Dana Flynn, master of the bhakti love vibe, amazing playlists for class, and one of my very first yoga teachers has invited me to teach at her NY landmark vinyasa home, Laughing Lotus. What an honor.
She interviewed me as she does all of her guest teachers, and here is a transcript of our chat!
The Serene and Supreme Solstice Celebration is ON tomorrow, 4-5;45 at Laughing Lotus NYC
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Wow, Julie and I danced around each other for a long yogic spell, then she fell into the Anusara Camp and have just recently been reUnited and it feels SO good. Julie is Spirited and Positive and known by her students as being an amazing and generous Mentor!She has a BIG heart and teaches from it, making what she loves super accessible to all.Join her in this Serene and Sublime Solstice Celebration of Shiva Nataraj. With Mary J and Coco Rosie in her ipod, Looks we’ll be Dancing again!
Q&A:
DF: What is turning you on these days?
JD: The return of sunshine, meditation, my breath, and a good night out with the girls filled with laughter.
DF: What keeps you showing up?
JD: It’s just so amazing to show up! Showing up is an offering, both to my small self and big Self. I show up so who I am in this planet stays plugged in to the big picture.
DF: What gets in your way?
JD: Oh, my pesky little mind. It tries so hard to be in the drivers seat.
DF: What teacher or teachings has had the biggest influence on you, please explain?
JD: A combination of teachings from different Tantric lineages, primarily a south Indian tradition of Sri Vidya called Rajanaka Yoga, brought to life by Dr. Douglas Brooks. Douglas comes from a tradition that teaches what he calls “Radical Affirmation”, which offers a radical view of the world and the self. Hearing these teachings for the first time a decade ago shifted me in deep and profound ways, and helped me see clearer than ever before.
I’m also studying Neelakanta meditation with Paul Muller-Ortega, a tradition and style of meditative practices along the lines of TM, with juicy teachings from Paul’s extensive knowledge of Kashmir Shaivism. Meditation is forever going to be my medication to cure my heart’s ills.
I will forever be grateful to John Friend as he was my greatest influence as a teacher of asana. Together the three have fulfilled a triad of teachings for body, heart, and mind, enriching everything I do.
DF: Let us in on your sadhana or daily practice, what does it look like most days
JD: I do at least 1/2 hour of asana daily, and sit 20-30 minutes. The past 3 years or so I’ve been immersed in home practice and I’ve missed just being a student, so I’m on a personal mission to get back into the classroom again and be a student in as many of my colleagues classes as possible. Taking public class 2-3x a week is happening, and it’s so fun! . I feel less pressure because I’m allowing myself to be led in the classroom. I highly recommend it to all teachers- take your friends classes!
DF: Are there poses you notice you love and hang out in and others that you avoid and why?
JD: I have always been flexible, so back bends and I are good friends. Age has asked me to warm up more for them, which I do, but we’re still BFF. You’ll also find me hanging out in handstand a lot. I bring something in to my practice when I see I’ve been avoiding it, and it’s usually shoulder stand, headstand, and some arm balances. Those poses require and build focus and endurance, which for my sometimes fluttery nature, I like to avoid. I’m sure to rotate them in!
DF: What is in ur iPod right now?
JD: I’ve just discovered CocoRosie, so can’t get enough of their Bjorky blend. Delicious.I’m listening to Ben Howard too. The constant replay is Mary J, Pretty Lights, old Bruce, and all sorts of stuff.
DF: Tell us something about you that we probably wouldn’t know?
JD: I am pretty sure I was a sunflower in a past life.
Sweet Salutations to you Julie D!
Find Julie at Bend and Bloom BK and Virayoga to name a few sweet spots…Jai MA!
Sounds like an amazing night! Solistice… and dancing under the new moon.
Lately, I’ve been following some of the teachings of “The Secret”, which is about the law of attraction. Basically, it says that your habitual ways of thinking attract everything in your life. If you want to change your current situation (which you’ve attracted to you by your thoughts and feelings), you need to think and feel as if your life is already the way you want it to be.