the night before, I was laying in bed, and I had this, like, intense, like, oh my gosh, I'm taking a large group of Americans to a country where, what if like we get kidnapped, or what if like we're held ransom, or, I don't know, I just had that like panic of like I am, like, responsible for all these people now you're in California. I'm curious, was that a conscious decision on your behalf to do one in the US, because I would imagine personally holding a retreat as a American in America, I feel like I wouldn't have all of that trepidation. What have you noticed in relation to having a retreat center in the States, and you're obviously from, I read that you're from Baltimore, from Maryland. What have you noticed did the juxtaposition between international versus in the country? It is. Thank you for asking it's a great question, and I love the place that you're asking it from, from someone who knows. I don't think everyone was involved with that question. And the two of us could probably talk for so long on this. And I have some funny stories too about the countries that I chose to go with people because of this type of thing. And, you know, looking up on the CDC website, do not travel. It sounds like it sounds like such a good idea. And then you realize, what have I got myself into? This is like, intense, man. This is more than just and obviously, you're a very caring individual. Clearly, from everything you've said, you care. So I would love to hear just some of your some of like the vibe of being in California, like, I want to come now. I'm like, Dude, I wanted to hold a retreat at your place. Because, number one, coming to California, how easy would that be? Right, to just land in San Diego or LA and drive to Temecula? Like, that's a no brainer. And then, but I just, I'm just curious, like, energetically, what have you? You observe. Since you actually let me back up, how long have you had this retreat center? Yeah, okay, so had the retreat center for about three and a half years. We've been open for about three years. Cool. And you know, COVID is what really brought me to Southern California, and right during COVID, during the outbreak of COVID, I was leading two back to back retreats in Bali, and I was in Bali. Oh, what like in March of 2020, or so March? Oh, oh, about 24 people, dude, that Canada, but most from the United States. That's stressful, and somehow everybody got back with ease. It was a miracle. And we were in Bali, and we didn't know how intense everything was. And when I got back, I went to my yoga class like normal, like the next day, to teach a class, and I went to hug people, and everyone's Whoa, like, what are you doing? I hadn't heard what was going on, but I did. I didn't know, you know, had been there for over five weeks, and so it was a really big changing period, and then within one week of getting back, less than one week, everything shut down, everything the studios, as you know, right? And, and here I'm a person that is only, was only teaching yoga, yoga classes, yoga retreats, yoga workshops. I have my own yoga teacher training program, and it all stopped. And, but for me, I think probably because I had just returned from Bali, and I was in this retreat mode, and by that time, I was already very much looking for a retreat center, and I was pretty sure by that point that it was going to be in Puerto Rico, because I love, love Puerto Rico. I'm a sailor. I was used to sail around the islands, and I for sure thought my retreat center was going to be on an island. And an answer to your earlier question, after many reflections and and due diligence and studies, I realized that it would probably be smartest if I had the retreat center on a US owned island. So then I narrowed the selection down to us island. So that means a Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, even Hawaii, I was considering, and anyway, COVID, we couldn't travel to any of those places. You can only travel in the continental United States. And I had never even considered the continental United States as my retreat location. But I also, as I had nothing else to do, all my jobs closed, so I thought, well, this is just going to be more information, like more study, right? So I got on the airplane. I flew to Southern California because it was Southern California would be the only place in the US I would consider, because, for me, it had to do with the weather. I wanted it to be a year round retreat location that was really important. I wanted to be around a place that had access to growing food. The here where I am, we have, there's a Mediterranean climate here, the only Mediterranean climate in the United States. And there's a lot of avocado farms and citrus farms here, pomegranate farm so and of course, it's the United States, so we have access to anything, also any other types of fruits and vegetables we need. So that was very important to me. Proximity, as you mentioned, to airports and just generally, getting here was a factor. And this realization that I had to reconcile with in my mind is when I got here, it wasn't immediate that I found this particular place, or looking at many areas and places, I thought, wow, this is not what I thought. You know, you have to understand. I was visualizing this for 10 years, and I thought I was going to be on an island, and now I'm in and now I'm in this climate and these rolling, you know, rolling hills. It was beautiful space and Southern California. And I thought, well, you know, this might not be Bali. This might not be this, you know, Bucket List place that I envision, but actually is better than that, and I'm really grateful for that awareness, because. What it helped me realize that was actually so important to me is not that I have a place where people will come once in their lifetime, you know, but a place that people can come to all the time, a place that people can find refuge and peace and come back to recharge like a, you know, I consider that for me, I go to New York right to study with dharma. And I want this to be a place where people can come, they walk in the door, they drop into this peaceful space. Everything is taken care of, and they can let go, and yeah, and do what they need to do and and that felt so much better to be than having this trying to create an experience that was only going to happen for people you know, fortunate people that could afford or people that could make the time. So I, I'm, I'm really grateful for that awareness, because it was not in my original, Yeah, mine, my thought process. Well, that's cool. I mean, for sure, my wife and I used to live in San Diego, and we would drive up to Temecula because we had friends that couldn't really, well, San Diego's very expensive, and Temecula. I'm sure Temecula is crazy expensive now too, but it was like, that's where people could go to, actually, you know, still be in the San Diego lifestyle with, like, the incredible weather, like you're talking about. And the other thing that's cool about Temecula is there's no, like, June Gloom, right? Like, because you're down on the coast, you can get socked in in June with this fog, and you're like, oh, like, is it winter? Like, what's going on? And, um, so, but up there, it's pretty much blue sky all the time. Would you say, like, I'm sure you guys get rain, but it's, it's got to be, like, you said, an amazing climate. I love the climate. I absolutely it is. It's spectacular. I mean, from it's like Greece, like being in Greece. It's not that it doesn't change. It's very much characterized by what they call a green season, or a period of time that it can rain. It's not a rainy season, because that's like an island rainy season, where it rains every day. Here it's about starting right now until about the end of April, where rain can come and things turn green, and there's the wildflowers, and it really feeds all of the plants here we have over the plateau here protects over 200 plant and animal species. We have three different kinds of sages on our property that grow naturally, all kinds of herbs and all kinds of native plants that were used by the indigenous people for over 8000 years. This place has human history too. So it's such a rich density of these plants and herbs, and it's really neat to be a part of the ecosystem here, and a part of this type of nature where there is a season, it might be more subtle if you don't live in it. You might not realize it, you know, but it is cooler. We're at an elevation. There's not much humidity, but it is most of the time. The sky is blue, the sun is warm, and, yeah, it's it's incredibly nice to be here. That's so cool. I was talking with somebody else that was attempting to develop a retreat center in Oh, it's day. Was it? Was it? Was it Wyoming or Montana? It doesn't matter. And, um, and I guess he didn't check with the neighbors about that he was going to do it, and he started to set it up. And then there was a bunch of pushback from the locals, because they're like, too much traffic, too much this, too much that. And he was like, Oh my gosh, I didn't do that kind of homework to figure out. It sounds like your sensor was kind of already established. But can you tell me a little bit about what it's been like working with the local community in relation to maintaining the peace? If you are, yeah, yeah. Well, we have a our property is over five acres, which is not very big in comparison to the other properties around here, where we are, like I said, there's either there's growing farms here people are growing grapes for wine or avocados or citrus fruits. The other thing that they do is raise animal horses. There's a lot of horses here, a lot of farms, and so anyway, things are not so close right to each other. And. The other thing is, yeah, you have to know those things are incredibly important. I was very aware of all of these things. I made sure that we had the property, had the right zoning before, you know, you of course, you can't buy a property in an HOA, right? A homeowners association, yeah, retreat center where there's, you know, you have to follow the rules. Yeah, yes, because also you want, you want to follow the rules, right? You, you come with this pure intention and and it's good to operate in a space of honesty, and then in a space of where you're allowed, you know where you're permitted, as they say, you know all the time, people ask me, for example, can I have a wedding at your place? And the answer is no. The answer is no, I I could have a wedding at this place, right? But, but in order to have a wedding, you see, you need a permit. It's a separate permit, yeah? And so that's the kind of thing that you have to know about, is that, and I've learned so much about codes permits, way more than I ever thought that I would even residentially. You know, here in the United States, we think we own a house, we can do whatever we want, but it turns out, actually, if you read the county code of wherever you are, you cannot do as much as you think. Yeah, right, yeah. You think, oh, I'll just hold this yoga class at my house, and I'll have like, five cars pulled out the front and park and, oh no, like one neighbor calls on you, and you're like, No, you can't operate a business in a residential area, right? And so, you know, we do have, we do have people up the hill from down the hill and up the hill, and that's how they refer to this area. And they know, you know, I know them, and I make sure they know what we're doing here. And yeah, there is a ordinance in this area. It's a quiet ordinance after 10pm all the way until 7am there are no outdoor noise that can have. And I love that my own streets have a period of silence from 10 to

10: 38:12

10pm, to 10am so it very much goes with the intention anyway of the space. So it hasn't. We have had, knock on wood. We have had no no problems with anyone amazing, if we switch gears just a little bit. Gabrielle, I'm curious just to hear a little bit about your own experience in your yoga journey, in relation to how are like? How are you just? How are you feeling about your yoga practice these days? Because you started in 2000 maybe earlier than that, but sounds formally in 2000 so you've had, like a good 24 years of consistent practice with multiple disciplines. What? What are you getting most inspired by currently in your own practice? Or what is a and like you wake up? Do you have a ritual or a specific go to way to connect to yourself through yoga. Do you have like a routine where you like wake up and you like to have a cup of tea and then do some pranayama and or some chanting? Or are you gravitating really intensely still, or still gravitating toward the asana aspect? Or have you dropped away from the asana a little bit and more into philosophy. Is there some aspect of the yoga practice that is like, what's really just making you just feel like, Oh, I love yoga. Yeah. I mean, it would take someone like you to ask that question, right? I imagine I don't know you, but I imagine, you know, you have a yoga studio, right, and in Florida, and you have a podcast, and, you know, I'm sure I'm not that different than you in the sense that my practice has evolved and changed a tremendous amount over these years, and I will say that, yes, I do have a morning practice, which is incredibly valuable and important for me to get up. I do some little bit of stretching, pranayama, meditation, and then. I am off, off into the day non my asana practice, right? Just do a little, warm up, a little, you know, get the blood. I think Dharma always said, you know, just do a little bit every day. Just do a little bit. Because oftentimes we think if I have to spend an hour, two hours, on this asana. But the you know we change. You know our lives change, and for me that my practice has much more change into a moment by moment, every day event. You know how to incorporate everything I've learned with everything that I'm doing and all that I'm managing it is more challenging than anything I have ever endeavored to do in my life, and there is no chance I would be fit for this calling for this job, had I not had all those years of dedicated practice. And so I'm okay. I'm okay. I can do some poses that I used to be able to do. You know, I lost some poses, but I don't mind, because the I feel very grounded in my purpose here, and if that makes me I cannot do, you know, a pose any more than what I'm doing, and much more valuable than that. And if I think when I maintain my intention and my actions are directed towards the purpose that I have, then there's no I don't even feel any sadness about it. I don't feel any I'm not not concerned at all that these things have. It's just part of it. And it's not that I can't do the pose anymore because I'm sitting watching Netflix. You see, I'm doing these, this amazing, you know, trying to fulfill this, this dream or this intention, yes, and while a course is so important, I cannot let everything go, because you need to maintain your physical well being, you know your emotional well being, which involves exercising, but it doesn't matter, right? I often go to practices in the community. I go to yoga studios because I think it's incredibly important to support the studios in the area. I have so much gratitude for a yoga studio in a community. For some reason, I don't know why, it never came to me that I wanted to open a yoga studio. Instead, I have this retreat center, but I always try to support the people I know in the area support the yoga studio. And so I just go to a class. I can do yoga on my own, but I go to the yoga class, and then I integrate with different practices that maybe are not what weren't in my everyday practice. It's nice. It's nice. Yeah. How about you? You must. You must have something to say. Oh my gosh. Great answer. Gabrielle, well, if, if I can be so bold as to potentially read between the lines of what you just said and what why agree with you 100% and what I what I feel like I heard from you just now is I am working really, really hard. This takes a lot of work. What I love to just dedicate two to three hours to yoga every day? Oh, yeah, that'd be amazing. I have a dream. I had a dream of owning a studio and then the pressures of actually maintaining it as a business and a financially viable operation, so that people can enjoy yoga. I've had to put that time that I would just dedicate to yoga, to the service of the community. And I agree with you. I think you get to this point where you go, I'm okay, it's okay. Like, but I have gone through turmoil phases over it. Like, yeah, but now I don't have time to do all the things I want to do in relation to my own personal development. But now that I can actually see that my personal development is service, then everything is a yoga practice. So I agree with you 100% and I see, but I can, I can also hear like you're actually you are working like you are. You have a lot to do, and I get. At and I appreciate that, and I like the fact that you said that you're going and supporting local studios, and how much that is important to the community. I would go out on a limb and say your space is a yoga studio, but I understand what you're saying in relation to the difference of a retreat center where a full week is committed, or people are committing to a full week, to coming in and and the work that the dedication that you're putting into it. So personally, I see what you're doing as yoga practice, and if not just as valuable or the same sort of transactionary experience occurs through through seeing like, I also got the feeling that you could see, like, when you said flow, and the importance of flow, like, how do you even see flow? Like, you can't, you can't, like, make a picture book about the flow, right? But you can feel it and you and you know it exists. And so it's so cool that you've tapped into that, and you're as dedicated as you are to, like, really getting involved in that. That's so cool. So So yes, that would be my answer too. Is that, yeah, I've had to put some of my own personal, um, things on hold, but to be really honest, like, I love podcasting. This is one of my most favorite things to do in the whole world, and so it, it's taken a lot of time and attention to put on it, which does kind of take from, like, right now, I could maybe do some Pranayama or some mantra, or I could have, like, take personal time for myself, but like, I feel like this is my yoga practice too. So I don't, I don't really see a difference anymore. So I'm with you. I don't struggle so much over that, if did I get some of that right? Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, it's important, you know, I have a teacher Sri Dharma, and in fact, this morning, I was online with him. He still teaches online. He has, and it's great, because here in California, it's because he's in New York, right? The pranayama class on Tuesday, 730 in the morning, you know? So I'm up before that, doing my my own little practice, and then I get to be with him, so I really make an effort to show up for because I think it's important to stay connected. It's important to stay grounded, it's important to have community and somewhere to you know for myself, even where I can recharge. And I know the practice is important, because when I first was here at OGIS, I really let my physical asana practice slip a lot, and it was really difficult because we didn't have in the beginning here. There was, it was It was wild. There were contractors here for 12 hours a day. I was sleeping on the floor. I didn't even have a table. There was no chair and the computer on the floor. I was sleeping on the ground, and the contractors would show up 6:45am and I'm just Okay, everybody on board, right? And then here, and I started to, not long after that, I don't know if you've had in this experience, I because of stress, I started to feel physical stress in my body, which I don't know that I've ever felt in my life. You know, people refer to stress, and you think of stress in your mind, or stressed I have so many things to do, but I actually felt it running through my body, like cortisol, thinking, wow, this is unbelievable. And instead of like, you know, worrying too much about it, I was like, Wow. This is really wild, you know, this feeling of stress. And then it started to sort of house itself in spaces in the body, right? So I could feel it building up my shoulders and then my neck. It was just more tense, like physically tense. And I thought, Okay, this, this is not good, you know, this wasn't the point. So I have to change something, yeah, and, and, of course, you know, with the knowledge of the yoga poses and all of that, I put more intention into the physical practices I was doing to move that stress out of my body. And it worked. It didn't take very long. And so now I'm really aware of staying on top, will say, or so to speak, but you know, keeping the stress, you know, at a level where it doesn't affect, you know, my physical, physical body with pain. Oh, man, you. Whoa, Gabrielle, whoa, can I bring something up? Yeah, cool today is what's the date? Today? It's November, 13, 12. Thank you. And are you you practice the strong yoga a little bit I had in the past, yeah. Did you hear the news about what happened? Yeah, so on Monday, so today is what is today. It's Tuesday, the 12th. So yesterday the 11th. Um, Sharat Joyce passed away at age 53 Yeah. And he's here in the States right now, and he I just feel so bad for his wife and his kids and his family. I feel so bad for him, for their first family. And he was here he's teaching in Miami for the last two weeks, and a lot of our students here went down and practiced with him, and then he went up to Virginia this week to teach at the University of UVA, or he's at UVA, and he went for a hike and he had a heart attack. And I, I came in this morning and I didn't know, I mean, I Well, I when I got in this morning, I got text messages from people, and I was like, Whoa, because he's only like, I'm about the same. We're the same. We're very close in age. I'm 51 and I just had that moment of like, oh, whoa. Like, oh my gosh, it can happen at any moment. And I know that, and we know that. I mean, obviously we know that, but it just hit me today, and so as you were talking about stress just now, and the importance, and believe me, I mean, I'm not trying to imply that I feel like we have control, and at the same time, I don't feel like I have control over my my mortality, right? Like I know I'm gonna go at some point, obviously, right? We all know we're gonna go, but it just, I don't know, it's hit me a little bit, so I apologize for bringing up, like, a heaviness. I mean, honestly, that's heaviness. I mean, I feel like, when it's our time to go and we get to journey amazing, right? Like it's going to be an incredible journey when we get to go, when we get to move along. But I just, I've been wearing that all day, so I just had to, I had to just mention it too. I just wanted to see if you had heard and if that impact. Thank you for sharing. Yeah, thank you. That's a really heavy, heavy blow for the community. I know, right? I know, I know. I think it's, it's a big one, for sure. It's, it's tough losing like these folks that we've learned so much from over the years, you know, and then at some point, just being able to say goodbye. So I guess, if anything, because I know people listening this, this pro, this podcast, will come out, you know, in a few weeks. So I'm sure the news will have already traveled to everyone's ears. But I guess if I could just say a little prayer for his wife and his kids, you know, just to like, I hope they're okay, and I hope that they can get through this really difficult time and and and find some solace. But you know, on that note, have you had any Have you had any relatives or anyone close to you lately? Have you had it? Have you gone through any of that, like grieving, or grieving, any loved ones? Yeah, my mother passed away. Oh, man, I'm so sorry. What? When was it? It was about six years ago, okay, like yesterday. I was like yesterday. I know my mom two years ago too, and that was the hardest one. It's very difficult, especially at too young of an age. Yeah, you know, before anybody is ready, ready for it, yeah, did that? Did that play a little part in your dream, your vision and your dream? You know what I mean? Like, when you when mom passes, it's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I of course think about her all the time, and she's definitely with me in the beginning here. You know, I had this, this vision and dream before she passed. And when I came out here to California with Oja, she was already, had already passed for, you know, a few years. And I always just, I was talking to her all the time, because my mom is, she is incredibly organized and very, very creative and so helpful. You know, if you wanted, if you wanted some also incredibly clean. So if you wanted something to be cleaned. Toothbrush out. She get the toothbrush out like, you know, she's so good, designing thing, laying out furniture, things like this, and yeah, so I'm yeah, she's definitely a part of it in my thoughts and in my heart. Oh, that's awesome. One thought I had today is like, we're coming and going, but the yoga actually sticks around. Isn't that amazing how we're like, we're learning it from our teachers, and then our teachers pass, and we're still we're and then we're holding it, and then we're gonna let go, and someone else is gonna hold it. That really just hit me hard today, of like, how? And then just the thought that, how long has yoga been going? Like you made mention of the human tie to the area where you are going back 8000 years, right? And then so like, when you and I find out about yoga, we hear like, 5000 years ago, and we think, Well, I mean, first of all, we can't comprehend it in relation to history and the span of humanity on the planet. And we don't really understand know exactly right? But I just, I think, how cool that yoga sticks around like this. It makes me feel like so much feeling of like, how much work we have to do to kind of hold it up to a high level. And I know you've gotten a chance to practice with Dharma, and I feel like Dharma does a really good job. He's done an amazing job of bringing yoga up to a very high level, or just, like, really taking it to a place of, like, let's, let's really keep this going. Can you talk a little bit about your feeling of respect for the tradition of yoga? Yeah, absolutely. I, I could consider it so such a blessing that I was able to come across Sri Dharma and practice with him and then become one of the mentors on staff there the teacher training. So it's been many years, very close to him and and I've learned such a tremendous amount from him, but I consider personally and what I try to share with others that are coming into the practice as teachers is that i My feeling is it is a great responsibility, It's a privilege to be able to teach others anything right, if you're in a position of a teacher leading someone to something that is a privilege, and it with privilege is a tremendous responsibility to As with as much intention and purity of heart, Grace, surrender. You do your best, right? But because of you have you want to share, right? So we're just trying to share the knowledge that was passed to me, that as I understand it, right. It's not i It's not that I'm right. It's just you try to share what we know based on our own understanding and do your best. But I it to me. It's it's never eluded me, the sense of responsibility that that carries great answer. Gabrielle, good point. I know it's amazing, isn't it? Well, that's cool. Is there anything that I feel like we well, actually, I'd like to thank Pam and Andrew Jones for introducing me too. So thank you, Pam and Andrew. Much appreciated. I know they held a retreat out there recently, so I I was unaware. I hadn't done my research, or, you know, I wasn't following you yet. And then I saw the pictures from the retreat, and I was like, Oh my gosh, that looks amazing. Like where? Yeah, we're having another one in June next year, June 2025, dharma yoga retreat, also with Pam and Andrew and me also as facilitating the retreat collectively with other with other Dharma yoga teachers. So it it's a really amazing experience to come together as a community and practice. Oh, my gosh, Gabrielle, that's so cool. Because, well, so if you're listening, you are listening. Obviously it's not if you're listening, you're listening. So you gotta go check out your website. Gabrielle at the retreat center is, oh, just retreat center.com. And the Instagram handle is, oh, just retreat. Center. You also have a personal website, which which is Yogi yogini collie.com and your Instagram handle is Yogini underscore Kali. So please go, follow and listen or send it. Send a message and let Gabrielle know what you're thinking, and you can see the schedule of all of the retreats that you're holding. Obviously, you have all that on your website, and I just really am thankful for this, for this opportunity. Gabrielle, it's really been a pleasure and a treat, and it's, it's so cool to meet somebody that I like hearing the inception, like the visualization, and then, like it's inspiring to me to hear your journey, that you followed through, that you started with the meditation, and you could see it, and that you've actually gotten to this point. So I can't wait to keep following you and see what you're you know what, where, where this takes you and the community of people that come through. So kudos to you for not giving up and pursuing your dreams. That's really amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much. As you know it is, it's not easy. The pursuit. You have to be a dreamer to live your dreams. I think it's not an easy path. That's not an easy path. It requires a lot of fortitude, many failures and challenges, a lot of self reflection, and you know, but it's, it's, there's nothing else in my from my perspective, there's no other way. There's nothing else to do. Oh, man, I hear you. Gabrielle, well, I can't wait to meet you in person. And my wife is from California. Her family's out there, so the next time we're out, I will definitely come check out your center. You're always welcome. Please come anytime. Yeah, love to have you. Thank you so much. From here, oh man, I'll take you up on that. We'll set up like I thought it would be cool to one thing I've always hoped for, one of my dreams with doing the podcast, is to go to events and interview so while the event is happening, interview the people during the event, and then put together, like a a whole kind of like series just on that. So, um, little like a reality show? Sure. I guess if you put that sounds better, something about reality show makes me think, like, I'm gonna, like, sell out some cheesy like, brought to you by, no, I'm kidding, but, um, you know, you're right, a docu series, a donkey series. I would love for you to do that, because, you know, I've had this vision for many years, to be honest, and I don't think I've not told very many people this, but I used to have my own teacher training program and lead teacher training as a course at dharmas. And I always had a very similar idea to the one you just expressed, where I would love to have a camera, you know, where you can see, you know, the transformation, what's going on with people have know what what they're thinking in their mind. I know when I went through my own experience and teacher training, I was, I mean, I went from one place to a completely different place at the at the end. And I've always thought that would be such a neat idea. So, oh my gosh, Gabriel, how funny, how funny, I know. So now you have the retreat center, and I have a microphone, so I think we have everything we need already. Now it just takes the vision and the dream. Oh, cool. All right. Well, it's on. Then I'll do a little bit of meditation tonight and start trying to bring it into a little bit more clarity. Yeah, we can, we can do it in June for sure. Cool. All right, I'm there. I'm with you. That would be amazing. Thank you. Gabrielle is a treat. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you so much for asking me, and thank you so much for chatting. And it's been so nice to get to know you same as well. Namaste. Namaste. I native yoga Todd cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you like this show, let me know if there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. 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