Yoga by Kirtana
When I first started practicing yoga in 2010, it was sporadic, at best, as I relied on it for times when I was nursing an injury from running. Fast forward to early 2016, I attended a Beginner’s Power Yoga class at a studio in Baltimore and walked away wanting to know more about yoga and how I could incorporate its teachings in my everyday life. Soon after, I completed an 80-hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training and 200-hour Power Yoga Teacher Training.. For nearly two years, I taught both Yoga Sculpt and Power Yoga classes at the same studio where I took the Beginner class. Talk about full circle!
After becoming pregnant in 2018, I shifted my yoga practice to focus more on gentle and restorative yoga and movement to establish a deeper connection with my breath and prepare myself for labor. My postpartum journey back to yoga and movement was humbling (to say the least) and required a significant shift in how I approached myself. I began to offer myself (lots of) grace and patience each time I arrived on my mat.. With slow and steady progress (and many setbacks along the way), I am discovering that my strength, both physical and mental, comes from acknowledging where my body is in the present moment and harnessing the power of my breath to navigate through changes in life, both on and off of my mat.
As a yoga facilitator, I guide participants in Power Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, Restorative Yoga, and Pranayama (breath work). Recently, I completed 20 hours of training in Trauma Centered – Trauma Sensitive Yoga with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment Yoga Program, providing me with the skills to integrate a trauma informed lens into a yoga class.
I am committed to honoring the eight limbs of yoga, an indigenous practice from South Asia, by continuing self-study of this practice with resources developed by BIPOC yoga practitioners, taking classes from these practitioners, showing others the deep connection between yoga and social justice, and being a vehicle for change in my community.