TEACHER SPOTLIGHT - SHILO DAUM
For about 15 years Shiloh and I (Misty), have shared a wonderful friendship and worked closely together at 4 different businesses. Our lives have run a bit parallel to each other in so many great ways. It is an honor and blessing to support her and be supported by her.
We are so blessed to have Shiloh teach so frequently at the studio and I hope you can join her for a class soon!
Fun get to know Shiloh Questions:
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Oh, so many wonderful-sounding places come to mind, some are any old-growth forests, Great Bear Rainforest, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the Galápagos Islands.
What social/environmental issues are you most passionate about? What are ways yoga can help us make a positive change?
I could talk your ear off about this question as I am very passionate about so many issues. More so than being passionate about singular specific issues, I am passionate about the connection between food sovereignty and systemic racism, between Rights of Nature and social justice. Caring for humanity and caring for the environment go hand in hand.
I practice Ahimsa (absence of injury/non-harming), in my everyday life by planting native plants to help our pollinators and the whole web of life. I do not spray harmful chemicals on my lawn or landscape and use natural/nontoxic cleaning products to contribute to greater health in my household, the waterways, and all the connected life in soil, air, and water. I avoid bottled water because I believe a basic need should not be commodified. I try to consume less, so there is more to go around, and when I do make a purchase, I try to support companies that do good in the world and whose products are built to last.
I try to observe Satya (truth) by reading books and watching documentaries about racial inequality, history, and environmental issues so that I can listen with more compassion and make changes in my behaviors. I have privilege and am working on learning ways to acknowledge it and listen and act to bring greater equality. I am very intentional about the books I read to my son to reflect diverse authors and role models, concepts of equality and justice.
My yoga practice is all about planting seeds of peace. What sort of world do I want to leave for future generations? I find joy in knowing my choices are part of a web of interconnected strands of beautiful diverse life, and I try to do my best to honor and contribute.
Name something that you do daily (other than yoga) to care for yourself.
Get outside. We try to go for one family walk each day. Eat sustainably grown whole foods. Move in diverse ways throughout the day. And occasionally an organic chocolate mint treat
Do you drink a morning beverage and if so what is it?
My morning beverage is filtered water from the tap which I feel grateful to have access to. Occasionally I have a green smoothie.
What are your favorite 3 or 4 postures/movements/preps for postures?
Banded shoulder floss/cartwheel arms (join us for Peoples Yoga presents: Yoga with Resistance Bands with Laurel Beversdorf for more ideas about stretchy band yoga)
Shalabhasana/Dhanurasana/shoulder mobility block pass
Fireworks (natarajasana - dancer pose sequence)
(Peoples Yoga is hosting Laurel Beversdorf in March for Resistance Band Training. Click here to sign up. This is a person that has had a great influence on Shiloh and has been featured recently in so many great Resistance Band Workshops with Laurel Beversdorf)
More from Shiloh:
“Yoga is more than being flexi-bendy in our bodies, it’s about finding a suppleness of spirit. I have an integrated approach to practicing and teaching yoga. By weaving biomechanics, somatics, trauma-sensitivity, biotensegrity, and applied neurology with the eight limbs of yoga, my teaching explores asana as a means to self-understanding. What that looks like in class is progressive loading of the body. Gentle yet challenging movement is interspersed with occasional prop work, and interoceptive cues invite self-awareness. What starts for many students as a physical practice begins to nurture inner strength and stability.
I did my first 300 hours of yoga training with Hilltop Yoga. I also completed 200 hours with Peoples Yoga, Teaching Yoga to Every Body program. Having studied Kinesiology at MSU, I became intrigued with other movement disciplines and their relationship to the mind-body connection. Incorporating these in my classes is a hallmark of my teaching, and after 12 years of practicing and instructing yoga, I continue to study and learn from a variety of teachers.
Outside of my passion for yoga, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, being out in nature, and learning about sustainable living. Yoga is the vehicle that brings us closer to our true selves. Everyone is welcome in my class. So come as you are, and practice finding your creative expression - in postures and in life, to plant seeds of peace and shine your light outward!”
Shidaum@gmail.com