SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 2002
“Yoga Mandala has my favorite yoga studio decor, it has the best atmosphere for yoga practice in the Bay. I also like this studio because it is spiritual, true to the traditions of yoga, yet they don't push it on you.”
by TJ O.
by TJ O.
How did you get into this line of work?
I have been practicing yoga since I was sixteen years old, and before that I have childhood memories of watching my mom do simhasana (lions breath) and surya namaskara on our living room carpet even before yoga became so popular in the USA.
All my life I have studied dance, and this passion naturally instills in me an understanding of the body that I take into every class I teach. Two years after graduating from college, I was dancing professionally when I tore a ligament in my knee for the first time. I was devastated. I had to get surgery if I ever wanted to continue dancing, and after surgery was eight months of mandatory physical therapy and rest from dancing. So I stopped dancing for a season and a half with LEVYdance; had a pause to look deeper inward, and eventually found myself in the jungle on the Nosara Peninsula, in one of the most wild, biodiverse, prana-saturated places I had ever been, immersed in a yoga teacher training led by Don (Brahmanand) and Amba Stapleton. I fell in love with the approach of Self Awakening Yoga that we learned at Nosara and returned inspired and committed to my path as a yoga teacher. The rest is history. My work each day is a labor of love.
What do you enjoy the most about working at Yoga Mandala?
The common thread that connects all the aspects of Yoga Mandala that I appreciate is the highly intentional, thorough, professional, compassionate and thoughtful way that all service and study is approached at this studio.
When you’re not practicing yoga, what are you most likely found doing?
I am likely to be found in rehearsal with LEVYdance. We are a very tight-knit dance company. There are only six of us, so it’s very much like a famil y, and the rehearsal process is much more than just learning choreography. It is highly collaborative; each dancer contributes movement and self-expression to the creative process in a way that involves significant personal investment and risk. I suppose you could say that we bring our personal lives to work every day, but in a good way!
Lately, I have also been falling in love with ballet technique class all over again. Approached with a lighthearted mindset and a curious nature it can be really joyful and empowering. I have also been studying Feldenkrais with Augusta Moore as much as I can.
In my downtime, I enjoy vegetarian cooking, reading and enjoying the cafe culture around Berkeley and San Francisco, and spending time with my wonderful boyfriend, Aaron. I also can’t pass by any opportunity to find a place to breathe in the freshest air I can find: sitting by the ocean or losing myself in a redwood forest work nicely.
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Comments
Lily’s classes are a joy to experience! She has an intimate knowledge of the body and a wonderful ability to convey that knowledge to her students that enables each of us to root deeper and grow taller in every pose. She complements this excellent physical practice with a heart-felt level of inspiration and awareness that never fails to remind me of the joy of my journey and the beauty of my soul…thank you, Lily, for sharing your gifts!
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