Rene DeLuca Eder With Yoga With Rene

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Woodstock, Georgia. It’s time for Cherokee Business Radio. Now here’s your host.

Stone Payton: [00:00:23] Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Cherokee Business RadioX Stone Payton here with you this morning, and today’s episode is brought to you, in part by Alma Coffey, sustainably grown, veteran owned and direct trade, which means, of course, from seed to cup, there are no middlemen. Please go check them out at my alma coffee and go visit their Roastery Cafe at thirty four point forty eight Holly Springs Parkway in Canton. As for Harry or the brains of the outfit Leticia? And please tell them that Stone sent you. You guys are in for a real treat this morning. Please join me in welcoming to the podcast with yoga with Renee. The lady herself, Miss Rene DeLuca Eder, yoga teacher. Just all around. Good person business entrepreneur. Welcome to the show.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:01:17] Thank you so much stone for having me. It’s so great to finally meet you in person.

Stone Payton: [00:01:22] Well, it’s a delight to get a chance to visit with you. I’ve been blessed in so many ways, not the least of which is I’ve met a gentleman by the name of Dean Belmont.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:01:32] Oh, wonderful, wonderful man. I’m familiar. I’m familiar with

Stone Payton: [00:01:37] Him. Yes. Well, and Dean suggested that we connect. It’s been a while we were talking on the phone. It may have been two or three, two or three months ago. I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. I am absolutely fascinated with this whole idea of yoga. I like to read about introspection and getting oneself sort of aligned with whatever is out there, and my knowledge base is virtually nonexistent. And so I’m excited to learn. I’m excited to hear you. Share your story. Let’s start, though, because this is a business for you. Mission purpose What in a nutshell, are you really out there trying to do for folks?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:02:23] I think bring a lot of awareness awareness around yoga and what it is and what it means. I like to think a lot about the goal or objective of yoga. If there is one, which I honestly don’t think that there is, but is to raise collective vibration so that everyone comes into a space where they are vibrating at their highest possible energy, doing all kinds of wonderful things, whether it’s continuing to practice yoga, becoming a yoga teacher or maybe it’s something different, maybe you want to be the best mom that you can be, or you want to be the best dentist that you can be? I think yoga is a space that allows you to expand your consciousness and expand into the greatest potential of what you of what you can be.

Stone Payton: [00:03:07] So is there an accepted definition of what yoga is that maybe just differentiates it from exercise or stretching or meditation? Is there some kind of general definition that it fits within?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:03:20] Well, one of the beautiful things about yoga is that it’s, you know, super old. And because of that, there’s a lot of different interpretations and ideas and meanings and symbology that go along with yoga. But a couple of things that stick out to me that I feel like really differentiate yoga from stretching is attention to breathing. So putting yourself in different shapes is beautiful and wonderful for a lot of different reasons. But when you really start to concentrate on your breath, which is a lot of what we do in a yoga practice that makes it feel different not only physically in your body, but also emotionally and spiritually, it’s that connection to breath that bridges the inner world as we connect to it and the outer world as we experience it. So yoga isn’t necessarily just the external or the physical practice. It’s something that encompasses all the different layers and aspects of being. And you know, another thing that I like that I probably is more of like my mantra when I think about teaching yoga in a more professional sense or a classic sense is going back to the ancient texts of Patanjali’s yoga sutras and particularly one of the sutras or one of the sentences there. Verses in the book is Yoga Chett Narrative Hatha Yoga Chit Ready Narrative, which means yoga ceases the fluctuations of the mind. So again, beyond the physical kind of connecting to that space within which allows your mind to calm down and you catch glimpses of inner peace and and who you really are? And so that’s a whole lot of information.

Stone Payton: [00:05:04] Again, I was being quite genuine. When I say, I find I find this whole idea fascinating, I personally find it difficult to get my mind. Still, the one place where I have found that my listeners will not be surprised. Is in the woods, you know, in a tree stand or fishing or just walking in the woods, that is where my mind is. The stylist and I feel very refreshed, and I can’t help but wonder if people who regularly practice yoga don’t achieve that or something well beyond what I’m feeling when I’m in the woods.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:05:41] I think it’s a very similar experience, and yoga doesn’t necessarily have to be, Oh, I have to go to a yoga studio. I have to buy certain clothing. I have to be at a certain level or practice a certain style or intensity of yoga. Yoga can be painting, it can be singing, it can be being out in the woods, it can be sitting and observing your breath. It can be being with a special person. It can be anything that kind of creates that same state that you’re describing. And yoga is just, you know, one way to get there. Another beautiful saying that was shared with me is the paths are many, but the truth is one. So whatever gets you there, you know, gets you to that, to that space. But but what you’re experiencing and being out in the woods and fishing, is that yoga? Absolutely. Absolutely.

Stone Payton: [00:06:28] Well, I’m delighted to hear you say that

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:06:30] You’re an advanced practitioner. You didn’t even know it just like that, but not a stone way to go.

Stone Payton: [00:06:35] But but it’s so true, for example, fishing or hunting, which I enjoy both immensely. I really have a fantastic time, whether I harvest anything or not. I went fishing the other afternoon in a place I didn’t know, didn’t really know where to go or what to do when I got there, but I knew I was going to be near the water and I still. I just thoroughly it. Just it just it really just sort of helped me calm my mind. And actually, I think maybe it may be one of the sources of creativity and refreshment for me. So in your environment, do you find yourself teaching entire classes? Is it one on one? What’s what’s the mode for you?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:07:14] Well, I jokingly say I’m kind of a one stop shop for four yoga instruction. I’ve been teaching yoga since 2000, so this is my twenty second year of teaching yoga. So odds are, if there has been a yoga class or gathering of some kind, I’ve probably led it in one way or another. I so I do teach group classes all all over the place. A lot here in Cherokee County was specifically at lifetime fitness here in Woodstock, just off of Highway 92. Yeah, I’m also right around the corner from here at Jen Miller Fitness, which is right off of Mill Street, right near downtown Woodstock. Those are probably the the classes that I do.

Stone Payton: [00:07:58] So you’re in that studio? My buddies over at Mesmerize Media, they’re your name, right next door.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:08:03] Right next door. Yep. And I met those guys and they are lovely. They are a hoot. I toured their studio and it was just beautiful. And those guys, they said great things about about you. They said, Oh yeah, you’re going to see stuff. Oh yeah, he likes to come over and have a beer if he wants. And I’m like, All right,

Stone Payton: [00:08:20] Well, I’m out of beer, but you know, I live right here on the edge of town. I love walking to town. I’ll do a couple of calls and I’ll stop by the Woodstock beer market or daily draft or reformation. But when I’m low on a beer budget, then I run down to see Tim and Jerry and they got some of the refrigerator. But yeah, OK, so. So you teach there as well,

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:08:37] I teach there as well. So see come and have a yoga class with me and Dean who introduced us will likely be in that yoga class. That’s how we met was through gin and then we can go have a beer next door

Stone Payton: [00:08:48] Mesmerize that is beautiful. I absolutely love it. I love it. I love it. So does that present a challenge, though? When you have a group of people I’m operating under, the impression they might be at different levels is the right word, but one might be more flexible than the other or have more experience. And that’s got to be you really got to be on top of your game to to give everyone the best experience, right?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:09:11] Absolutely, absolutely. So especially in larger, you know, group classes where you have, say, six to 10, 12, 15, 25, 30 people. Yeah, people are all going to come in and they’re going to have different energy. You know, some people, like you said, are going to be more flexible. Some people are going to be a lot stronger. Some people are dealing with illness or injury of some kind, and you need to be able to get to that place where you can lead everybody to connecting with their breath and connecting with their body. And if afterwards, they feel like they found a little bit of stillness and peace like they’re out in the woods, fishing or hunting, if they find that that place and find a little stillness for a little while, I feel like I’ve done. I’ve done my, my job, my job.

Stone Payton: [00:09:52] Mm hmm. So which leads me to to ask, even though I was, I played ball when I was young and I’m kind of active. I am the absolute antithesis of physically flexible. I’d like to think that in my business life, I’m flexible and try to accommodate, but no one I am. I am just, you know, like and my wife is very flexible. Sure. So for someone like me, there’s still a place in this arena. There’s still a path.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:10:18] There’s, oh, one hundred percent, you know,

Stone Payton: [00:10:20] You also show. In fact, which one in Woodstock already knows, but

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:10:26] Oh, absolutely, yoga is for everyone, it doesn’t you, no matter if you look a certain way or your certain height or weight or anything like that, anybody can practice. You know, I hear that all the time people come to me, Renee. I don’t know if I can do yoga because I’m not flexible. Yeah. And if if you were flexible already, you probably wouldn’t be coming to yoga class, right? Or if I had a dollar for every time somebody came to me and said, Oh, you know, I would do yoga if I was more flexible. That’s the reason why you come to a yoga practice to begin with. And so I often say, if you can breathe, you can practice yoga. And as a matter of fact, you know, I work with people over the years that have been in different states of coming back from injury, and they might not have a whole lot of mobility. I’ve worked with people that are literally bedridden or who are in chairs and cannot stand up. Can those people practice yoga? They have beautiful, absolutely beautiful practices. And are there people that I work with that can tie themselves up in knots and do the splits and do handstands? Absolutely. There’s those people, too. And that’s one of the things that’s that’s beautiful about yoga is it really, truly reaches everyone. And not everyone, you know, necessarily wants to come to a group class and have that experience. You know, some people want to work one on one or with small groups or just with their spouse or just with their family members or just with a special person. And and I absolutely provide those experiences as well.

Stone Payton: [00:11:56] So, so what’s the back story? How did you get involved with this? You say when you said you started doing this.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:12:04] So I started teaching yoga in 2000. I actually discovered yoga the year before. So 1999, all the way last century. Wow. Now we both feel really

Stone Payton: [00:12:16] Old teaching yoga in two different centers.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:12:19] Oh, I know it makes me sound like I can live forever. Like some yogis can live forever. Maybe I’ll be one of those that spans into a third century. God willing, I don’t know. But yeah, so I and a lot of people find this kind of interesting. I used to be in law enforcement. I was a police officer for many, many years, 10 years, to be exact. And so obviously, law enforcement, even back then, I left in 04. But even back then, you know, it’s a stressful job for a lot of different reasons that we can all kind of relate to, I think, universally. And so my husband actually suggested that I try a yoga class to. Reduce stress. And I was like, what? Yoga, like what I what like I didn’t even know really what it was, you know, we have all these preconceived notions about what it is. And so I was kind of like, Oh, OK. And I ended up in what’s called a Bikram style yoga class, Bikram Yoga, which is a very hot, heated yoga, 104 degrees, 60 percent humidity. It’s a very intense physical, like, sweaty type practice. And so I was very skeptical, of course, going in because Juan, I’d never done yoga before and to I didn’t really like being hot. And so I was like, Oh, I was a newlywed and I was like, OK, honey, whatever you want to do? Sure, I’ll try it. And so I went, and within a very short time, I found that I was very drawn to the practice. You know, there’s a lot of focus, there’s a lot of breathing.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:13:54] There was a lot of intensity and I found that when I when I practiced yoga, that all the other thoughts in my mind went away, that I became very peaceful and very still in my mind, which helped me really recharge. And then I felt like I was better able to deal with all the stressors of, you know, just life in general, not only being a police officer, but all those vicissitudes of life just in general that come your way. And, you know, within just a couple of weeks, I was practicing quite a bit. I was going all the time. I was like, Oh, what time’s that meeting? I going to go, I have a yoga class. I got to go to. So all of a sudden I’m skipping meetings to go to yoga. But you know, other officers would come to me and say, Hey, you know, you smile more like you seem happier, like you look different, like what’s going on? And at first, I’d be like, I don’t know, because I was kind of embarrassed. I mean, I’ll be honest, you know, I wasn’t sure about how that was going to be received by others, particularly police officers. And then eventually, I kind of, you know, became comfortable with it. It was just like, Hey, I’m practicing yoga, and some people will be like. What like did you join a cult because that’s what some people thought it was, you know, it didn’t have quite the mainstream awareness that we have now. And and some people were like, Hey, can I join, you know, can I can I try it with you? And you know, it was just a wonderful way to connect to myself.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:15:20] And in time people would start to ask me to help them with flexibility or their back. You know, people are having back issues. Or, you know, at the time, officers had PT tests where we had to, you know, run a certain amount of time, you know, run a one point five miles in a certain amount of time. We had to do a certain amount of sit ups, a certain amount of push ups. And there’s also a flexibility test, a sit and reach where you had to sit on the floor, legs straight and reach forward and push your hands on this box and they would measure your flexibility. And that was a it was a test in order for you to get certified to become a police officer at the time. Oh wow. And so some people were were struggling with that, and they found out that I practiced yoga and all of a sudden people were asking me for advice. And that’s kind of how the whole yoga teacher, you know, journey started it. And back then, you know, you didn’t really need to be certified. People would be like, Oh, ask DeLuca. She knows something about yoga. She’ll make you more flexible. And you know, I started teaching at police academies and things like that. This was out west when I was still in Utah. And that’s kind of how my yoga teacher journey became official is that I just started teaching yoga to police. Officers were struggling with their PT tests.

Stone Payton: [00:16:33] I’m really glad I asked. I am a fascinating back story.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:16:38] Yeah, it’s unusual. I’d like to say that I, you know, was out in the mountains and someone picked me, you know, some kind of guru and all that stuff. It wasn’t. It was boring, really out of practical, practical reality and out of out of life. And and as time continued on, I realized that I’d rather be teaching yoga than working.

Stone Payton: [00:16:58] So OK, on the on the business side of things, how does the whole? And I ask all my most of my guests this because I’m a I’m a kind of a sales and marketing person. Oh yeah, great. So how does the whole sales and marketing thing work for a yoga practitioner? How do you get the new business?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:17:17] Well, you know, there’s lots of different ways to do it. Most of my business comes from people that have met me through group classes, so teaching at a larger space or a fitness place that maybe is a health and wellness place in a more general sense, but maybe they want to offer yoga to their to their clients. And so a lot of people, I meet that way and maybe they want to further their journey. They want to learn more. They want to work with me one on one or in a small group. And so I get a lot of my business. A lot of it’s through word of word of mouth, word of mouth, for sure. I have kind of started since, you know, the past year and a half and two years has made a lot of changes in business environments and my business is no different. I would never have thought, and I don’t speak in absolutes much, but I never would have thought to teach yoga virtually. To me, it’s always an in-person experience. That exchange of personal energy is really important, and being able to observe someone as they’re breathing in the postures is really important. But because of some of the things that happened, all of a sudden I’m looking at teaching virtually, you know, my my private clients still want to meet with me, but they don’t necessarily want to have me in their house. And, you know,

Stone Payton: [00:18:32] Not

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:18:32] Not that they don’t like me anymore, but just for other reasons in their own readiness. And so all of a sudden, I’m pivoting into more of a virtual environment. You know, I’m getting a personal zoom room and things like that, learning to set up parts of my house so that I can teach virtually all these types of things. And it’s been a wonderful way to connect with people in an environment that I never would have. I never would have thought of. So teaching virtually has definitely helped him. But another like aspect to my to my business. Another area that I’ve really experienced a lot of growth, especially in the past year, is not only is that virtual environment, but yoga teacher training certifications. So I not only teach yoga classes, but I teach yoga teachers to teach and become certified and be able to carry on the the tradition. And, you know, especially in the past couple of years, you know, a lot of people have had changes in their own career and work environment for lots of different reasons. There’s been a lot more collective introspection, I think, because of, you know, people losing their jobs or things changing their working from home. Things are more flexible and.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:19:47] Some people have decided that they want to learn a lot more about a lot more about yoga and whether or not they want to teach yoga professionally or not, a lot of people come on the journey just to learn more, you know, to read the books, to learn about the philosophy, to go in deep and learn, you know, the finer points of of yoga. And so people can come to me. You know, I offer annual yoga teacher training programs right here in Woodstock. So if anyone’s interested in becoming a certified yoga teacher or just wants to learn more about yoga, they really enjoy their practice but want to go deeper. Yoga teacher training is, is really is really the next step is the next step. And another thing that I’m starting to offer in 2022 is things are starting to open up again is yoga retreats. So, yeah, super fun. So think about it like a little yoga vacation. So it’s like a vacation in a beautiful place with a lot of yoga involved. So you’d spend what I’m doing now are mostly self-care weekends. So with Elodie Retreat center up in just outside of Helen, Georgia, so these

Stone Payton: [00:20:57] Are our

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:20:58] Local. You don’t need a passport, you don’t need to, you know, get on an airplane and all that stuff. But yeah, it’s just an amazing place near Mount Yona that has some amazing spaces, a lot of natural environment, as well as some beautiful, you know, a spa and facilities to facilitate a lot of meditation and yoga. And they have a beautiful meal service and all this stuff. And so you stay up there for a couple of days and, you know, kind of immerse yourself in a yoga experience. So it’s a beautiful way to connect as well.

Stone Payton: [00:21:31] And it strikes me that a couple of things you mentioned might work real well together, like a blended experience. So maybe go to the retreat and then we participate in some of the virtual for the ongoing and for the prep the or even if you have if you’re taking a class, but you still might want to supplement that with the virtual I mean, there’s it’s a both end world or it can be right.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:21:52] Absolutely, absolutely. Everyone’s journey is is unique and be able, you know, being able to tailor those experiences to what each person needs is is better. I have, you know, some clients that absolutely will not go to a yoga class with other people for for whatever reason. And I respect that and I have other people who like that environment. The more people, the better, like some people really like to practice in that environment. And so I think being able to pivot and offer both is, you know, it’s important, it’s important so that people can select and kind of personalize, personalize their journey and how they want to relate to the experience.

Stone Payton: [00:22:33] Ok, so tell me more about breathing. Let me tell you part of what precipitates this question. I’ve heard people over the years and talk about I’ve heard people actually specifically expressed the idea of doing breath work.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:22:50] Absolutely.

Stone Payton: [00:22:51] I have a soon to be son in law. Oh, wonderful. My youngest got engaged over Christmas.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:22:58] Oh, congratulations.

Stone Payton: [00:23:00] They are both health nuts, and I mean that in a very, you know, positive way. They live in Chattanooga. They’re in the perfect environment. Yeah, she got a real job. She fired me. She was helping me out. Oh what? She got a real job with Echelon. The you know, the bicycle. Oh wow. Yes, company. And they’re both, you know, they’re young and they’re cute and they’re fit and they eat right and all that stuff. And Matt, my soon to be son in law, he is beginning to do some breath work for a wellness outfit up there. Wonderful. And of course, we teased him about it. You know, I look, you work mostly on in or out, you know? Right? We tease a reference. But obviously this is this is a thing this. So it’s definitely more about breath work and breathing, if you would.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:23:47] It’s definitely, yeah, definitely a thing. You know, I mentioned earlier kind of bridges the internal and the external worlds, but by listening to your breath or becoming aware of your breath, it’s a metaphor for the way that you are experiencing the moment. It’s a way that you live. Your life is the quality of your breathing. So if you simply, you know, lower your eyes, you know, sit still and observe your inhales and exhales as they naturally occur. And you maybe think about some of the words or maybe the textures or the things that you’re experiencing, like what adjectives would you use to describe your breathing pattern, you know, in the moment? You use those same words to describe the way that you are experiencing and living your life in that moment. So it’s it’s central, it’s important, you know, not only to a yoga practice, but obviously we don’t breathe right and be around for real long. When you say like three minutes, you know about three minutes, most people will kind of transition to their next life without oxygen. But but it’s a way to turn your attention in inside a way to turn your attention inside. And when you start to connect to your breath and you start to connect to your body, which is what yoga encourages us, at least the physical practice of yoga encourages us, encourages us to do. We move into a place of truth. So. Your mind often lies, right, we have all these thoughts, some of them come true. Some of them are real. Some of them are are not. And actually, I would argue personally that most of the things that the mind conjures up are not real. They’re just things that we conjure up in our mind, their kind of stories that our mind tells us over and over and over again.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:25:31] But when you start to connect with your breath, your breath is the truth. You know, I am inhaling, I’m exhaling, my breath is fast, it is shallow, it’s deep, it’s rhythmic, it’s erratic, you know? That’s the reality of what you’re observing in the moment. And it’s a space. It’s a space of truth. And it’s the same thing with with your body. Again, your mind is often going to tell you stories about, Oh, this could happen or that could happen, or this is what a person is thinking of you, or that’s what a person is thinking of you. You know, all these external realities against which may or may not be true. But when you start to connect your breath with your body and experience what what, it’s what it’s feeling, you release all that clutter all that chatter from your mind and move into a place that is pure experience and pure reality exactly as it is without interference, without chatter from the mind, without all these mental constructs which may or may not be based in in reality. So by focusing on your breath and focusing on your body, you, you move beyond a space of delusion or illusion. And we call that Maya in the yoga world. So, you know, going through our daily routine, we might be doing this and doing that and thinking this and thinking that is it our true reality? Maybe, maybe not. But if we sit and notice our breath for a little bit of time and we get into our body for a little bit of time, we can release things whether or not they are true or not true and moving to a space of true experience through experience. Yeah.

Stone Payton: [00:27:03] And so there’s for the for the novice. Or maybe, maybe maybe for the expert,

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:27:11] Probably for everybody

Stone Payton: [00:27:12] Is part of this having someone like guiding you through a series and like manipulating the breath a little bit just to get control of it? And then you sort of maybe go through an exercise. I’m going to do this kind of breathing for a little while. And is it structured?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:27:29] Sometimes it can be. Sometimes I mean, observing just your natural breath,

Stone Payton: [00:27:34] Just paying attention,

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:27:34] Paying attention to your breath is the highest yoga practice that there is. It’s the most advanced yoga practice that there is is sitting and observing your breath exactly as it is. But you know, a lot of times what we think of in yoga, particularly in the West. And by that, I mean, the United States is we think about being able to do certain things with our body, which is a beautiful part of the practice, putting your body in different shapes and doing all those things. And that’s and that’s lovely. And but but another thing is we can use the breath itself in different ways, different breathing techniques in order to bring about certain energetic effects. So if we breathe in a certain way, we can boost our energy. If we breathe in a certain way, we can calm ourselves down. If we breathe in a certain way, we can become more balanced and focused. And so that can be helpful to have a teacher kind of guide you through those practices again to personalize the experience. But is it something that someone could learn a few tricks on their own by reading a book or going to a few classes or taking a few sessions and then maybe do on their own? Absolutely.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:28:39] You know, some people prefer always having that guidance. Some people are a bit more independent and are OK kind of working on their own. So, you know, breath work is an entire field upon its in and of itself. So as a matter of fact, there’s eight limbs in the practice of yoga. There’s eight limbs and one of the limbs is called pranayama pranayama, which is breathing techniques. So one of those eight areas are fields of study or experience. One entire branch is devoted just to breath work, and it’s central to the practice. And then, of course, another limb is Asana, which are the physical postures. So those are the two that most people think of. When they think of yoga, they think of the postures moving into different shapes and they think about, you know, breathing or there might not. But there’s still, you know, six others that are out there. And so that’s always been very interesting to me and a great thing to bring awareness to. A lot of people don’t think about it in those terms.

Stone Payton: [00:29:46] Well, what I’m beginning to love about this is there’s there’s a place here for the beginner. Mm hmm. And it looks like you never really you could never actually run out of getting better and getting more benefits. Right? There’s always another absolute level of,

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:30:04] Yeah, there’s always another level of experience and you know, there’s lots of things out. There for people to try and experiment. I once read somewhere or someone told me in the source fails right now, but there’s 8.8 million yoga postures that have been documented in some way. Can I do them all? No. Can anybody do them all? Probably not. It will take most of us lifetimes to even catch a glimpse of what all that might be about. But again, it’s not only about, you know, the physical experience or being able to do certain things with your body. It’s really more about stilling and quieting the mind more than anything. And there’s many different ways to do that. Again, going back to your experience, being out in the woods, I mean, that’s that’s a form.

Stone Payton: [00:30:51] Well, now I’m going to be a lot more attentive to my breathing. You know, I try to be quiet when I’m hunting. Well, sure, I’m going to pay a lot more attention to my breathing. You? I will. Absolutely, yeah, look at that.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:31:02] How your yoga is going to inform your hunting experience. You think it’s not connected, but it’s all connected. Everything, it’s all connected.

Stone Payton: [00:31:10] It’s all connected. So before we go, though, let’s do offer a little bit of counsel. I don’t know to the to the novice or an intermediary or all the way through. But I guess my mind goes to the novice because of course, I represent that pack. You know, somebody listens to this. Sure. Here live today or maybe on demand, right? And maybe they hear it three months from now. What are some things that may be they can begin doing just to begin to get their arms around some of the benefits of of this of this kind of are there just a few things we could leave them with to something to start doing? Yeah, we’re not doing. Absolutely not.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:31:48] I always like to teach to inclusion, you know, not telling people what not to do. I like

Stone Payton: [00:31:53] To tell people what they what

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:31:54] They should do. And I would just say, you know, start to explore what’s out there and maybe it is finding a teacher or going to a yoga class or, you know, a friend who has a friend that really likes yoga, you know, maybe learning from them a little bit about their experience or about the teachers that they that they, you know, have worked with. Another thing, too, and you kind of said you’ve done some reading yourself. I started as a self, you know, study, Yogi. I just found a few books about yoga and started reading about yoga and absolutely fell in love with the practice and the philosophy and all different parts of it just by finding some great, great books. And also, you know, especially and we touched upon it in our interviews in the past couple of years, there’s a lot more high quality virtual instruction that is out there that you can find, you know, for free or there are subscription services. There’s lots of different ways to connect with yoga, you know, very, very easily from the comfort of your own home or going out and experiencing it out in your environment. And so it doesn’t really matter how you get there, but just getting out there and starting to practice is, you know, a beautiful experience and everyone’s journey is entirely different. And so allowing it to unfold and doing those things that make you feel comfortable.

Stone Payton: [00:33:14] Yeah. All right. So let’s make sure that we leave our listeners with a way to connect with you. Oh, wonderful. And whatever fashion is appropriate, whether it’s email website, maybe you have some video stuff, but whatever would give them a chance to have a conversation with you or someone in your world?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:33:32] Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I would love to connect with anyone who wants to learn more about more about the practice. And you know, the best way to reach me is through my website. It’s yoga with Renee. So Renee is with one e yoga with Renee, one yoga with Renee. And there there’s lots of links to different things. Actually, just the last last week, I did some video stuff, so some video practices will be on there that will be available on the retreat. Information will be on their teacher training, information will be on there. And just this past Thanksgiving, I published my first book about yoga.

Stone Payton: [00:34:08] That was going to be my last question.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:34:10] And I knew it. I knew it.

Stone Payton: [00:34:12] I knew it. That you might be writing a book because I thought we talked about that. A couple. Yeah, so. So say more about the book.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:34:20] So, yeah, it’s now out. It’s a published. It was published right before Thanksgiving Thanksgiving holiday. It was the number one new release in yoga books on Amazon. The number one new release in e-books on Kindle and the number one Kindle release in exercise, dieting and health. Short reads. It’s called yoga your life, yoga your life and it’s a journey, a way that modern yogis can use the ancient wisdom of the eight limbs to bring peace and joy into their lives off of the mat. So it is a wonderful book talks about the classic eight limbs of yoga, but in a very approachable way. It’s a short read. There’s a lot of personal essays, some that have to do with being in a yoga class. Many. Would you have to do about just living life, you know, being a mom, being a pet owner, all different kinds of things that I’ve done in tying it into a yogic experience. And there’s a link there to the Amazon page that will get you to the book, but it is available on Amazon Amazon.com. Well?

Stone Payton: [00:35:26] Well, were you sold one copy anyway? Oh no.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:35:30] Oh, you are. Oh good. It’s out there in Kindle.

Stone Payton: [00:35:32] Carry so many books, right? You’re right, right? Right? No, that’s so. But I can get it on Kindle. Absolutely. Oh, fantastic. You have to. All right. So let’s leave him with those points of contact again.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:35:43] Then website all yoga with Renee. Easiest way to do it, you know? Sign up for my newsletter. There’s links to the information there, the different things that I do. And you know, if you’re interested in working one on one or with a small group or you want to look at my teaching schedule and join me somewhere out here and beautiful Woodstock, or you want to join me at a retreat up there in the mountains, or you want to pick up my book and read it, or you’re thinking about taking that next step and becoming a yoga teacher? Please check out my website. I would love to connect with the folks here in Cherokee County specifically.

Stone Payton: [00:36:15] Well, Renee DeLuca Etre Yoga Instructor, author, speaker, facilitator That’s so much fun. It is.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:36:24] I love talking about yoga. How much time do you have?

Stone Payton: [00:36:26] I love listening to you. Talk about yoga. It’s been an absolute delight in the studio.

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:36:32] My pleasure? Absolutely.

Stone Payton: [00:36:34] All right. Until next time, this is Stone Payton for our guests today. Renee DeLuca, Etre yoga instructor at Yoga with Renee. Well, what about yoga with Renee?

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:36:44] Si.com: works just

Stone Payton: [00:36:45] Fine. Yeah. And website one more time again,

Rene DeLuca Eder: [00:36:48] Yoga with Renee,

Stone Payton: [00:36:49] Yoga with Renee and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, We’ll see you next time on Cherokee Business Radio.