Tiffany Cruikshank: Making Her Mark (Part Two)
Part Two.
We can never get enough of this amazing woman! An internationally acclaimed yoga instructor, author and health and wellness expert, Tiffany Cruikshank is passionate about living life to the healthiest and fullest and travels around the world inciting others to do the same. With the combination of her extensive yoga and holistic medicine training along with her spunky personality, she makes yoga and overall health not only approachable but enjoyable for everyone. Her passion for yoga as medicine inspired her to found Yoga Medicine, an organization with a global vision to make medicine and health through yoga more accessible to all. She has a particular gift for fusing eastern and western medicine together and applying it to our experience of yoga for optimal health.
It's a dream come true to have her as one of KiraGrace's Global Ambassadors, and we are so thankful for her support. We are also super excited to be partnering with Yoga Medicine this season to help support children in need through Yoga Medicine's India Seva Project. A percentage of the Seva Legging, designed by Tiffany herself, will be donated to the Seva Project to sponsor three months of care for a child.
So without further ado, here is part two of our conversation with the brilliant and beautiful Tiffany Cruikshank:
KiraGrace: Where do you see yourself and Yoga Medicine one year from now? Five years from now?
Tiffany: Our first mission is to help build awareness... to really help people recognize that yoga can be used as a form of medicine and to diligently train our teachers to be able to provide that. From there, it's all about connecting yoga with the medical community and building a recourse for doctors to be able to refer and network with. Also I'd love to see more research being done, so we can hopefully have insurance coverage. Once all of those things start to come together, the impact we'll be able to make is going to explode! So for me, a big part of it is making those links to our medical world which is the most difficult part, but also the most important.
KiraGrace: Do you know anyone who is doing that research? I think about MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), and the way it was able to authenticate meditation for the western civilization. Is that research being done?
Tiffany: Yes, people are doing it, it's coming. All of this is happening. I've heard of one or two people recently who have had insurance cover it. Some private insurance companies are offering that, but it's coming slowly. It takes time and preparation and money to put it all together, but it's definitely coming. I never thought that it would be this far along this quickly.
KiraGrace: What is it that drives you? What ignites your purpose?
Tiffany: That's a hard one. There are a lot of things that really drive me. My passion for medicine, my work with patients, watching people get better, and being able to help people... these are the things that drive me. Seeing the potential for yoga to do that in medicine is inspiring and it keeps me passionate about what I'm doing. Seeing the people that I interact with excited and sharing it, too, really keeps me going.
KiraGrace: Can we chat a little about your relocation to California? How do you like it here? Have you been able to explore your new surroundings or have you been hitting the road a lot?
Tiffany: I love it here. The reality is I'm not here a lot. I'm constantly traveling, but it's a great place to come home to. The weather is beautiful, the food is amazing, lots of organic and very health conscious people and stores, and of course, lots of yoga. So it's great to have that all around you. And the beach! I feel really lucky to be here.
KiraGrace: What were your favorite and least favorite moments of 2014?
Tiffany: I'd say 2014 overall was a fantastic year. It started out a little rough for me, but that's been such a catalyst for a lot of change for me. I've really done introspective work on myself this year. It pushed me in a way that I haven't been pushed before, and I think it's really important to have those catalysts in our lives. And with Yoga Medicine growing and to have a lot of positive changes happening in effect of that is just exciting. I always look forward to those times. In a way, I look forward to the struggles because I know how much they teach me. I've learned that it's always a strong, transformative process for me to have those struggles. For as long as we can look at them, they can be a catalyst for change. So yes, it's been a great year. Started out rough, but then it came in and I learned so much from it. It's turned into a really powerful year, and I look forward to what all of 2015 has to hold.
KiraGrace: Did you have a New Year's resolution?
Tiffany: I don't often have strong New Year's resolutions. I am such a goal-oriented person, I constantly check in on my goals. I think New Year's resolutions are great, especially for people who aren't used to having goals, but for me, it's an ongoing process that really never ends. I think the focal point for me in 2015 has been to find balance - which is always a focal point of mine. But finding that balance in between work and life and making Yoga Medicine sustainable for everyone in our community is my main focus as well. I have also been making an effort to make more time to sit and read. I recognize that I really need that. People laugh at me because in my free time, I grab anatomy books, but to me that's fun, reading. That's stimulating.
KiraGrace: Who are your role models? Are they the same ones you had before embarking on your yogic path?
Tiffany: I don't think there is just one person who is my role model. But I tend to see this image of strong, powerful women all around me as a role model in many different ways. Women who are able to be strong and powerful and live their dreams, but also be soft and feminine. That's what I love about the KiraGrace line. It has that very smart, intelligent, classy, feminine, and strong woman who knows what she wants, but can also come home and cook dinner and take care of the kids and be a loving wife. To me, that's the balance which is so hard as a strong woman.
KiraGrace: What is your favorite KiraGrace item?
Tiffany: Right now or of all time?! I would say my favorite of all time is the Tough Cut. That's a classic for me. I feel like that's my go-to classic legging. My new infatuation is the grey. I feel like it goes with every color; it's my new black. [As far as tops], my new obsession is the Glamour Halter in red. I saw the newsletter, and the picture of me go out in that top, and I said, "Oh, I need this top." Oh, can I do one more?! The Goddess One Shoulder is my classic.
Meet the Seva Legging (pictured above).
However you move, let's move together. Every purchase makes a positive impact - we'll donate a percentage of your Seva Legging to sponsor three months of care for a child in need through Yoga Medicine's Seva Project.
Based in Los Angeles, Tiffany was previously the Acupuncturist and Yoga Teacher at the Nike Headquarters in Portland, Oregon. She has been featured in various video & print ads including ads for Nike, Lululemon, Liquido Active, Yogi Tea, and us, too! She has also graced the cover of Yoga Journal, Om Yoga Magazine, Mantra Yoga & Health Magazine, Origin Magazine, Thrive Magazine & International Lifestyle Magazine, and she writes articles for Yoga Journal, MindBodyGreen.com, Origin Magazine, Mantra Yoga & Health Magazine, Thrive Magazine & ElephantJournal.com among others. You can practice with Tiffany online at YogaGlo.com, and we highly recommend you pick up a copy of her book Optimal Health For A Vibrant Life, a 30 day detox for yogis.
If you liked this blog, check out our other blogs like: "5 Smart is Sexy Looks: Tiffany Cruikshank's Collection Inspiration," " Peace of Mind: Q&A with Tiffany Cruikshank," "Bold & Beautiful: Kathryn Budig's Collection Inspiration," and "3 Reasons to Give: Tiffany Cruikshank on the Power of Giving"
