Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Blatter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Josh. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
To keep it brief, my path into Yoga started shortly after moving to San Diego from Boulder, Colorado in 2006. It was not my first time in California, spending the latter part of my childhood a bit further north in Santa Barbara. My passion for food and the restaurant industry shaped the earlier part of my time in San Diego, managing, consulting, catering, cooking and almost opening up a restaurant. Where all of this intersected with Yoga was during my time managing for a health-based restaurant called, The Naked Café, which also happened to be underneath a Yoga studio. It was through this relationship that I had my first exposure to Yoga.
I had my initial hesitation at first, as many do, but eventually gave it a try. I can clearly remember walking away from that class feeling as though I had stepped into something that would shape the course of my life. From that moment I just knew. Some people get hooked by the sweat, the intensity and challenge. It wasn’t like that for me. The postures were fun but there was something else. There was a tradition underlying all of this that I felt drawn toward and it was giving me a glimpse of something. The best way I can describe it is how a child must have felt when he or she learned to speak for the first time. I have always cooked and still do. Most of my life I have worked in restaurants and I am a trained chef. One of the things I love most about food is how it can express thoughts, feelings, emotions and connections. This is what the Yoga tradition was giving me access to.
Since then I have never stopped delving deeper. I have attained multiple certificates in Yoga and Yoga Therapy, Corrective Exercise Specialist with the National Association of Sports Medicine has studied extensively at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India, and have clinical experience working with doctors, chiropractors and naturopaths. I have had the opportunity to train with and learn from some of the most influential teachers in the world. I have studied with experts of the subtle body, apprenticed with innovators of the posture practice and worked privately with scholars in the ancient tradition, including Classical Yoga philosophy, Vedic chant and Sanskrit. All of this has shaped me into the teacher I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
To be perfectly honest, I would have to say that the road has been fairly smooth throughout my career. I am not afraid to work hard, take chances and fail. My mindset has always been to give everything I have to what I do and I feel that it has served me well. I teach a lot, a REAL lot. I study a lot.. a REAL lot. . . and I am always working on writing and developing content – whether it be blog posts, articles, workshops or ironing out thoughts. I have had great teachers, great mentors and great students to help me constantly strive to grow.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I currently teach weekly Yoga classes and an Introduction to Vedic chant class in North County San Diego. I work with clients individually at their home, teach Yoga at a few companies and see Yoga therapy clients at Healthtopia Clinic, in Encinitas. I teach online classes in both meditation and yoga philosophy. Throughout the year I facilitate Yoga and meditation retreats globally, lead workshops and guest lectures at Yoga teacher training throughout San Diego County.
Lastly, and what I am most excited about, is that I have developed a workplace wellness program called, “The Art of Balance and Mindful Being,” that I piloted in May with a company in San Francisco. Balance is one of the many virtues that I feel we all strive for but struggle to find. The problem is not that balance is unattainable but is largely misunderstood. The Art of Balance is an eight week program designed to better equip employees to manage levels of stress, strive for a work-life balance and to support a more harmonious way of being. The program is rooted in Yoga, meditation and mindfulness traditions but stands apart from them in that it is really important to me that the program has no dogma, stigma or misconceptions attached. The protocol is a combination of breath-based, movement-based and contemplative practices in conjunction with 1:1 mentorship. Mentorship is the key. I will be running the program again in January and hope to get some local companies involved in 2020.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have had some very influential teachers in my life. The first is Dennis Dean who took me under his wing early in my career. Dennis is one of the most brilliant yet humble masters I have ever had the opportunity to work with. Chase Bossart is both a teacher and mentor who I credit with shaping my views of Yoga and providing me a strong foundation in Yoga Therapy. Radha Sundarajan is my Vedic chant teacher who continually pushes and challenges me to keep learning. Nrithya Jagannathan is a teacher and mentor who has transmitted both Yoga and the Indian tradition in a way that is unsurpassed. Lastly and most importantly, I give thanks to T.K.V. Desikachar and his father T. Krishnamacharya.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joshblatter.com
- Email: josh@joshblatter.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/joshblatteryoga
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/joshblatteryoga
Image Credit:
Todd LeVeck (www.epicphotojournalism.com)
Micaela Malmi (www.micaelamalmi.com)
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