1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you? My journey with yoga began when I was 19. I fell in love right away with the physical practice because I had danced throughout high school and practicing Vinyasa flow felt just like dancing to me. I signed up for a 200 hour teacher training and soon discovered that there was so much more to yoga than just asana. In the years since I started teaching, yoga has opened up so many opportunities and connected me to many amazing communities and beautiful like-minded people. It’s taught me that I’m stronger and capable of so much more than I thought I was.

2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position? I started teaching yoga only a year after I began practicing. I’ve always been a pretty shy person, and I think becoming a teacher was exactly what I needed to start building confidence in myself. Now, I love being a guide and an inspiration for other yogis to deepen their practice.

3. What makes your classes unique? I like to teach pretty strong Vinyasa classes, but I also like to emphasize the breath and moving through transitions gracefully. I keep my sequences fun and creative, and offer lots of opportunities to get upside down!

4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class? Music is super important to me when I teach. I make new playlists every week because when the music feels fresh and inspiring to me, I know that my teachings will also feel more fresh and inspiring to my students.

5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online.: I’m teaching a backbend workshop on August 27th and an inversion workshop on September 24th at OH Yoga in Orange. These workshops are meant for students who want to build more confidence with intermediate or advanced postures so they can prepare for level 2 classes. You can learn more about my classes and workshops at my website: www.yogawithalisha.com

Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview?  Fill out your unique responses here.

1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you?: I first casually encountered Iyengar yoga while attending college at UCSD. With my background in dance and gymnastics, yoga seemed like an engaging form of exercise and an opportunity to maintain my flexibility. Over the years, as I cultivated my practice and studied extensively with several inspirational teachers, I discovered that a consistent yoga practice holds so much more than just physical benefits. During my prenatal classes and the labor and delivery of my twins, I truly experienced the benefits of pranayama and the mental awareness that yoga offers. It was at this point that yoga took on a more significant meaning and became the foundation for my daily life. My yoga practice supports me in discovering my presence, balance, clarity, and authentic meaning in all areas of my life. Yoga gently guides me back to the present moment and helps me to maintain awareness and appreciation of the here and now.

2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?: When I took my first Intensive Yoga training, it wasn’t with the intention to start teaching yoga, it was simply to explore my own practice. In 2014, I began teaching yoga to the elementary school teachers at my own school site. I offered a free weekly after-school session to help my colleagues decompress and reset after a long day engaging with students. In 2015, with the support and encouragement of Lauren Duke, I was given a weekly recurring time slot at Yoga + Bergamot. Having over 20 years of public school teaching experience, and being a teacher at heart, the journey into the leadership role of a yoga teacher, seemed a very natural path to follow. For me, teaching the practice allows everything to seamlessly connect, come full circle, and take on a more significant meaning. When I am creating my lessons, delivering the philosophy, and cuing alignment, it in turn, helps me to fine tune my own understanding of the art of yoga, ultimately holding me authentically accountable to practice what I preach.

3. What makes your classes unique? : I love to create and teach thematic classes! The readings, quotes, music, and sequences that I pull together always come back to a common theme. The more in tune I am with my students and the universe, the more applicable my classes are to their current needs. It is important to me to create a warm, nurturing, and supportive environment in my classes. I am careful to provide clear and concise instruction and offer appropriate modifications to make yoga accessible to practitioners of all ages and levels of ability. I always interweave bits of yogic philosophy and stories to try to make the lessons applicable to daily life, since I believe that the true essence of yoga is being able to absorb the practice and take the lessons off the mat. If people are taking the precious time to come to my class, I want to provide a well rounded experience for my students, worthy of their time. For me, teaching yoga is an intensely creative artistic endeavor.

4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?: Music sets the tone of every human experience and can move the listener in so many profound ways. I enjoy spending of time creating my playlists and using music to enhance my asana sequences. I carefully sequence my selected songs together to provide a combination of meditative, energetic, and uplifting music at the necessary points in each class. Teaching a class with live music is even more inspirational! Over the past year, I have been lucky enough to collaborate with a few different musicians, the inspiring DTO included, to create a unique, one of a kind, experience for my students.

5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online.: My next event is a collaboration of Yoga, Meditation, & Music, entitled “Embrace Change & Celebrate New Beginnings” I will be joining forces with Alexandria Romero and DTO to provide an evening of mindful movement, insightful meditation, and inspirational music. For more information and to register, please visit http://alexandriaromero.com/workshops-classes/

I teach every Sunday 4:15pm at Gather Encinitas and a weekly pop-up sunset beach yoga class, typically Wednesday evenings and hour before sunset at South Ponto. Follow me on Instagram @yoga.karenwiggins for the most current offerings or Facebook Karen Gallon Wiggins.

Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview?  Fill out your unique responses here.

1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you? Yoga is no longer something I do…it is what I am. I started this journey back in the early 90’s when it wasn’t so cool and popular. In some ways I feel like it saved me from myself. I was ambitious and young and very busy. Back then I was big into the fitness scene and owned a gym with my husband. Yoga was something we offered and something I enjoyed “doing”. When the teacher I hired decided to move to California to study I stepped in to teach. Funny, that I actually thought I knew enough from my fitness, anatomy, dance and group exercise background that I could teach. But, little did I know that there was a whole new world that would open up for me once I began to study and prepare my classes. Now almost 25 years later I am all yoga all the time and have dedicated my life to the study and practice. Teaching and sharing are my greatest pleasure and I am on a mission to make yoga accessible to all.

2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position? I started teaching classes in 1995. Around the 10 year mark I began to feel like I had organically created a consistent presence and leadership role within my community. My students started to feel inspired and wanted to learn more so I pushed myself to step into the role of teaching and training and began my school in 2009. I have been training, mentoring and offering CEU’s ever since. The foundation of leadership for me is in living my yoga everyday on and off the mat.

3. What makes your classes unique? I teach two styles of yoga in order to meet my students exactly where they are. Some days are vigorous vinyasa, and others a long, slow & deep practice of yin yoga. It is in practicing and sharing both the yin and the yang of yoga that we find the balance we need to navigate this beautiful life. My style is organic and focused on being present. I have been known to get deep and serious just as often as I may make a joke and break through the tension that can build in the room. My gift is to be able to read the room and serve from a place that is not about me but about finding what the students need in the moment. Holding this space for transformation is truly an honor for which I am grateful.

4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class? I have always been deeply affected and touched by music. It helps to create the mood in the room, so I am very careful in selecting what I play in class. If I can be moved by the music then so can my students. In the past five years I have been inviting musicians to play live for my classes and events. Yoga, like music is an expression of the soul. The musicians are creating something from deep within which can be transformative during the yoga practice. If I can connect with the musician before the class and we are on the same page then the experience we can create together for the students is MAGIC!

5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online. What’s coming up for me is a 7 day Retreat and Training for Teachers in Costa Rica. Come with me Dec 8th-15th to get inspired about your yoga, deepen your practice and gain some tools that you can bring back and share with your students. You will be immersed in studies, daily yoga practice and meditation. This experience is designed for teachers that want to take care of themselves, avoid burnout, revitalize their practice and continue to study and learn. It is an incredible opportunity to connect with other teachers, be in nature and especially to be in community. 50 Hours of CEU’s will be earned for Yoga Alliance. You can get the details on my website yogajourney.com or contact bri@yogajourney to register.

Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview?  Fill out your unique responses here.

1. Tell me about your background as a school teacher and painter.

I was a special education school teacher for 12 1/2 years. For 10 years I taught kids with severe emotional impairment and for 2 1/2 years I taught kids with high functioning autism. I enjoyed my time as a teacher and love kids. I am especially proud of the fact that I created a holistic approach to teaching children going back as early as 2005. I taught the kids yoga daily and my classroom included aroma therapy, natural elements (water fountain, rocks, plants), color therapy, natural lighting, mantra music and much more. In 2007 I was honored as my school district’s teacher of the year.

2. When did you begin meditating and guiding others?

I began meditating in 2005 when I became a yoga instructor. since then I have been meditating daily, most days twice a day. I have learned and practiced many different forms of meditation from guided visualizations to Vipassana meditation. However, for 9 years now I have been practicing Heart Based Meditation which I feel has had the most significant and efficient impact on my life. I was a yoga teacher from 2005-2011 and during that time became an Ayurvedic practitioner. Since 2011 I’ve had a Ayurvedic wellness business that focuses on emotional wellness and spiritual healing. It was in 2011 that I began teaching people meditation on a regular basis.

3. How does meditation assist your artistic expression?

The key to my painting and poetry is keeping my vibe as high as possible. This includes daily yoga and meditation along with eating healthy, being in gratitude, and practicing a high-vibe lifestyle routine. This way of living is truly the gasoline for my artistic expression. When in the process of painting I often times just sit with the canvas, close my eyes and open up to my intuition. It is then that I begin to see the colors, shapes and designs and I start painting. Once the painting is complete I meditate alongside the painting and allow the poetry to flow through onto paper.

4. How does music play a role in your creative process?

Music plays a huge role in my creative process. Our bodies are basically fast moving sound wave particles playing a beautiful tune together which in turn creates the form and workings of our body! So listening to uplifting music before and during the painting process can be helpful to keep my internal song flowing as high as possible. At times, when painting and listening to music I actually find myself dancing and flowing my body along with the music. On days when my energy is low music can help create that high vibe and fun space to create in. Recently, I’ve enjoyed listening to Nameless Energy by DTO as a way of energetic inspiration.

5.  Where can we find you online and when is your next event?

DavidLesinski.com

Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview?  Fill out your unique responses here.

1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you? Yoga has laid the foundation for me to flourish. I see it as the structure, discipline, supportive masculine energy that allows my feminine, free-flowing spirit to dance and create. It has gifted me the clear perspective to embody and embrace the emergence of realizing my totality. The teachings and wisdom of yoga offer graceful integration of my human and spiritual self. I have the ability to cope with life’s challenges, as well as understand nature’s cycles. My joy and indescribable feeling of gratitude is rooted in yoga, which has most significantly guided me to a true sense of self. This intimate and loving relationship that I continue to cultivate is infinite, forever inspiring, and the motivation I begin each day with.

2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position? Yoga resonated deeply since the moment I began practicing. It was complete soul recognition, a natural feeling, and a sense of home. When you love something you want to share it and thankfully I had the courage and opportunity to do just that. Every time I teach there is a new feeling of exhilaration, which keeps me coming back for more. It is a wonderful and fulfilling privilege to share the sacred teachings and wisdom of the yoga lineage.

3. What makes your classes unique? For me it is about keeping it real. I encourage students to be honest with themselves, notice EVERYTHING! Awareness is liberation. When we tune in to our emotions and the sensations in our bodies, offering our breath into the space of tension, and simply allow ourselves to have the experience without judgement, we learn to acknowledge our true essence, a state of Being. I am all about embracing our vulnerabilities, shadow self, and giving attention to these “darker” aspects.
I often tell stories of my recent realizations because I only feel confident to speak from my experience- this is what I know to be true. No longer do I seek to be “enlightened,” practicing yoga has no guarantees. What I do strive for is authentic creative expression and to be in total alignment with my integrity. My intention is for all people who attend my class leave INSPIRED and EMPOWERED. Together we create the sacred space for profound heart-centered transformation. We heal ourselves and Mama Gaia.

4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class? Music is a sacred tool. The resonance, vibrations, and frequencies have extraordinary potential to heal. Music in my class facilitates the movement of energy; it provides a cohesive experience for everyone participating. Sound creates new pathways that we may otherwise not access. In the practice of Kundalini Yoga we chant mantra to invoke that which we are calling forth. Music has the ability to transcend and release inhibitions- we give the body freedom to move and the mind softens. Music is truly a magical phenomena.

5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online. “Women’s Circle: the Art of Being a Woman” will be held at the end of July (date tbd). This sacred space offers women an opportunity to tap into their Infinite Creativity and offer their experience to the web of divine sisterhood.

In addition, I teach a weekly Kundalini Yoga class Tuesday mornings, which always offers a fun and fresh perspective. A schedule and more detailed information can be found at www.ashleysunyoga.com.

Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview?
Fill out your unique responses here.