Enjoying the Today

My today's mantra: Keep being challenged, but stay grounded and true to yourself, on and off the mat.

Recent YJ article on perfecting asanas (poses) and discovering your new body after the birth made me feel a bit dualistic... hmmm!

It sounds not very promising for me when I start thinking and imagining myself having a postnatal break of getting joy and happiness from a regular teaching and practicing Yoga.... But I do realize that instead, I'm receiving the biggest joy in my life, a new arrival of a precious little one ... very soon.

So, as a closing line, it's really hard for the mind, but I'm trying to stay grounded, conscious and thankful of the present moment and expect nothing from the near future. Just enjoy fully what you are doing and having right now!

Peace & Love to All,
-LK-

Remember an old-school rolling tongue?

It's 97F/36C in DC today! Stay at least hydrated and cool... trying Sitali pranayam.

It's really fun, try doing it with kids/or a partner. Just imagine a spagetti in your mouth... and breath in ;-) Stay cool!

From Core work to Firefly

She is my inspiration - her strength and flexibility rocks!

Ready to come closer to Tittibhasana (Firefly Pose)? Benefits of the firefly pose are inner groins and back torso stretch;  arms and wrists strength and belly toning. But without the intensive core work (which I love to teach in my classes) we will be far from the goal...

Love you body, mind and yoga and enjoy a beautiful flexible and strong body in the demonstration below.

Sneak Peek for tonight's Candlelight Yoga

I'm so excited about the Candlelight Yoga Event tonight! Check my favorite song from a 90-minute playlist for sneak peek! Her style is defined as jazz, rock, pop and psychedelia. So you choose what is closer to you... Enjoy the music and see you tonight!

Live in This Moment

Yoga means union with the authentic, with the real… Our experience of life as thinking beings is from a past and towards a future, ignoring the present. We live from the yesterday and towards the tomorrow, from what no longer exists, towards what does not yet exist. But we lose the now. We live from that stale world of the known, towards a world of hopes, expectations, fantasies, dreams and illusions, which draws us into an interminable search for aims and results.

Candlelight Yoga on the Roof

Can't wait for the next Sunday, May' 20th!

We will start at 8:30. Sunset is perfectly on time, at 8:18pm; temperature is 81°/ 64°! Candles are just ordered! A special music compilation and smoothing yoga sequence write-up is in my plan for the week! Oh, and treats... will be a secret surprise to my guests ;-)

The event is open to friends and family members of 425 Mass residents only. Pre-booking on the reservation site is a must, is free and donations are welcome. Contribution will go to YoKid nonprofit  that helps to bring the benefits of yoga and meditation to under-served children in DC-MD-VA.

3 minute Office Yoga

Start or finish your busy working day with a 3-minute office (i.e chair) yoga, showed by the celebrity yoga instructor Kristin McGee at CBS News. Enjoy the twists and hip openers! ;-)

And for a 60 min journey see you on the Rooftop soon.

Your,
Liana

Specials for Yoga on the Roof

After ten (10) years of working in marketing for large int'l corporations, I couldn't stop my heart and brains from offering Specials and Events (see the image below) to my regular and new yoga students in 425 Mass. I love teaching and want to share the yoga practice and its powerful vehicle of 'body - mind - spirit' transformation with others.

So, my friends, if you consider joining the 'Yoga on the Roof" club, you can find the schedule here.

Specials 

the movie 'Yoga Planet', Canada (2011)

I watched the 'Yoga Planet' movie yesterday at Goethe Institute, Washington DC.
The movie was screened to public within the FilmFest DC' 2012 - international independent film festival. Being a volunteer for the DC FilmFest this year, I am absolutely grateful for the opportunity to meet the Director, Carlos Ferrand after watching the movie. He shared with attentive audience about his trips to India, teachers and gurus he met there. He said that it took him four (4) years to shoot the film and seven (7) months on production, and that he had never been involved seriously in yoga before, and now has been practicing yoga for the last two years.

There are much to say about the documentary... but the key point for me was real!zation. Realization of the fact that the film is a powerful and inspiring tool for me and my heart, telling me that I AM on the proper path in my life: healing myself and outreaching yoga to others.

Also, I included Rishikesh, India into my travel wish-list. I learnt that you can drink splendid ayurvedic tea there (;-), besides that it's a very 'new age' spot and the world yoga capital of today...

Enjoy few clips from the movie below (and practice your French too ;-):

Easter Roll in the White House Garden

I really appreciate how the first lady supports and promotes the healthy lifestyle and fitness to kids.
Happy Ester to all!

Protect your root. Your pelvic floor

Theme of today's class was dedicated to pelvic floor protection. I was inspired to create a special sequence with lots core work and root alignment cues after reading a great article of Leslie Howard. She is talking about promoting health of the pelvic floor and how it is connected to a sense of self security...

'I prefer to approach my work from the view point that we all need to develop a healthy loving relationship with ourselves and the pelvis is a good place to start! If you heal your pelvis, without a doubt, you will have a more secure place in the world and be more grounded.' [LH]

Read full article: here 

Rooftop Class. Mosquitoes. Unconditional Love

Theme of today's Yoga on the Roof class is legs-legs-legs. Summer is ahead, right?

• 3-legged downdog, chair, standing splits, warrior III, eagle poses, goddess, etc. -> toning of upper and low leg muscles and opening tight hips. 
• And our closure is about the Universal Love....

Universal love means to see the same Self in everything. Unlimited, unconditional love is universal. If you have universal love, there is not even a single thing you dislike. You love everything, even the mosquitoes that bite you. You don't dislike them; you simply say, "Well, mosquito, that is the purpose for which you were created. You are doing your job in biting me. I am doing my job and saying, `Please get out."' You don't stop loving the mosquito. But loving the mosquito doesn't mean allowing it to bite you. Often people think, "Because I love that mosquito, I can not chase it away." That's not so. You can love the poison, but you don't have to swallow it. Om. by Sri Swami Satchidananda ©

Yoga on the Rooftop

1. A survey - defining demand for yoga classes on the rooftop, preferred schedule and level of students - is sent out. 
2. Roof top ad poster is done.
3. Next steps, by Fri. Mar. 23rd: To analyse survey results, print posters and distribute it with RSVP mails to students.
4. Official start: Mon. Mar, 26th.

To see online schedule and rsvp your spot on the Roof click here:

8 min. of full radiant Flow by Janet Stone

Beautiful and powerful sequence by Janet Stone, launching her powerful Svadharma Immersion in YogaTree @ Castro, SF ($375, 10 days, 20 hrs. Mar, 16 - 26).

Enjoy practicing it,
-LK-

YoKid Challenge

I spent a great-sunny Sunday on March 4th, 2012 working with YoKid ...Stretch your limits.
We practiced yoga, specifically challenged kids, their parents and friends with 108 Sun Salutation! Then everyone was awarded with healthy eating presentation by Cathy Burke that followed with juicy coconut water, fresh fruits & snacks.

I sincerely encourage those who do not have kids running around in house (like I do 'as for now') to find the TIME and dedicate it to little ones! You will get SO SO MUCH back... It may sound a bit simple, but really, kids (even when they scream loudly and do not behave well:-), they energize you for weeks and bring youth - joy - easiness to your mind! Just give it a try and see how it feels :)


P.S. May be these ecstatic feelings only happen when you spend only once or twice a week with kids...I don't know, but, as for now I just enjoy the moment!

Love,
-LK-

Tonight! Free Teleclass - Deepening Your Home Practice

Judith Hanson Lasater's special holiday offering of a free teleclass on Deepening and Enriching Your Home Yoga Practice.

Click here to listen the class online

Date: Tuesday, December 13
Time: 8:30 pm (Eastern) / 5:30 pm (Pacific)