What Yoga Means to Me

I started doing Hatha yoga when I was a child with my mother - around 3 or 4 years old.  Then I did yoga daily at Chinmaya Mission in Maryland from the ages of 7 to 12.  It was very life changing for me - I was very flexible, and I loved meditating about Shiva - I could see his blue throat very clearly through my third eye.

I've always loved the body - mind - spirit connections that yoga builds.  Yoga is also not just about gyan (knowledge), but about bhakti (faith) and karma and dharma - or doing good works because they are your duty.  This devotion to a yogic lifestyle is why I decided to become a public interest international environmental lawyer.

I recently got back into yoga after only doing it sporadically during my college, law school, and NYC days.  I have tried Vinyasa Flow, Hot Yin, Bikram, and many other styles that incorporate different elements.  I’ve also been lucky enough to find a singing teacher who practices reiki and guided mediation.

The amazing thing about the throat chakra is that you really have to open your lower chakras first to access it.  I gained so much confidence from this latest yoga retreat in Colombia, South America organized by awesome teachers Loren and Bea from Yoga Works in LA.  We did a lot of kirtan, chanting and singing to mother Earth in English, Spanish, and Sanskrit!  The gorgeous voices of the faithful practitioners were so beautiful.

Yesterday I went back to the ballroom studio, Stepping Out in Manhattan, to work with Nikolai Shpakov on International Latin dancing - Rumba and Samba in particular.  I felt much more grounded, flexible, and lean and toned.  I love how yoga and dance go together!