Vitamin R

Reframe

*Note: This was written before the recent passing of Jackie. Some of the references may be a bit out of sync with time, but the teaching remains. Please see our In Memoriam on Jackie.

When your mind is blown on a regular basis. When your head feels like it may just fly off your shoulders. When your daily composure looks like an exploding head emoji in real life. It’s time to take your Vitamin R and Reframe. Like a stroke of grace, reframing the picture recently became an option and an aha moment, not always available in a dizzying world.

Everyone’s beloveds, Jackie and Shadow, helped broaden the view unexpectedly, and gave an eagle-eyed perspective to an otherwise stressful landscape. The recent decline of our favorite heroine, Jackie, and the necessity to take her from her home to the Ojai Raptor Center for diagnosis and life-saving support, made people the-world-over, fret heavily for her, her beloved mate Shadow, and their recent fledglings, Sandy and Luna.

Every possible scenario swirled in the mind and made for very, heavy hearts. Will Jackie recover? Will she ever make it home? Will Shadow, assumedly bewildered by her disappearance, wait for her? Could he teach the fledglings to hunt, guard the nest all by himself, and protect their territory on his own? And who are these rude, sub-adult eagle intruders suddenly hanging around in Jackie and Shadow’s airspace and lounging on their trees?

It overwhelmed the heart and mind until grace interceded as perspective. Pulling back and getting an eagle-eyed view helped bring the realization there were so many possibilities at play. In the face of the unknown, we...

In Memoriam

Keith Mitchell

It is with a sad heart that we received the recent news of the passing of our student, Keith Mitchell. Keith was very much in his prime, sharing his life’s work in wellness. We do not have any information regarding his unexpected passing, but we wanted to take a moment a speak to his life as we knew him.

Keith had a notable career as an NFL player before he came to Yoga. He credited Yoga with saving his life and giving him a new purpose. After a devastating spinal injury that ended his football career, Yoga became his guiding light.

Keith was a joy to have in both our Yoga teacher training and our graduates training. He had a memorable, focused presence as a dedicated, sincere student, and a magnificent smile. He could definitely...

Jackie

Hard Feathers To Fill

By now, everyone has heard of the passing of the great American Bald Eagle, Jackie--fourteen years old and a wonder to behold. Jackie, along with her mate, Shadow, and all their fledglings living in the Big Bear Valley, held us rapt for years.

Jackie and Shadow have represented innumerable things for people the world over. Hope, freedom, the beauty, awe and wisdom of nature, the indomitable spirit, and good parenting, just to name a few. In observing their lives, thanks to Friends of Big Bear Valley and the incredible Sandy Steers, who passed away this February, we witnessed nature at her finest and fiercest. Hours of exhilaration, peace, and education have been made possible. Community has formed. Conservation has been awakened.

We are so grateful to have...

The Nest

by Tracey Rich

I go to the nest
for comfort.
I have sat there
for years looking out
over the land, the
lake, the tops of
trees.
I listen to the
crows, the silence, the
wind, the chickadees, and
I listen for the call of
the great bald eagles
who have made this
their home.
I can hear the
buzz of bees and
flies—never knew
they could fly so
high, and visit with the
squirrels as faint
and swift as
air.
I see for miles, and
it is good in
the nest
where memory lives, and
dreams are spun,
and loss
lessens, and
life goes on.

copyright 2026

The Animal I Forgot I Was

Art and Music by Stephen Winters

We are so proud and happy to offer you an entrée into Stephen’s world. Stephen Winters is a fine artist, yogi, teacher, tattoo artist, musician, and falconer, just to name a few of this man’s talents. Founder of the nonprofit White Wolf Wellness with his partner and yogini, Katherine Winters, these two are present in the world in an awesome way. Throw in farmers and wisdom keepers and you have just a peek into their awesomeness. Katherine and Stephen offer sound meditations, yoga, and youth education programs on how to care for the earth, at their retreat in Bakersfield, California. They are incredible friends and protégés of White Lotus Foundation.

Stephen has offered us a sound meditation from his forthcoming music release that coincides with his one man show entitled, The Animal I Forgot I Was, opening August 29th at the RAM Gallery.

Opening alongside the exhibition is a new ambient music release built from electronic composition, live instrumentation, and sounds gathered from the natural environment. Together, the music and visual work ask a simple question: What part of ourselves have we forgotten by living as though we are separate from nature?

Stephen writes of the show and music...

For The Love of Toes

A Flow For The Toes

How many nice things have you done for your feet lately? We are enticing you to do a few flows for your toes the next time you take to the mat. Foot flows are often ignored because we just tend to forget about our feet.

Yoga practice teaches us to pay attention to our feet by building on the understanding that so much depends on the foundation of our poses, many of which begin with the feet. Without good awareness in our feet, even headstand and handstand would falter. Still, with this wisdom, we too often overlook our feet.

Take to your mat and begin with a few of the flows we have listed below...

From The White Lotus Kitchen

Hot Honey Fig Ricotta Toast

This toast is so divine, it will blow your mind. In a tribute to our local, fabulous Oat Bakery, we give you the toastest with the mostest. It is truly a summer sensation.

Lightly toast a slice of your favorite bread, And we mean, your fave! Hopefully, you have a sliceable loaf of something that you LOVE and can cut it on the thicker side. Our bakery uses a pullman loaf of their whole wheat.

Now we know this next step is decadence upon decadence, but butter your toast fresh out of the toaster. Our bakery keeps a giant mound of European butter like something you would see at the county fair ready for the butter sculping contest.

Next comes a drizzle of hot honey. Not honey that has been warmed. We are talking, hot, slightly sizzily-spiced, HOT honey.

Then smear on a layer of fresh ricotta. Our bakery makes their own, but this would probably be asking too much if we suggested you layer your toast with homemade ricotta. So just find a good one. We know in life you have to make concessions somewhere, but given this is a big feature, please find a really delicious, creamy ricotta.

The next step is...

Sanctuary

Personal Meditation Retreat

We invite you to join us for Sanctuary — Personal Meditation Retreat. Immerse yourself in nature for a time of spiritual sanctuary and take a few well-deserved days to rebalance your body, mind, and spirit. Whether you crave silent contemplation or desire focused time to refine your yoga practice, or whether you're finally going to take time to finish reading or writing that book that's been waiting, there is Sanctuary waiting for you. Come alone or come with a friend or family to celebrate a space out of time. We invite you to the Center, to welcome yourself home. Personal retreat is offered...