Daily Inspiration: Meet Ella Petty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ella Petty.

Hi Ella, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I moved to LA in January after traveling the world teaching yoga for the past two years. When my husband passed away in 2023, I decided to become certified to teach yoga, because having my yoga practice was what saved me during all the pain of his cancer diagnosis, treatment, and eventual death. My husband was the son of missionaries and a very spiritual person so when I told him I was planning to spend my life teaching yoga, he responded enthusiastically and encouraged this dream. As he was dying I promised him everything would be okay, that I would make good choices. So that is what I have tried to do.
Since landing in LA, I have volunteered my time at the West Side Food Bank weekly, helping with packing the produce boxes for distribution. I have helped organize groups to volunteer for various initiatives like the summer program for kids and the 36th annual Hunger Walk. I have raised thousands of dollars for the West Side Food Bank so far, and I am just getting started.
The yoga studio I teach at in Marina del Rey, Ceremny, has generously offered use of the studio on Sunday evenings for me to teach a donation-based, all-levels yoga class in benefit of the West Side Food Bank.
There’s nothing I believe more strongly than every human has a basic right to eat. We live in a world of abundance, where hundreds of thousands of pounds of food are thrown out; nearly 40% of our food supply in this country ends up in the trash. Yet all across the city, you see people hungry. First, feed their bellies. Then, feed their spirits.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When I moved to LA in January it was more difficult than I expected to find a space to teach. Despite several high-caliber trainings and years of experience under my belt, I struggled to find a break in this job market. I started volunteering at the food bank as a way to get out of my house and meet people. Slowly the dots started to connect as I realized how many people I was meeting at the food bank were curious about yoga, and how many people in yoga studios were curious about the food bank. It felt like a natural fit to begin inviting my fellow yogis to help volunteer, and inviting my fellow volunteers to come to yoga. That is how these donation-based classes were born. It was a way to bring all my worlds together and grow the ability to give back.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an RYT500 Yoga Teacher and my favorite style of yoga to teach is yin yoga. I am known for dharma talking and incorporating practices that help you fully embody the spectrum of your own human experience and reclaim your power. I think the most effective teachers are those who are able to teach from experience; overcoming hardships and acknowledging your own contribution to your suffering in order to recalibrate patterns and make better choices.
I think what sets me apart is that I view teaching as a spiritual practice first, spoken word poetry second, and physical workout last.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Yoga will continue to be needed as the rise of AI and Big Tech pulls us closer to our screens than ever, as a necessary foil. Humans need to breath fresh air, to touch grass as the kids say. We need eye contact and physical touch. We need to steady our minds and move our bodies. I would love to see more yoga woven into the daily routine of kids in school, adults in offices, elders in facilities. My grandfather lived to be 101 and he did a short yoga practice every single morning to which he attributed his longevity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makeshapesnotwar.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makeshapesnotwar