Gentle Heart Yoga

I am an IAYT certified yoga therapist and offer private yoga therapy sessions, virtually and in person. If you'd like to learn more about yoga therapy and how it might help you message me and we can set up a call.

*Who are yoga therapists?* Although all yoga may be healing, IAYT-certified yoga therapists specifically apply yoga tools to address an individual‘s physical, mental, and emotional needs.

Read our latest blog post to learn how yoga therapy includes all of the practices of yoga to support the whole person—not just the physical body! https://yogatherapy.health/2024/07/11/who-are-yoga-therapists/

Greetings Gentle Hearts!

I'm please to announce I've started a new collection of content now available at https://momence.com/video/collection/2089/428675

This is an audio collection of Guided Meditations to cultivate mindfulness, serenity, relaxation and to support your self-care journey toward well-being. I've just started the collection and more meditations will be added over the coming weeks.

As an introductory offer the meditations currently available can be accessed for 30 days for $5.

I am an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, recognized and certified by the National Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (NAMA) and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IATY). The union of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy as made a world of difference in my work with clients and students, enhancing my "tool kit" for assessments and developing customized practices for my students immensely.
If you'd like to learn more about how an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist works, NAMA is hosting a webinar on the subject on December 11th at 5pm (Pacific Time). You will hear first hand from a panel of talented Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists about their practices and how they incorporate Ayurveda and Yoga therapy in their work. While I personally won't be on the panel I work on the committee that is presenting this event so I will definitely be joining to hear my colleagues share their experiences. Great opportunity for anyone considering Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy as a career. You must be an active NAMA member to register.

Student Members Mingle: A Day in the life of an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist — National Ayurvedic Medical Association Monday, December 11 2023, with Susan Bass, M.S., AD, C-IAYT, Julia Abramova, AHC AYT, Cory Tixier, CAP AYT, and Jeff Perlman, CAP AYT Come meet with members of the NAMA Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy committee on December 11, 2023.  They will be sharing their inspiration for becoming NAMA Ayurv

You have it made in the shade....

Yoga Classes Week of July 31st Live-stream this gently-paced class from the comfort of your own home. Moving with intention and linking with the breath this practice cultivates balance, strength and flexibility in mind and body.

Completed the Yoga Blend 300-Hr Teacher Training 10 years ago today!
We were the first 300 Hour class at Yoga Blend. I had the joy and honor to be with these amazing yogis over the course of 1 year guided by the generous and awesome Christy Lynn Hicks. Truly a transformational experience that led me to another wise and wonderful teacher, Eleni Tsikrikas and the start of my journey toward my eventual certification as an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist.

https://mailchi.mp/49edfd3bee10/yoga-classes-week-of-may-14th-13643275

Yoga Classes Week of June 24th Live-stream this gently-paced class from the comfort of your own home. Moving with intention and linking with the breath this practice cultivates balance, strength and flexibility in mind and body.

Oncology yoga is designed to help cancer survivors achieve the oncology and healthcare organization recommendation to speed recovery or defend against cancer reoccurrence.

Onocology Yoga classes are offered at the Disney Family Cancer Center in Burbank, CA. For more info message me or call the DFCC at (818) 748-4701.

Walking and yoga ‘can cut risk of cancer spreading or returning’ Three studies add weight to growing evidence that physical activity can help patients who have the disease

Stay cool & hydrated this week So.Cal! And check out this week's newsletter...

Confirming this week's classes Live-stream this gently-paced class from the comfort of your own home. Moving with intention and linking with the breath this practice cultivates balance, strength and flexibility in mind and body.

Happy 4th of July...check out this week's newsletter & schedule of classes:

Confirming this week's classes Live-stream this gently-paced class from the comfort of your own home. Moving with intention and linking with the breath this practice cultivates balance, strength and flexibility in mind and body.

What if instead of setting resolutions focused on what we want to do or accomplish this year we start first by asking ourselves how do we want to feel this year? I came to realize that over the past two years there's been a lot of upheaval, uncertainty and loss that has made me feel anxious and unsettled a lot of the time. So I found myself using the word 'serene' a lot in my holiday greetings and wishes to people this year and I realize I'm wishing people serenity because I want to feel serene. So I'm setting that intention for myself, at least for the start of this year...to find at least one way each day to feel a moment of serenity; to do, say or embrace an experience that makes me feel serene and, when possible avoid things that don't bring me serenity. Just thinking about it I'm already feeling it.

How do you want to feel this year?

Happy February 2nd which this year is Mid-Winter and half-way to Spring day! Around us we can see the subtle signs of activation in nature. The dandelion greens are poking up out of the ground as are the bulb flowers, like my favorite freesias. As the light is growing it's an ideal time shine the light on what we are ready to let go in order to lighten up and make space both in our physical space and our inner space for what we want to create, change or become. Release the past and whatever isn't serving to activate new beginnings, new projects un-incumbered. This is the time start working on your new year intentions or resolutions that have been germinating over the winter months.

On the mat this week we'll be tapping into the practice of Aparigraha or non-attachment to consider what we are ready to release, how we can lighten our load and set the intention to make space for what is ready to bloom. Join me on Zoom or In-Person:

Today, Wednesday, Feb 2 - 12:30pm - Gentle Yoga: Click here to register:

https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0010fSCtixoP2MWpFhQi1dg-LmSIwU4H60vIbmsKnArixV1ekj1PGmHcJPWRv7SvckHkKNzzq33IwLBSgo5onUgIg1-xRrO_PONJVHG4HwflQqsIzZ8DMpw658WZSvxzEDfIqkneJ8imvDzsqUO1yLJxukbp4tDZNdh85Q85OgPseZtAjQfWR6qYNex5m5-K-YHcGykGhzlZqVFfIESfSbVLBTRCdqLEtty&c=gaAW5Qbdnac2AXtx6oOnhBYwP6C_EQ5TGsOjdwwf6XjUbVfPEly9Xg==&ch=cPe5nB-GhiqljOPgdPa0qnc7TEyzhD8821hrcseXKKtWS8ZxYsOrpA==

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 3 - Basic Yoga - In-Person Class at the DFCC in Burbank. Reservation required. Call DFCC Integrative Medicine at (818) 748-4701 to reserve a spot

Start your busy day or take a short break from it with this 10 minute Yoga Snack that blends mindful, breath-based movement and conscious holds to refine awareness of what you are experiencing as you embody each pose.

https://momence.com/p/92420

First Yoga Snack of the year is now available at https://momence.com/p/90789

Cultivate strength and balance with this brief core focused practice.

Have you been stuck at your desk all morning? Feeling bound up in your body or maybe weighed down by an overall heavy, dull, "bleh" feeling? Try this 15-minute Yoga Snack to gently activate your energy and motivation. https://momence.com/p/88803

Gentle Heart Yoga updated their website address.

Namaste, Gentle Hearts!

I hope you found ways of spending this past holiday weekend that were meaningful to you and brought you much peace and joy.

This week as the year winds down to a close we will wrap things up on the mat with the Winter Solstice practice that we’ve been working on the past several weeks. As we move with the breath through the series of poses and flows one last time, I invite you to reflect on how you have evolved in this practice since you first tried it…what progress you have made, what still challenges you, and what have you discovered about yourself along the way? Breath-based movement and the postures, practiced with intention, provide a context by which we can observe our tendencies, what we may be trying change, how we react to stressor/challenges, our strengths and can reveal what we may want or need to work on next. It is said that yoga is a journey of the self, to the self, through the self. This type of self-reflection, or Svadyaya, is a key component of this journey. It provides us a gauge to assess where we are to make sure we remain aligned with our intention and that where we are headed is still where we want to be.

I will be teaching this week. Visit my events page to see class registration info. Can't make a live class this week? Try one from my video library available On Demand via this link: https://momence.com/video/plugin/2089

Whether I see you either virtually or in-person on the mat for this final week of practice in 2021 or not, I wish everyone a most happy New Year and hold a vision of 2022 for you in my heart that sees all your most cherished desires manifested.

Om shanti!

Dear Gentle Hearts,
Wishing you and your families, health, love and happiness always!
xxoo
Lilia

A fresh 20-minute Yoga Snack is now available at https://momence.com/Gentle-Heart-Yoga/video/20-minute-Grounding-Practice/87447
When your energy is feeling frenetic from non-stop planning & doing and racing thoughts threaten to overwhelm you, this grounding practice can help bring your energy back to down earth and soothe frazzled nerves.

Greetings Gentle Hearts!!
Tuesday is the Winter Solstice where we experience the duality of longest, darkest night of the year that marks the beginning of winter AND the returning of the light that initiates our journey toward Spring.

Winter, with extended darkness and cold (and boy, has it been cold by California standards), beckons us to draw inward, slow down, rest, sleep and dream. It invites us to become like seeds burrowed deeply in the earth, seemingly inert but merely dormant, germinating the potential that is teaming within.

This is a perfect time of year for the yogic practices of pratyahara, dhrana and dhyana.

In pratyahara or sense withdrawal we consciously detach from seeking external sensory experiences and move from outward focused awareness to heightening our inner awareness. By detaching from sensory stimulus we find in that hush and stillness that we can better discern where we are in our quest to experiencing the world as the truest, best and happiest version of ourselves.

From that stillness we move into dhrana or concentration where we can focus our energy and attention on what we want to change or nurture to create a more centered and joyful experience. From there dhyana has us refining that focus by selecting one of those things to observe and link with and sustaining that focus (i.e., meditating) on that chosen object with the aim of complete understanding it and/or bringing it to fruition.

As you enjoy the coming holiday celebrations wherever you are, remember to take some time to disconnect from the hustle and bustle, draw inward, plant some seeds and dream of ways of cultivating a more peace-filled and joyful experience for yourself and the world around you.

Wishing you the happiest of days always. I hope to see you on the mat this week. See my Events tab for current scheduled live classes. Or, try one of my recorded 1-hour classes or short Yoga Snacks on my streaming platform via this link: https://withribbon.com/video/plugin/2089

For now, I leave you with this beautiful mantra that I love and find fitting for anytime but especially for the holiday season:

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
Pronounced: Low-kah sama-stah sue-key-no bah-vahn-too)

Meaning: May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.

Greetings, Gentle Hearts!

After last year's pause, it seems like the holiday hustle and bustle is emerging and making it's way back to some semblance of 'normal'.
Well, at least more 'normal' than last year. I certainly feel busier and have been out an about more (mindfully following health guidelines to keep myself and other safe, of course).

The hustle and bustle however can bring with it increased stress and overwhelm which makes keeping up with your yoga practice more important, yet more challenging to find the time for it.

That said, I've added a new series to my yoga video library. I'm please to announce the launch of, "Gentle Heart Yoga Snacks." This is a series of short form practices for those days when your time is limited. There are currently two short practices up now and more will be added in the weeks to come.

Follow this link to view an introductory video and/or try a 'yoga snack' today. https://withribbon.com/video/collection/2089/11225

Facing a difficult or challenging situation is like practicing your least favorite yoga pose...if you focus on resistance, fear or avoidance, you only prolong the difficulty and collapse into suffering. Stay connected to the breath keeping it steady and calm through the challenge. Centering with the breath, keeps you open and clear to see beyond the challenge to the possibility of resolving it and/or finding a place of balance and peace even while moving through the challenge. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it.

Current Class Schedule:
WEDNESDAYS - GENTLE YOGA (via Zoom)
A gently paced, breath based practice, suitable for all levels focused on building strength, balance and improving mobility & vitality.
Fee: $10
Contact Integrative Medicine at the Disney Family Cancer Center to register and purchase Individual and/or class packages:
(818) 748-4701
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THURSDAYS - BASIC YOGA (In Person at the DFCC)
An all levels class open the community and once again held IN PERSON in the lovely yoga room of the DFCC - Integrative Medicine Department. Foundational postures, practiced with attention to alignment and linking breath with movement while honoring your current mind/body state.
Fee: $10
Current CDC guidelines for health facilities will be in place. Class size limited to 6 so reservations recommended. Masks are required for all students in the building and during class. Bringing your own mat/props strongly urged. Call 818/748-4801 to reserve a spot. See Less

We are shifting away from Summer and making our way toward Fall. While the hot quality is still present, if you pay attention you can see the light shifting as Northern hemisphere starts to tilt away from the sun. This allows for those cooler evenings and mornings we're seeing of late serve as a reminder that we should begin to shift our self-care practices to focus on how we can balance the cold, dry and mobile qualities by introducing the warm, moist and stable qualities.

With that in mind, today I prepared a batch of yummy Crystalized Ginger Stems...basically ginger candy!

Ginger is one of the most common spices used around the world. In addition imparting a delicious, sweetly spicy flavor to foods it's known to have powerful properties that support health and well being such as:

Supports digestions/metabolism
Alleviates nausea
Anti-microbial
Anti-inflammatory
Supports the respiratory system
Stimulates circulation

I'll be popping a piece or two before a meal as a digestive aid. And, since we are still at the tail end of summer, garnished a a key lime/ginger Arnold Palmer I made today with one of these beauties.

How will you start warming things up in your self-care and food practices to prepare for Fall?

The goal of every yoga pose is to find the balance between effort and ease. The question is, what does that balance look like? Is it a , 50/50 proposition? Maybe. It depends on how you are showing up to the mat and what you need from your practice. It's more like riding a wave. Some days more effort is appropriate and sometimes what is needed is simply to rest and breathe. The key is to remain conscious of what is happening in each moment so any action taken as the wave ebbs, flows or crests, it the right action.

As it goes on the mat, so it goes off the mat. It's important to be aware of how we are expending our energy day to day and adjust as appropriate to keep balanced. That said, I've been teaching on Zoom, every week since March of 2020 and I'm ready to take a bit of a break.

For the rest of the month of August I'm easing up on my schedule by only teaching two classes a week:

Wednesdays, 12:30pm DFCC Virtual Gentle Yoga via Zoom
Thursdays, 5:30pm In Person Basic Yoga in the DFCC Yoga Room.

Details and links for these two classes are in the pinned post on this page.

My Thursday 8:30 am Good Morning Yoga! class will be on a break through the end of August. To keep up your practice, recordings of all my 2021 Good Morning Yoga! classes are available to access in my video library on a sliding scale, just like the live classes. Access GHY Video Library via this link:

Cow-a-bunga, yogis!

Sometimes the hardest pose is just showing up. This practice focuses on being ok with how you show up on the mat and whatever shows up for you on the mat as we focus on strengthening and supporting the knees.

https://withribbon.com/p/55599

Using mindful movement, calming breath and intentional stillness this week's practice focuses on cultivating ease in the body, mind and spirit by choosing surrender vs. resistance and struggle.

Available now on a sliding scale at:

https://withribbon.com/p/53737

In this week's practice we deepened our relationship with the side body. This often overlooked part of our physical anatomy is an important link between the front and and back body and the upper and lower body. It's no wonder work in the side body is loaded with potential to impact and benefit every aspect of our physical and energetic bodies. I invite you to give it a try. Follow the link to access. This class and all my class videos are offered on a sliding scale basis.

https://withribbon.com/p/52245