YOGA
It’s really for every. body.

“True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied.”
— Aadil Palkhivala

What is Yoga?

The origins of yoga are many — but what we know in the West as yoga is a 5000-year-old Indian philosophy system and body of knowledge. Approximately 2000 years ago, an Indian sage named Patanjali combined and organized this information into the classical text, the Yoga Sutras.

Patanjali explained yoga in alignment with Indian thought — the individual human spirit is connected to the Supreme Universal Spirit. In today’s terms, it simply means that our souls are connected to something larger than ourselves. Yoga consists of practices to unite the mind, body, and spirit and helps us to live in alignment with The Universe.

Those who practice yoga are called yogis. The more yoga you practice, the more it becomes about what you do off your mat. As we connect with our inner selves, our outer self starts to change. Yoga teaches the art of living a happy + healthy life.

Yoga is more than a workout. It combines meditation, self-discipline, and breathing practices together to reconnect us with our whole selves. Patanjali outlined eight limbs or stages of yoga but most of Western yoga is primarily rooted in Limb 3 which are the physical postures you know as “yoga poses”.

Eight Limbs of Yoga
1. YAMA – Universal moral & ethical standards
2. NIYAMA – Self-purification by discipline and spiritual observances.
3. ASANA – The physical postures.
4. PRANAYAMA – Control of Breath
5. PRATYAHARA – Withdrawl of senses from the outside world to the inner world.
6. DHARANA – Focused concentration
7. DHYANA – Meditation
8. SAMADHI – Bliss or enlightenment

Are There Different Types of Yoga?

Yes! When you look at a modern studio schedule, chances are you’re overwhelmed with all the yoga class options. Yoga came to the West in the early 20th century and has evolved into many styles. Below is a list to help you understand popular types of asana yoga offered at most yoga studios.

  • Ashtanga: A precise series of poses in a sequential order linked with breath.
    • Difficulty Level: Challenging, Physically Demanding
    • Best For: Experienced yogis as classes are in Sanskrit and fast-paced
  • Bikram/Hot Yoga: Sequence of 26 poses performed in a heated room
    • Difficulty Level: Challenging
    • Best For: Weight loss, Improving Flexibility & Strength
  • Hatha: Simple, slow-paced style focused on mind-body connection
    • Difficulty Level: All Levels
    • Best For: Beginners, Relaxation
  • Iyengar: Poses held for long periods to focus on body alignment and relaxation
    • Difficulty Level: All Levels
    • Best For: Beginners, Yogis with Back or Neck Pain (Consult Doctor First!)
  • Kundalini: Spiritual focused via movements, breath, chanting, & meditation
    • Difficulty Level: All Levels
    • Best For: Yogis Seeking More Esoteric and Spiritual Experience
  • Restorative/Yin: Slow practice for calming the nervous system & releasing tension
    • Difficulty Level: All Levels
    • Best For: Stress Relief, Relaxation, Stretching, Injured Yogis
  • Vinyasa: Flowing sequences with emphasis on linking breath & movement
    • Difficulty Level: Moderate
    • Best For: Weight loss, Yogis with Trouble Stilling the Mind

My Yoga Journey

Hi, I’m Dr. Danielle and I’m Los Angeles based yogi + optometrist + wellness entrepreneur. For me, yoga has been integral on my path of self-healing and self-improvement. I’ve often shared my story of being miserable in optometry school. Due to stress and unhealthy life choices, I was suffering from chronic IBS among other health issues. I was running out of Western medicine treatment options when my doctors recommended I decrease my stress. They suggested yoga as a stress reliever and I decided to take the advice.

I bought a 30 day New Student introductory pass at my local yoga studio and committed to going 4x per week. I took hot yoga, bikram, restorative, and beginner’s classes. Something inside of me came alive and I found myself looking forward to getting on the mat every day. I loved what the teachers would say in class and how grounded I felt. I also noticed my physical symptoms began to improve.

Fast forward to 2015 — I went on a solo vacation to Bali for a month after optometry school graduation to dive deeper into yoga + Eastern healing practices. I spent most of that month in Ubud, one of the most healing places on Earth. Being alone provided the space to realize my sickness was not coming from the physical level and that I needed to heal on a soul level if I wanted to improve my physical health. I nosedived into healing via yoga, energy therapies, Balinese medicines, massages, and radical self-love + self-care. This intensive healing experience gave me space to finally focus on true health and happiness.

For the first time in my life — I FELT GOOD!!! I felt great, I looked great, and I felt AT PEACE. It was there that my love of yoga was cemented and I haven’t looked back since. I began a Yoga Teacher Training program in 2016 and it was THE BEST decision.

My life has changed so much through both my personal practice and my training. Yoga has made me a more conscious and compassionate person. It has made me strong and lean. It has given me tools to better handle my emotions (always working on this one lol). It has reignited my connection with God and given me an awareness of the power we hold. Most importantly, it has given me a community of like-minded people!

This practice can change your life if you let it. It’s not about expensive leggings or fancy studios — it’s about commitment to yourself and the practice.

Namaste 🙏🏾

What are the benefits of yoga?

• Encourages Healthy Living • Improved Posture • Improved Mental Stamina • Increased Strength & Flexibility • Long & Lean Muscles • Relieves Joint Pain • Increased Bone Density • Improved Digestion • Cultivates Self-Awareness • Improves Mood • Calms Mind • Relieves Tension & Stress • Increases Blood Flow • Improved Blood Pressure • Focus & Mental Concentration • Improves Balance • Regulation of Nervous System • Healing of Mind, Body, & Spirit

Ready to Get Started?

You can check out our online feeling-focused yoga™ classes HERE.

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“Traditionally, yoga is the science of the Self. Yoga seeks to help us understand our inner world through various techniques that include meditation, asanas, breathing, focused awareness, and certain rules of behavior and conduct. If by religion we mean the religious experience of transcendence, the loss of fear of death, and the emergence of platonic qualities such as truth, beauty, goodness, harmony, and evolution, then yes, yoga can give us a religious experience. It is not a religion in the form of ideology, dogma, belief systems, or compliance; it’s a spiritual experience that gives us access to a universal domain of reality.”
-Deepak Chopra