LOCAL Houston | The City Guide MARCH 2016 | Page 76

YOGA IS SEEING SPOTS
YOGA AND MUSIC ENDED UP BEING A PERFECT
MATCH FOR ALAN “DOOF” MCCANN, CREATOR
OF YOGA-SPOTS, A NEW YOGA ACCESSORY
MADE RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON.
By Beth Levine-McCann | Photography by Dabfoto Creative

WHY YOGA?
In 2007, after sleepless months in back pain and
traditional methods failing, I attended my first
yoga class in the UK. It was so hard I almost
threw up, but stuck it out, finally getting a good
night’s sleep. From that day on, Yoga was my
drug of choice for healing myself. My first Yoga
teacher training was with Yoga Haven in 2009.
As a live sound engineer, many artists I toured
with wanted Yoga on tour (even using parking
lots), so I began developing routines working with
the space/privacy limitations of tour buses. My
second training was in Spain with Frog Lotus;
starting daily at 4am, I still have fond memories of

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cold, tiled floors, the smell of Chai and swirling
incense. My third training was with Ana Forrest
(Forrest Yoga) and Catherine (Cat) Allen in Rhode
Island. Yoga taught me how to really understand
my body, showing me lessons learned on the mat
can translate into everyday life.
YOGA-SPOTS – WHAT ARE THEY?
In Rhode Island, I explored needing help in certain Asanas, like under the knee for
Anjaneyasana (for those who don’t speak
Sanskrit: Low Lunge). Flipping the mat edge over
for added support or wadding up towels was

disrupting (and messy) to practice flow, and as my
career kept me on the road, I wanted to design a
new accessory that was also travel-friendly.
Practicing Bhekasana (Frog Pose) one day at
home it hit me: I wanted more than just extra
cushioning support, I also wanted to glide on a
studio floor, enhancing my poses/stretches to take
them deeper. I started developing prototypes at
home, experimenting with different thicknesses
and materials, and from that Yoga-Spots was
born. Providing not just added support, but also a
portable dual-sided grip and glide circular “spot.”
It was important to my wife and me that