Namaste Warrior

ster Class @Yoga Spot NY 90 minutes


PRIVATE INSTRUCTION IS AVAILABLE AND ENCOURAGED. Send me a Direct Message(DM) to schedule your private class. in Brooklyn $100 per hour, in Manhattan $150 per hour. Discounts for package deals. ABOUT ME:
After being honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2001, I was physically broken and emotionally wounded from multiple military service-related injuries. Years of pushing my body to its limits in Marine Infantry training, plus stress of beloved hobbies like body-building, and running, had worn out the cartilage in both of my knees and left me dealing with a dislocated shoulder and chronic muscle knots in my neck, and the entire right side of my back. By the time I was discharged from the Marine Corps, I was in urgent need of surgery for three of my major joints. Luckily, the military taught me a valuable lesson, never to give up on myself. I decided to improve my declined health if at all possible. I went through a series of reconstructive surgeries, and found some pain relief, but, still had trouble making it to the gym or getting back to hobbies I used to enjoy. Even after all the medical intervention I still had pain from repetitive motions plus regular pain and inflammation in the affected joints. This struggle to get back in shape and live pain-free went on for four years. I felt like I was never going to get back to looking good and feeling good, that is, until one wonderful spring day I walked into a Yoga class. At first, when I started practicing I noticed immediate pain relief in the joints and less swelling from the workouts; which has kept me away from all other sports I used to enjoy previously. As my painful joints became looser and stronger, the yoga workouts left me feeling more invigorated, stronger and self-empowered again. I was starting to lose the fat I gained over my previous four years of inactivity, and even build muscle tone in support of my hurt joints - feeling less and less pain. I devoted a couple of years to figuring out Yoga asana(postures), strengthening my body through Yoga "gymnastics", which allowed me to resume some of the sports activities I missed and craved like hiking, bicycling, and swimming. Also, I noticed Yoga's powerful stress relieving benefits associated with a steady, consistent practice. The calmness I felt deep in my soul, the centering, and the increased energy I felt after each new class kept me coming back for more. As I dug deeper into my practice, I started to seek out the best and most qualified Yoga teachers. With their guidance, I learned Yoga was an ancient Indian science with an unparalleled variety of exercises(postures), self-healing techniques, and spiritual practices for self-realization and enlightenment. The effectiveness of the various Yogic methods, its asana(postures) and philosophy of pure life intrigued me. After 4 years of practicing Yoga asana(gymnastics) exclusively, I became hooked and more involved with the traditional Yoga system, the Ashtanga Yoga, the 8 limbs of sage Patanjali. I loved it all. As years went on I immersed myself in the Yogic studies; in the classroom, through books, DVDs, workshops, and retreats. As my practice excelled and I became more advanced I felt it was time to share my Yogic knowledge and secrets learned, signing up for my first teacher training at Yoga to the People(NYC) in June 2010. My next teacher training in 2012 took me to an exotic island of Koh Samui, Thailand to Vikasa Yoga, where for a month we trained outside in sweltering 90-degree heat every day, for up to five hours a day! Even now, I continue to seek out and study with real yoga masters, gurus, and teachers; learning their methods and techniques to stay current, to evolve my own practice and understanding of what is "Yoga." The Yoga classes I teach are informative, humorous, and draw on the Hatha Vinyasa Yoga tradition, with plenty of focus on alignment, understanding of the pose, and attention to deep breathing and concentration. My goal in every Yoga class is to help my students realize their own true potential, and offer them a routine that is compatible with hanging in any beginner or intermediate Yoga class around the world. Namaste to all my Yoga Warriors,

Alexander Litvak