A message to my YogaDownload students: Hello to everyone worldwide that tunes into YogaDownload! I'm so grateful to have this new offering of online videos so we can stay connected to each other. The Guidelines for a Balanced Life series is about taking the practice of yamas, niyamas and chakras and discovering who we are on and off the mat. I like to call it being a spiritual detective.
What teachers or teachings have impacted you the most?
Ana Forrest, Seane Corn, and Tias Little.
What inspires your teaching?
One of the things that I have cultivated over my years of teaching is reading energy in students' bodies. Sometimes it shows up in the body, but it's always amazing when it shows up on the face. I'm very direct because I realize that my time with students may be brief, possibly just one class or one workshop, retreat or training. Honesty does not waste anyone's time. So when a student has a breakthrough or even a breakdown to breakthrough and that light turns on, I see it in their face and I know the power of the heart has been sparked and ignited. This is a shared energy and I never give a quick hug and send students away. It's so important for me to acknowledge this moment for students, especially if they just practiced or experienced something for the first time.
In your words, what is yoga?
Both a challenging and simple question. Simple first. For me, yoga is everything which leads to the challenging response. Yoga is my joy. It is my love. Yoga is my sadness, anger and confusion. It's my judgments and it's the recognition that I also am judged. It's about going to those deep layers of holding and attachment. It is a daily practice of working the guidelines of the yamas and niyamas. To notice that some days I freely express my anger and other days I hide my joy. I want to find out where in my body those things live and have a loving relationship with my behavior and my personality, and then go deeper. I want to see who I am and what effects that has on the lives of others. Once I reveal these truths, I see the similarities in all beings and don't feel so separate or alone. So for me, it's yoga and recovery, community - union. For all beings.
Yoga with Les is a vinyasa/flow yoga practice. Les is one of the most sought after teachers around the world. Les’ classes and podcasts are filled with all the basic technique and alignment cues you will need to get your yoga practice started. They are also filled with lots of variations and occasional longer sequences to challenge the more seasoned practitioner. The prana (life force) comes from within. So be prepared to sweat and let the rasa (the sap and the juice) flow freely.
Practice one of Les Leventhal's classes on YogaDownload today!