Deep House Yoga - Who, What, When, Where, Why?

What is Deep House Yoga?
By Dana Kraft

Coming up at Namaste Highland Park is
Electronic Excursions: A Profound Yoga Experience
Sunday March 12th , at 7:45pm

But what exactly is it, and should you venture with us on this excursion?

The answer is yes, but why?

If you love to feel a sense of freedom and letting go, if you love to dance like no one is watching, and you love yoga, then this is the place for you to uplift your spirits.

Deep House Yoga has been around for a few years now. It started in New York and San Francisco and has just started making its way to Los Angeles. It’s an underground scene that combines a live DJ, electronic music, yoga, free-flow movement, and breath all in one.

“These classes will make you break a sweat. But you’ll do it playfully — this isn’t the place to enforce stiff definitions of what yoga should look like. Instead, it’s a place where bouncing to the beat while in chair pose is encouraged, and “dance-asana” is a legitimate posture to take. Afterwards, people talk, connect and meet new friends with a happy endorphin afterglow” (Purkrabek, Sarah, LA Weekly).

After continuing to go to Deep House Yoga in Hollywood and leaving every time with a sense of euphoria I realized that there is no place on the east side of Los Angeles that offers it. I truly believe in this genre of yoga and want to offer it to students that I care about and I think Namaste Highland Park is the perfect community to receive it.

Steingold, who will be DJing the event, is a DJ/Producer based in Los Angeles. A fixture in music for almost two decades, Steingold cut his teeth while growing up in the Detroit music scene before moving to Los Angeles in the early 2000's. Upon Arriving in LA he immediately picked up where he left off, garnering residencies at world famous west coast venues.  Today Steingold continues his journey to spread his sounds across the globe.

Deep House Yoga is not meant to be an everyday class, but rather a big party to uplift your spirits and celebrate life. So come on Sunday, March 12th , 7:45pm so you can start your Monday off right. Pre-register because spots are filling up and there is a cap on the event!

www.namastehighlandpark.com/workshops

Sat Devbir - Namaste's new Kundalini teacher

We are very excited to welcome Sat Devbir Singh to our Namaste community. Sat Devbir is a renowned Kundalini yoga teacher and a teacher trainer at the Kundalini Research Institute. He will be teaching a weekly Hatha yoga & Kundalini class blend, on Saturdays at 9:15am in the Sanctuary, starting February 25th.

Below is a short interview: 

NHP: How do you spend your days off?

SDS: The concept of "days off" is fun for me to ponder because life is so rich that the lines between work and play are always blurred. I cherish the sacred moments of losing myself in nature and completely unplugging. I love to shut down all my devices for an entire day and allow each moment of the day to be a meditation where I move through the world and allow everything that comes into my experience to push me deeper into myself. It's become a practice of self love and connection. These type of days rarely occur without a hike with my dog and, of course, yoga. I'm a huge fan of foot spas and sensory deprivation float tanks as well.

NHP: What does your personal practice entail?

SDS: My intention is to make all of life my practice, but my sadhana is definitely colorful! I start with hydrotherapy (AKA a cold shower) in the Amrit Vela (AKA before sunrise in the nectar of the morning), and then begin a wake-up series yoga set with stretching, rhythmic exercise, and pranayam. I then transition to a series of meditations, chants, and visualizations before making myself a smoothie and heading out for a morning walk. I close the day with a gratitude meditation to prepare for yoga nidra.

NHP: What inspires you?

The world. People. Nature. The unknown. Wild compassion. Creative expression. Music. Spirit. Much of the time, I feel just like a kid in total wonder and curiosity.

NHP: Tell us about Kundalini Yoga.

SDS: If I had a dollar for every person who's asked me "isn't Kundalini that breathing type of yoga?", I'd definitely be rich. Indeed, it comes packed with Pranayama including the unique Breath of Fire, but also rhythmic body movements, asana, and potent meditations. Known as the "Mother Yoga" with roots in Northern India, it incorporates these various ingredients to accelerate personal growth. These teachings were reserved for the spiritually adept in India for hundreds of years until 1969 when they were finally released to the world. At a glance, it looks like a very traditional Indian practice with teachers in all white, yet it's completely designed for householders to help anyone and everyone reach their highest potential. With a focus on holistic health that often targets the nervous system to build immunity to stress, students commonly report a greater sense of confidence, clarity and ease. On the more esoteric side of the practice, the numerous kriyas (exercise sets) aim to gently awaken the dormant spiritual energy & awareness (Kundalini energy) within the practitioner to increase intuition and one's overall vibration, AKA the "Kundalini high". Whether you're looking to balance your emotions or balance your chakras, please join us for the Kundalini Yoga journey!

About Sat Devbir Singh

Sat Devbir Singh is an urban yogi and holistic healer. The practice of yoga brought him into alignment with life itself and inspired him to share the teachings with others. He holds classes and retreats worldwide to share empowerment teachings and yogic technology. Sat Devbir's classes are often themed around a particular subject that he intuitively chooses to help students move through challenges, release resistance, and open a space within themselves for joy and prosperity. www.SatDevbirSingh.com

Certifications: Kundalini Research Institute Kundalini Yoga Practitioner, Teacher Trainer

Experience: Teaching Yoga since 2008

About his weekly class at Namaste:
YOGA :: Hatha & Kundalini
A form of ancient Kriya Yoga, this practice targets the nervous system and glandular system with the intention to initiate a healthful, youthful glow from the inside out and build an immunity to stress.
Every class is a combination of Hatha based asana, rhythmic exercise, breathwork, a closing meditation, and deep relaxation.
Kundalini Yoga is excellent for students who are interested in deepening the integration between the physical and energetic bodies, increasing intuition, and developing the grit to face life with an attitude of excellence.

Teacher Feature: Chona Bernardo

Chona Bernardo has been working at Namaste for quite some time now, and the energy she has brought to our studio through her work at the desk, sharing her art, and practicing Reiki has been such a gift!

Now that she has completed her teacher training she has taken on another role at our studio. Chona's yoga classes have already gotten wonderful reviews from our students. In case you haven't had the chance to get to know Chona, we asked her some questions about her personal practice and her teaching philosophy. Read her answers below and carve some time out of your schedule to experience her class! Every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30am.


Where could we find you as a child?
 You could probably find me by my baby grand piano staring at notes and matching it to the sounds on the keyboard.

What was your first yoga experience like?
It was at One Down Dog with Kristina Serna. She was so gentle and adjusted me all she could.  At the end she had me inhale an essential oil and gave me a head massage.  I remember that it was everything I needed at that moment...a loving touch, sisterly care, a sense of feeling embraced and looked after.  I felt that all in my first savasana.  I’m not sure if it was because it’s what my soul yearned for or it was who she embodied, maybe it was both.  All I know is that that moment changed me had me coming back for more.

At what moment did you go from thinking, "I like yoga," to, "I'm a yoga teacher?"
When my regular student told me that their coworkers notice that on Tuesdays and Thursdays their energy is different at work, and that’s because take my class first thing in the morning.  It was that moment that I realized I make a difference in one person’s life when I realized I am a yoga teacher.

What do you hope people take away from your class?
I hope they realize that the act of showing up to their mat is an act of self love and self care.  How they treat themselves is essentially how they treat others around them. So choosing to do yoga for themselves resonates and affects everyone that they encounter everyday.

How does yoga go beyond the mat in your life?
When I go through challenging times in my life, I learn to breathe through it and stay calm.  When I am kind to myself and take baby steps to pursue a challenging pose, I am also kind to myself when I deal with real-life situations.  I try not to hold attachments to any outcome, but continually showing up to practice will get me closer to my intentions.  As cliche as it sounds, it really is about the journey, and not the destination.

What does your personal practice entail?  
I wake up and give thanks.  I meditate for 20-30 minutes, I get on my mat and practice, make a cup of tea, and journal before starting my day.

What is something we'd be surprised to learn about you? 
I unapologetically love talking to the Universe aloud, and somehow Universe talks right back through synchronicities, or in ways only I could understand.  Universe got my back and it’s a mystical and magical world I live in.

What brings you to Namaste, and what do you hope to gain from our community?
What brings me to Namaste is that most everyone is seeking to improve themselves, whether to physically strengthen their practice, or to seek spiritual enlightenment. It’s a safe space where they cultivate inner peace.  Most everyone leaves class feeling blissed out. Why wouldn’t anyone want to be around that kind of energy?

What I hope to gain from our community is to be a better teacher.  Everyone has different body types and have different intentions for coming class.  I want to be a well versed teacher and learn from everyone so I can help others experience a good class.