I'm excited to announce I’ll be hosting yoga classes on the new BADA Community Channel to fundraise for Bay Area Disc Association (BADA). The full schedule is available on the BADA Community Channel, Yoga classes will be held on Friday 3/20 at 12:00 pm, Wednesdays at 12:00 pm, and Thursdays at 6:00 pm - and are accessible through the following link: https://bayareadisc.zoom.us/my/badachannel.

We will focus on strengthening all muscle groups and building flexibility and balance. We will take our time moving through a sequence while paying special attention to alignment, eventually working our way towards flowing breath to movement.

Props and prop substitutes can sometimes be helpful in making yoga practice more accessible. Useful props may include: Yoga mat (yoga mat alternatives), Block (books, pillows, low tables or stools), Blanket (towel, pillows), Strap (scarf, tie, robe belt, small towel).

All Yoga for BADA classes have a suggested donation of $5-15 and should be made to Bay Area Disc Association.

Hi all! There are so many feelings happening right now and I wanted to check in to see how everyone is holding up. I hope that you are taking time to adjust where you can and stay as safe as possible.

As some of you know, I've made the difficult decision to step back from teaching my public classes for the next two weeks (at least) and will provide updates as we know more about the impact of Covid-19. As much as I love teaching and seeing everyone in person, I think it's important that we all make an effort to #flattenthecurve and keep each other safe.

Working from home is a privilege and my thoughts go out to those who still need to go to work every day.

I have set up a platform to practice virtually via Zoom meetings. I'll live stream classes from home on Monday, 3/23 at 6:00 pm (60 min) and Tuesday, 3/24 at 7:30 am (60 min) - these will both be PST. Feel free to join the class a few minutes early to get yourself comfortable and familiar with the technology. Simply click this link to join: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2790760525 (Link is on my bio and website as well). *Any donations for classes can be made via Venmo to @hannah-lerch. I will also be offering a few other fundraising classes - so stay tuned!

While I look forward to being back in the studio space, I hope you can join me online for now. I will keep you informed with updates as they develop and look forward to welcoming you back into the classroom!

My heart goes out to all those affected by Covid-19. Continue to stay safe and take care of your loved ones.

Today's the day!

Nat Kendall's ‘Breath of the Beloved’ is now available on Spotify, iTunes, and everywhere you enjoy your music. Visit www.natkendall.com/music to find links and listen. Four beautifully sweet tracks dedicated to Lord Rama.

We’ll be celebrating the album release TONIGHT, playing live music for Yoga on the Labyrinth with Darren Main at 6:15 pm, and a Kirtan to follow, at Grace Cathedral. Hope to see you there!

This week in yoga: twists and side crow.

I've always practiced #parsvabakasana with the weight of my lower body resting on both elbows. It's much more challenging to balance on one. Removing one point of contact creates a weaker base structure, it requires more strength and balance to support the pose.

Reminding myself again and again that yoga isn't about the poses or asana. It's about the experience, the breath, how a posture makes you feel, and how you react to that feeling.

Setting it down.
Setting down this physical body, letting it rest in, be soft and supported.
Setting down expectations.
Setting down things I hold onto and softening my grip.

If I could be like a tree
I'd have strength, stability
The wind may push me around
But these feet are rooted in the ground
If I could be like a tree

"I can't do yoga, I'm not flexible."

I hear this a lot when I tell people I practice/teach yoga. I'm not good at it so I don't do it. It's a funny thing. Children are constantly learning, they try and try again. They don't question their skills. They might fall down, but they get back up. As we get older we often have a difficult time doing things we're not good at it. Whether you're good or not good at something isn't what matters. (And shouldn't a challenge be a reason to practice?)

Yoga isn't about being 'good' at something, it isn't about failing. It's about how it makes you feel and meeting your practice where it is. Some days you feel strong, more open. Other days you take a step back and listen. It's a journey.

For me, Om is about the sound itself. Chanting Om creates a vibration and a resonance. It allows our body to align with our mind and spirit. Om is relaxing and grounding, it calms the nervous system, and focuses the mind to prepare us for meditation or asana. Chanting Om together allows us to unite our voices, to unite our breath - aligning with each other. It's about the silence after the sound, and how it makes you feel. 

Balance is not a place.
Balance is fleeting.
Balance is dynamic.
Balance is elusive.
Balance is fluid.
Balance is learning to fall.
Balance is learning to let go.
Balance is always changing.

I'm always down for a paschimottanasana or any forward fold. It's a place where I feel open, safe, and relaxed. And while I'll always incorporate a few folds into my practice, I also try to bring in a few poses that are more challenging for me. Hip and shoulder opening, backbends, anything strength building, inversions... to name a few.

Part of yoga is to practice noticing your preferences. Not only in postures but in transitions, the way in which you enter and exit the pose, and the movements in between. Maybe you always interlace and clasp the hands one way, or put one leg in front in sukhasana, maybe you prefer to start with one side vs the other, or favor the right side over the left...

One way isn't necessarily right or wrong, but it's important to notice, ask yourself why you do things the things you do. Sometimes we gravitate towards spaces that are more comfortable, poses that are easier to soften and open into. And sometimes we choose a pose that's more difficult for our individual body, a place that is stiff or tight, but an area we've actively chosen to work on. What do you notice? What are your tendencies and what are you looking to get out of the pose and your practice?