Celebrating EIGHT Years of Old Town Yoga!

Today, Old Town Yoga celebrates its 8th anniversary!

Heckman family photo at OTY’s grand opening! (December 2016)

Reflecting on this journey is always an emotional and humbling experience.

When I opened our doors in 2016, I was guided by a deep “knowing” that Clovis needed a yoga studio. What I couldn’t have anticipated was how profoundly rich this journey would become.

Over the years, we’ve expanded into two suites, launched an online platform, opened a second location, weathered a pandemic, closed a location, taught thousands of hours of yoga, and created countless memories that will last a lifetime.

Through the highest highs and the lowest lows, gratitude has been the thread weaving it all together. The lessons, connections, and growth have been gifts beyond measure, and I feel immense appreciation for every part of this experience.

Students turned lifelong friends!

That same spirit of gratitude now leads us into year nine with a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT to share!

For the past five years, I have felt a similar “knowing” guiding me toward finding a building to call our own—a space where Old Town Yoga can grow and thrive for years to come. The search has been a years-long effort, filled with challenges and hope, and I am so thrilled to share that this dream is now a reality.

I am beyond excited to share that we’ve purchased our very own building and will be moving the studio there in late spring 2025.

Keys to the new building!

While we won’t be going far, this new space will bring opportunities for growth, stability, and longevity that I know will benefit us as a whole. Classes will continue at our current location until the transition, and I’ll keep you updated every step of the way as we prepare the new space to welcome our beautiful community.

While we navigate this transition together over the coming months, I invite you to approach it with patience and surrender. Change can be a powerful time for growth, both individually and as a community. Know that as everything unfolds, we’re in this together, and your presence is a cherished part of this journey.

It is a deep honor to continue leading this studio and our incredible community. I am so excited for this new chapter and all that 2025 will bring.

Here’s to the journey ahead!

With love & gratitude,

Desiree Heckman

Roatán Reflections: Unknown to Unforgettable

I recently returned from my very first trip to Roatán, Honduras, an island that, just two months ago, I didn’t even know existed. It's wild how quickly things can change, especially when everything falls into place. I have wanted to host a yoga retreat for years but had yet to find the right location at the right time. When the opportunity arose to host a retreat in Roatán, everything felt right. After spending five days exploring local sites, savoring local cuisine, and immersing myself in the culture, all my initial feelings were confirmed. The experience surpassed all my expectations.

During my stay, I enjoyed a variety of island activities including scuba diving, touring the mangroves, interacting with sloths, driving around the island, paddleboarding, and snorkeling. Each experience was spectacular.

However, what truly made the trip special was connecting with the local people. I had the opportunity to chat with our boat captain about his family, experiences, and life on the island. During our boat ride back, he even showed us his house, where he has lived for decades. The retreat center managers and cooks are also locals whose families have been on the island for generations. They are now raising their own families not far from where they grew up. We had the privilege of learning how to cook some local dishes, meeting local families, hearing personal stories, and learning about the island's history. These moments of personal connection were the actual highlights of the trip for me.

Traveling is known to be an expansive experience, and for me, this trip was exactly that. Seeing a different part of the world and a distinct way of living opened my eyes and deepened my compassion for humanity. I left with an expanded understanding of our deep interconnectedness. This concept is a fundamental tenet of yoga philosophy and a core value at our studio. Yet, personally experiencing it halfway across the world left a profound impact on me.

I feel honored to be returning to Roatán soon and hope to make it a place I visit regularly. On our upcoming retreat, we will definitely snorkel, enjoy great food, and even hold sloths, but more importantly, we will be connecting with and contributing to the local community that has so warmly welcomed us. I dream of making this an annual retreat, giving students the chance to broaden their horizons by experiencing a different country, culture, and perspective on life.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, we’d love to have you join us. I promise it will be an unforgettable and transformative experience.

See you next month, Roatán!

Beginning Again

It’s been four years since I last wrote for this blog.

For over a year now, I’ve felt this nagging urge to start sharing here again, but self-criticism kept stopping me. I worried that after such a long break, I wouldn’t keep up with it, or that it might come off as self-indulgent. And those worries were just the tip of the iceberg.

But, I’m doing it anyway.

When I opened Old Town Yoga, my plan was to document the journey of creating a yoga studio from scratch and watching it grow. I wrote consistently for a while, but from 2018 to 2021, life as a wife, mother, instructor, boss, and evolving human really broke me down in the most humbling and devastating ways. Miraculously, I survived. I may share more about that time later, but for now, I’m starting fresh.

Yoga has changed my life in so many incredible ways. I’m unrecognizable—in the best way possible. Practicing daily has been key to this transformation, and I feel so honored to share yoga with my local community. Despite the challenges of owning and growing a studio, I am truly grateful that this is my “job.”

I deeply appreciate you taking the time to read this and look forward to sharing Old Town Yoga’s journey here. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to start something you’ve been putting off—consider this it. Whether it’s a hobby, a passion project, or reconnecting with someone, take a moment to think about what’s been holding you back. Sometimes, the hardest part is just beginning.

Here’s to beginning again, my friends.

A current photo of my family for no particular reason other than the fact that I adore them.

Discipline vs. Force

Intention is everything.

‘Say it louder for the people in the back.’

INTENTION IS EVERYTHING!

Why are you doing what you are doing? Why are you saying what you’re saying? Why!?

Examining your intentions is a way to clarify your thoughts, words and actions. This process is a form of Svdhyaya, one of the Niyamas in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Svdhyaya is the practice of self-study. When you practice examining your intentions, it can be a confronting and uncomfortable process, but simultaneously provide powerful insight into your unique patterns of thought and behavior.

 A relevant area to begin examining your intention is when thinking about your physical yoga practice. Why do you practice? Is it to nurture and stimulate your body? To care for it? Or, is it to punish your body and work it into a form that your mind deems acceptable? The perceived outcome of your daily practices almost always depends on whether your intention is rooted in discipline or in force.

Discipline comes from a place of abundance, love, and belief in one’s ability and potential. A disciplined practice is characterized by moderate, yet consistent effort over a long period of time. When approaching your practice with a mindset of love and care, you will leave your mat feeling full, regardless of what happened or didn’t happen. This is because you knew you did the work that was needed for TODAY, and it will look different every day.

Force comes from a “lack” mindset or a perception of not being enough of something. When approaching your practice with force, you will often come away feeling unfulfilled because you might not have sweat enough, or nailed a pose you nailed yesterday, or just felt “off.”

And so, I encourage you to examine your intention next time you step foot on your mat. See if you can approach your time moving and breathing with an extra dose of compassion and care towards your mind and body. Spend some time noticing all the incredible qualities you already possess. As Nelson Mandela said, “It never hurts to see the good in someone. They often act better because of it.” This is not only true for others, but for ourselves. Focus on the good in you and watch yourself flourish. 

Loneliness, The Next Epidemic?

In 2015 I was starved for connection. I had been a stay at home mom for three years, lost belief in the religion I was raised in, and had no idea how to make friends as an adult. My home yoga practice, which I had started a year earlier, was on the back burner because I was pregnant with my second baby. To say the least, I was floating in a sea of loneliness and desperate for a lifeline.

I have always been incredibly self-sufficient, so I threw myself a lifeline in the form of a yoga teacher training. Once that training began, I LIVED for the weekends when we would have training. All of the connection I desperately craved was beginning to be satiated. It was like a sip of the purest water after trekking across the Sahara. I was intellectually stimulated, physically challenged, connecting with like-minded people, and for the first time in my life, was making a genuine connection with myself. Who knew that was even a thing? I sure didn't. I was beginning a journey back to myself that would slowly awaken me to the realization that I am limitless. We ALL are limitless. 

I was not prepared to end the teacher training journey, and when it did, I felt lost once again and did not know how to sustain that connection, especially since I lived so far from the training studio. Some of you have heard this story before, but this is exactly what sparked the idea to open Old Town Yoga. I wanted a local space that could facilitate this ongoing journey not just for myself, but for others. A place where self-discovery and connections were fostered. At that time, I believed that I was merely one of just a few lonely, disconnected souls in this world; I quickly realized it was the opposite. 

Our world has become increasingly isolated, independent and disconnected, so much so that psychologists are calling this epidemic of loneliness the next biggest health crisis since obesity and substance abuse. Humans are wired for connection. One of the highest correlating factors to happiness is having a strong sense of community. This is evident is the “Blue Zones” where life expectancy and vitality are highest in the world. When the need for connection is not filled, there are all sorts of repercussions, including heightened anxiety, depression, poor sleep, weight gain and that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

“Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection.
All you need is that one person, who understands you completely, believes in you and makes you feel loved for what you are, to enable you - to unfold the miraculous YOU.” 
― Drishti Bablani, Wordions

Still, realizing this is a problem is only step one towards resolution. As our world has become more digital, our in-person connections have drastically decreased, and finding places to connect with others who are like-minded is no easy feat, especially as an adult. If all we do is go from work to home and back to work, how do we expect to expand our connections and relationships?

Me and my Swedish host daughter, Julia. One of my most treasured connections that only came about because we both took major risks in putting ourselves “out there.”

Since taking the leap to enter teacher training, and eventually open the studio, I have gained relationships and connections that, to me, are priceless gifts. I have seen others gain the same valuable connections, yet to do so they all had to overcome fear that was holding them back. 

Putting yourself out into the world on any level is terrifying. Rejection by some is inevitable and terribly painful, but full, authentic acceptance by others brings a fulfillment that is difficult to articulate. If it’s been a while since you’ve felt that, take a chance. I want to encourage you to begin making meaningful connections in your life, because they are just as vital to your health as eating right and exercising. Try something new. Start a conversation with someone new. Say yes to an offer you might usually say no to. Take a chance on the thing that’s been in the back of your mind. You just might make a connection with someone who will open your world and completely change your life. 

My reason why

We did it, friends. OTY Fresno is here. Today we held our first day of classes, exactly one year after we expanded our Clovis location. Over the last couple months I have been asked repeatedly, “how is everything going?”…“Are you stressed?”…“Aren’t you spreading yourself too thin?”…“Are you biting off more than you can chew?”…you get the idea. The funny thing is, this has been the smoothest undertaking of all three studio openings.

The initial opening of OTY was obviously terrifying, but expanding last year nearly did me in. I cried for 31 days in a row. IN A ROW, people! I survived though. When I think about why it was so much more stressful to expand, I realized that, by that point, I felt I had something to lose. OTY had an audience watching every move we made and I was terrified to make a wrong one. All signs pointed to the need to expand AND the opportunity was so readily available that it would have been foolish not to go for it.

From the outside though, I was worried that I looked greedy, arrogant and overzealous. All I kept thinking was, “what if this tanks?” I became consumed with that thought and every morning I’d wake up and nearly immediately burst into tears. I have told a handful of friends about this experience and they wonder why I didn’t reach out for help. In retrospect, I could have done a better job of that. Asking for and receiving help is in something I am continually working on.

“It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”

— Chuck Palahniuk

What finally broke my crying streak was a “coming home” of sorts. After weeks of relentless self-induced suffering, I realized that I had become obsessed with the “what” and “how” of our business. Those are definitely important to know, but what I lost sight of was the “why.” Some of the most transformative moments of my life have been directly connected to my yoga practice. It scares me when I imagine what my life would look like today if I never started practicing.

So, when I say that yoga has completely changed my life, I mean it in wholeheartedly. Yoga has taught me how RICH every day of your life can be. Every moment has limitless potential. YOU have limitless potential. Yoga has shown me how to realize and manifest that potential by simply being with every moment, feeling, thought, and interaction that arises. Sharing this message is my WHY.

I do not have my practice perfected by any means and I am positive I never will, but the glimpses of it working in my life and other’s is the fuel that propels me forward. When I get bogged down with the logistics of scheduling, finding subs, marketing the studio, reviewing our monthly balance sheets, analyzing attendance and blah, blah, blah, that is precisely when I my ability to manage everything deteriorates. Whenever I have my “why” right in front of me though, it is more often than not, smooth sailing. I also know, for better or worse, I am human and I will inevitably lose sight of my “why” over and over. However, with commitment to the repetitive practice of redirecting and remembering, the frequency and duration of getting blown of course will decrease. 

“No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.”

— Seneca

Just as we build strength and flexibility with consistency and gradually increased intensity, courage and ambition are built in the same way. Without the trials of starting a business and expanding it within a year, I would not have been able to take on opening a completely new location. I believe most experiences, especially the ones you feel you cannot survive, are crucial lessons that shape you into the person you are meant to be. I had a friend recently post something along the lines of, “if life feels like it has gotten harder, that means you’ve leveled up.” If you are feeling that way, it’s GREAT NEWS! You’ve leveled up! What excites, and terrifies me, is thinking about what I’m currently being shaped to face in the coming years. Whatever it is, I know it will be just what I meant for, and whatever you’re facing is molding you for what YOU are meant to do as well.

The Importance of Knowing & Loving Yourself...and How To Do It

I firmly believe that we have the ability, with our minds, to create our own heaven or hell on Earth. Unfortunately, many of us succumb to creating the latter by consistently living in our thoughts, either past or future. When those thoughts are on repeat for days, months or years, and the pain becomes too much to bear, we turn to remedies outside of ourselves to numb or soothe the pain.

Nobody is exempt from this struggle either. Just last month, rapper Mac Miller passed away from a drug overdose. This news was devastating to his family, friends and fans, yet it is sadly a story that is too common. Prince, Michael Jackson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Petty, Whitney Houston, Brittney Murphey, Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger and many more have lost their lives because of a drug addiction that overtook them. Countless other celebrities have lost their lives to suicide, and while death is never easy to understand, it is even more challenging to make sense of when a person who seems to “have it all” feels so much suffering that only drugs and/or death can soothe them.

It requires an extremely low view of oneself or one’s circumstances to act in such a way. However, nearly everyone, at some point in their lives has experienced difficulty seeing their own value as a human being. We often attach our worth to our physical appearance, material possessions, accomplishments, status and so on. Yet, simply being a human being qualifies you as the most precious gift on this Earth.

How can we cultivate this belief within ourselves though? We can hear it over and over, but until we internalize and own it, the words will have little meaning. Cultivating this belief requires cultivating a relationship with oneself. Say whaaa? Yes! Of all the relationships that we have, the one most often neglected in the one with our self. This may even be the first time that you’ve considered that a “self-relationship” exists.

We spend more time with ourselves than with anyone else and with a new thought coming at us every 1.2 seconds, there is a lot of conversation going on. What is the content of that conversation? What is the story you are telling yourself? It is tempting to believe every thought that runs through your mind, but they don’t always have your best interest in mind and further, they are rarely accurate. If a friend voiced their self-deprecating thoughts around you, you would likely stop them and give them a more accurate perspective of themselves. What happens when your own internal thoughts don’t have an outside voice of reason to correct them? You begin to believe them, and what you believe drives your actions. This is why it is critical to become a student of yourself and eventually, your own best friend. Sounds a bit esoteric, I know, but it is key to creating lasting contentment and perspective in your life.

But, HOW? I’m glad you asked! The “how” is through meditation/mindfulness. Learning the practices of mindfulness and meditation has been the greatest gift I’ve ever received. Since experiencing the profound effects of mindfulness, I can’t help but think how the practice may have affected the life of Mac Miller and numerous others.

While the practice of mediation is a very simple practice, it is far from easy. If you decide to embark on the self-discovery journey that meditation offers, the beginning will be especially challenging. In fact, for me, my anxiety got worse before it got better. Becoming aware of just how much damn thinking I do was startling and overwhelming.

Just like anything you learn, it will take dedication and time, and the fruits of your practice will speak for themselves. You will begin to notice when you chase a thought, fabricate an unnecessary story, try to interpret someone’s actions, or make a judgement about someone or something. And that is all you have to do. Notice. Let it go. Notice. Let it go. Notice again. Let it go again. I want to reiterate that this is much easier said than done, but I am confident it will be as life-changing for you as it was for me. You can start today too. I’ve written out a short intro to meditation practice for you to try as well as some additional resources to explore the practice even more.

Intro to Meditation Practice   Time: 5 minutes          Tools: Timer               

1.     Read all of the instructions first ;)
2.     Find a comfortable, yet tall, upright seated position. Back rests are encouraged.
3.     Turn your phone on airplane mode (VERY IMPORTANT)
4.     Set your timer for 5 minutes
5.     Take three deep belly breaths
6.     Find a soft gaze a few feet in front of you or close your eyes
7.     Let your breath become natural and notice where you sense it most (belly, chest, tip of nose, etc.)
8.     Watch that sensation of your breath for the remainder of your time
9.     You will 100% get distracted by a thought. As soon as you realize this has happened, bring your focus back to that breath sensation.
10.  Repeat this redirection of your attention as many times as necessary
11.  No judging or criticizing yourself. Just notice. Let it go. Repeat.
12.  When the timer goes off, go about your day.
13.  That’s it!

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you try it and answer any questions that come up. Just remember, the most important thing is simply starting.

Get Your Mind Right

Since opening Old Town Yoga, I’ve had numerous conversations with people aspiring to fulfill a dream they have had for a long time. They see the success of the studio and have all kinds of questions. How did you know? What did you do?  Was there a moment you were sure? How much is your rent? Did you create a business plan? The list goes on. I always answer these questions to the best of my ability, but after the 10th or so time of having this conversation, I realized that none of the answers will get anyone closer to achieving their goals.  

There is only one thing that will give a person a decent shot at realizing their dreams and fulfilling their potential; their willingness to fully and completely COMMIT. Forget about having a backup plan, or managing your risk, or maintaining approval of others, or looking like an idiot. Transforming a dream into reality requires ALL of your attention. If that attention is diluted, your outcome will be diluted and you will find yourself believing that you simply lack some secret skill or technique. The only skill required is UNRELENTING dedication; a laser-like focus of where you are going with no other options in your field of vision.

In The Dark Knight Rises Batman movie, there’s a scene where Christian Bale is trying to escape prison over and over again by climbing up the walls of the pit. With each attempt he ties a rope around his waist as a backup plan. After failing time and time again, one of the older inmates explains that only one person has ever escaped, and did NOT use a rope. In other words, he was more committed to achieving what his heart desired than living without ever seeing his dream realized. With that understanding, Batman attempted escape once again, this time without the rope, and made it.

Now, I am not suggesting you risk your actual life to achieve your dreams. This is obviously an illustration, but it will FEEL like you are risking your actual life if you are doing it correctly. The level of uncertainty that you have to move through will be crushing at times. You will have an urge to put all your “ducks in a row” before you make any big decisions, but that is the opposite way that it works. Take the leap first, and the net will appear. Author Anais Nin said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” My hope is that your courage is so great that your life expands beyond your wildest dreams.

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

— Marcus Aurelius

There are risks associated with EVERYTHING you do in life. The risks you regularly expose yourself to become your norm and don’t feel like risks anymore. They are still risks though. The risks that come with making a change or taking a leap of faith are uncharted and unknown, therefore scary AF. Be aware of this and that decision fatigue/decision avoidance is a REAL thing. Spending time agonizing over a decision, big or small, results in a deterioration of the quality of decisions you make. And, it doesn’t just affect that one decision, it affects your ability to make any decisions. We are only allotted so much energy each day, which means we must use it wisely and efficiently.

So, do yourself a favor. Sit down and think about what you want out of life. If you already know, you are a step ahead. Once you know what you want, ask yourself, “Do I want this change MORE than I want to stay the same?” If the answer is “no,” then that is FINE. Truly. It is. However, if the answer is “yes,” you need to associate tremendous pain to staying where you are, because the pain of change is going to be enormous and you will want to retreat to the familiar unless that “familiar” is even more painful. Connecting pleasure to where you are headed will also be crucial to propel you towards your goal.  

Next, fully commit to the path you choose with a deep, unwavering belief that you will be successful, no matter what. Tony Robbins has seen success on his desired goals not only with himself, but thousands of others. He has found that success is 80% psychology and only 20% skill. So, yes you better have skill, but more than that, GET YO’ MIND RIGHT. Nobody can do that for you and before anyone believes in you, you MUST believe in yourself. Do you? DO you? DO YOU? This cannot be faked. Your energy introduces you before you speak. Fix your energy, fix your mind, act, and watch your life expand!