From Ojai to Venice: taking California by mat.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 2:54AM 
I was lucky enough to open my yoga week in sunny Ojai, California with Kira Ryder, owner of Lulu Bandha's. Ojai has long held a reputation as a place to heal the mind, body and spirit and Kira's studio is no exception. Having just returned from a weekend guest teaching at Kirpalu, the room of 25 students was eager to have their teacher and her wisdom back at home. This morning we students ranged in age from early twenties to late sixties and everyone modified to suit their needs as we moved along. Class ended with partner-assisted drop-backs, which created an atmosphere of trust and openness. After learning a bit more about the Ojai Yoga Crib that takes place in October, I got in the car and headed south.
What a difference 84 miles makes! I ended the day in Venice Beach at Exhale for Shiva Rae's Monday evening class. My 70 fellow students were abuzz with excitement as the live musicians who accompanied class set up at the front of the room. We did a lot of "moving with the flow" crescent lunges into standing splits while Shiva encouraged us to chat and use the breath to express our inner emotions. The last 1/2 hour was reserved for kirtan, or chanting, where the entire room was lead by the beautiful voice of Cecy. The African drums and guitar moved some people to dance around the room while others let the vibration from the room run though them while they sat and soaked in the energy. No matter how you decided to participate, you couldn't help but be moved by a room of beautiful people giving it up for Krishna.
photo courtesy of Nikolay