Laura Jane’s Latest Adventure: Walking the El Camino

This month, our beloved founder and teacher, Laura Jane Mellencamp, is embarking on a soulful journey — walking a portion of the famous El Camino de Santiago in Spain!

The El Camino, or "The Way of Saint James," is an ancient pilgrimage route traveled for over a thousand years. Pilgrims journey to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of Saint James are buried. Today, the Camino draws travelers from around the world, each walking for their own reasons — reflection, healing, gratitude, or discovery.

Laura Jane is walking one of the most beloved sections: from Sarria to Santiago. This route, covering the final 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) of the Camino, can typically be completed over 5 to 7 days. It offers a rich tapestry of quiet forests, rolling hills, historic villages, and moments of profound connection — both with oneself and with fellow pilgrims.

Along the way, Laura Jane has shared a powerful reflection from her journey:

"The journey is the entire experience. Humility when we shared the path with a service group from Córdoba who are bringing 17 disabled to experience the Camino. Many blind and some being carried as they were unable to walk. People all over the world with a shared commitment to compassion."

Her words beautifully capture the true spirit of the Camino — a path walked not just with the body, but with an open heart and soul.

We are so excited to share Laura Jane’s photos and reflections with you as she continues along this extraordinary journey, carrying the spirit of Yoga Among Friends every step of the way.

Please join us in sending her love, encouragement, and wishes for a joyful, soulful Buen Camino!

The Practice of Radical Joy: What Yoga (and Puppies) Keep Teaching Me

I welcome April as my month to choose “Radical Joy.” I heard the expression from my teacher, who reminded me that I had to make this my daily commitment. I have been riding exhaustion trying to navigate my frustrations with the world today. She is the person who has been my witness all these years of being a yoga practitioner.

I’m invited into my neighbor’s home only to see they are passionate voters for my least favorite man. Why are they so kind as to ask about my daughter and appreciate my unruly dog? Why can’t they be nasty and irritable? I find that human beings are a contrast of opposites, and my judgements only make me miserable. I practice holding the balance and realizing that every behavior and thought is learned. Habits of attachment are so hard to let go of. So I can explore the possibility of finding the good in everyone even if I disagree with their opinions on the world.

This past weekend, my niece Sara organized the most fun, outrageous unifier for all human beings—puppy chaos! The room was filled for two days with yoga students actually following Kim Eisengrath’s wonderful led Gentle Yoga with Puppies fundraiser class with the cutest mayhem of puppy energy everywhere. It was giggles and laughter with all ages enjoying an afternoon where love was the only experience. Just enjoying the sweetness of these innocent babies and “want a be dog owners.” We even had some successful adoptions! As a passionate practitioner and teacher of the tools of yoga, I forgot that being in the experience of joyous fun is more important than my rigid idea of what a yoga experience should be. I am grateful to be humbled by this delightful weekend mayhem—a shout out to Sara, Kim, and the puppy rescue crew.

We celebrate our 28th year of creating Yoga Among Friends this week. I’m reminded why I wanted to establish community and share in the gift of loving as kindred souls of living life fully. I am so grateful for all of the students and teachers who hold this vision of a shared yogic lifestyle and living fully with joy even as we witness sadness and sorrow. I am always practicing what I need to hear and feel. Renewed energy is returned as my cortisol levels lower, and I stay away from my little mind’s need to be in control. I never imagined that we would become a studio offering puppy yoga!! But no better way to embrace the radical joy. Let’s all choose better as we enjoy the month of April.

This month, we’re embracing Radical Joy in every way—through breath, movement, stillness, and community. Browse our April offerings and find the experiences that speak to you. There’s a place for you here.

If any part of this reflection spoke to your heart—whether it was the idea of Radical Joy, the practice of releasing judgment, or the playful magic of puppy chaos—I’d love to hear what it stirred in you. Feel free to leave a comment.

With love and light,

Laura Jane

Yoga as a Journey: Healing, Community, and the Soul’s Path

Many of you know the story of Yoga Among Friends, which began with the pure intention of developing a community where people could gather and share a common commitment to a practice of healing physically, emotionally, and most of all, spiritually. Yoga was and never has been purely an exercise program. I opened with the understanding that yoga is a “healing modality for the soul.” What a lofty phrase!

I watched the world embrace yoga as a glorified way to improve body image, wear wonderful yoga clothes, and enjoy being physically challenged. There is nothing wrong with meeting yoga as a fitness workout. It brought many of our students into the studio for the first time and allowed them a safe place to begin the journey inward.

Life is confusing, and yoga offers a deeper place of reflection. Yoga Among Friends is a welcoming place. In our world today, we are all struggling with the uncertainty of life. I opened the studio to embrace each person as a human being, not an object to identify skin tone, body shape, gender, or skill of yoga poses.

I struggled in my youth, always feeling like an outsider to the popular world. When yoga came into my life, I began to embrace my whole self, my greater self. I found a way to quiet my thoughts and listen to a deeper place. I felt a doorway into something greater. Today, as the world struggles with the loss of human nature to listen and trust, we are seeing more anger and fear arise, which only hurts humanity.

Yoga Among Friends is a safe haven to fall apart, breathe life into a fragile body, and begin to feel whole again. Community is the key, and everyone is welcome. There are only beginners on the journey of the soul. Healing is our mission, not perfection. Healing can be messy, yet I feel we are all ready for the light inside us all to be revealed. We welcome this time as a beginning and how exciting it is to have a place to share.

Have you experienced yoga as more than just a workout? Has it helped you find healing, connection, or self-discovery? I’d love to hear your thoughts—share in the comments below!

And if you’re looking for a space to explore yoga beyond the physical, I invite you to join us at Yoga Among Friends. Come as you are, and let’s journey together. Check out our new student special to try us and find a class that speaks to you!

Love and light,

Laura Jane