Hala Khouri photographed by Sarit Rogers

Every time Hala Khouri leads her online or in-person trauma-informed trainings designed to inform and empower yoga teachers and clinicians to recognize the various ways in which trauma appear in the body, she assures her students, “The wound is the gift. And the gift is the wound.” The more time I spend practicing and training with Hala, the more meaning I uncover in this phrase, so much so that I’ve begun hearing myself say it to my own students. This phrase is the answer to our panicked SOS about emotional and physical pain, letting us know that the wounds that cause our suffering are the very things that can provide us with profound gifts we are able to share with others. For example, the “gift” of hyper-vigilance can also be a hyper-awareness of the suffering of others, an ability to attune and be empathetic. The path to this process involves looking inward, dancing with the shadow, and softening the edges so our wounds can begin to heal.

As a teacher, Hala skillfully creates a safe container for people to begin this process of healing. The phrases she uses can shift a practice. They include, “Bring a little tone to the low belly and let your lower back know, ‘Hey, I got you!’” or in savasana, “Bring your awareness to the parts of your body touching the ground, notice what’s got your back.” Hala provides her students with invitations to investigate a shape, or choose the version of a pose that is available to them. This method of teaching is liberating. Suddenly, students are given the sense of “I can” instead of “I’m not as good as…”

I first met Hala Khouri in 2013 when I was a student in the Awakened Heart, Embodied Mind teacher training she leads annually with Julian Walker and Jay Fields. Even before we met in person, I was inspired by the way she dedicates her voice for social justice along with her passion for facilitating positive change by educating others through workshops, teacher trainings, and public classes.

Photo of Hala Khouri by Sarit Rogers

The roots of her passion for this work are seen in her own journey. As she says, “We begin by admitting that we do this work because we want to heal ourselves.” Hala was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where her father was a physician in a local hospital. Every day he was picked up by tanks and driven up a hill visible from Hala’s home. The family would watch, wondering if the next explosion would be his tank. Yet Hala felt protected by her family and her mother’s clever storytelling that shielded her from some of the terrors of war. The family got out of Beirut in 1976, shortly after the war broke out—Hala was three years old at the time. Although Hala says that the effects of living in a war zone has shaped her, she doesn’t feel she has sustained trauma from the experience because of how protected she was.

Hala’s family was able to obtain their paperwork and leave Beirut and her father soon landed a job in the US, a fact Hala recognizes was indicative of their economic, class, and educational privilege. Her awareness of social injustice, inequity, and inequality are integral to her work. Everything she does, be it direct activism or through her entertainment, is informed by this consciousness of injustice in the world.

In her late twenties, as Hala was finishing her Master’s degree in counseling psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, she was working with a therapist who was a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner (SEP). During her post-graduate traineeship, she realized the importance of including the body in therapy, and this led her to train with the Somatic Experiencing™ Trauma Institute (SETI), founded by Peter Levine. Hala has been a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner for 15 years; SE® provides her with the distinctive trauma training and tools she needs to train others. In addition to what she does through teacher training and her public classes, her work with people with PTSD and underserved youth gives her an ability to see and address the various ways in which trauma shows up in the body. Hala’s present-time awareness of her state of mind and body, as well as her ability to track her own physiology, allows her to be grounded and present. I think of her as a trauma ninja with the puzzle-solving skills of Sherlock Holmes.

Hala Khouri photographed by Sarit Rogers

When Hala trains people to work in the realms of releasing trauma and promoting justice, she also encourages people to play. She reminds us that it doesn’t serve anyone if we stay in the red (stress zone) if we don’t have to, because there are enough people who don’t have the privilege to take a break from trauma or stress. In order to do this work sustainably, we have to nourish ourselves. Hala notes that all of her mentors have creative hobbies. Her go-to is to dance! She loves sharing this playfulness with others; even in her drop-in classes, there is often a random dance party.

Hala Khouri recognizes that doing yoga doesn’t mean you’re in a constant state of bliss. She sees how it can be used to bypass pain and discomfort under the guise of being spiritual. Hala shares that she used to to do this a lot using magical thinking to visualize her problems away. When she sees others doing this, she has compassion. Eventually she realized, “There is suffering in life. Yoga and meditation can help us cope with suffering, but we can’t avoid it. When we avoid suffering we also avoid the joy that comes from being present in life.” Though it was a tough awakening, it came with a sense of relief coupled with the recognition that all the ways she was avoiding suffering were the things that were ultimately imprisoning her. The bridge Hala creates is in an invitation for her students to be curious about their sensations and emotions, to notice what’s arising and passing and to meet it with awareness and presence.

Like many of us, Hala found yoga because it was good exercise and it made her feel better physically. She taught her first yoga class in 1999 as a sub for her teacher in New York after 10 years as a fitness instructor. Teaching yoga felt “… like being home…” so she subsequently pursued formal yoga teacher training. Hala learned a great deal from her mentors, and when they started practicing yoga, she also shifted away from aggressive exercise practices to more mindful ones like yoga.

Hala Khouri Photographed by Sarit Rogers

Hala says, “Yoga is a tool for self-regulation.” This is connected to the work to release trauma that she and I are both learning. She also says, “Yoga teaches us to tolerate discomfort. It teaches us to get curious and not run away from our experiences. If I can inspire people to understand that, then I feel like I’ve done my work in the world because I know that running away is often what causes suffering, even more than the things we’re running away from.”

One of the ways Hala is committed to her work in the world is through the nonprofit organization Off the Mat, Into the World, which she co-founded with Seane Corn and Suzanne Sterling 10 years ago. They are in a process of constant collaboration, practicing both within the organization as co-facilitators and in their work with activists in training as well as communities they serve. When I took an Off the Mat Intensive, I was struck by how involved the three of them are as they continually explore and investigate their relationships with themselves. I can relate to their commitment to doing the work of releasing trauma and promoting social justice with intention and without the sound and fury. The goal is the same, no matter what “side” we are on – to be liberated from suffering.

When thinking about Hala, I am reminded of something I recently heard Rabbi Moshe Bryski say, “Unity doesn’t mean we become one, it means that each of us in our uniqueness come together to create peace.” Hala’s work is connected to compassion and justice for all, yet without the need for everyone to be the same; the inclusion of all bodies, races, abilities, ethnicities, sexual identities and genders in her work speaks to her dedication. We are unique and autonomous, but our goals are similar. We desire to suffer less, to be seen and heard and cared for, to have access to resources, to thrive, and to be supported and loved. Walking into a class that Hala is teaching is like coming home to a place where everyone shows up just as they are: it’s welcoming, it’s accepting, and it’s accessible for every body.

Hala Khouri can be found at Santa Monica Yoga on Mondays (all levels) and Fridays (Yoga for All Bodies) at Santa Monica Yoga. Hala’s website is: halakhouri.com

Sarit Rogers

Sarit Rogers is a photographer, yoga teacher, writer, founder of the LoveMore Movement, who is training to be a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner.

http://www.saritphotography.com

The post Hala Khouri: Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher offers Permission to Play and Be Present appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Nicole Sciacca Wearing Uintah Collection by Jeff Skeirik

The arc of a life is not a perpetual upward trajectory. As director Baz Luhrmann said, “The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindside you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday.” Listening to Nicole Sciacca, Chief Yoga Officer of Playlist Yoga, unfurl her tale from the professional dance world to injury, divorce, and starting over, I witnessed a woman honestly narrate what it means to be human. Her story is one of struggle, gumption, and the grit propelling her to get back up again. Her wisdom sees the troubles that blindside us can teach us, and Nicole is living testament to lessons well earned.

In 2003, at the age of 24, Nicole was in living in Los Angeles immersed in a thriving professional dance career. During an 11pm rehearsal, she herniated three discs in her back, putting her on a month-long bedrest. “I couldn’t walk. I didn’t have family here. I was alone in an apartment in Santa Monica trying to crawl from my bedroom to the kitchen.” For a professional artist who requires a strong, healthy body for both passion and paycheck, an injury can upend identity and unsettle mental and emotional stability.

Around this time is when she found yoga. Nicole says that her first yoga class was simply a sweat and a workout while she was looking for a way to move again after the injury. It was a two hour level 2/3 music flow class at Harmony Yoga in Redondo Beach with Chappell (Chappy) Foote. Nicole says, “I had no clue what I was doing and I left with completely pruned fingers. I loved it because it felt familiar in a way that reminded me of dancing but foreign because I really had no understanding of the language, postures, or breath. One of my dancer girlfriends liked to go ‘for the workout and challenge’ and I figured if I can dance through bloody feet and missing toenails, how hard can yoga be?” She found out.

Eventually, Nicole’s back injury healed and she returned to her life and livelihood dancing in feature films, commercials, TV shows, and on stage in live performances. Some of her noteworthy credits include Glee, How I Met your Mother, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Rent, The Haunted Mansion, Walk Hard, Get Him to the Greek, and campaigns with the likes of Nike, Harley Davidson, Pepsi, and Nationwide Insurance with MC Hammer. Over time, her professional dance career intersected with fitness and yoga instruction. (Nicole still dances professionally, including a recent appearance on the Netflix show Disjointed). She got married and had a child (Beau) and then got divorced. She opened and then closed a business (Hustle & Flow Fitness on Abbot Kinney). She suffered injury again. “I was doing deadlifts and I did basically the same thing as before. I was on bedrest again for over a week. I don’t know where I went mentally but it was unhealthy.” Nicole relived some of the same fears, sense of isolation, and disappointment that she experienced in 2003, yet this time, her circumstances were different. “I am a single mom with a four-year-old. I can’t lie in bed for a week and cry to myself and watch Netflix. That wasn’t an option.” Years of making her practice a priority helped her see what is temporary and to walk toward the light at the end of the tunnel.

Nicole Sciacca Wearing Uintah Collection. Photo by Jeff Skeirik

Throughout her challenges, Nicole asks herself, “What’s the lesson?” Her practice has taught her to sit in the unknown with curiosity rather than fear and she has discovered meaning in a quote she found that says, “Every obstacle introduces a person to themselves.” Nicole says, “As a dancer I spent a lot of time avoiding obstacles, trying to be perfect and being a people pleaser. You don’t learn without obstacles. You don’t learn without failure. My adult life has been a testament to that because I’ve failed at a lot of things but I’ve learned and made better choices the second go-around. I spent my young adult life trying not to fail, and then it was series of failure after failure.” According to Nicole, this particular tunnel led her to gratitude.

In reference to the first yoga class she took after her most recent injury, Nicole remarked, “I was in such a place of gratitude for coming around the injury. My sense of gratitude for my body and for the practice is overwhelming. I’m just thrilled to be here, to do a forward fold.” Injuries and failures stalling her forward momentum have become her most patient teachers. She’s been willing to look directly at the road closures and has rerouted destinations as a route to personal development, bolstered by the depth and wisdom honed through humility and practice.

Nicole Sciacca wearing Uintah Collection. Photo by Jeff Skeirik

Nicole’s formal yoga training emphasized discipline; she studied with luminaries such as James Brown, Alexandra Crow, Maria Villella, and Maty Ezraty. “James was my first yoga teacher; I completed his Yoga Poser teacher training at Equinox. In one two-hour practice, we only did down dog and child’s pose. All of our arms were shaking. He laid the foundation for me for hard work and authentic understanding of the practice. I fell in love with it and attribute that to his diligence. I understood the responsibility of what this was.”

As Chief Yoga Officer at Playlist, Nicole appreciates her teacher James’ words, “We have a responsibility to take care of the people that walk into our room and inform them, to give them space.” She’s doing this in the context of group vinyasa classes in a studio with concert-style sound systems blaring Tupac and Beyonce. “Music is so powerful. I’ve gone back and forth on what I like best [music and silence] and at this point I appreciate the value in both options. Breath becomes a soundtrack all its own and really helps settle and streamline the busy mind, however, I probably wouldn’t have been drawn to yoga without the ‘gateway’ of a music-based flow. As a dancer, that made sense to me. Now I specifically curate my playlists to create an arc, a musical ride that accompanies the movement.”

Playlist is “A doorway for folks who may have never stepped onto a yoga mat.” Nicole says, “There is value in what we are doing, and people are changed for the better. I try to be as responsible with their bodies and the yoga as I can be.”

Nicole Sciacca wearing Uintah Collection. Photographed at Playlist Yoga by Jeff Skeirik. Hair and Makeup by JJ Jeffries.

For a woman who says her personal hashtag is “surrender in progress,” Nicole Sciacca embodies bravery, honesty, and compassion. She sees the lessons in all things and finds gratitude in the simplicity of moments like a soft savasana. “I feel so grateful to be able to make choices with a clearer vision and a more honest heart. I think all the things that got me to Playlist and that help me navigate being a single mom were all lessons that I needed. I’m a stubborn girl. Sometimes, it takes many, many times for me to hear the truth.”

Nicole’s arc might not look like perpetual upward trajectory but a life honestly narrated and boldly told seldom does. Her honesty is testimony to a practitioner living and breathing the journey. The light at the end of the tunnel is not the end of Nicole’s journey. She is in progress, under construction, and in transit, and for Nicole, her moment has just begun.

Nicole Sciacca can be found at: nicolesciaccayoga.com
She teaches at Playlist Yoga in West Hollywood: playlistyoga.com

Photos by Jeff Skeirik/Rawtographer: rawtographer.com
Hair and makeup by JJ Jeffries
All clothing by Uintah Collection: uintahcollection.com

Marja Lankinen

Marja Lankinen, former professional dancer turned yoga therapist, is the founder and CEO of Yoga for Dancers. She teaches yoga, meditation, and injury prevention for professional dancers in Los Angeles and around the globe: marjayoga.com.
Instagram: @marjayoga and @yogafordancers

http://www.marjayoga.com

The post Teacher profile Nicole Sciacca — Perseverance and Play appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

I applaud all of these teachers.  You know the more people we can enlighten and help find a more peaceful way to walk on the earth.  I say power to you.  There’s just something really gorgeous to all this.

Halle (Homegirl) Becker does not pull punches.  She wants the truth to “lead the way”, and has absolutely no qualms about passionately spreading that dharma.  She’s 54, lives “loudly and proudly” neither denying the process of aging nor necessarily embracing it but rather extracting its very essence and bringing that ripening forward into the light.  A bright light she has emitted for nearly twenty years holding court as one of New York City’s most beloved yoga and spin instructors.  Known for her Sweat and Surrender signature classes, don’t expect to sit quietly for her sermons.  Halle Becker teaches in layers – seamless layers of music, grit, kicks and perhaps most thundering…  heart. Never, ever scripted, either on mat or bike.  The only thing you can expect in a Halle class is to be swept up on a fantastic voyage over which the mind has only a remote chance of getting in the way.  When it’s all said and done, you are left stretched. Stretched in ways that you never saw coming.  A common refrain from her band of followers, “I don’t do spinning.  I do Halle.”

So just what is it about this gal?  A sort of grounding agent is she.  A little bit Maria (Von Trapp).  A little bit Keith (Richards).  Then toss in a hint of Patti (Smith).  In the Pali Canon, Adhitthana (one of the ten perfections) is loosely defined as determination or resolution.  Author and Co-founding Teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center James Baraz translates the term as “an unwavering persistence”, or “summoning our courage to meet anything”.  It’s a concept at the root of every overture Halle Becker serves up.  Be it on a yoga mat, spin bike or on retreat, nothing less than completely showing up will suffice.  Her demand comes not from a place of grandstanding or any desired guru status, but rather it bleeds from the tracks of her own personal sweat (and tears).  “She’s just an amazing woman filled with so much love.  She just has this instinct to kind of know and then she zooms in on it.  I am just amazed at how much better my emotional state feels after her classes. I just think of her as this motherland of love.” This from Debbie a longtime spin and yoga student.

Becker senses that along with her parents humor genes, she arrived on this planet armed with an innate sensibility for calling the shots.  Born in Cleveland in 1962 the daughter of an actress/costume designer and a high-powered attorney, Halle is pretty certain that her first words (at about two weeks) were, “This place is not hip enough, we need to move.”  Move she did to the storybook suburb of Wellesley, Massachusetts where she and her younger sister Barrie enjoyed all of the trappings of the bucolic suburb just west of Boston.  With a roof over her head, fine clothes and a pony outwardly she appeared to want for nothing.  Despite the privileged childhood, she confesses to always feeling as though something was missing.  Consumed by their careers, Halle is very candid about the parental detachment she experienced while sharing a roof with her mother and father.  She also refers to her parents’ animated personas as possessing the air of the sad/happy clown.  A Leave it to Beaver type home Becker’s was not.

With her parents divorcing in her pre-teen years she found herself grappling with mounting feelings of inadequacy…  Are You There God?  It’s me Margaret, by Judy Blume serving as an early Halle bible.  Her big personality and natural gift as a storyteller enabled her to mask these inner doubts and kept her sallying forth in her signature pluck.  She jokes that public speaking may have been in fact the only subject to which she excelled in high school.  That verve propelled her onwards through what she refers to as a “really long run including drug addiction”, “feelings of not being in the right body”, and eventually “a marriage in shambles”.  Her only real solace during these years came through her deep spiritual connection to animals (horses in particular).  She attributes the sudden (fatal) heart attack of her father (in her sophomore year at American University in Washington DC) as the curve which sent her swiftly tumbling along an arduous slope – a battle with which she would wrestle into her late thirties and early forties.  Throughout this extended period of numbing out she continued to fall back on her winning personality seeking out the comfort zone of what she refers to as “the big stage”.  This secret weapon fueled her as she somehow managed a successful stint in the corporate world as the CEO of Halle’s Comet a production company she founded which staged large scale events for the corporate world.  Riding high in a huge industry with clients such as Oprah Winfrey, Becker found herself featured in the Washington Business Journal and indulging in the many spoils of success yet still plagued with that looming shadow side.  Luckily for her during this chapter the practice of yoga was quietly rearing its head.

In a roundabout fashion, Halle’s passion for yoga was sparked by discovering Jane Fonda’s Workout video and book late in high school.  While she had always been physically active, something in the sequencing and teachings of these media pieces found her curiosities heightened.  With little rehearsal the early 1980s found Becker sporting leg warmers and teaching aerobics out of the back of a hair salon on Newbury Street in Boston with nothing more than these materials as her guide.  She swiftly parlayed that gig into a stint during her college years spreading the gospel of aerobics at a DC area fitness center.  All the while she could not even touch her toes.  A fellow yoga instructor at the fitness center, Jane Fryer, happened to notice, and began gently pitching her on the eight-limbed practice’s many merits.  Halle would have none of it.  “I hated it.  It was so boring.  Fast forward a couple of years and I’m in New York City where I take my very athletic yoga class at Equinox with no rigid rules and cool music taught by Michael Leconsczak.  I was like WOW!”  From there she never looked back eventually completing her 200 RYT training with Sondra Loring (of Sadhana Yoga in New York’s Hudson Valley) and leaving the corporate world to teach yoga full time.

Along with life in New York City came the truth.  The truth Becker finally needed to tackle.  Adopting a baby and on the verge of parenthood at 42, that ray of new life forced her to confront her demons and do the work to combat her addictions for good.  In doing so, she said farewell to an unhealthy marriage – a decision she and her ex-husband made together for the sake of the “beautiful being” (a daughter Maya) who had come into their lives.  With great conviction she credits yoga for the clarity it brought to her and the subsequent transformation to get clean once and for all.  “I had to find that quiet mind in order to get it done.  I had to dig deep, battle some serious shit.  Just take it on.  Yoga helped me with this and gave me the confidence to start to tell my story through teaching.  Let me be clear that I am extremely lucky to be here today, because the way I was going with my lifestyle, it was anybody’s guess whether or not I was going to make it.”  And with ongoing resolve, make it she has.

With her own battle scars ever present she arrived as an instructor on the New York yoga scene with a burst, boldly charging her students with “showing up” and trying to find the highest versions of themselves.  Speaking a language all her own and spouting pet names like “unicorn” and “sis” from her perch, folks quickly began responding to her no nonsense neighborhood banter.  From the get go her approach has always been to simply deliver to students a dose of humor, some rock and roll and that sacred space in which everyone moves on a level playing field. For Halle, It was never about being someone’s guru.  “Think of my classes as the Cheers Bar of yoga.  I want to welcome people to come in and find their seat.  Yoga will always have something to teach us.”

Despite no formal religious background, there is an undeniable preacher coursing through her veins.  She credits the likes of MC Yogi, Shiva Rhea, Raghunath and her longtime teacher Sondra Loring for keeping he inspired.  It’s a brand undeniably all her own and one that continues to engage the willing.  Beyond her longstanding tribes at New York City’s Earth Yoga and Pure Yoga East and her very own Home Girl studio, recent years have found Becker headlining at events like Wanderlust in Stratton, Vermont and also presenting at the 2013 Lulu Lemon World Conference in Vancouver.  The larger scale the setting, the better for her to connect in widening circles and share her own personal story.

It’s that Halle vibe that prompted Soul Cycle founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler to come calling in 2013 and take a chance on a female yoga instructor in her 50s.  Rallying the troops at that 83rd street location with its particular clientele is no small challenge to be tasked with, and she bears tremendous respect for the owners’ gamble in passing her the baton.  Even though she claims it took her six months to figure out how to clip into her pedals, this latest gig has for Becker proven to be a perfect extension of her yoga teaching.  In the saddle with the house lights dimmed and the music loud she again assumes the mantle of storyteller.  Those versed in both yoga and spinning can attest to the shared subtractive qualities.  On the bike, on the mat…  you are tasked with removing your “self” and diving deep inward to the present.  Adhitthana.  In salute of that inner work and as with her yoga teachings, Becker builds her message from her all important playlists.  A great deal of intention goes into crafting soundtracks which both sonically and lyrically reflect her expected audience – clans for which she she is eternally rocking gratitude.

I could write a chapter book of Halle escapades and antics, but your really must experience her in person to get the big picture.  When I signed on to meet Ms. Becker for my inaugural Soul Cycle class I relinquished all expectations and resigned myself to simply dive in to the mystery.  Well in advance of her arrival, the bikes have all been spoken for and street shoes have been swapped out for the ones that clip.  Devices are being stowed and other necessary adjustments made before the doors to studio B swing open.  And then Halle marches in with abandon and at once all is rendered electric.  Vivid and vibrant and sporting a hint of swagger.  The seas part as she begins her lobby greetings.  “Who is setting me up this morning?” she wants to know.  To that proposition a team of bright eyed crew members fall in swift synch and a Macbook is produced – a conduit for the almighty play list which will dictate the current.  Lights are dimmed just so and off to see the wizard we pedal… “Inhale, let’s.  Exhale, GO!”  Blasting off on a 45 minute odyssey – that signature mashup of drive, dharma, team and of course sweat.

From her in your face opening straight on through to the big exhale finish, among the rush and the push there’s an undeniable comfort of being held.  Over Simon and Garfunkel’s Cecilia, to PitBull, then Guns and Roses Sweet Child of Mine downshifting to Bruce Springsteen’s My Hometown (yes, My Hometown), we have collectively in under an hour broken on through to some other side.  Everyone pedaling, well-versed in some foreign vocabulary, launching themselves on the wave that is Halle.  Strangers for an instant all one, digging deep for some greater good.  As the climb progresses, Halle speaks of setting the tone for the rest of one’s week.  She speaks of the class, the 45 minute “rocket to the wilderness”, as representing opportunity – an exceptional opportunity to “show up”.  Our Monday, perhaps our week, has been forever altered with Halle’s imprint.  A continuous stretch of “ah-ha” teachings.  The gospel according to Halle.  As the class wraps I’m curious to see how quickly she’s engulfed in a swarm of pumped up disciples soaked and jockeying about for just another spot of “Halle” time…  She leaves me with one for the road trumpeting over the fray…  “Susan, hey we were always friends, we just hadn’t met yet.”

My retreat is not about acrobatics.  And I’m not going to shove spirituality down your throat.  But you are going to leave a different person.  We’re going to sweat, lie in clay, play some volleyball, maybe have a glass of wine if that’s your thing.

One of her favorite places to meet new friends these days is in beautiful Tulum Mexico where each February she leads a band of pilgrims in her annual Soar and Restore retreat at the famed Amansala resort.  It’s a retreat she has been leading for years with Loren Bassett and this season Dana Slamp and an experience of which she is particularly proud. Here among the Riviera Maya she and her teaching crew turn strangers into friends.  “My retreat is not about acrobatics.  And I’m not going to shove spirituality down your throat.  But you are going to leave a different person.  We’re going to sweat, lie in clay, play some volleyball, maybe have a glass of wine if that’s your thing.  It’s for people who want to step out and step back in (to their lives) a little differently.”  2017 marked the retreat’s sixth year – all of which have sold out.

And, from where does the “Homegirl” handle originate?  Again, it all comes back to telling stories.  In 2008 she created the brand as a moniker for the weekly drop-in yoga classes she teaches out of her home on the upper east side.  On any given Tuesday or Thursday morning her kitchen is pulsing with a blend of “super high rollers”, upper east side moms fresh from dropping their kids at school and a handful of students from Hunter College.  Before any mats have been unrolled, there is venting, sipping of fruit infused water, yakking about menopause and more.  Nothing is off limits.  And, that’s precisely why she built Homegirl, a kula of sorts.  In opening up her home she wanted to again create that colloquial experience around a common passion…  yoga.  Sacred space where things are kept real and stories can be swapped, safely.  Now in its eighth year, she remains very intentional in setting the tone for Homegirl.  Despite the swanky zip code, as common in all of her classes, status is of little interest.

As she saunters leisurely through her fifth decade it’s her thirteen year old daughter Maya, who she refers to as “a magical unicorn”, to whom she gives top billing.  Together they share a love of dogs and horses, and by her daughter’s side she is tutored daily in patience, kindness and whimsy.  As Becker says, “She shows me everything about myself that I need to work on.”  She is filled with gratitude for this second chance she has been given, and she and her ex-husband (with whom she is peacefully raising her daughter) make certain to tailor their professional commitments around her evolving needs.  The 50s in many ways find Halle “returning” as she likes to say.  Returning to the sorted life experiences which have ripened her and also tapping into a building level of confidence that she earned in the school of hard knocks.  In the truth that is her legend she now finds an overflowing natural resource.  And to her contemporaries still at it sharing their good words on the mat she sports nothing but respect.  “We may not be able to still do the advanced poses that the younger ‘kids’ can do, but we’ve got the stories and the truth and the years and the wise tales we’re willing so share.”  But in true Halle fashion, she continues to cheer for everyone. “I applaud all of these teachers.  You know the more people we can enlighten and help find a more peaceful way to walk on the earth.  I say power to you.  There’s just something really gorgeous to all this.”  She leaves me with a favorite line from Ram Dass which rather perfectly embodies (Homegirl) Halle, “Sis.  We’re all just walking each other home…”

Don’t miss Halle at (MIND, BODY) & SOUL CAMP this September in Stowe, VT.  A weekend exhale, with benefits.

Halle Becker: http://www.homegirlyoga.com

Spirit Rock Meditation Center: http://www.spiritrock.org

Jane Fryer: http://www.janefryer.com

Sadhana Center for Yoga and Meditation: http://sadhanayogahudson.com

Soul Cycle: https://www.soul-cycle.com

Wanderlust: http://wanderlust.com

Earth Yoga: http://earthyoganyc.com

Pure Yoga: http://pureyoga.com

Michael Leconsczak: http://www.intelligentyoga.com

Amansala: https://www.amansala.com

Loren Bassett: http://lorenbassett.com

Dana Slamp: http://danaslamp.com

Susan Currie

Susan Currie is a Boston-based photographer, writer, and yoga instructor and Managing Editor at Boston Yoga Magazine. Her new collection of poetic verse and images, Once Divided (Shanti Arts), is now available in wide release.

http://www.susancurriecreative.com

The post Living Loudly and Proudly – Rocking Gratefulness with NYC’s Wise Woman of Fitness Halle Becker appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Thea Pueschel by David Young-Wolff

We had the chance to connect with Yoga Teacher and Hypnotherapist Thea Pueschel about her practice. After shooting some photos at the Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz, we learned something about what keeps her inspired and on the mat.

What inspired you to take your first yoga class?

Confession: The first time I took a class, I did so out of curiosity and hated it (LOL). However, a few years later my health took a nose dive, and I needed something. Yoga was that something and it aided me on my healing journey. I was at a point where I could barely get out of bed just to get to work, and making it through my day was a struggle. During yoga class, the relief seemed almost immediate, and it gave me with great tools to cope. The first class that I took after I became ill is what lit my inner fire and inspired me to take yoga teacher training.

What motivated you to start teaching yoga?

When I took teacher training, I did it on the down-low. People kept telling me that if someone like me taught, they would go to those classes because they would feel like yoga is accessible and possible for even an average American body. The funny thing was that those people didn’t know I was actually taking teacher training at the time. I started teaching because there was a need for more diversity in body types and shapes as well as safe spaces to practice. People want to see people who are like them practicing.

What keeps you inspired to teach now?

My passion for learning keeps me inspired. The fact that there is always something new to learn about functional anatomy and how different bodies move inspires me.

Seeing the passion in other people’s eyes light up—for yoga or for life—also keeps the fire of my own inspiration lit.

Photo of Thea Pueschel at the Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz by David Young-Wolff

Where do you go in Southern California when you need to recharge?

First and foremost: My backyard; it’s sacred and it is my own private Zen garden. The second place I reboot my prana is the Hsai Li Temple (in Hacienda Heights). Just sitting in the temple quiets my soul.

Is there a soundtrack you turn to for your own practice?

I prefer to flow to the sound of my breath, but if I am going to flow to music, my current go-to is music by Radiohead.

Do you have a go-to daily practice?

I teach a lot, so my personal asana practice varies according to what I am teaching. If I am teaching a lot of Vinyasa, then I am personally practicing more Yin. If I am teaching more Yin and Restorative, then I practice more Vinyasa. I find a balance keeps me on point and more engaged and inspired as a teacher.

What are some of the things that keep you practicing?

Practice helps diminish the discomfort and pain from chronic conditions that I have. It also makes me a better person in general. I am more pleasant to interact with and be around; it chills me out. I’m hyper, so I need that balance. Also, the more in my body and connected that I am, the more I can help my students understand their own bodies.

How do you build community as a teacher?

My classes are like old friends getting together. We are a community, even if it’s just for one hour, even if it is just once in this lifetime. I know my students because they know me: we are living breathing beings connected through our flawed human existence and our yoga practice. I also address all my students by name. I say their name at least once—if not more—before class starts, or during class or as they leave. This spirit of familiarity creates a greater sense of community and a sense that everyone belongs and we all know each other.

What three books are on your nightstand now and why?

None, I don’t read in my bedroom because I sleep in there. However, that wasn’t the question!  I do read books elsewhere in my house, and I am currently partaking of two: Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice and Roots of Yoga because the nerdiness is strong with this one.

What are a few movies that have been meaningful for you?

Cinema Paradiso because the light turning on in the little boy’s eyes when the theater opens is pure magic. I welcome that type of magic into my life. The mystery, the wonder, the gratitude.

Recently: Wonder Woman. It was uplifting to see a woman in an action role without being objectified by the male gaze. Gal Gadot is a beautiful woman, and the character is supposed to have unearthly beauty, but the story isn’t about that. It isn’t sexy; it’s  a classic hero’s journey. It is about a woman with a purpose.

For more information about Thea Pueschel, visit her website at: www.theapueschel.com

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Thea Pueschel appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Leigh Simran Brown by David Young-Wolff. Clothing by Yashel Athletic

 
Yoga Teacher Leigh Simran Brown teaches at Yoga at The Raven and is a licensed spiritual therapist at Agape International Spiritual Center . She is also the Executive Director of Office of Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith.

What inspired you to take your first yoga class?

In high school, I had a calling to practice yoga so I searched high and low for a yoga studio in DC in the 1980s. Literally the only yoga studio I found was a Kundalini Yoga ashram. I took classes (priced at a $4 donation) for an independent study in P.E.  I landed at home in my own heart!

Who do you see as your mentors?

I am grateful to have had so many wonderful mentors; primarily Michael Bernard Beckwith, Tony Guiliano, Noah Maze, Ravi Singh, and Gurmukh.

What keeps you coming back to your mat?

The joy and freedom of living in greater and greater inner alignment for a more radiant outward expression of me and of my unique gifts and talents.

Where do you go in Southern California when you need to restore and recharge?

Joshua Tree and the high desert as well as to the Lucerne Valley to meditation retreats led by Michael Beckwith.

What’s been a favorite recent getaway you’ve taken?

Rythmia Life Advancement Center in magnificent Costa Rica. Raw, pure beauty, alignment in nature, great teachings, healthy clean, organic, food, Dead Sea cleanse, yoga, and bike rides to the beach for a swim. Heaven!

How do you start your day?

I start my day with hydration and a flush. I drink 4-6 glasses of water and take empty stomach supplements. Maybe a tea and sit in meditation. Then I have a smoothie or hot cacao drink.

What is an example of your power breakfast?

One is a Smoothie:
Almond milk with a large splash or two of coconut water
Pure Synergy (the original superfood) green powder
Dandelion greens
Blueberries
1-2 Dates
1 heaping Tablespoons maca
Sun Warrior pea protein or Gematria protein powder
Avocado
Apple

Another is a Cacao Drink:

1/2 almond/cashew/or macadamia nut milk
1/2 rooibos tea
maca
vanilla
cinnamon
pinch sea salt
dates or honey

Photo of Leigh Simran Brown by David Young-Wolff

Do you have a go-to daily practice?

Yes, I always start the day with a 31 minute meditation and prayer time. Depending on the time in the morning, I practice yoga based on what my body needs on a particular day. I teach yoga onTuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.  I take classes the other days except on Sunday when I’m at Agape Spiritual Center.

What are some of the books you find inspirational?

Spiritual Liberation by Michael Beckwith
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda
The Kin of Ata Are Waiting For You by Dorothy Bryant

Are there some movies you have seen that have shifted your thinking?

Some movies which resonate with my thinking include The Matrix, Collateral Beauty, and Food, Inc.

Do you have a personal soundtrack of practice or house cleaning songs?

YES!!

Journey Into Satchitananda – Alice Coltrane
Yuapunga – East Forest
Morning Yearning – Ben Harper
That’s The Way of The World – Earth Wind & Fire
Kiss of Life – Sade
Visions – Stevie Wonder
Rise Up – Andra Day
What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away – Stevie Wonder
Lifetime – Maxwell
Truth – Kumasi Washington
Infinite Mind – Sheila Nichols
Way Back Home – Prince
One Day in Heaven – Michael Beckwith
Summer – Lupe Fiasco
Enter One – Sol Seppy

Leigh is wearing YW bra and active shorts by clothing by Yashel Athletic Wear. Photo at the Lotus Garden at Echo Park Lake by David Young-Wolff.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Leigh Simran Brown appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

 
I met yoga teacher Jesse Schein while on the set of a docu-series—the reality television show Yoga Girls (which airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on health-entertainment cable network Z Living). We were doing a photo shoot in the blazing late afternoon sun. Our jokes about feeling a bit out of place and our laughter helped create a lighthearted environment.
 
I was taken by Jesse’s infectious sense of humor and no-bullshit attitude. Jesse Schein is hilarious, honest, straightforward, witty, intelligent, and deeply passionate about yoga. And when she says ‘yoga,’ she’s talking about the complete practice—not just the asana.
 
Hailing out of New York from a “nice Jewish family,” Jesse has a degree in history and political philosophy. Throughout her education, she pushed herself to perfection, viewing failure as something that can’t and won’t happen to her.
 

How Jesse Schein Deals with Anxiety

Jesse will be the first to tell you that she deals head-on with anxiety. At the age of 25, she found herself in a state of “existential malaise,” as she puts it, facing anxiety, depression, and managing tons of health problems.
 
Jesse felt like she was in perpetual crisis. One of the things she pursued was acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. “It soothed my anxiety to get out of my head and into a different character.” At the time, she wasn’t able to articulate what it really meant, but from today’s perspective she recognizes that the work with the Method, the breath, and being in the present moment were like yoga.
 

Jesse Moves to California and Moves Beyond Asana

She moved to California, the land of “daytime and not nighttime” where she dabbled in acting but ended up leaving that world because it felt fake to her. Then, while in her late 20s, she was chain smoking, anxious, and unemployed. Her roommate suggested she try yoga.
 
So Jesse, in low spirits, made her way into Seane Corn’s class at YogaWorks. She remembers thinking, “Here comes this gorgeous, strong, confident, blonde woman from Jersey who said it like it was, telling at me to do things with my body in a no-nonsense kind of way. I thought, ‘I could do this’!”
 
Six months later, Jesse had an ‘ah-ha’ moment while weeping on her mat. She fell completely in love with yoga, recognizing the deeper layers. Jesse dug in and practiced diligently for two years with Seane Corn and Vinnie Marino. She eventually signed up for her first yoga teacher training with Maty Ezraty.
 
Jesse describes herself as a “hot mess” and a “kiss-ass,” sitting in the front row, asking tons of questions, and embracing her type-A personality. She signed up for the next training as soon as the first was finished and then took three 200-hour trainings back-to-back until Ezraty told her to stop.
 
For the first year of her teaching career, Jesse apprenticed with Annie Carpenter, Laura Miles, Seane Corn, and Maty Ezraty. Ezraty groomed Jesse, providing her with a solid foundation and some sage advice: “For your first two years, you teach, you don’t sub out, you don’t travel, you show up, you build trust, and you create safety.”
 
Jesse continues to teach and practice with this foundation. She confides that as a teacher she prefers smaller classes where she can pay more attention to her students, and has recently chosen to give up prime time slots to accommodate this preference. Jesse says, “No one gets hurt on my watch. Period. What you say and how you say it affects students.”
 

Jesse Schein on Yoga Girls

Considering this, I asked Jesse, “How did you find yourself on a reality TV show?” Simply put, she says, “I love television. It’s entertaining. I love making people laugh. I love reality television — it’s hysterical!”
 
According to Jesse, being on Yoga Girls feels like an opportunity to be herself in a social experiment, and she has been able to find humor in the experience. She said, “On the show I am extremely outspoken and I don’t hold back my opinions!”
 
The network lets her be herself. Jesse is 43 and has a family that includes her husband, son, and pup. She’s been practicing asana for 18 years and feels frustrated seeing teachers using yoga as click bait or as a charge point—it defies the “Do no harm” policy that guides her teaching. Jesse adds, “There’s a difference between what a quality teacher is and what the other crap is. I want the world to see the bullshit and know what it is.”
 
Yoga Girls has already caused a stir in the yoga community; many see it as a bastardization of yoga. Jesse is lighthearted about it all. Perhaps it’s her love of reality television or the simple fact that she doesn’t take herself that seriously. Regardless, it’s refreshing to meet someone who is able to laugh at herself with grounded grace.
 
Perhaps that perspective comes from her attitude, “I’m going to be a student for life. The beginner’s mind is what needs to be cultivated. I’m inspired to be in the present moment – the experience of ‘now-ness,’ to try to ease the suffering of being human. Some days it works and some days I have to take a Valium, but I have better coping skills now in my 40s.”
 

How Jesse Schein Continues Her Practice

This is the work of the practice: it changes shape and form, it expands and contracts. It shifts constantly; it’s the perfection of imperfection. Jesse’s desire and willingness to cultivate this beginner’s mind is part of what makes Jesse, Jesse. She isn’t interested in knowing everything, she’s interested in being connected. Throughout her time on the mat, she has awareness about the evolution of her practice, the need for her body to slow down, and the ability to move to an internal teacher.
 
That said, Jesse knows it’s easy for her to get into a lot of “crazy” poses because of her body type and hyper-mobility. This came up when she was put on stage during her first teacher training and as she says, she was used “as an example of every single thing that was misaligned and wrong with my body.” She was mortified.
 
Jesse was told that the experience was going to make her an outstanding teacher, a teacher who can see every body in front of her and know what to do. Mortified or not, this provides some insight into the way Jesse teaches. Through her experience, she knows how to encourage stability in hyper-mobile students and how to coax more mobility for those who are less flexible.
 
This awareness also influences her ambivalence around aspects of the social media yoga scene which often highlights fantastical and out-of-reach asanas. She’s found her own way to navigate this territory. Jesse’s Instagram is hilarious; she riffs on herself and life in general.
 
Coming back to our first meeting — Jesse as reality TV show character, me as photographer — I reflected on our interaction and the shift that occurred during the shoot. When I asked her about it, she told me she stopped trying to guess what I wanted and instead moved into feeling her direct experience.
 
Jesse reminded me of something I said, “I’m here to celebrate you. Just be you and do your practice. I’m merely an observer to capture moments in time, not an illusion of perfection. It’s about what you feel in your body.”
 
When she recognized this, Jesse began to move like no one was there, not me, not the TV cameras. She said, “I started going inside to let go of the exterior and go into the interior.” It was Jesse, her breath, the air against her skin, the warmth of the sun, and her internal experience expressed outwardly through grace and presence.
 
This interior focus informs her go-to practices of meditation and the cultivation of stillness. It’s no surprise that Jesse’s personal practice has shifted from her busy pre-family days. She used to practice every day, sometimes twice a day—the “double dip” as she calls it. Now her practice might be a class a month, or asana practice once or twice a week.
 
Jesse said, “What I need to do changes; sometimes a bike ride is an asana practice.” Her mentor, Maty Ezraty, suggested that after 18 years of dedication to asana, it was time to focus on another limb of yoga. Jesse recognizes that meditation and stillness are more in line with what she needs these days.
 
In this moment, Jesse speaks with excitement about her passion for and dedication to yoga. She’s figuring out the path to be in a place of integrity with her values and what she loves about the practicing and teaching in the modern world. “Teaching inspires me,” she says.
 
Her clarity comes from her continued work with her mentors, such as Ezraty, as well as taking the time to be in stillness and meditate, including a week-long meditation retreat. She’s influenced by some of the advice she received there: “Remove what’s causing you to suffer,” and “Keep looking at what you love.” Jesse’s reality is hopeful and as a teacher, she’s looking at what she loves.
 

Follow Jesse Schein

Jesse Schein teaches public classes at YogaWorks, online at MyYogaWorks, and privately. In 2018, she’ll be at the helm of a YogaWorks 200-hour teacher training program, leading retreats, and facilitating a post-500-hour mentorship program. Follow her on IG at @jessescheinyoga.
 
 
Credits

• Hair and Makeup by Jeannie Jeffries a freelance hair and makeup artist and avid yoga practitioner.
• Photos by Sarit Rogers
• Photo shoot assistant Jakob McCarty
• All clothing by Hard Tail

This photo shoot was filmed as part of the the Docu-Series Yoga Girls, airing on health-entertainment cable network Z Living Sundays at 8pm ET.

Sarit Rogers

Sarit Rogers is a photographer, yoga teacher, writer, founder of the LoveMore Movement, who is training to be a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner.

http://www.saritphotography.com

The post Jesse Schein: From Rock Star Yoga Teacher to Reality TV Star appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Yoga teacher Dana Kraft is wearing Kali sports bra—print ($49) and Jennifer legging—print ($69) by Will Lane (will-lane.com). Photo at Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory at Griffith Park by David Young-Wolff (davidyoung-wolff.com).

Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft

Yoga teacher Dana Kraft brings the experience of joy to everything she does—especially every class she teaches. Whether she’s teaching pro athletes, first-time yogis, or aspiring teachers, she combines her life-long commitment to being an educator with her love of yoga.

Tell us about the first yoga class you took?

The first yoga class I took was in Costa Rica with my teacher Marco Rojas from New York City. I had never practiced before, but my friend convinced me to go on a yoga retreat with him to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I scrounged up all the money I had made the month before and went on the retreat. After this experience, I ended up changing my career from teaching high school to teaching yoga!

What inspired you to become a yoga teacher?

My passion for the practice and what it can do for me and my students as well as my love of teaching.

I have a Masters Degree in Education from NYU in English Education and Educational Theatre, so teaching comes very naturally to me. Before studying education, I earned a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan! (Go Blue!)

It made sense to me to take my love of yoga to the next level. I haven’t looked back since I became a yoga teacher.

What keeps you on the mat?

I remind myself that when I step on the mat, I will feel grateful after I practice. This keeps me going even on the days when I may not feel motivated to practice.

Yoga helps me to achieve inner peace, perspective, gratitude, and mindfulness. These are things I want in my life, and my time on my mat will always help me to cultivate them.

Photo of Dana Kraft wearing Will Lane by David Young-Wolff

Where do you go to class?

I don’t practice at just one studio since I like to hop around for the teacher. I would say that I make it a point to most often go to Vinnie Marino, Rebecca Benenati, and Maud Nadler (YogaWorks), Schuyler Grant, Matt Phippen, and Cat Acquaviva (Wanderlust Hollywood). Noelle Beaugureau, at Liberation Yoga is excellent as well! My teacher training partner Jennifer Smith teaches an amazing restorative class that I go to every Friday evening. There are too many inspiring teachers out here in LA to name all of them.

Do you have a go-to daily practice?

I make it a point to meditate everyday, even for five minutes using a mantra and my mala beads. Most of the time I favor Vinyasa and Ashtanga, but as I’ve gotten older I make it a point to add more Iyengar, Yin, and Restorative at least once a week.

What’s your power breakfast?

Beaming’s Superfood Low-Glycemic Vanilla with Spinach Smoothie.

You work with professional athletes. What is something that you have learned from teaching athletes?

I learned to apply all my anatomy education into my physical teaching. Working with athletes can be intense and demanding. When I started working with professional sports teams I thought we were going to be in a quiet yoga room. That was not the case at all. I was teaching yoga on the basketball court during practice. It was loud and there were many distractions.

A lot of players I have worked with have had injuries when they came to me. When working in the sports industry as a yoga teacher, the stakes are very high. Although the players are all great people, they are also extremely expensive assets to the team they play for, so your anatomy, alignment, and sequencing has to be appropriate and tailored for their needs. If you are teaching athletes, make sure you have a really strong grasp of yogic anatomy and how to sequence for each player and any injuries they may have.

Read more about Yoga teacher Dana Kraft’s work with athletes including the Golden State Warriors.

What’s on your current playlist that lifts you up and lights you up?

“I Should Live in Salt” – (The National Cover) by Asgeir
“Into the Ether” by Leif Vollebekk
“Ultralight Beam” by Local Natives

Are there any books on your nightstand that inspire or motivate you?

The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele
Yoga Sutras
Pocket Pema Chodron

Photo of Dana Kraft wearing Will Lane by David Young-Wolff

Where do you go when you want to rejuvenate and restore?

My new backyard; my husband and I renovated a home together and we have a beautiful oasis with a pool, Jacuzzi, and our own yoga studio! Also, Joshua Tree! I’m leading a retreat there in late February.

Do you have favorite hidden treasures in LA?

Frankie’s on Melrose. Best old school Italian food!

Where and when do you teach?

I teach all over Los Angeles:
Yogaworks West Hollywood and Yogaworks Studio City
Namaste Studios LA in Highland Park (My training company is run out of Namaste Studios! Check out Yoga 108: 200 Hour of Mind, Body, & Spirit)
Yoga Vibe West Hollywood

Learn more about Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft at: www.danakraftyoga.com

She is wearing Kali sports bra—print ($49) and Jennifer legging—print ($69) by Will Lane (will-lane.com). Photo at Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory at Griffith Park by David Young-Wolff (davidyoung-wolff.com).

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft Combines Passions for Education and Practice appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Jivana Heyman and students at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center. Photo by Sarit Rogers

When I met Accessible Yoga Founder Jivana Heyman, I was struck by how much he lives the values of Accessible Yoga. He is an example of these values in every way. His attitude, demeanor, and approach to teaching are all—dare I say—accessible.

In addition to his grassroots mission to advocate for the growth of yoga beyond the typical class experience, Jivana is the co-owner of the Santa Barbara Yoga Center and an Integral Yoga Minister. Jivana created the first Accessible Yoga training program in 2007 and in the years since, the movement has grown worldwide.

What inspired your commitment to Accessible Yoga?

In the late 80s and early 90s I was an AIDS activist. I feel like Accessible Yoga is a continuation of my disability awareness work.

As I continued to teach yoga for people with AIDS and other disabilities, I saw the incredible healing and growth that people were experiencing through yoga. It wasn’t always a physical healing, but a healing of the mind and a connection with their inner self that was a privilege to witness.

Yoga has been my sanctuary for 30 years, and I feel like I owe a debt of gratitude which I’m paying through my dedicated service. Everyone is equally deserving of these incredible, life-changing tools.

Have you had an experience in one of your classes where you were able to work with someone for whom yoga was previously inaccessible?

Way too many to describe! Through Accessible Yoga, I have seen so many people find yoga who would never otherwise step into a yoga studio or take a yoga class.

I remember one woman who was in her thirties and had rheumatoid arthritis. It mostly effected her hands, which she couldn’t use, but otherwise she was relatively fit and flexible. She told me she couldn’t practice yoga. So I taught her some chair yoga, and how to transfer to the floor using the support of a chair, and she was so excited to practice.

I’ve also taught people with quadriplegia, who have no mobility. Those students get directly to the essence of the practice, which is to become friends with your own mind!

How has your work with Accessible Yoga changed your personal practice?

I no longer beat myself up for not “progressing” in poses and I’ve let go of expectations. At this point, I’m content with what my body needs to do on any given day. I use my asana practice to get relaxed and help me find comfort in a seated position for meditation. As I said, yoga is my sanctuary, not a place for competition or comparison. Don’t we all need a place where we can go to relax and take care of ourselves?

Has your work with Accessible Yoga changed how you teach every class?

I’ve let go of the idea of advanced versus beginner in yoga classes. To me the advanced yogi is the one who is at peace with themselves and offering service to the world. With this understanding, my teaching is based on giving tools to my students to explore their bodies and minds.

Do you have a success story about training teachers in Accessible Yoga?

Accessible Yoga formally began 10 years ago when I created a 200-hour basic yoga teacher training for people with disabilities so they could become yoga teachers.

My success stories include all of the people with disabilities or challenges who go out and serve others. Its so easy for me to feel sorry for myself when I’m not feeling well or when I have a problem in my life, but I have met countless people who overcome adversity on a daily basis in order to serve. I know a teacher with MS who has extreme fatigue. The only time she would leave her house each week was so teach one yoga class. Now that’s dedication!

What are some of the a-ha moments that happen in an Accessible Yoga event or training?

I think the biggest a-ha of Accessible Yoga is that yoga is not about the body! Yoga is a spiritual practice that connects us to our inner essence, our true self. This is the part of us that has always been there and never changes. The body and mind are constantly changing, but there is a part of us that has been the same since we were five years old, or 21, or 50, or 80. The essence of who we are is love. That same love is in all beings, regardless of our physical appearance or ability.

Yoga is designed to remind us of that unchanging essence. Yoga also allows us to release whatever is in the way of that experience. With this understanding, the path of yoga becomes more clear. We have insights and gain awareness of how to practice and teach in alignment with the essential teachings of yoga.

What advice would you give to teachers to help them make their classes more accessible to anyone who walks in the room?

Well, I lead entire trainings on that subject—but I would say there are a few essential points.

• See all your students as equals, regardless of their physical ability. Each students deserves your respect and attention, and be sure that you are focused on what is best for them.
• Approach each practice with a feeling of exploration and creativity.
• See the students as your partners in this exploration, and guide them to find their own way.
• Teaching yoga is like giving someone driving directions. You can explain where to go, but they have to do the driving without you. You never know what kind of potholes or detours they’ll find on the way.
• If a student can’t do a pose the way you are teaching it, then that is a challenge for you, not for them. You are the teacher, and you need to have a deep enough understanding of the practice to offer an array of options for each practice. For example, you can do a cobra pose sitting in a chair, standing at the wall, standing in the middle of the room, kneeling, or even in bed.

The next Accessible Yoga training in the Midwest is at Yoga Buzz in St Louis, Missouri November 9-12.

The next Accessible Yoga training in Southern California is January 12-15, 2018 in Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center.

What happens at an Accessible Yoga training or conference that is unique?

We focus on collaboration and community building. Accessible Yoga Conferences are not commercial yoga events. Instead, we are all gathering together to learn, explore and grow. Our presenters are people who inspire us. The participants are people who are out there on their own finding ways of serving people who may not usually have access to yoga. These include people with disabilities, chronic invisible illnesses, seniors, vets, or people who are homeless, just to name a few examples.

When we come together as a yoga community, without competition, we can accomplish so much. I’ve seen incredible things happen through Accessible Yoga. I’m so grateful for all of our Ambassadors and volunteers around the world who are building a new model of yoga based on accessibility, inclusion and loving service. It sounds crazy, but I think yoga can save the world!

Learn more about the Accessible Yoga Movement at: www.accessibleyoga.org.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Jivana Heyman Speaks about Accessible Yoga appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Maeve McCaffrey by David Young-Wolff. Clothing by Spirit Activewear.

As a Yoga teacher, Maeve McCaffrey is both generous and kind. She greets students with a smile when she teaches challenging yet clearly-instructed and well-paced classes. Maeve teaches at YogaWorks and Equinox.

What inspired you to begin teaching yoga?

I was exposed to yoga by my mother, as young as I can remember. But that wasn’t what inspired me to begin teaching, it merely made it familiar. Like most teachers, my desire to teach was born from how it made me feel. I was teaching a lot of intense group fitness classes — think step aerobics and kickboxing — during my final two years of college and my body was wrecked. I started a regular yoga practice to help my aches.

Of course my body felt better, but my mind was truly the beneficiary of my practice. I had an eating disorder at that time, like so many women in college, and in fitness for that matter. The clarity, self-love, and confidence that yoga provided for me was the tool that helped me move forward. This was very profound for me.

During this time, one of the studios where I was teaching offered a yoga teacher training. I love education, so I decided to jump in, not sure of my intention. Then I took another. I still wasn’t teaching yoga, but I was an enthusiast! I was teaching fitness classes at the Federal Reserve corporate fitness center in Boston and the director asked me if I wanted to introduce yoga to my students. That was my first regular yoga class. We all learned together in a way.

I tell new teachers to teach anywhere they can, to anyone they can. It prepares you for more advanced students and it’s infinitely rewarding to pass on knowledge.

How is yoga part of your overall mind-body-spirit fitness regimen?

There are clear physical benefits I attribute to my yoga practice: Finally holding a handstand, becoming stronger in a pose, or for me, gaining more control over loose joints. I used to be very flexible with very little control. I still hyperextend in nearly every joint and I’ve conceded some flexibility in my muscles but I am substantially safer in my body thanks to asana practice.

With that said, I do not approach my practice as my physical workout, even though it can include that. I do fitness workouts most days of the week and in that there are elements of yoga and the end result can feel similar (yoga is everywhere!), but for me they are unique. Yoga is my safe house. The breath. The slow down. The mental playground that happily stills. Quieting to stillness to be more in myself and love that person there.

What keeps you motivated in your classes?

The student-teacher relationship. Without the students, I wouldn’t be a teacher or have classes! What a gift that people show up and want to learn from you. In striving to create a safe space for them to develop and explore, you earn the trust to teach them new poses and concepts and witness a new level of love and self confidence.

I truly love teaching and I show up with an openness for something magical to happen at any moment. Whether it’s being the teacher in someone’s very first yoga class, guiding them through a change in their body (injury, pregnancy) or seeing them bring their friends or family with them to practice together, it is a truly special place to be. Flipping that, I love to be a student and hearing how a teacher explains a pose. How they sequence a class can send me skipping into my next class.

Who or what are some of your inspirations?

There is inspiration everywhere. I love animals. When I say this, I’m aware that I may I sound like a five-year-old and I don’t care. I love watching animals’ capacity for play, love, forgiveness, self care, their general beauty.

In people, I’m inspired by selfless acts, honest speech and kindness. I’ve had some amazing teachers whose love and passion for their subject matter swept me up in their momentum.

What are some of the songs on your current playlist for your own practice?

OM by Hippie Sabotage, Together by Phaeleh, Corners of the Earth by ODESZA, Immrama by Stellamara, Surrender by Purl, Take Off Your Cool by Outkast, Didn’t Cha Know by Erykah Badu, Deathless by Ibeyi.

What is your go-to practice that you do even when you don’t have time for anything else?

Pranayama. I love breathing. I practice everywhere. Dentist, in traffic, seated in private or on a plane. No props needed.

How do you start your day?

My day starts early and it is timed down to the minute. I sneak out of my bedroom by the flashlight on my phone so I don’t wake up my boyfriend, while one of my cats leads the charge to the kitchen and the other one is weaving between my feet as I try to make it down the stairs with my life. I feed them and then make myself tea, eat a small bite. Then I head back upstairs for general self-tidying to get out the door in 30 minutes or less. There is nothing superfluous in my morning routine. I sometimes engage the dream of decadently slow mornings. Someday perhaps, but for now it’s early morning classes and private clients.

What are some of your go-to places in LA when you want to recharge?

Cliche LA answer: The beach. I’ve been in LA nearly 15 years, and the our beaches simply never get old. I also really appreciate being home. After jumping around between classes and clients, I love being in my space with my cats and my man. It feels like a really gratifying exhale.

Where do you go to practice now?

I’m currently five months pregnant and for whatever reason, whether it be desire or schedule, I’ve primarily been practicing solo. When I get to class, it’s usually at YogaWorks.

What is your meditation practice like?

It is daily, even if it’s for five minutes. Sometimes themed like on gratitude or love or simply mindfulness. Other times I use an app or a recording of Yoga Nidra. Heaven.

What advice do you give to beginners?

Practice with lots of teachers and try different styles. You will find a teacher (or a few) and a style (or a few) that resonate with you. Stay open. Listen. Learn. Allow yourself to be a student. Have fun.

Where do you teach?

YogaWorks and Equinox.

More information on Maeve McCaffrey

For more information on Maeve McCaffrey, visit her website: http://www.maevemccaffrey.com

Photo Credits for Maeve McCaffrey

Photo by David Young-Wolff on the Santa Monica Stairs.

Clothing by Spirit Activewear.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Maeve McCaffrey appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Yoga Teacher Ahmed Elaasar by David Young-Wolff

Yoga Teacher Ahmed Elaasar is dedicated to his practice and his passion for sharing the teachings of yoga with others. He has a perspective on yoga that comes from traveling the world. After traveling the globe, he decided that LA is the place he most wants to be. It’s a place where yoga flourishes and where we find community. Ahmed shares some of this process, his practice, and his favorite spots in LA.

Why did you walk into your first yoga class?

I was on a reconnecting with my roots trip in Cairo, Egypt and I needed an escape from the hectic hustle and bustle of city living. I didn’t have access to any of my go to sports: basketball, tennis and flag football. As fate would have it, there was a yoga studio just a short walk from my apartment so I decided to give it a shot! While in Cairo, I discovered that yoga gave me much more than the physical workout that my body craved. Yoga helped calm my mind and heal my injured body. I was hooked!

What inspired you to become a yoga teacher?

The desire to share the practice that had such a profound impact on me led me to become a yoga instructor and I’m thankful to be able to share it on a daily basis. I realize that many people are hesitant to try yoga because they think it’s not physically demanding, meaning not a good enough workout or they say they’re not flexible enough to practice yoga. My goal is to help dispel those myths and remove any misconceptions so that more people step on to the mat and make yoga a part of their weekly routine.

What keeps you motivated in your personal practice now?

Learning and growing keep me motivated in my personal practice. Each time I step on my yoga mat, my transformation continues.

Where do you go when you want to go to class?

The Yoga Collective in Venice is my go-to studio. They’ve built a community of dedicate yogis with wonderful instructors and I can walk there!

When I’m up for a drive, Modo Yoga LA on La Brea is my favorite studio in LA. It will always have a special place in my heart as their signature style “Moksha and Moksha Flow” classes are the classes that first got me into yoga all those years ago in Cairo.

Tell us about some places in LA you like to go to recharge?

That’s an easy one for me, the beach! One of the things that drew me to LA is year-round access to the beach. There is something so cleansing, calming and refreshing about the raw power of the Pacific Ocean. When I go to the beach, I get into the water, ride some waves and leave feeling like a new man. You can also find me, and my lovable Australian Labradoodle, Zizou, hiking the trails of Mandeville Canyon as a mini escape from the city.

Do you have a favorite hidden secret spot in LA? Wait, you may not want to tell us!

Haha, yes! Although I don’t think it’s much of a secret. When I’m not doing yoga or teaching yoga I’m thinking about my next meal, so naturally I thought of food first! I love Gracias Madre in West Hollywood for delicious Mexican Food.

Photo of Ahmed Elaasar by David Young-Wolff.

You’ve traveled quite a bit around the world. Are there are some places or experiences that made a significant impact on you?

The trip that made the greatest impact on my life was when I was 16 years old. My Uncle Farouk, invited me, my Mom and my sister to join his family in the Puerto Banus, Spain, for one month during our summer break. It was an eye-opening experience. Having grown up in a fairly conservative family in North Carolina, I was blown away by the joy with which people lived their lives.

From that point forward I knew I wanted to travel the world and experience different cultures, to see how people lived their lives, to experience their cuisine and to hear their stories. I pursued that passion and traveled the globe for 10 years doing international business. If you’re passionate about travel, I’d love to hear about your favorite places.

Does your dog ever try to join in when you practice at home?

Absolutely, his favorite is restorative yoga. I have to be careful when I do inversions because he gets super excited and thinks we’re playing a game.

Do you have a morning ritual to get you going to start the day?

Honestly, my morning ritual is still a work in progress. I try and take some quiet time in meditation to set the tone for the day and when my schedule allows, I prefer practicing yoga in the morning.The most consistent part of my morning ritual is a walk along the beach with my dog after breakfast.

What’s your go-to practice when you don’t have time for anything else?

When time is short, I love to get the blood flowing and body moving with a some half sun salutations. And when I’m feeling overwhelmed or exhausted I cherish time spent supported by props doing restorative yoga.

Is there anything on your nightstand that you are reading now?

I’m re-reading Trevor Blake’s Three Simple Steps. It’s a wonderful reminder about the power of quiet time, the power of thinking about what you do want (as opposed to what you don’t want), and the importance of setting intentions for your life. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

What’s a book that you would give to someone else for inspiration?

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. This book is a wonderful complement to my yoga practice. It has helped me identify the things in my life that are truly important so I can focus on them and remove things that are no longer adding value to my life.

To me, this ties in well to something I like to remind my students in class; when we show up on out mat we remove all the external distractions of our daily lives and we reestablish the mind body connection, we tune-in to our intuition which allows us to see our truth.

What advice do you give to people who might be intimidated by yoga?

I suggest they set aside any preconceived notions of yoga, I let them know they can always take breaks when they need to and I remind them that yoga is not a competitive sport so they don’t have to look like anyone else in the room; there is no perfect shape to achieve.

Another important tip for people who are new to yoga is to take the time to try different styles of yoga and different yoga instructors. It’s important to find a teacher and studio that matches your personality. Take the time to read the instructor’s bio and it should provide you some insight into what you can expect in their class.

Yoga Teacher Ahmed Elaasar: Find his Classes

Yoga Teacher Ahmed Elaasar’s public classes are found in 3 studios on the West Side of LA.
TruYoga in Santa Monica, Tuesday and Thursday 7:15pm Yin Yoga
Mind, Body & Soul Yoga in Playa Vista, Monday and Wednesday 12pm Yin Yoga and Thursday 4:30pm Vinyasa Flow
Create Yoga in Santa Monica, Sunday 6pm Restorative Yoga
I’m available by appointment for Private, Corporate and Team Yoga Sessions.
Learn more about Ahmed Elaasar on his website.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Ahmed Elaasar appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

MC YOGI photo by Estevan Oriol

A Practice with MC YOGI

A sleepy English bulldog naps in a pool of afternoon sunlight on the cool polished concrete floor of Wren & Wild, a sort of holistic hub that houses a highly curated resale shop, a healthy beauty products store and a big yoga studio in Bend, Oregon. Booker is oblivious to the foot traffic a few feet from his nose in the big space with high ceilings and lots of big windows.

“One two. One two,” the soundman levels up the PA system as a few movable walls are pushed into position, transforming the place into one open space for tonight’s special class.

MC YOGI (aka Nicholas Giacomini) ambles in, understated style in jeans, black hoodie and baseball cap — he’s seems at home here.

MC YOGI teaching at Wren & Wild. Photo by Julia Duke

MC YOGI Shares Vedic Verses on his Book Tour

A wild-style, cryptographic cipher and hip-hop oracle who writes Vedic verses about Ganesha, Hanuman and Shiva, he’s in town on his Spiritual Graffiti book tour. Joined by his partner/wife, street artist Amanda Giacomini (aka 10,000 Buddhas), they’ve covered a lot of ground together over the years.

“We’ve both been practicing yoga for about 20 years, teaching for 16 years out of our studio,” he says as he settles on the couch under a big painting of Booker the far end of the space.

The source of their earthly power is a small yoga studio in Point Reyes, California, where it all began. “I feel like we were an anchor for it for a long time,” Amanda says about their studio Point Reyes Yoga. “And now it’s an anchor for us. We go out into the world and have all these ups and downs, we teach several thousand people in yoga classes, and then come home and we’re there with our core group.” MC YOGI concurs, “Yeah, I think Amanda and I have taught close to a million people because we’ve taught for 16 years or so.”

The début memoirist and Bhakti-circuit darling who has headlined some of the biggest sacred stages around has now penned an alchemic tale of transmutation. Spiritual Graffiti tells the story of transforming urban-American teen traumas and troublesome past life samskaras through the power of yoga.

Photo by Julia Duke

“It’s about how yoga opened the door to this incredible ride I’ve been on as MC YOGI, going to India and studying with masters, traveling around the world performing at festivals,” he says. He’s referencing two of his teachers: San Francisco’s radical yogi, Larry Schultz as his first point of contact as a teen in the early nineties, then, later, with Ashtanga Vinyasa pioneer, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore.

Good karma in a country where drug rehab has become the primary coming-of-age ritual, MC YOGI stumbled into some decidedly profound grace in the form of a yogic intervention by his father, who brought his troubled teenaged son to Larry’s class.

MC YOGI on Teachers and Transformation

MC YOGI writes like he talks, with the fluidity of a practiced poet. Spiritual Graffiti streams effortlessly off the page. It’s an effortless read. “Krishna Das read it in two days,” he offers. But MC YOGI has more than just his story to tell; he wrote the book to impart the wisdom he acquired along the way. “I wanted to tell story, which is kinda interesting, about how my life transformed through the practice of yoga and meditation, but even more importantly, to tell the story of my teachers, because many of my teachers aren’t living anymore.”

Spiritual Graffiti is an autobiography of a yogi as road trip. Its pages track an inward journey that originates in Northern California, then travels east to New York, onto India and back again. MC YOGI’s early life scans like a blueprint for disaster. He was kicked out of three schools and a group home; violence, drugs, guns, gangs and cops all conspiring to propel the child of divorce into an asana practice that incited a Kundalini awakening and blew the fat-cap off his Rust-Oleum, firmly fixing his drishti on involution.

“I think I was about 18 years old the first time I read Autobiography of a Yogi [ParamahansaYogananda]. For me it was like a graphic novel. Hearing all the stories of the yogis and the saints and the mystics and the sages, it was like reading about super heroes. It really inspired me, and really led me to traveling to India and studying with my teachers.”

Further awakened by Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, Ram Dass, Patanjali, and others, he found his soul mate, Amanda, in Larry’s yoga studio. They made their way to India together to develop a foundation in yoga under the guidance of realized masters.

Rooftops and Hip-Hop

Somewhere along the path, Nicholas Giacomini dreamed MC YOGI into being on a rooftop in India and connected the dots between the Rock Steady Crew and Babaji; between hip-hop and Kirtan; between the old and new; sacred and mainstream.

MC YOGI has cleaved a clear channel to receive the knowledge he imparts in the book and in his life. “I think when you open to receiving, when you really want it, when you’re thirsty for the truth, when you really have this insatiable desire to become awake, then all these teachers appear. When you have that desire to practice your life becomes like a magnet for teaching and for wisdom because you get it from all directions.”

Photo by Julia Duke

While he was in India the spiritual graffiti in the streets of Mysore lit up the cartoons in his head. “Because I grew up reading comic books, when I went to India and saw the Hindu deities like Hanuman and Ganesha… they were like super heroes in my mind. I really gravitated to those myths and those stories, and it helped me to understand the philosophy of Yoga.” It was around this time when he found some Hindi comic books that opened his mind to traditional myths and stories in a easily digestible graphic format.

MC YOGI on Comic Books as Teachers

“These myths been huge teachers to me,” he says, “There’s a lot of encoded wisdom in those stories that have been passed down from generation to generation to generation…It really depends on the commentary you listen to because everyone is deciphering the code in their own way. I like to read the stories, listen to the stories and see how they apply them to my everyday… these archetypes of being broken down so you can rise up. Going through tragedy, going through these traumatic experiences and coming out the other side sort of like a new person. I feel like all the great myths have that story of transformation, of going from darkness to light, over coming obstacles of pain, trauma, and suffering so you can come back and be of service.”

Music, Language, and Practice

The class now about to begin, MC YOGI switches to teacher mode, picks up the mic, queues up a track on his laptop at the front of the room and opens the yoga class at Wren and Wild with a full mat capacity. More than 150 yogis are poised to practice. He opens with a lighthearted joke, then does one of things he does really, really well: teach yoga. Invoking the unifying magic of music and the power of language he takes these yogis deep into a collective asana experience. He opens new doors for some, like a bearded guy named Rich with a brain injury who is new to yoga, while others lean deeper into their practice.

Photo by Julia Duke

Satsang, Spiritual Graffiti and 10,000 Buddhas

After the class, Amanda leads the satsang, or spiritual gathering. She imparts some moving stories from their travels and invites us into the 10,000 Buddha’s experience with a video presentation and reading. MC YOGI reads from Spiritual Graffiti and settles back on the couch for someone one-on-one book signing as a line snakes through the space.

“While I was finishing the book she reached her 10,000th Buddha,” he says about Amanda, who synergistically achieving her goal of painting 10,000 Buddhas.

Energized after the class, MC YOGI takes a beat and a few breaths before he greets each person one at a time. He meticulously and artfully renders his gratitude in sharpie inside their hardcover copy of Spiritual Graffiti.

“That’s why I love practicing yoga, I slow down and just breathe. After about 15 minutes of just conscious breathing, doing some postures and sitting in meditation,” he says, “I always feel completely refreshed. I always feel better. I think we need yoga more than ever,” he says. He adds that he doesn’t usually practice or teach to music, but he sometimes invokes it as a unifying element for these big classes.

MC YOGI on Creating Ritual through Yoga

“The theme of the class today was creating your own rhythm and routine, like your own personal ritual. Not what someone else is telling you to do, but something you’re creating for yourself that helps to provide structure for your life.”

He says most of the people he talks to come to yoga because of some kind of trauma. “Because of something they’re trying to work through. That was the case when I came to yoga. It’s always amazing to see people come to yoga and move through so much difficulty. The practice help to free it up and move the energy.”

MC YOGI doesn’t see yoga as a luxury.

“In this day and age with all the overstimulation and the saturation of all kinds of misinformation, you need something to be able to cut through that noise.”

After Bend, the Spiritual Graffiti book tour headed north to Canada for the Bloom Festival, where they taught a yoga class to 300 high school kids. “Usually, we do festivals and big stages. Doing this stuff is like getting back to where we came from. Back to the local mom and pop yoga studios.”

His parting words, like his book, are inspiring. “Keep going, keep practicing, keep developing, keeping evolving, keep listening, tuning in and connecting because the more you come to your practice, if you do it every day, it starts to open and unlock all these doors that you may never have known existed.”

Sam Slovick

Award-winning journalist, documentary director and long-term LA Yoga contributor Sam Slovick is the director, writer and producer of the Radicalized documentary, currently working on the Kirtan Road Dogs documentary.

http://samslovick.com

The post MC YOGI writes Spiritual Graffiti appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Jessica Rosen by Sarit Rogers

To call Jessica Rosen busy is both an understatement and a simplification. A youthful, playful spitfire as well as a woman who values community, Jessica Rosen is a yoga teacher who is the founder, owner, and director of popular One Down Dog yoga studios in Silverlake, Eagle Rock, and now Echo Park. In addition to her life in the studio, she’s married to her high-school sweetheart, Daniel, and she is the proud mom of their two-year-old son, Max.

When we first met in 2012, I was struck by how much she is a force of nature. It’s a force she’s used to create One Down Dog (affectionately called ODD). I continue to be inspired by her strength—and her long-term vision for the ODD community. One Down Dog is a community—and family—that has been embedded in the studio since the beginning, from securing funding, to actually building the space, to rainy photo shoots, and to love, support, and heart.

Photo of Jessica Rosen by Sarit Rogers

Jessica Rosen and One Down Dog

Even the name One Down Dog has a heartfelt and community crowdsourcing-based origin story. Jessica, while searching for a name for her growing business teaching and organizing yoga in rehab facilities, had a timely conversation with a friend who reminded Jessica of her frequent in-class instructions, “It’s not about the pose; just take it one down dog at a time.” Her friend yelled, “That’s it! That’s the name! One Down Dog!”

The name stuck. A high-school friend created the logo: Jessica’s dog, Patrick—in downward facing dog. Other friends helped create the website, flyers, logo, and photographs. Jessica began photographing herself in downward facing dog anywhere and everywhere. She also created a series of “Patrick Says” memes with photographs of her dog. Taking it further, Jessica asked people to send in images of themselves down dogging during their travels.

Travels through Practice

Throughout her own journey, Jessica’s practice has been an important source of support. She began yoga when she was in graduate school earning a Masters in Psychology at the Center for Humanistic Studies in Michigan. It was her mom who suggested that an awareness of yoga and mindfulness might be beneficial in a therapy practice. While Jessica completed her teacher training, at first she had no intention to teach and was terrified to speak in front of people. Nevertheless, Jessica was asked to teach yoga at a prestigious rehab facility in Michigan. While she was eventually promoted to a full-time therapist position, Jessica discovered she preferred teaching yoga and felt it was an area where she could make an impact.

When Jessica moved to Los Angeles, her interest in working in recovery led her to Visions Adolescent Treatment Center where she met the Center’s co-founder Amanda Shumow and felt a connection to the their treatment philosophy. The group Jessica led included an hour of yoga, and an hour of sharing. While she no longer actively teaches at Visions, Jessica continues to direct their yoga program with has a few select ODD teachers running the groups. She’s committed to helping people dealing with addiction and she said yes when I asked to offer a Refuge Recovery-based yoga class at ODD.

Photo of Jessica Rosen at One Down Dog by Sarit Rogers. Jessica is wearing clothing by Soybu.

Creativity and Community at One Down Dog

Jessica and the entire team are conscientious about creating an open and supportive environment through One Down Dog’s open, fun, playful and nourishing atmosphere. It’s a studio where people connect and practice together without judgment or fear of not fitting in. She says, “The yoga world can feel intimidating and very limited.”

Jessica says, “We are a yoga studio, but more than that, we are like Cheers! where ‘everybody knows your name.’ More than that, I want to know what do you do for a living, what brings you joy, how can we help you? There is a sense of belonging [at ODD] and people need that. I need that.”

The Juggling Act of Family, Practice, and Business

Jessica says running a studio “boils down to asking for help and delegating.” At ODD, Jessica’s surrounded herself by a phenomenal crew and she is adamant about taking care of them. Her persistence and rebel soul is part of what fuels this connection in the studio and at home, where the foundation of her family life is collaboration, joint effort, and equity.

Jessica Rosen on Fitting in Personal Practice

Teaching and running a group of studios make personal practice even more of a necessity. Jessica is honest about her challenge for maintaining the time for a personal practice with raising her son, Max. Yet life with a toddler can bring unexpected gifts—and a few realizations. For example, a current read Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right offers lessons on how to not get in the way of your…crap.

Prioritizing self-care is one of these lessons; Jessica’s journaling practice helps her uncover ideas she uses to adjust her practice based on her daily needs. Practice can include journaling in bed, a daily gratitude list, regular sessions with a personal trainer (for scheduling and accountability), as well as time on the mat—especially on Thursdays, her long day at ODD. Sometimes Max joins in. His favorite: Chanting “Om.” In addition to the ongoing practices, she schedules one day a month for self-care when she makes a point to be outside in nature with trees, dirt, and sunshine: it’s her medicine. She also makes it a point to learn and grow, integrating her commitments to business and yoga.

Photo of Jessica Rosen at One Down Dog by Sarit Rogers

Inspiration, One Down Dog at a Time

Jessica keeps herself on the studio’s schedule. It is one of the many ways she connects to the ODD community and it’s an ongoing source of inspiration. She loves hearing people share their experiences, their ah-ha moments, and their trials and tribulations. Jessica is uplifted by her crew; her staff, teachers, family, and friends. ODD is a home, a place to go to when things are going well and when things have gone awry. “Community is why it works. People come together and are willing to be vulnerable. That willingness, that’s IT. Essentially, that’s love.”

More Information

For more information about Jessica Rosen and the growing One Dog Dog community, visit: onedowndog.com

Jessica would love to see your ODD dogs, so send a pic to her at hello@onedowndog.com.

Clothing by Soybu (selected photos). For more information, visit: soybu.com

Sarit Rogers

Sarit Rogers is a photographer, yoga teacher, writer, and founder of the LoveMore Movement, who is training to be a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner. She is also a contributor in the new anthology Yoga Rising, by Melanie Klein: saritphotography.com. saritzrogers.com

http://www.saritphotography.com

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Normandie Keith photographed at her home by Cheryl Fox. Clothing by Lavaloka

There are some people who remind you that there’s magic in this world. Beings who shine so bright they can sometimes blind. Normandie Keith, with her long blond braids and thousand-watt smile is one of these people. She has the ability to be as opened-hearted and present with the homeless gentleman leaning against the bus stop, as the A-listers with whom she shares 30-year friendships.

Normandie is a formidable Kundalini Yoga teacher who leaves behind a little trail of glitter (and evil eye necklaces) everywhere she goes. Students, friends, colleagues, social critics, former fans, and other football moms may think that she effortlessly has it all figured out. What they don’t realize is that it’s often pressure that makes diamonds.

Normandie Keith and Bright Beginnings

As a young model spending time in the Bahamas, Normandie Keith could not stop staring at a local shopkeeper. Sixty-five years old and well over two hundred and fifty pounds, the woman contained an energy that was unfamiliar to the aristocratic East Coaster. Normandie recalls, “She was just the most beautiful woman to me, her eyes, her face, and I just kept saying to her, ‘You’re so beautiful, where did this come from?’ She said, ‘It comes from the spirit. The spirit is inside you, and you have it too!’ She made me feel and know that beauty was on the inside. So, I was always looking for that spirit.”

Idyllic Aristocracy

A few years and several print campaigns later, London’s Tatler Magazine, put model Normandie Keith and gal pal Tara Palmer-Tomkinson on the cover. Big, bold lettering labeled them “It Girls” inciting an international phenomenon. The duo were part of a pack of twenty-something socialites, who traveled by private planes to private shores, where paparazzi used long lenses to get shots of them with Prince Andrew, Simon Le Bon, and Posh Spice. Processed negatives were printed next to pics of Princess Di on every tabloid cover in London-town. Normandie Keith married The Honorable Lucas White, becoming part of the English aristocracy herself.

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox. Tunic by Raj Wear. Necklace by Darshan Sacred Jewelry

Normandie Keith White with her high cheekbones, perfect nose, and porcelain skin, became a muse to icons of fashion. In Valentino, Vera Wang, and Diane Von Furstenberg, she graced the pages and some covers of magazines including French Vogue, Harpers & Queen (now Harper’s Bazaar), Hello!, OK, and more. Polo matches, Dom Perignon, party favors. “It was Balenciaga’s at dawn,” she laughs. “It was a time of amazing opulence, but it was also a very high pressure time. A time when I felt like I had to compete and wear the season’s couture and carry the most current handbag, I had the outfit together on the surface, yet I wasn’t complete in myself. So [I wondered] how can I arm myself, and put on enough of a shield, a costume, so that nobody knows that I’m really afraid?”

The Golden Thread

Normandie read books on Buddhism, studied Kabbalah in a tiny room in Regent’s Park, and attended the Landmark Forum. She even enrolled in a Kundalini Yoga course, but at the time that didn’t click. She reflects, “I obviously wasn’t ready for it then.” While at home one day working on her beauty column in You Magazine, Normandie saw Cindy Crawford on TV. The American model had written the forward to a yoga book. Normandie remembers, “I saw a quick flash of this woman in Los Angeles with a turban, and I thought, well that’s interesting.”

The Whites welcomed son Finn to the family, and the new mother made a resolve. “Because my parents were older, I was pretty much raised by a nanny. I wanted to ensure that I didn’t do that.” Thus, the trio traded life in London’s fast lane for the spaciousness and privacy of LA. Upon arrival, Normandie realized that the fast lane had followed her. “There were a lot of industry parties, and a lot of parties at my house. I saw that this was going to be the same as in London.” She became reclusive, Uneasy, feeling that, “Something was wrong. Deep in my intuition, in my soul, something wasn’t jiving right.”

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox.

Breaking the Mask

After a Tatler Magazine shoot at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Normandie returned home in full hair, make-up, and wardrobe. As she reached her gate, “I tripped!” she squeaks. “Because my hands were full, I couldn’t put them down. So, I fell into a big metal drainpipe. I broke my nose and eye sockets. At that moment, my mask was broken. The mask of illusion. My face, which is what I had traded on, which had been my sense of self with this external life – the beacon of that was my face. And my face was gone. I remember feeling the blood coming out of my eyes, and what was my nose. That earth-shattering sound when I heard my face break, it was like everything inside of me broke. It was done.”

The confidante she most counted on couldn’t handle the gushing blood, and her husband was unreachable. So, Normandie made her way to Cedars-Sinai… alone…. for the first time in years. New to the country and without insurance, the ER intake nurse was reticent to tend to her. Normandie screamed, “Please help me! I’m somebody’s daughter! I’m somebody’s mother!” But the bureaucratic medical staff bellowed, “Nope. Back of the line!” She asserts, “Everything that could go wrong, did. I didn’t have a bridge in my nose, they didn’t get me a plastic surgeon. They ended up gluing the gravel from the fall into my nose, which then got infected.”

The pretty porcelain façade of Normandie Keith White crumbled, and with it her marriage, modeling career, and financial footing. Some members of the jetset that she called “friends” faded out. Her toddler son was so scared of her stitches and bruises that he asked her to wear a costume Ironman mask.

From Darkness

Normandie’s soul-sister Sadie Turner came to live in her guesthouse atop La Brea in the Hollywood Hills. At 3:30 am Sadie would scurry down the driveway. Normandie recalls, “I thought that maybe she was going partying so I waddled over in my Ironman mask to ask if she was ok.” Sadie responded, “Am I ok? Are YOU ok?!” Then she explained, “I’m going to Morning Sadhana. It’s Kundalini Yoga. Do you want to come?” Normandie exclaimed, “I tried that in London. You mean I can be there in the dark and nobody is going to see me?! Yyyeeeeaaa I want to come.”

The next morning, just before 4 am, the two entered Golden Bridge Yoga in Hollywood. Normandie recounts, “I remember walking in the door for the first time and it was so dark. And it was so still. The feeling that was in the building, seeing vividly the energy that was in the air, and the colors that surrounded it.

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox. Clothing by Lavaloka

As the dawn rose, we were chanting. I knew every mantra of the Aquarian Sadhana. Everything was in me. I felt that I had always been there. Aside from having my son, it was the most beautiful experience in my life. This feeling of complete wholeness, that this is what I needed to do, and this is what I needed to be. I remember looking up on the stage, and seeing the man who was leading the sadhana. And I said to myself, ‘I will lead this. I know this; I know this in every part of my being.’”

Sadhana ended at 7 am. Normandie stayed for the next class, and the class after that, until the doors closed that evening, and back at dawn the next day. She signed up for Tej Kaur Khalsa’s teacher training that began the following week. She laughs, “Finn was being dragged to Golden Bridge every three seconds.”

When the Student is Ready

Grateful for the refuge, the well-mannered, former model wanted to send a “thank you” note to the studio owner. She discovered that it was Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, the woman in the turban who had flashed on her TV screen with Cindy Crawford four years before. The wise crone was away in Rishikesh, India, for many months. Then one day while in Golden Bridge, Normandie chokes back tears, “I was walking up the stairs, and Gurmukh was walking down and she said, ‘You’re Normandie!’

I knew her. I mean I knew her deeply. It was like coming home to your mother. There’s something so magical about her. She’s a fairy, or a pixie, or an elf, and then she’s the biggest queen and goddess and saint. And then she’s a human, in this tiny body. Like the genie in the bottle. There was so much that radiated from her. Her aura, her energetic being, spoke to the deepest parts of me that hadn’t been nurtured properly, that hadn’t been called home. I know I am far from the first person who has been transformed by her without saying a word, but when you’re in the presence of grace, this happens.”

Over the course of nearly a decade, the two developed the type of relationship that can only be described as dharmic. “I have been so incredibly blessed by her!” Normandie weeps, “I’ve taught with her, and I have had the most fun with her, the hardest times, and the most transformative teachings. She’s been not only my teacher, but my incredible friend.”

For many years, Gurmukh and her husband, Gurushabd Singh lived in Normandie’s guest house, atop La Brea. It was the same one Sadie stayed when she first brought Normandie to sadhana that dark morning. Normandie revels in sincere reverence for her surrogate family saying, “Gurushabd has been protective and kind, and always a solid voice for me. And their daughter Wah is like my sister. She is someone that I value so deeply for her counsel and her friendship.”

Thousands of practitioners from all over the world considered Golden Bridge to be a sacred site of pilgrimage, transformation, learning, service, and community. When it closed its’ doors in 2015, it devastated the hundreds who oriented their daily lives around it. “We were like rudderless ships,” Normandie reflects, “It’s been tough, but it’s given me the lesson that you carry your temple with you. Your sanctuary is within yourself, and you bring yourself back home, by your thoughts, by your breath, by your actions. You can’t depend on a physical roof.”

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox

The Student becomes a Teacher

Alhough Normandie had been teaching and leading sadhana for many years, the studio closing kicked her out of the metaphysical nest. She expanded her teaching beyond those walls with an active private clientele, retreats and workshops, classes at Wanderlust Hollywood, Soho House Malibu, Unplug Meditation and Yoga West, and her dedication to service work at Blessed Sacrament Jesuit Parish in Hollywood with people who are homeless. She also has two online programs on Yogaglo: Kundalini 101 and Morning Ritual: Wake Up to Create Your Day.

These programs and initiatives create a safe space for students to remove their own “masks of illusion” (without the severity of falling in a drain pipe). Through her teachings, Normandie inspires others to reveal their own true selves.

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox. Tunic by Raj Wear. Necklace by Darshan Sacred Jewelry.

The Lighthouse

One of Ms. Keith’s favorite parables of Yogi Bhajan’s is that of a lighthouse. She teaches, “What the lighthouse is, is a beacon. A lighthouse doesn’t leave its post and go out and rescue one ship. In doing that, all of the other ships would get lost. A lighthouse, it stays rock steady, it stays firmly rooted, and it beckons everyone home. It leads by example.”

During her birthday week last year, Normandie was as spastic as any single mother driving around town in legendary LA traffic. Privates, studio classes, her son’s football games and studies, service with people who are homeless, and her own sadhana. She didn’t feel very lighthouse-like. “Ugh! Ack! I have GOT to get myself to a yoga class!”

After the daily hustle, Normandie dragged herself into her house, where the Star Wars theme song blasted. She saw lit candles everywhere and two yoga mats perfectly aligned. “Uh, what is going on…?!” Her now 12-year-old son Finn jumped into frame announcing, “I know that you don’t have time to go to yoga, so I want to teach YOU a yoga class. This is my birthday present to you. I found a good mantra.” She laughs, “And ‘good mantra’ was Star Wars, but I was like,‘Ok, Yoda’s in the house! We got this!’” Like any proud mom, she cried through the entire practice. Her little candle burned bright.

Normandie Keith photographed by Cheryl Fox. Clothing by Lavaloka

Later in the year, a radiant, wise, and generous teacher led Kundalini Yoga classes at Coachella. New students asked about the Aquarian Sadhana and her spiritual name. Normandie Keith, calm, quiet, compassionate and still, responded humbly, “Dharam Prakash – it means one who travels the path of righteousness fearlessly and is lit from within.”

What the shopkeeper in the Bahamas had tried to tell her all those lifetimes ago.

More Information

Normandie Keith and her teaching schedule can be found at: normandiekeith.com

Cheryl Fox is a professional photographer and yoga practitioner based in LA: cherylfoxportfolio.com

Hair and Makeup by Kumiko Ando (IG @kumikohairmakeup)

Styling by Designer Venius Adams: venius.net

Clothing

Martina Sports Bra ($49) by Lavaloka (lavaloka.com)

Brooklyn Mesh Legging ($94) by Lavaloka (lavaloka.com)

White Tunic: Aphrodite by Raj Wear (patriciasill@me.com)

Select Jewelry by Darshan Sacred Jewelry (darshansacredjewelry.com)

Amy V Dewhurst

Amy Dewhurst is the author of Heartbreak Yoga, a consulting producer for Bhakti Fest and the director of business development for ALOHA.

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High Vibrations and Healing Energy at Be Crystal Clear

The creative healing touch of Sugar Panbehchi is in evidence everywhere throughout Be Crystal Clear. The Santa Monica studio space, healing center, and high vibration crystal boutique offers a sanctuary for classes, workshops, sessions, and shopping.

Sugar spent some time with the LA YOGA team sharing her inspiration for the art, the crystals, and her commitment to being of service.

Sugar Panbehchi on Be Crystal Clear

What inspired you to open the studio?

For more than 30 years, I’ve worked in the service industry with my family. Being of service and helping people was always where I found the most fulfillment. Nourishing people’s bodies was just the start. Now it’s MY time to complete the circle. I am Awake, Crystal Clear, and ready to be of service to help everyone on their journey to Wake Up and Be Crystal Clear physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Realizing my purpose, I created a vision board on January 9, 2018. In the months following, I was in awe by how quickly my manifestations came to fruition. I knew I must open a center where people can come to nourish their mind, body, and spirit through vibrations, music, dance, and energetic healings. Throughout my journey in life the one thing about me is my profound love for helping people and the strong desire to nurture them mentally, physically and emotionally.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the past 38 years and want to welcome my community to come home and remember what is feels like to be crystal clear.

How did you come up with the name Be Crystal Clear?

I studied child development and realized a long time ago that we’re all born crystal clear, and filled with love, joy, and pure energy. But along the way life and society shapes us and, at times, takes away a great deal of that clarity, love and joy.

Be Crystal Clear is a way to reignite and rediscover our inner selves again, find clarity within and remind us to live our lives with passion and purpose, to be grateful for what we have and always pay it forward. I wanted that to manifest itself in the studio and provide fun and meaningful activities to help crystalize and set your intentions.

What is a story that you’d like to share ?

After I opened the studio, I noticed that people were finding themselves attracted to the energy and high vibration of the studio, which left a warm feeling in my heart confirming that I’m on the right path. Some of them even started giving back to me in very personal ways.

One client surprised me with a beautiful painting she drew representing me and the love I have for people and my mission for the space, and I chose to hang it in my Wish room next to the tree of life. I feel blessed that the people that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so far have truly given me a lot of wonderful feedback and I look forward to continuing to give back to my loving community.

While you offer yoga, you’re more than a yoga studio. How do you make decisions about what to include on the schedule?

I wanted to have the studio be an all-inclusive wellness and vibrational healing space. Along those lines, I didn’t have any pre-conceived notions of what should or shouldn’t be on the schedule. There are so many different wonderful wellness modalities that people discover every day.

I planted the seed and love nothing more than to see all the different branches present themselves and come to life. I chose to have it all manifest and co-exist here creating a space for everything from dance, cardio, meditation, yoga, sound bath, stretch, breathwork, workshops, painting and creating. Anything that can be a catalyst to help people get to their own place of clarity, I love to put it on the schedule.

I also want to expand people’s comfort with different things they’ve never tried before, help them find other things they wouldn’t typically do and provide a safe environment to experience it in. Someone may take a high-intensity cardio dance class and see the Sound Bath on the schedule and try it out. Or someone will come to one of our spiritual meditation workshops, then will come back and take a break from work in one of our stretch classes at lunch to loosen their body. Anything having to do with Mind-Body and Spirit seems to find itself into our studio and I love people walking in unexpectedly and educating us on something our community hasn’t experienced yet.

How do the use of crystals in the space and for healing integrate with the work at the studio?

I hand-picked all the crystals that adorn the various parts of the studio for their healing, cleansing, and protection properties. I’m a Reiki practitioner and crystal healer. And I spent many months creating an environment in our studio that makes people feel open, safe, and able to release any stuck energy in their mind, body, and spirit.

It is interesting to me how some people are drawn right to the crystals from the moment they step foot in the door and have shown an emotional connection, while others come in and take their class or workshop and tell us what an amazing vibe the studio has without mentioning the crystals. It appears the crystals provide just the right amount of the right energy for each person individually. Of course, I also use the crystals in my private healing sessions with clients along with breathwork, sound healing, and Reiki.

How did you choose the artist to work with to create the murals inside and outside the studio?

Brian Farrell was introduced to us by a mutual friend and we hit it off with him right away. His creativity spawns from a place of nature and the universe. He’s very in touch with space, reality and the universe, quantum physics, and different dimensions. Brian’s work blends all of that into human consciousness and brings it back to nature. He gave us an initial rendering and he nailed it. There’s so much meaning and different layers to his work.

Child of the Universe

He titled his outside mural “Child of the Universe.” It represents everyone, everything, and every being. “Child of the Universe” is reminiscent of the child in all of us and being one with every particle and infinite sea of the universe. It is so gratifying to see people briskly walking by on the sidewalk sucked into their phone, then they suddenly stop and the look on their face as they look at the mural and their imagination flows. The images gives them a sense of coming back to themselves for a few seconds before they go ahead. It is very special.

Be Yourself

Then his inside piece is titled “Be Yourself.” It embodies how a child innocently and joyously creates from their dreams and thoughts. This piece is painted next to the room that we have our kids’ classes while the parents are having a class in the main room. Even the parents stop to try to decipher Brian’s work and they get a kick out of it.

Mari Pavanelli

We were also fortunate enough for Brazilian artist Mari Pavanelli to do an inside mural in the main studio for a charity event we held to held to raise funds to give access to clean water around the world. Her inspiration as well comes from nature and us spreading our wings.

Learn More about Be Crystal Clear

Visit Be Crystal Clear in Santa Monica

Read about Dawn Sorenson’s visit to Be Crystal Clear in Santa Monica.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

http://www.blissnetwork.com

The post Sugar Panbehchi Shares her Inspiration for Be Crystal Clear appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Maty Ezraty photographed by James Wvinner

Maty Ezraty: Honoring a Teacher and Leader

How do you sum up a life? How do you put into words the amount of love so many felt for one woman? How do you convey the luminosity of a light that shone so brightly it radiated across the entire globe? Maty Ezraty was more than just a yoga teacher, she was our yoga mama. She helped birth the modern yoga scene as we know it and we are all better for it.

At the age of nineteen, Maty took her very first yoga class. She was studying ballet and had heard fellow ballerinas talking about it in the locker rooms. At the time, yoga was still a counterculture phenom, but she felt a calling. Maty found her way to Center for Yoga in Larchmont Village (now a YogaWorks). She enjoyed her first class, but it was the one she took the very next day that set her on a path that would touch so many.

On a Friday night, she took master teacher Chad Hamrin’s class. In her own words Maty said, “When I took (my first class) I knew I liked yoga, but when I took Chad Hamrin’s I knew I loved yoga.” After class, the studio announced they were hiring people to fill work-study positions. They needed someone to staff the front desk in exchange for yoga. She got the job.

Soon after attending these classes, Maty began teaching, in 1985, and was quickly promoted to director of Center for Yoga. This was also the year where she met one of her primary teachers and significant influences, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the codifier of the Ashtanga Yoga system. According to Maty’s bio, she was “one of a handful of women to complete some of the advanced sequences.” Other pivotal teachers in her early days were Dona Holleman and Gabriella Giubilaro. Later in life, Maty studied regularly at the Iyengar Institute in Pune with B.K.S. Iyengar’s daughter, Geeta.

Only two years after she began teaching, senior teacher Alan Finger presented Maty with the opportunity of a lifetime: To partner with him in opening a yoga studio in Santa Monica. YogaWorks opened its doors in 1987. It was a single room in what is still the Montana Avenue location. She was 22 1/2 years old.

Maty’s vision for YogaWorks was unlike any other yoga studio at the time. Maty always preferred to go her own way. She wanted to create a place that offered a variety of classes and levels. Maty was the backbone of the studio, running the schedule and managing the teachers. Just before YogaWorks opened its doors, Maty met her long-time partner Chuck Miller. In a few short years after opening, Maty bought out her other business partners and became sole owner, running the studio with Chuck for 17 years.

In the nearly two decades that Maty ran YogaWorks, many of the world’s most renowned teachers graced the mat spaces, including Annie Carpenter (founder of SmartFLOW yoga), Shiva Rea, Seane Corn (co-founder of Off the Mat and Into the World), Bryan Kest (founder of Power Yoga), and other noted teachers including Vinnie Marino and Kathryn Budig. The long list of names continues. Many of these teachers have gone on to found their own schools and styles of yoga, which is evidence of Maty’s influence on the modern yoga scene. One would be hard-pressed to find a teacher who has not studied with Maty or one of her proteges.

In 1992, Maty had another vision and joined forces with incredible Iyengar teacher Lisa Walford to develop the YogaWorks Teacher Training. Maty envisioned an approach to yoga that combined an Ashtanga-influenced style of vinyasa with the precise alignment cues of the Iyengar tradition. The YogaWorks method was born. Although the trainings have transformed over the years, Maty’s influence is still strongly felt. The YogaWorks teacher training is now taught in over 20 countries and boasts more than 15,000 alumni, all of whom are descendants of Maty, no matter how indirect.

In 2004, Maty sold Yogaworks. She then took her approach to practice on the road with teacher trainings, workshops, and occasional retreats. Maty was known for her effervescent energy, one-of-a-kind idioms, and silly jokes. She regularly garnered laughs, calling the occiput (the back of the skull) an octopus or yelling “Molto! Molto!” as she lovingly coaxed a student past their edge.

Maty was a strong believer in the importance of continued study. In recent years, she became interested in Vipassana meditation and the teachings of Insight Meditation society and Spirit Rock. In her trainings, Maty would often teach the same pose numerous times allowing students the opportunity to learn something new every time. And personally, the deepest savasanas I have experienced were in Maty’s classes.

Since leaving YogaWorks, Maty was vocal sharing her thoughts about the yoga world and its future. But, she always remained positive. In a conversation we had in 2014, Maty said, “I look at the yoga world and I wonder where it’s going. There seems to be so much emphasis on asana, but I think things are coming back. I’m feeling a wave…I’m feeling a return to something different. The community is getting older and things are changing. And I’m hopeful.“

Maty emphasized that the key to this positive change begins with the teachers. Her message to new and seasoned teachers alike is this, “Yoga is not a career path; it is a lifestyle. You have to live it.” This means continuing to be curious and always being students. Of course, learning will not be as much fun with our beloved teacher gone.

Maty passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 9, 2019 in one of the cities she loved most – Tokyo, Japan- doing what she loved most – teaching.

Maty, we will miss you, but you will always be with us on our mats and in our hearts.

Sarah Ezrin

Sarah Ezrin is a motivator, writer, yoga teacher, and teacher trainer. Her joie de vivre is infectious. For Sarah, yoga is beyond the postures it is a guide for living. Bringing a background of psychology and life coaching, she uses yoga to connect people to their brightest and most authentic Self. Based out of San Francisco where she lives with her husband and their dog, Sarah leads trainings, workshops, and retreats at home and across the globe. Her fun and popular classes are infused with humor and positivity. Sarah is changing the world, teaching self-love one person at a time. For more information on Sarah please visit her website or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

http://www.sarahezrinyoga.com

The post Tribute to Maty Ezraty and her Legacy in Modern Yoga appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Maty Ezraty teaching. Courtesy of Sarah Ezrin

When I decided to take the YogaWorks teacher training in 2008, I had no idea the lineage I was entering. My trainers spoke of their teacher Maty Ezraty with such reverence, I knew that I had stumbled into something special.

I started studying Ashtanga yoga every single day, every single week at 4pm in the west room of YogaWorks Montana. The same slot that Maty taught for 17 years before selling the company just four years prior to my arrival. As the youngest child in my family, I always felt like I missed out on the glory days. Like I was a few years too late. And I sometimes felt that way with YogaWorks.

But Maty’s energy was so pervasive, it was still palpable in the room. Students and teachers alike would share their Maty stories with me. Although it would be a little over a year before I finally met her, I felt like she was already a part of me.

It is of no coincidence that the first time I had the privilege to learn from Maty was the same year my Mum died. And it was then I started calling her my teacher. I was incredibly nervous to study with her. My Ashtanga teacher began to prepare me for her arrival. It seemed like everyone in the room stood a little taller and worked a little harder, knowing she was coming.
I was shaking the first day I arrived in Maty’s room.

Standing in samasthiti (tadasana) dutifully awaiting this larger-than-life figure. I had not seen many pictures other than the backbend image outside of the Montana studio as she was not one for showiness. In bounced this tiny woman with long brown braids and saucer blue eyes. Her pants were so long she had to tuck them over heels like stirrups. We locked eyes and she smiled. There was no big introduction. She put her juice down and went right over to a student already midway into their practice, yelling “More, more!” And I was startled by this booming voice that was bigger than the frame.

I worked harder in that room than I had in my entire life. Not because she pushed me into the deepest expression of poses, but rather because she pulled me way back and asked me to find the work in the preparation. She gave me permission to not have to do the fancy shapes, which it felt like the yoga culture was moving towards. Instead, she taught me the hard work in simply showing up with all of my heart.

I had the privilege to study with Maty for 10 years. Although Maty may no longer be with us physically, but she will always be with us in our practices and our teaching. There are so many people, colleagues, yoga teachers who honor Maty Ezraty here and in so many other ways.

Students, Colleagues, Friends, and Fellow Teachers Honor  Maty Ezraty

Annie Carpenter

I guess I thought she’d always be here. To chat about a yoga pose, to complain with about the state of yoga these days, to enjoy one of her amazing meals, to prepare a coffee for her hoping it was good enough for her discerning coffee standards! To talk about love and relationships. To go shopping —gosh could she shop! And even just to know she was out there holding the ground of “Good Yoga.”

How many of us were touched by her passions? Ignited by her intelligence and fierceness? Inspired by her discipline and rigor? Scared, even, by her insistence??

What I will hold in my heart forever, placed there by Missy Maty: It’s ALL about the practice. It’s NOT about the poses. Hold the practice in your heart of hearts. Don’t take it too seriously. Eat well! Work hard, but make time for Savasana. Observe everything: with a discerning, critical eye —and with love. Honor your teachers. Breathe. And so much more…

Today, I am so sad and wish I had one more visit with my dear friend. Let this be a wake up call for me and all of us—stay close! Make time for those you love. With a broken heart, I send you love. And a promise that I will work to help create a gathering in LA soonish so we can come together and honor this AMAZING woman.

––Annie Carpenter, dear friend.

Matzy Ezraty photo by James Brown

James Brown

Last night I dreamt that I got to see Maty again. She had returned from some kind of retirement or other similar post-teaching life.  She had dyed her hair blonde, which looked surprisingly good. I think this signified that she has shifted forms, something I’d not been able to accept until this dream.

I told her I needed to say something before she went away again. She gave me her full attention, looking deeply into my eyes, just as she had done so many times while she was alive. I said to her, “I love you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you how important the things you taught me have been to me.” Then I cried and she held my hands in hers, listening deeply and looking into my heart, as only she ever could.

I woke up from the dream feeling like I had just been with Maty. I don’t think her spirit visited me. But I also don’t think it’s ever left, nor that it ever will. I think that the part of her that is part of me was animated by my mind in sleep. The dream let me open my heart and pour out the words that I wish I’d said to Maty while she was alive.

Maty taught me, and so many other people, how to be fully alive. That’s a big part of why so many of us are not able to fathom this new reality. I finally got to say goodbye to her last night and I feel like I’m able to pick myself up now. To get back to teaching what she taught me, which is what she and I have always wanted.

Thank you, Maty— James Brown, longtime teaching assistant

Maryam Askari

Maty was my first yoga boss. She was my first yoga teacher. She was my first yoga friend. And then I was lucky enough to move on and keep her in my life as a tight connection. Maty’s dream was to spread yoga all over the planet, and she made that her lifelong goal – and she succeeded beyond! Now that she left us, she has left a piece of her heart all over the globe and her foot prints will guide the world of yoga forevermore.

—Maryam Askari, dear friend

Joan Hyman

Maty changed my life. She was a force. The moment I walked into her classroom 20 years ago, I knew deep inside I found a teacher. The first time I studied with her, her voice penetrated my being. Over the years, I continued to study and learn from her around the globe from India, Australia, New Zealand, and of course, Los Angeles.

Now I can hear her voice in my head as I move from pose to pose; she was a force that brought everything to the surface. When I teach, I feel her moving through me. Maty taught me how I could use my practice to keep my life on track and taught me how to teach yoga. She was an example of the dedication and devotion to the practice and the inner work. She made you walk the walk because she was the real deal. Much gratitude to this powerful woman who lived her most authentic life and influenced so many yogis worldwide. I love you Maty and may your spirit be FREE!

—Joan Hyman, longtime student

Dawn Stillo

I had the great good fortune to assist Maty for the past four years. I owe her the hugest debt of gratitude; all my yoga accomplishments are due to her. I got to know her on a personal side too. Maty was extremely concerned with the future of yoga. Especially the ill-prepared teachers, and Instagram stars, reminding me that yoga has become the #1 most injurious practice there is.

She would remind us yoga is humble, it’s about going in. She lived in Hawaii, she said she could have taken plenty of pictures doing yoga on the beach, but that’s not a true representation of life. If you post, do something inspiring, like a good book you read. You don’t necessarily have to learn yoga from the flashy popular teachers, sometimes the person who practices so sincerely is the one to learn from, you’ll know, you can feel they care.

I miss her with my whole being, I was very much looking forward to assisting her again in Santa Monica this December.

—Dawn Stillo, teaching assistant

Sarah Ezrin

Sarah Ezrin is a motivator, writer, yoga teacher, and teacher trainer. Her joie de vivre is infectious. For Sarah, yoga is beyond the postures it is a guide for living. Bringing a background of psychology and life coaching, she uses yoga to connect people to their brightest and most authentic Self. Based out of San Francisco where she lives with her husband and their dog, Sarah leads trainings, workshops, and retreats at home and across the globe. Her fun and popular classes are infused with humor and positivity. Sarah is changing the world, teaching self-love one person at a time. For more information on Sarah please visit her website or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

http://www.sarahezrinyoga.com

The post Teachers Honor Maty Ezraty, YogaWorks CoFounder appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Maty Ezraty Teaching by James Brown

Maty Ezraty, Guardian Angel of Yoga

Maty Ezraty was a treasure and an angel too soon departed. For those of us fortunate enough to have walked the path of yoga alongside her. we perhaps we can say that she communed with us and perceived the deepest aspiration in each of us and connected with that. What is the difference between communion and connection? When we take the religious connotation out of communion, it means union with something. Maty insisted on integrity in practice, honesty and joy in friendship, and truth before power. If Yoga is Union, then Maty was a guardian angel.

In the early years of YogaWorks, Maty would invite all teachers and core students to her home for pot luck dinners. We shared our macro-vegi recipes, broke bread together, and revealed our dreams. At the time, the YogaWorks schedule featured many diverse styles of yoga, each buoyed up by talented and charismatic teachers. After a few years, Maty’s vision of a studio built around core values and with a common focus invited her to make some changes. Serendipitously, Sacred Movement (later Exhale/Center for Sacred Movement) opened and a few teachers shifted their focus to the Venice studio.

By the late nineties, YogaWorks featured a cohesive community of teachers who studied and grew together. Maty invited world-class instructors for workshops, teacher trainings, and intensives. Gary Krafstow, Patricia Walden, Dona Holleman, Aadil Paklivala, Richard Freeman, Tim Miller, and Ramanand Patel, among others, graced the studio to stimulate a rich dialogue for students and teachers alike.

Maty loved to cook. Visiting teachers loved being hosted by her and her potlucks were notorious. Just as food nourishes the body, honest, supportive and heartfelt feedback nourishes the soul. Maty knew how to nurture and nourish, connect and commune with her students.

Maty Ezraty Teaching. Photo by James Brown

Maty Ezraty and Teacher Training

Maty and I first taught what is now considered the YogaWorks teacher training in 1996. It was with the deepest respect and curiosity for one another’s practice and inner quest that we agreed to work together. One of Maty’s favorite parts of the training was when we would introduce the “points.” We did not hand out a book with a list of technical details. We would observe different bodies in space. Maty would ask students what they saw, where was there a distortion in energy, where was the pose dead or hard, slack or shaky. She cultivated the ability to see rather than memorize.

Years later, after Maty had left YogaWorks and agreed to guest teach a training, she looked at the updated student manual. We, the content coordinators, had created textbooks with many technical details, variations, use of props, and more. Maty insisted on using the original blank outlines of poses so that she could train her students to observe what was before them rather than impose a set of ideals. She insisted we connect with what was in front of us, and see the student.

Leadership: A Yogi in the House

In the later part of her life, she frequently spoke about the commercialization of yoga. For her, yoga was a path of self-realization. Maty was featured and on the cover of a 2018 leadership issue of Yoga Journal wherein she said, “Every yoga school or studio needs to have a yogi in the house—someone with the courage to keep to a yoga vision. I think this takes someone who lives their yoga and will say, “Yes, this could make money, but no, it isn’t yoga.” I fear that’s not happening now.”

Maty’s Passion Lives On

I could not speak with anyone except my husband for three days after Maty died. Even now, weeks later, I find that my throat swells and my heart quickens. I had not seen Maty in over a year, yet I knew that her wingspan and her eagle eye were somewhere preserving the integrity of yoga.

Maty Ezraty loved and lived by her own crazy wisdom, Maty laughed with us, Maty served each and every student, Maty was honest and out spoken. Maty was signature Maty. Her passion now lives within each of us as integrity, selfless service and love.

Lisa Walford

Lisa Walford holds an Intermediate Senior II Iyengar teaching certificate and has been teaching in LA since 1982. She serves on the board of the nonprofit Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics. Along with Maty Ezraty, Lisa helped develop the Teacher Training Program at YogaWorks: walford.com

http://www.walford.com

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Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft and the Golden State Warriors

While many of us may track the progress of the Golden State Warriors on the court, Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft also tracks the players’ process on the yoga mat. Dana teaches yoga to members of the Golden State Warriors. She moved out to California from New York to work with the team in the Summer of 2015. Dana got the gig because the was recommended by colleagues. In the hiring process, she dug in and studied the team roster to make suggestions for practices that addressed each player individually and as a group.

Dana currently lives, teaches, and leads yoga teacher training programs in Los Angeles. In addition, she travels to the Warriors home of Oakland (depending on the team’s schedule) throughout the Summer, Fall, and Winter. Dana is one of the few women in the training facility. She combines her background in education with an intensive study of anatomy and a willingness to meet the players on their own court. Dana was a high school teacher before she made the full-time commitment to yoga.

After all, training elite athletes gives new meaning to thinking outside the box—well, the mat. Dana frequently reaches into her own playbook to modify poses since the basketball players are taller than the average yogi and many of them may be sporting injuries.

Read LA YOGA’s interview with Dana Kraft where she talks about her inspiration as a teacher here. 

Athletes and Yoga with Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft

Some of the players were a bit shy about taking up the practice, while others were eager to roll out a mat. Yet Dana comments on the fantastic growth in the players’ practice. In sessions, she develops something specific for each student. “It’s not just vinyasa or power flow,” she says. When she was working with a player with an ankle injury, she led a sequence completely on the floor. Dana frequently incorporates creative sequencing and that relies on props such as Yoga Tune Up balls.

Dana Kraft training Golden State Warriors Player Festus Ezeli

Training the Warriors has Affected Dana’s Practice.

Yoga teacher Dana Kraft says she has experienced a level of humility working with elite athletes. She comments on the physical and workout demands of their job is to work out. They also deal with the pressure of constantly moving from trainer to coach to court. In addition, pro athletes are constantly being watched, scouted, or even traded.

Dana notes her students’ ability to have the heightened awareness and physical proprioception needed to compete at that level and to be an advanced practitioner of yoga. As a result, she says, “The ability to have awareness and proprioception has become my advanced practice.”

For more information about Dana Kraft, visit www.danakraftyoga.com

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Yoga Teacher Dana Kraft helps train the Golden State Warriors appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

“TKV Desikachar gave his life to making yoga understandable to the western mind transmitting the Great Tradition as it was brought forth by his father T Krishnamacharya,” said longtime student Mark Whitwell.

On August 8, in Chennai, India, TKV Desikachar died at the age of 78, at the end of a long illness. Desikachar was a lifelong student of his father, T Krishnamacharya, the notable 20th century yoga pioneer whose other famous students included well-known yogis and yoginis BKS Iyengar, Sri Pattabhi Jois, Indra Devi, and Srivasta Ramaswami.

While Desikachar was trained as an engineer, he began studying with his father because he was impressed by Krishnamacharya’s ability to apply the therapeutic principles to the practice with students. He began teaching at a time when (as he said) the practice of yoga didn’t have the respect it enjoys today. Desikachar’s dedication to all of the aspects of yoga (from asana to philosophy to chanting) may well have influenced the respect that yoga does enjoy today.

According to writer and student Navtej Johar in a tribute in the The Hindu, “Desikachar’s yoga approach was unique in that it remained undogmatic, non-denominational, secular, fluid and open-minded and enquiring to the core.” In the time of the fragmentation that is one of the characteristics of modern yoga, Johar says that Desikachar “clearly saw branding or even standardisation of style as antithetical to yoga, the very nature of which was fluid in his view.”

From Left to Right, TKV Desikachar, T Krishnamacharya, Indra Devi

When the announcement was made of his passing, yoga students from around the world sent their prayers and condolences to his family as well as their gratitude and appreciation for his presence, his teachings and his legacy. Desikachar’s approach to yoga, as well as his very presence touched both those he met as well as those who knew him through this students, his books, or the ripple effect of his influence.

It is an influence with a powerful and lasting effect. As his student Richard Miller said, “I am deeply grateful for the many years I knew and studied with Desikachar. Like the many he touched during his lifetime, his presence, wisdom, and love will live on in my heart and through my teachings and actions in the world.”

Desikachar’s student Larry Payne said, “When someone you love and respect passes on you are left with a deep ache in your heart and filled with a rush of emotions and precious memories.
I first heard the news about Sri TKV Desikachar when I was at a Yoga graduation at LMU and everyone around me was in tears. On the way home, I thought about how fortunate I was to have know this man personally and studied with him one on one in India many times and followed him all over the world. Once Desikachar accepted you as a student he was totally there for you in all aspects of your life. I have tried to emulate that with my students and have been rewarded for this in many ways.”

Student Amy Wheeler first saw Desikachar in India in 2001; she said that her first impression of him was of his palpable lightness. “Within days of studying his teachings, I felt that sense of lightness also. He was able to transmit the feeling of sattva [peaceful clarity] across the room.”

I met TKV Desikachar in person in 2001. It was at the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park, only weeks after 9/11. I could see what Amy spoke about; while watching him lecture, chant, and teach, and in meeting him in person—his composure, his sattvic nature, his brightness and lightness—were indeed palpable. He embodied the qualities of yoga as a teacher and as a human.

His legacy lives on, through his students, and in his own words. In Desikachar’s influential book, The Heart of Yoga, he provides us this teaching on yoga, “Yoga attempts to create a state in which we are always present—really present—in every action, in every moment.”

One of our greatest tributes, in addition to gratitude, may be to fully live this sense of presence in every action and in every moment. We echo the words of thanks of yoga students worldwide.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Tribute to TKV Desikachar appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

A group of TKV Desikachar’s students gather around him.

Yoga pioneer TKV Desikachar died Monday August 8 in Chennai, India. He was 78 years old. May his family find peace in his passing.

His wife Menaka Desikachar has been a gracious tower of strength, nurturing her family and ailing husband while strenuously upholding the continuity of teaching for the community of his students.

Desikachar devoted his life to studying and teaching the practice of Yoga that his father, Professor T Krishnamacharya, had brought forth from the Great Tradition. Krishnamacharya was a renowned scholar and yogi in India. From my point of view, we would not have had the same access or ability to understand his teaching in a modern context without the clear and precise interpretation from Desikachar.

At the tender age of 27, Desikachar witnessed a western woman ran across the font yard to hug Krishnamacharya with an unusual (for India) public display of profuse gratitude, because Krishnamacharya had healed her of a debilitating illness. To see a woman embrace an austere Brahman man in public was indeed a rare sight in India. That day Desikachar gave up a bright and promising engineering career with a German company because he had witnessed the power and importance of his father’s work.

Many years later Desikachar visited this same elderly lady, Kay Malvenan at her home in Wellington, New Zealand to thank her for inspiring him to yoke to his father’s teaching. It was an auspicious meeting between dear friends.

The hallmark of Desikachar’s communication is that there is a right yoga for every person. Yoga is adapted carefully to individual needs according to body type, age, health and, also importantly, cultural background. When this is done, yoga facilitates direct intimacy with life and reality itself—the power of this cosmos that brought us here in the first place and presently nurtures us as pure intelligence and utter beauty.

“Anyone who can breathe can do yoga,” said Desikachar. “It is the practical means by which the ideals of an inspired life can be actualized.”

Because of Desikachar’s brilliance yoga is perfectly adapted to every kind of student. His engineering science allowed him to he refine the ancient teaching tenant that yoga must be made relevant to every student. Desikachar attributed his ability to understand his western students to the influence of the two Krishnamurtis,  J and UG, who were his close family friends. Desikachar said of Jiddu Krishnamurti (who studied diligently with him), “his profound respect for the teaching and the teaching relationship helped me become a good student of my own father. He also helped me understand everything about the West. He helped me eat with a knife and fork!” These were important collaborations between sincere  friends that will forever give the world a clear view of yoga, unhinged from yoga business, power structures, and exaggeration.

Like his father, Desikachar was a humble man committed to the accurate delivery of the Great Tradition without the empire building that can cloud the picture in yoga and spirituality. Krishnamacharya was a Yoga master abut never a yoga entrepreneur. In 1998 Desikachar even dissolved the name Vini Yoga that was forming around his teaching. He did not want his father’s scholarship to be identified as just another style. Desikachar was determined to communicate that in yoga is not, ”one size fits all.” The one brand of relevant yoga for him is that of capital Y, Yoga, which is adapted to the needs of every person.

When the principles of the Great Tradition are added to the popular styles it makes yoga entirely your own, efficient, powerful, and safe. Desikachar had a unique ability to truly respect all people and have each person actually feel seen—which is another ancient tenant of yoga teaching. He allowed each person to feel the truth or the answers to their questions to come bubbling forth as their own experience and revelation, rather than confusing students with ideas and ideals that are not relevant or out of their reach.

In the early 1990s, I was involved in a book project for Desikachar with the intention to increase the availability of his father’s teaching around the world. I was calling the book The Art of Yoga. One day while walking on  Adyar Beach, Desikachar suddenly declared, “The Heart of Yoga is the correct title!”

Desikachar later explained that the heart of yoga is the relationship between student and teacher. The mutual affection between two actual people is the universal means of wisdom transmission. No more than a friend, no less than a friend. Desikachar wanted to spread throughout the world with the understanding that the best teacher is often someone from your own culture because he or she understands you the best.

When I showed him The Heart of Yoga in 1995, I observed quiet tears. He said, “I wish my father had seen this book. He did not see the worldwide effect of his work in his lifetime. But now he does.” The Heart of Yoga is Desikachar’s gift; it includes his father’s commentary on the Yogasutra of Patanjali, the ancient text that defines yoga. The Heart of Yoga has been translated into many languages and has become a source text for yoga today. His life lives on. Desikachar is a treasure forever.

Mark Whitwell

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