Yolanda was a loving wife, dear friend, beloved teacher and inspiration to many. She is remembered for her grace and gentle nature, and also for her abundant strength, courage, and determination. The following link will open a 12 minute video tribute to Yolanda created by her husband:
Trail of Beauty: Remembering Yolanda Bain
The first part portrays Yolanda teaching her final classes at the Mindful Body and the Yoga Studio, as well as connecting with family, friends, and nature during her final months.
The second part shows more of Yolanda relating to the beauty of nature, yoga, and family. Interspersed is a nature walk in her honor after her passing. The melody for the song "Trail of Beauty" is Yolanda's own, and her teaching voice reminds us of the the importance of our connection to breath and our heart center.
The third part is Yolanda in various asanas.
Namaste dear Yolanda.
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Yolanda's Obituary
Yolanda Bain, known by many as “Yo” was respected and loved as a dear friend, yoga teacher, and yoga teacher trainer. She brought steadfast integrity and delicate grace to the Bay Area yoga world for over 20 years. Her cancer was deemed incurable from the onset, so she designed her own course for treating the symptoms and living her life to the fullest capacity, setting modest goals of travel and connection to loved ones during her remaining time. Yolanda was a model of strength, determination, and compassion. She inspired those qualities in others with her beautiful smile, deep wisdom, and inner calmness. She had a gift of bringing the deeper essence of Yoga in her classes. As one student would point out, Yolanda would “stretch your spirit as well as your body”.
Early on she studied and practiced Massage Therapy and worked as an apprentice for renowned Chinese Medicine practitioner Dr. Angela Wu. She later earned degrees in Acu-Yoga and Yoga Therapy, and became certified through the Yoga Teacher Alliance, passing that certification on to future yoga instructors with a 200 hour course that she developed and instructed. Yolanda held retreats and workshops in NY, Hawaii, and throughout California, teaching yoga and integrating mindfulness-based Buddhist principles. Whether teaching large groups or individuals, beginners or advanced, her students were skillfully guided through practices that open the heart, clear the mind and allow the art and science of yoga to become an accessible basis for everyday living.
Yo taught public classes in various studios, but primarily at The Mindful Body in San Francisco, where she became Yoga Manager during the earlier years, and The Yoga Studio in Mill Valley. Both studios offered much support for Yolanda during the course of her illness, hosting benefits and keeping her condition ever present in their hearts. Yolanda’s private students also offered their loyal support, and the owners and staff at her favorite restaurant, the Clement Street Bar and Grill, hosted a major benefit on her behalf, catered by her favorite lunch spot, Angelina’s Deli. Yolanda made friends easily and would greet strangers on the street with a smile. She was a friend to the animal world as well, responsibly caring for feral cats in her neighborhood with an unwavering commitment.
Born in Santa Fe and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Yolanda moved to San Francisco when she was 25 to further her love for yoga, dance, and her desire to be near the ocean. While practicing a headstand on Ocean Beach twenty years ago this fall, she met musician/composer Matt Venuti, who was drawn to the inverted figure near the foggy dunes. When she came to the ground and looked up, he was standing in front of her with a smile on his face, and they stood together as a couple for the remainder of her life. They were married and lived in the Inner Richmond District, close to her beloved Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach. The news of her cancer came on December 14th 2007, and 9 months later nearly to the day, on September 11th 2008, Yolanda drew her final breath, birthed into Spirit with Matt by her side. Time slowed down during those 9 months while the couple passionately celebrated their love for nature, their community, and for each other. Yolanda’s final weeks consisted of traveling to the Finger Lakes Region of NY State to visit her Venuti family, and finally returning to Albuquerque to be with her Bain family. Her spirit left her body there, near her majestic Sandia Mountains; her mind was lucid and her mission complete.
Although she taught her final classes soon after her diagnosis, Yo continued to inspire many by sharing wisdom and insights about her condition through a blog that she kept, which is still accessible through the following link: yogayolanda.blogspot.com. She is survived by her husband Matt, her 4 sisters; Claire Bain of San Francisco, Phyllis Benia Salazar, Madelyn McCabe, and Anna Bain, all of Albuquerque, and relatives throughout the New Mexico area. She touched the hearts of her family, friends, and students from East to West, but it is here in the Bay Area where the most people will feel the void. Her Spirit will live on and inspire others to live fully and walk gently.
A memorial celebration will be held in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, November 1st, at 2:00 p.m. The location will be in a grassy knoll where Yo enjoyed her personal yoga practice; behind the statue of James Garfield on the grounds of the Conservatory of Flowers, off of JFK Blvd. Correspondence can be made to Yolanda’s husband Matt at the following e-mail: matt@venusians.com or the following address: 614 Fourth Ave. San Francisco, CA 94118.
