Jason Crandell is the Yoga Director at The San Francisco Bay Club, a regular presenter at Yoga Journal conferences, and staff instructor at Yoga Journal magazine. He has been the Yoga Journal’s "Basics" columnist and has been featured in Natural Health, Yoga For Everybody, 7x7, and San Francisco Magazine. Jason has had the great fortune of apprenticing extensively with Rodney Yee (and studying with countless other teachers with recognizable names). But, more than any other qualifier, Jason just really loves to practice and teach.

"It is teachers and practitioners like Jason that will take the art of yoga and teaching yoga to its next step." Rodney Yee

"The best. His patience and knowledge of backbends was worth the whole cost of the conference." Beginning student attending 2006 San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference

Posted by Jason Crandell at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mark was on top of the world. He had started his own law practice, which allowed him to take on big, greedy corporations and stingy insurance companies. He was married with two beautiful daughters. And he took pride in his consistent yoga practice (3-4 Bikram sessions a week).

Unfortunately, things started looking down when he injured his knee in an enthusiastic attempt at Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose). Surgery to have his cartilage removed&mash;and other attempts at rehabilitation—proved unsuccessful. He had to learn how to walk again. His marriage dissolved. He lost one of the most grueling and frustrating jury trials of his life.

Suddenly, things started to come into perspecitve for Mark. He realized his health had to be his first priority. Mark began working with yoga teacher Jason Crandell as an effort to nurse his knee, and his emotions, back to health. Can a kinder, gentler approach to yoga help him heal? Keep reading to find out.

Posted by Mark Webb at 10:35 PM | Permalink

Edith Chan has been competing in triathlons (swim-bike-run) since 1998. She is actively involved with the SF Tri Club and coaches their popular indoor cycling program. In 2007, Edith plans to complete her first Ironman distance event (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) at Ironman Austria.

Under the tutelage of Jason Crandell, she is exploring how a consistent yoga practice can enhance recovery between workouts, prevent injuries, and instill a sense of balance and sanity while training for one of the more insane athletic endeavors!

After studying math at Harvard and a four-year stint in cubicles, computers, and stock options, Edith surprised everyone but herself when she decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a traditional Chinese healer. She went on to complete a four-year graduate program in Chinese Medicine and is now a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist in private practice in San Francisco. She also specializes in orthopedic bodywork for injury rehabilitation. While she's only a beginning yoga student, she views yoga, along with Taiji and qi gong, to be indispensible in her ongoing education and self-care as a practitioner of holistic sports medicine.

Posted by Edith Chan at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Leah Castella is one of the subjects of Yoga Journal’s Yoga Makeover stories. As a shameless fan of magazine and television makeover stories, Leah is extremely excited to be on the other side of the page for a change.

Leah grew up in Texas, but couldn’t resist the pull of the Pacific. After high school, she moved to Portland, Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark College. She reluctantly left the West Coast for law school in Austin, Texas, but returned immediately after graduation. She has lived in the Bay Area ever since. Leah is an attorney at an East Bay law firm, and breaks up the work day by coaching a high school mock trial team and a law school moot-court team. She also sits on the board of the San Francisco School District’s Law Academy, and is the Executive Director of the Women's Debate Institute.

Leah lives in the Mission District in San Francisco, and spends her spare time throwing dinner parties for friends, reading tarot cards, playing poker, and traveling. She’s a yoga novice, but is excited to develop a favorite pose. She has a sneaking suspicion it’s not going to be Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana).

Posted by Leah Castella at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)